I gained 10 lbs of fat?! The frustration has me in tears

Heather_Rider

Thanks for the encouragement everyone!

I just made my diary public, but please don't judge too hard... I had several friends come over with treats after the surgery and felt it was worth it to be polite and eat what they had brought. And on days when I'm way under, it's usually because I didn't have the chance to log everything I had eaten and was mentally keeping track.

In general though, I keep a pretty accurate log. I measure everything I can with my measuring cups and spoons, but I don't have a food scale. That gets trickiest with meats, but I like to think I'm pretty accurate.

There is a HUGE part of the problem.. WEIGHING. You cannot accurately measure everything. Not just meats need to be weighed. How do you measure apples &other foods that cannot be pressed into a measuring cup or spoon?

GET a scale. A digital scale. They are $9.99 at CVS if you have that store. Other places have them, but thats the cheapest i have found.

Also, are you using a heart rate monitor to count your exercise calories? MFP and other sites EXTREMELY exagerate exercise calories!! Do not trust these sites! Chances are, you might be burning HALF the calories you think you are.. which means you could be over eating! (and if you arent weighing your food.. well, there you go!)

Also make SURE you are drinking enough water. Get your blood checked to make sure you are absorbing the vitamins from your foods properly. Its going to take your body a while to bounce back from eating so negatively (netting below 1000 a day) and also zig-zagging all over the place, like you described. SLOW DOWN! Stick to one thing, for more than just a few months and let your body get used to one thing. Let it calm down & THEN you can regulate & see how your body is. Are you finally starting to lose? gain? STOP. Dont change ANYTHING. See how you do for a solid MONTH without changing anything... does your body keep gaining? losing? do you maintain? NOW -- what changes do you need to make? Unless you slow down & let your body tell you what you need to be doing.. you will NEVER learn!

Good luck & remember, your body is what you need to listen to!

Momjogger

It is a journey, so if you are having trouble, it's not about giving up, it's about changing things up. Do sit ups, upper arm weight exercises, swim when you are ready, use the elliptical and bike ride when you are better instead of running. As far as the food and weight is concerned, you have to put the work back in. 1500 calories a day with exercise is the way to go. I always try to do more to up my metabolism by walking the dog, taking the stairs, etc. When you stop being conscious of those little changes, it also affects your metabolism. Maybe it's the smaller changes that you didn't realize you were not paying attention to? All you can do is get back to it. There are no quick fixes, but stick to the plan and trust it and you will see results (is what I keep telling myself and it's working lol)

tigersword

You wrecked your metabolism. Netting 700 calories a day is a recipe for disaster, and you've been blasted with the consequences. The good news is by eating more, you started repairing the damage. The weight gain you've experienced was inevitable. This is why we generally argue against eating so low. Give your body time to normalize. Net the calorie goal MFP has given you, and have patience.

And btw, not to be negative, bit there is no way you gained 2 pounds of muscle netting 700 calories a day. Physically and biologically impossible. The 12 pound total gain is likely a combination of fat and water. Again, the good news is that by eating sensibly and not drastically killing your calorie intake to anorexic starvation levels, your body will fix itself, and you will get that weight back off.

Also, I doubt it was the exercise that hurt your knee. Netting so low calories left your body without the proper equipment to repair itself. A major purpose of the food we eat, besides providing raw energy, is to provide the building blocks for our bodies to constantly build up and repair itself. Muscle, tendons, ligaments, bones, organs, they all suffer stress and wear down, and constantly need repair and maintenance. When you ate so little, your body didn't have the ability to repair itself. By eating more, and having patience, there's a good chance your knee will be able to repair itself. You're young, take care of your body as it's still remarkably resilient.

TL:DR version. Eating too little messed up your body. Eating more will fix it. Weight gain is a part of fixing it. Loss will happen with time and patience.

sun_fish

Thanks for the encouragement everyone!

I just made my diary public, but please don't judge too hard... I had several friends come over with treats after the surgery and felt it was worth it to be polite and eat what they had brought. And on days when I'm way under, it's usually because I didn't have the chance to log everything I had eaten and was mentally keeping track.

In general though, I keep a pretty accurate log. I measure everything I can with my measuring cups and spoons, but I don't have a food scale. That gets trickiest with meats, but I like to think I'm pretty accurate.

Please watch this video...you may need to rethink that statement:

http://m.youtube.com/watch?v=JVjWPclrWVY&desktop_uri=%2Fwatch%3Fv%3DJVjWPclrWVY

I think this is really important to watch. Also give this a read: http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/872212-you-re-probably-eating-more-than-you-think?hl=you're+probably+eating+more

TheBaileyHunter

Please watch this video...you may need to rethink that statement:

http://m.youtube.com/watch?v=JVjWPclrWVY&desktop_uri=%2Fwatch%3Fv%3DJVjWPclrWVY

Thanks for that link. I do use a scale, but it was only when I started using one that I saw how easy it is to be over and how being consistently over, even by a little, adds up in a day.

tiger4nikki

Hang in there. I am currently 14lbs down aiming for 23 more. Now I have a damn hernia and it's going to be a good sized cut because of the good sized cut I had from my gallbladder surgery years ago. It's up high and right by my diaphragm so I won't be doing anything for 6 weeks according to the surgeon. Seems like every time I start to lose and get fit, I get sick or need surgery or SOMETHING happens to cause me to slide back. But I WILL get back on the horse this time as soon as the doc gives me the ok. You're not alone hun. Just keep trying. Also, maybe go and get checked out to make sure you don't have a medical condition like hypothyroid or something that is causing this problem. Good luck!

Iamworthit45

Just a glance and looks as you are snacking a lot.....can't replace meals they are important!! Also no water was recorded - I hope you drink lots of water to carry fats and toxins OUT of the body!! No time to cook ...Bagged salad with some protein, great! Keep it up focus on eating cleaner and enjoy the fresh fruits and veggies. :drinker: :flowerforyou:

Iamworthit45

Sorry I don't know which diary I read but I read somebodys:blushing:

AbbeyDove

Oh, I totally understand your frustration. But perhaps the most important thing for you to do is to take care of yourself. Your body needs to heal from your surgery, so you'll need good, nutritious food to get you there, and sleep, too. If you have severe arthritis, it sounds like there is inflammation in your body. Have you ever been checked for food allergies, or tried an elimination diet for food intolerance?

I ask because I had an autoimmune illness that attacked my thyroid, and I was just about at the point where I would need to take thyroid medication. As a "what the heck, why not try it" last ditch effort, I tried a gluten free diet for 3 months, then had my doc re-check my thyroid levels. I went from totally hypo, for the last 3 tests, to totally normal. Turns out I had wheat intolerance. It sounds like your immune system is attacking your knees, and cartilidge generally. The most important thing for you right now is probably to get a handle on your health, rather than lose 10 lbs. Granted, you wouldn't want to gain weight, so tracking makes sense. But perhaps consider following an anti-inflammatory diet (try the book Practical Paleo for a sample diet) or an elimination diet to see how you feel.

But take care of yourself, and feed yourself healthy food. Your worth and value are not defined by 10 lbs! You are so much more than this!

jaggerhawks

First off, how are you so sure it's 10 pounds of fat? Did you get your bf% tested with a caliper before and after (those bf scales don't count)? Unless this is the case, you can't worry needlessly without accounting for simple water weight and fluctuations.

tequila09

You wrecked your metabolism. Netting 700 calories a day is a recipe for disaster, and you've been blasted with the consequences. The good news is by eating more, you started repairing the damage. The weight gain you've experienced was inevitable. This is why we generally argue against eating so low. Give your body time to normalize. Net the calorie goal MFP has given you, and have patience.

And btw, not to be negative, bit there is no way you gained 2 pounds of muscle netting 700 calories a day. Physically and biologically impossible. The 12 pound total gain is likely a combination of fat and water. Again, the good news is that by eating sensibly and not drastically killing your calorie intake to anorexic starvation levels, your body will fix itself, and you will get that weight back off.

Also, I doubt it was the exercise that hurt your knee. Netting so low calories left your body without the proper equipment to repair itself. A major purpose of the food we eat, besides providing raw energy, is to provide the building blocks for our bodies to constantly build up and repair itself. Muscle, tendons, ligaments, bones, organs, they all suffer stress and wear down, and constantly need repair and maintenance. When you ate so little, your body didn't have the ability to repair itself. By eating more, and having patience, there's a good chance your knee will be able to repair itself. You're young, take care of your body as it's still remarkably resilient.

TL:DR version. Eating too little messed up your body. Eating more will fix it. Weight gain is a part of fixing it. Loss will happen with time and patience.

This!! Very well said!

samuelsson

I can weigh in (get it? ha!) on the knee issue: I've had both of my knees completely reconstructed once, and I just had my right knee reconstructed a second time 3 months ago. I'm STILL on crutches and in an immobilizer. I don't even qualify for knee replacement because I'm far too young AND my knees are so misaligned. Like you, I have advanced osteoarthritis and cartilage problems (my problem? I don't have any).

Okay. All that being said: You WILL be able to exercise again. You may not be able to comfortably do high-impact jogging on cement for a little while. It may take longer than you like. But it's possible. GO TO PHYSICAL THERAPY. Do your PT exercises every day. You need to regain your muscle strength, and this will help protect your bones. You should also make sure you're eating enough protein, calcium, and calories to heal!

Also: 11-minute seated cardio workout @ SparkPeople. I just started doing chair workouts and they're awesome. Do 4-way leg lifts with ankle weights to strengthen your knees. And swim! Low-impact, great cardio.

Good luck!

SiempreBella

You wrecked your metabolism. Netting 700 calories a day is a recipe for disaster, and you've been blasted with the consequences. The good news is by eating more, you started repairing the damage. The weight gain you've experienced was inevitable. This is why we generally argue against eating so low. Give your body time to normalize. Net the calorie goal MFP has given you, and have patience.

And btw, not to be negative, bit there is no way you gained 2 pounds of muscle netting 700 calories a day. Physically and biologically impossible. The 12 pound total gain is likely a combination of fat and water. Again, the good news is that by eating sensibly and not drastically killing your calorie intake to anorexic starvation levels, your body will fix itself, and you will get that weight back off.

Also, I doubt it was the exercise that hurt your knee. Netting so low calories left your body without the proper equipment to repair itself. A major purpose of the food we eat, besides providing raw energy, is to provide the building blocks for our bodies to constantly build up and repair itself. Muscle, tendons, ligaments, bones, organs, they all suffer stress and wear down, and constantly need repair and maintenance. When you ate so little, your body didn't have the ability to repair itself. By eating more, and having patience, there's a good chance your knee will be able to repair itself. You're young, take care of your body as it's still remarkably resilient.

TL:DR version. Eating too little messed up your body. Eating more will fix it. Weight gain is a part of fixing it. Loss will happen with time and patience.

this hard core.

hereitgoesagain

Thank you so much everyone! I looked at everything you guys gave me - posts, articles, videos - and I think I'm ready to start over here. I'll stick to my 1320 number from MFP, do some healthier shopping, and get a food scale. And I'll definitely find a new exercise program as soon as I get the ok from the doctor (maybe some PT if it'll save my knees). Thanks again everyone, this doesn't feel so hopeless anymore

nxd10

Good luck!

And doing those PT exercises will SO help you.