I don't understand how I'm gaining weight
Replies
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tinkerbellang83 wrote: »tinkerbellang83 wrote: »It could be due to gained muscle in legs from all the walking you do, like you walk a lot so I wouldn't be surprised as muscle weighs more than fat.
Muscle doesn't weigh more than fat, it's more dense and even with a progressive strength training program you wouldn't expect to see a particularly large gain on the scale for a female, let alone from walking.
A useful explanation of why this is one of the worst diet myths bandied about https://www.aworkoutroutine.com/weight-loss-plateau-myth-muscle-weighs-more-than-fat/
For the same volume, muscle does weigh more than fat. I’m pretty sure that’s what most people mean when they say muscle weighs more than fat, and Tinkerbell didn’t say a pound of muscle weighs more than a pound of fat. There are countless posts on MFP about how people who have gained muscle have smaller measurements despite not being at a lower weight, because muscle does weight more than fat at the same dimensions.
The problem with Tinkerbell’s post is that a lot of walking isn’t likely to build enough muscle to account for weight gain.
@utahjulia it wasn't my post suggesting that walking would build muscle. I was responding to the poster who made that comment.
In most cases people assume weight gained when they incorporate new strength training exercise is muscle when realisticaly maybe 0.25lbs is muscle and the rest is water retention.
My apologies. I’ve corrected my post with respect to your name. I was responding to your post.0 -
In addition to most of what's already been said, if you plan to weigh yourself on a regular basis, consider an weight trend app. They can be really useful tools for seeing what's really happening regarding weight.
Good luck, and congrats on how far you've come. It's a long, slow process.3 -
Try increasing your calories. It sounds like your metabolism is messed up. I know it sounds counterproductive but you need to eat, especially because of how active you are. When you cut calories so drastically, the body wants to conserve energy slowing down your metabolism. What happens is you end up having to cut calories even more and then your metabolism drops again. It becomes a never-ending battle. When your metabolism drops it can cause you to gain weight if your metabolism is not burning at the rate it used to and you are still consuming the same amount of calories. If you increase your calories so that you are still in a calorie deficit but losing weight at a slower rate, your metabolism will go back up.18
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beatyfamily1 wrote: »Try increasing your calories. It sounds like your metabolism is messed up. I know it sounds counterproductive but you need to eat, especially because of how active you are. When you cut calories so drastically, the body wants to conserve energy slowing down your metabolism. What happens is you end up having to cut calories even more and then your metabolism drops again. It becomes a never-ending battle. When your metabolism drops it can cause you to gain weight if your metabolism is not burning at the rate it used to and you are still consuming the same amount of calories. If you increase your calories so that you are still in a calorie deficit but losing weight at a slower rate, your metabolism will go back up.
OP shouldn't be trying to lose weight she's at a healthy weight and is recovering from an ED.
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utomjordingen wrote: »Katiebear_81 wrote: »fitoverfortymom wrote: »deannalfisher wrote: »i recommend you reach out to your treatment team and talk to them - you are always in recovery from an ED, and they can potentially help you with some of the conflicting thoughts going on in your mind
This so very much. If you're in recovery/recovered from an ED, concerns regarding any weight gain or loss should be directed to your treatment providers. If your weight is a concern and you are not actively in therapy, set up an appointment with a professional who can provide guidance.
I completely agree. I think it's time to reach out to your treatment team (or GP if you don't currently have a team) to discuss how you are feeling and what your body is doing. You sound pretty stressed about it, and it sounds like you are trying to limit your food by over-logging what you are consuming. They will be able to give you the best advice, as professionals who understand the process.
Take good care of yourself!
Thank you so much for being so caring. I don't have one, but it costs money here in Sweden when you're over 20, and I really, really can't afford that, having no job at the moment. I've been recovering on my own (with my lovely boyfriend, he is the best support) and it's been alright...It's just frustrating when things like this happens, and I have no one with answers
I'm not at all familiar with the medical system in Sweden. Are there any support groups or income-based programs you can look at? Even just being around people who share your struggles and are working through them can be great for your headspace.
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You are eating more calories than you spend. Simple.
MFP is a good general guide, but it is not the holy grail of identifying exactly how many calories you need or how many you are using. Additionally, almost everyone on here measures and weighs their foods incorrectly in a way that does not guarantee exact calorie counts. If MFP is overestimating your need by 10% and you're underestimating your intake by 10%, BAM, 20% right there and that is HUGE.8 -
utomjordingen wrote: »tinkerbellang83 wrote: »It could be due to gained muscle in legs from all the walking you do, like you walk a lot so I wouldn't be surprised as muscle weighs more than fat.
Muscle doesn't weigh more than fat, it's more dense and even with a progressive strength training program you wouldn't expect to see a particularly large gain on the scale for a female, let alone from walking.
A useful explanation of why this is one of the worst diet myths bandied about https://www.aworkoutroutine.com/weight-loss-plateau-myth-muscle-weighs-more-than-fat/
To your previcious comment, I was at 42-45 kg a year ago. Since then I've gained to 56, where I am today. I thought that it would stop at about 52, but it just kept going.
The muscle things, I've been hoping it was that....but I still don't know or understand.
You gained because you're eating more than you need to maintain, and/or you are overestimating your exercise burns.
We might be able to spot errors on your logging if you change your Diary Sharing settings to Public: http://www.myfitnesspal.com/account/diary_settings
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For kittens' sake people.
a) OP is recovering from an ED and is nowhere near the position of being overweight. She is in the middle of the healthy weight range for small feline's sake and FAR from, NOT close to, being overweight!
OP you're just as few kilos from being underweight as you are from being overweight... how come you're worried about one but not the other?
b) it is questionable whether you should be counting calories for the purpose of restriction, exercising as much as you are for the sake of controlling your weight, and even, quite possibly weighting yourself.
Of course you've gained weight... you were at the wrong end of that equation and there is no way to move forward without providing your body with the resources it needs!
c) there are at least three posters who have been exactly where you are and who have given you advice based on their hard bought personal experience. You can try to listen to them, or you can listen to the rest of us including people who are advising a person who is recovering from ED and still (at least on paper) eating less than they should, to continue controlling their eating while maintaining an increased level of activity (15 to 20k steps a day being well above mfp's very active level).
d) last but not least. The healthy weight range does not mean than any single individual is optimaly healthy at EVERY point in that range. It could be that I am healthiest at BMI 21 and collectingBlues at BMI 24.9. which would suck, because I have no real desire to eat any less on a regular basis than I do now at BMI>23, and I think collectingBlues would have multiple litters of kittens before she could get herself to 24.9!15 -
utomjordingen wrote: »A few more questions:
1) Do you mind sharing what types of foods you eat on a regular basis? Since you're vegan, your food groups are limited -- do you focus on whole foods more (grains, fruits, nuts, beans) -- or do you use a lot of prepared/processed foods? Perhaps a balance of both? And do you limit fats at all?
You're bound to get several people insisting that CICO is king, but I firmly believe that food type is incredibly important in fat assessment. This is speaking from 140 lbs loss experience.
2) Do you take measurements as well as scale readings? This will help you as you wonder about muscle/fluid/fat gain. Remember that even your bones will increase in density, as your body is healing from the "years," as you've described it, of eating less than your body needs.
3) Just out of curiosity, your average step intake: is that due to your daily movement or added exercise? How many steps do you normally get without added exercise?
4) Perhaps TMI, how regular are your bowel movements?
1) For breakfast I usually eat fruit, oats or cereal. Maybe a toast with pb & tomato if there's nothing else, but i prefer oats or cereal. I never eat lunch because I'm just not hungry in the middle of the day, but I'll have a fruit or some nuts or something like that. Dinner is usually some kind of carb like potatoes with vegan meat (brand anamma right now because we've got the whole freezer full haha!) but sometimes I have breakfast for dinner. In the evening I'll often have some chocolate or maybe crisps if my boyfriend also has some. I snack some too during the days but often on some dry cereal or fruit, but I keep track.
2) I do, and it says that my body fat is lkie 22 or 21% if I remember correctly.
3) I usually just walk alot with my boyfriend, out here on the country where we live or in city with friends and it adds up to about 20 000 steps and it says on my step counter that I burn about 600-1200 calories from it depending on how fast I walk. The other day we walked 45 000 and ofc that was alot!
4) Every other day I think, sometimes less if I eat less, sometimes daily when I eat more
You're doing an incredible job! Keep feeding your body wholesome foods and you'll see that your weight will stabilize in time. In the meantime, there's absolutely nothing to be worried about weight-wise.
Eating normally will not cause you to be overweight. If you're anything like me, you probably have that nagging voice in your head that says, "Well, I'd rather undereat than be overweight."
Please dont listen to this voice. It's not truthful. This voice is using your past mindset to shape your reality. You have to constantly shape your reality by rooting yourself in the facts. No one becomes overweight by eating wholesome foods in moderate portions. Your body is just in a healing process, and I do believe that much of your weight is water weight (with necessary fat, too!). Every gram of carbohydrate is stored with 3 grams of water. As you increase your intake, especially as a vegan, you will see a lot of added water weight.
I asked you about processed foods not to demonize them; it's important not to alienate foods as you embrace intuitive eating. That being said, many processed foods contain extra sodium (which means extra water weight). Its helpful to know these culprits as they pertain to weight gain. I can gain or lose 10 pounds in a week based on how many processed foods I'm eating (mostly water weight).
Recovering while eating too many processed foods is counterproductive to the process, because as you see yourself gaining unnecessary weight, you will want to rebound back into old restrictive habits. This happened to me. This is why so many eating disorder recoverers relapse after spending time inpatient. 80/20 is a good mix, and judging from your food descriptions, it sounds like you're on the right track. Just something to be mindful of.
I'm here for you if you ever want to talk through anything. Again, I admire your strength and perseverance so much. Praying for you throughout the process!2 -
tinkerbellang83 wrote: »It could be due to gained muscle in legs from all the walking you do, like you walk a lot so I wouldn't be surprised as muscle weighs more than fat.
Muscle doesn't weigh more than fat, it's more dense and even with a progressive strength training program you wouldn't expect to see a particularly large gain on the scale for a female, let alone from walking.
A useful explanation of why this is one of the worst diet myths bandied about https://www.aworkoutroutine.com/weight-loss-plateau-myth-muscle-weighs-more-than-fat/
For the same volume, muscle does weigh more than fat. I’m pretty sure that’s what most people mean when they say muscle weighs more than fat, and Andia didn’t say a pound of muscle weighs more than a pound of fat. There are countless posts on MFP about how people who have gained muscle have smaller measurements despite not being at a lower weight, because muscle does weight more than fat at the same dimensions.
The problem with Andia’s post is that a lot of walking isn’t likely to build enough muscle to account for weight gain.
I do squats and some other exercises that I don't know the name of, I often watch videos on youtube haha! Could that build muscle, or do I have to go to the gym and work out like crazy to build muscle mass? Or is it enough to do some at home daily?0 -
For kittens' sake people.
a) OP is recovering from an ED and is nowhere near the position of being overweight. She is in the middle of the healthy weight range for small feline's sake and FAR from, NOT close to, being overweight!
OP you're just as few kilos from being underweight as you are from being overweight... how come you're worried about one but not the other?
b) it is questionable whether you should be counting calories for the purpose of restriction, exercising as much as you are for the sake of controlling your weight, and even, quite possibly weighting yourself.
Of course you've gained weight... you were at the wrong end of that equation and there is no way to move forward without providing your body with the resources it needs!
c) there are at least three posters who have been exactly where you are and who have given you advice based on their hard bought personal experience. You can try to listen to them, or you can listen to the rest of us including people who are advising a person who is recovering from ED and still (at least on paper) eating less than they should, to continue controlling their eating while maintaining an increased level of activity (15 to 20k steps a day being well above mfp's very active level).
d) last but not least. The healthy weight range does not mean than any single individual is optimaly healthy at EVERY point in that range. It could be that I am healthiest at BMI 21 and collectingBlues at BMI 24.9. which would suck, because I have no real desire to eat any less on a regular basis than I do now at BMI>23, and I think collectingBlues would have multiple litters of kittens before she could get herself to 24.9!
Thank you so much... I would like to throw out the scales but sadly, my dad uses them as well... I stopped counting calories, but started using Cronometer to see how much of my daily nutrients I get, and therefor I also saw my daily calories and started worrying that I was eating alot.
I hadn't thought about the fact that I'm almost as near being underweight as overweight. Thank you for that comment, it meant alot.7 -
Input > output1
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You are eating more calories than you spend. Simple.
MFP is a good general guide, but it is not the holy grail of identifying exactly how many calories you need or how many you are using. Additionally, almost everyone on here measures and weighs their foods incorrectly in a way that does not guarantee exact calorie counts. If MFP is overestimating your need by 10% and you're underestimating your intake by 10%, BAM, 20% right there and that is HUGE.
I just don't understand how I could be eating too much. Some days I eat 1200 + exercise. That couldn't possible be too much for me to gain!2 -
utomjordingen wrote: »A few more questions:
1) Do you mind sharing what types of foods you eat on a regular basis? Since you're vegan, your food groups are limited -- do you focus on whole foods more (grains, fruits, nuts, beans) -- or do you use a lot of prepared/processed foods? Perhaps a balance of both? And do you limit fats at all?
You're bound to get several people insisting that CICO is king, but I firmly believe that food type is incredibly important in fat assessment. This is speaking from 140 lbs loss experience.
2) Do you take measurements as well as scale readings? This will help you as you wonder about muscle/fluid/fat gain. Remember that even your bones will increase in density, as your body is healing from the "years," as you've described it, of eating less than your body needs.
3) Just out of curiosity, your average step intake: is that due to your daily movement or added exercise? How many steps do you normally get without added exercise?
4) Perhaps TMI, how regular are your bowel movements?
1) For breakfast I usually eat fruit, oats or cereal. Maybe a toast with pb & tomato if there's nothing else, but i prefer oats or cereal. I never eat lunch because I'm just not hungry in the middle of the day, but I'll have a fruit or some nuts or something like that. Dinner is usually some kind of carb like potatoes with vegan meat (brand anamma right now because we've got the whole freezer full haha!) but sometimes I have breakfast for dinner. In the evening I'll often have some chocolate or maybe crisps if my boyfriend also has some. I snack some too during the days but often on some dry cereal or fruit, but I keep track.
2) I do, and it says that my body fat is lkie 22 or 21% if I remember correctly.
3) I usually just walk alot with my boyfriend, out here on the country where we live or in city with friends and it adds up to about 20 000 steps and it says on my step counter that I burn about 600-1200 calories from it depending on how fast I walk. The other day we walked 45 000 and ofc that was alot!
4) Every other day I think, sometimes less if I eat less, sometimes daily when I eat more
You're doing an incredible job! Keep feeding your body wholesome foods and you'll see that your weight will stabilize in time. In the meantime, there's absolutely nothing to be worried about weight-wise.
Eating normally will not cause you to be overweight. If you're anything like me, you probably have that nagging voice in your head that says, "Well, I'd rather undereat than be overweight."
Please dont listen to this voice. It's not truthful. This voice is using your past mindset to shape your reality. You have to constantly shape your reality by rooting yourself in the facts. No one becomes overweight by eating wholesome foods in moderate portions. Your body is just in a healing process, and I do believe that much of your weight is water weight (with necessary fat, too!). Every gram of carbohydrate is stored with 3 grams of water. As you increase your intake, especially as a vegan, you will see a lot of added water weight.
I asked you about processed foods not to demonize them; it's important not to alienate foods as you embrace intuitive eating. That being said, many processed foods contain extra sodium (which means extra water weight). Its helpful to know these culprits as they pertain to weight gain. I can gain or lose 10 pounds in a week based on how many processed foods I'm eating (mostly water weight).
Recovering while eating too many processed foods is counterproductive to the process, because as you see yourself gaining unnecessary weight, you will want to rebound back into old restrictive habits. This happened to me. This is why so many eating disorder recoverers relapse after spending time inpatient. 80/20 is a good mix, and judging from your food descriptions, it sounds like you're on the right track. Just something to be mindful of.
I'm here for you if you ever want to talk through anything. Again, I admire your strength and perseverance so much. Praying for you throughout the process!
Thank you so so so so much for this wonderful comment. It really means alot to me to get such support, it truly does. Thank you xx0 -
kshama2001 wrote: »utomjordingen wrote: »tinkerbellang83 wrote: »It could be due to gained muscle in legs from all the walking you do, like you walk a lot so I wouldn't be surprised as muscle weighs more than fat.
Muscle doesn't weigh more than fat, it's more dense and even with a progressive strength training program you wouldn't expect to see a particularly large gain on the scale for a female, let alone from walking.
A useful explanation of why this is one of the worst diet myths bandied about https://www.aworkoutroutine.com/weight-loss-plateau-myth-muscle-weighs-more-than-fat/
To your previcious comment, I was at 42-45 kg a year ago. Since then I've gained to 56, where I am today. I thought that it would stop at about 52, but it just kept going.
The muscle things, I've been hoping it was that....but I still don't know or understand.
You gained because you're eating more than you need to maintain, and/or you are overestimating your exercise burns.
We might be able to spot errors on your logging if you change your Diary Sharing settings to Public: http://www.myfitnesspal.com/account/diary_settings
I don't really use myfitnesspal more than it's community anymore, I use cronometer to track my nutrition and such, but maybe I could log here for a week or so just to see0 -
utomjordingen wrote: »Katiebear_81 wrote: »fitoverfortymom wrote: »deannalfisher wrote: »i recommend you reach out to your treatment team and talk to them - you are always in recovery from an ED, and they can potentially help you with some of the conflicting thoughts going on in your mind
This so very much. If you're in recovery/recovered from an ED, concerns regarding any weight gain or loss should be directed to your treatment providers. If your weight is a concern and you are not actively in therapy, set up an appointment with a professional who can provide guidance.
I completely agree. I think it's time to reach out to your treatment team (or GP if you don't currently have a team) to discuss how you are feeling and what your body is doing. You sound pretty stressed about it, and it sounds like you are trying to limit your food by over-logging what you are consuming. They will be able to give you the best advice, as professionals who understand the process. Take good care of yourself!
Thank you so much for being so caring. I don't have one, but it costs money here in Sweden when you're over 20, and I really, really can't afford that, having no job at the moment. I've been recovering on my own (with my lovely boyfriend, he is the best support) and it's been alright...It's just frustrating when things like this happens, and I have no one with answers
I'm not at all familiar with the medical system in Sweden. Are there any support groups or income-based programs you can look at? Even just being around people who share your struggles and are working through them can be great for your headspace.
There are support groups that are like private, but I just don't think it's helpful. I've tried it, but I didn't really like it that much...1 -
utomjordingen wrote: »You are eating more calories than you spend. Simple.
MFP is a good general guide, but it is not the holy grail of identifying exactly how many calories you need or how many you are using. Additionally, almost everyone on here measures and weighs their foods incorrectly in a way that does not guarantee exact calorie counts. If MFP is overestimating your need by 10% and you're underestimating your intake by 10%, BAM, 20% right there and that is HUGE.
I just don't understand how I could be eating too much. Some days I eat 1200 + exercise. That couldn't possible be too much for me to gain!
Coming from an ED, all of the assumptions and estimates that are made about calories may not apply to you. This may be a situation where you'd be better off seeking advice from someone in person, who knows your situation, your lifestyle, etc and can make more meaningful suggestions.
Generally speaking... I'd really focus on maintain a healthy weight RANGE, not simply a healthy weight. Easier said than done, for sure, but it sounds like that should be your focus. Give yourself a 10lb range, for example, and use a trend weight app to monitor things. If you see your trend weight getting outside that range (too high OR too low), then adjust.2
This discussion has been closed.
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