Im at loss for words...

shakess

Long story short. Weight training and gym classes, have not been helping in weight loss. It was my fault by not preparing lunch while taking the kids around, and on college campus. .Anyhow, in May I started Couch-2-5k because my mother and brother thought it would be fun. Never being a lover of running, I hesitantly agreed. Turns out, I like it, actually love it. Minus a three week set-back in June when I had to have a very large tumor removed from my abdomen I was still walking a couple miles a day (live on a farm). Never stepped on the scale after that. I figured it was better to avoid the beast. July rolls around, with a change in diet (cliff bar/coffee for breakfast, juicing or blending veggies for lunch, and meat+ whole wheat pita/veggies/hummus) I figured today would be a great day to step on the scale......Wrong. A gain of 12 pounds. How could this be? If a pound equals 3,500 calories I am taking in 1300-1600 average, and NOT eating my running calories back, I cannot see it. I am not drinking my calories, no soda (terrible for your teeth) and only black coffee. No changes in measurements either. This uphill battle has came to a screeching halt. I don't even want to look at tennis shoes now. Oh and doctor has checked me out medically. My measured BMI and weight puts be in the Obese category. Ouch. Why try, right? Yet I can run my 5k in 33-37 minutes (Depending on amplitude of heat and Georgia buggies, yuck) FYI, you can shave a couple minutes off your run just by getting chased by Georgia horse flies....Im not joking, lol. I take cross-fit and spin classes regularly, and generally do not sit down due to chasing a 2 year old. It just don't make sense. My husband is on the same diet and exercise (I run more often than him) yet he is a toned man that has lost 5 pounds this past month..... Does anyone share a similar nightmare? Anyone have any idea what is the solution to the equation? I have been a long time my fitness pal member but never really posted.

alanlmarshall

You're about to get a bunch of conflicting, confusing advice.

I reccomend you join this group:

http://www.myfitnesspal.com/groups/home/10118-eat-train-progress

Read the stickies before you post. That's your best chance for some real help here.

Best wishes.

Garden74

I feel your pain, I've had a similar situation. A few things to check, are you eating breakfast? If you are trying to lose weight you just can't skip this meal; are you eating enough calories? or too many? What kinds of foods are you consuming? 9 times out of 10 it comes back to diet, especially when you are exercising and chasing kids to boot! The worst foods for weight loss and should be avoided at all costs are white flour, refined sugar (basically packaged foods with sugar), and oil. Oil is just 100% fat, its void of anything nutritional and it's hard on your cardiovascular system. Sometimes the scale can be our worst enemy when trying to diet, if you have just started a exercise routine your body is going through changes and the weight will almost always be wrong at first, it can also be hormonal, water weight, etc. Its better to use a tape measure and see how many inches you lose verses pounds.

My recommendation check out this video here: Why Am I Not Losing Weight? Working Out but not Losing Weight? http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1RL5xHVMYoE

Also, a book that has helped me and my husband immensely is Eat To Live by Dr. Joel Fuhrman, he is one of the doctors who got President Bill Clinton back in good health after his heart surgery. I highly recommend his book.

theoriginaljayne

Do you log your food?

If you don't, start.
If you do, please open your diary; otherwise it's hard to give feedback regarding your diet.

Oh, and I second this:

I reccomend you join this group:

http://www.myfitnesspal.com/groups/home/10118-eat-train-progress

Read the stickies before you post. That's your best chance for some real help here.

Dunkirk

Were you, or are you, on medication that can affect your weight as a side-effect?

RBurnham90

dbmata

I feel your pain, I've had a similar situation. A few things to check, are you eating breakfast? If you are trying to lose weight you just can't skip this meal

srsly? Please think before you post utter bull****.

If you are trying to lose weight you can skip this meal if you want.

I skip it routinely, today I didn't break my fast until noon. I'm not only training for a triathlon, but I'm losing weight.

Losing weight is purely eating fewer calories than you use during the day. If you eat 2000 calories and expend 2000 (being arbitrary) you will not lose. If you intake 1500 and expend 2500, you will lose a couple pounds a week. Until you're getting to really fine weight/diet control, it's really this easy.

Lleldiranne

How much could that tumor have been affecting everything? If you had it removed in June, that's only about 8 weeks ago … your body has been recovering (abdominal surgery takes a while). Have you discussed with your doctor how that could be a factor?

It sounds like you may not be eating enough. Your list of a day's food doesn't even sound like the 1300-1600 calories. Is there a reason you're restricting yourself to a Cliff bar in the morning and juicing at lunch? If it was working for you, I'd say keep it up, but it doesn't seem to be working.

Maybe the best thing would be to get a referral from your doctor for a dietician (NOT a nutritionist … you want someone who has had years of college and training in biology and nutrition and the human body, not just a 6 week course and test to pass). Discuss your medical history and ask for help coming up with a meal plan that will help you fully recover from the tumor and removal and move toward being healthy.

Good luck! I hope something helps!

shakess

Sadly, my food log is.... lacking. I eat the same thing over pretty much every day, so at times I don't even bother to log it. (I know terrible) and when I say the same things I mean, the same. Cliff/trail bars for breakfast. Lunch is generally whatever I have growing in the garden...or my neighbors garden...(don't tell!) Blended. It keeps me going until evening time which is some form of hummus, chicken, and veg. I also had the habit of checking foods for my husband, and forgetting to pull them from the food log, he is to last to log on his phone.

tigersword

I feel your pain, I've had a similar situation. A few things to check, are you eating breakfast? If you are trying to lose weight you just can't skip this meal; are you eating enough calories? or too many? What kinds of foods are you consuming? 9 times out of 10 it comes back to diet, especially when you are exercising and chasing kids to boot! The worst foods for weight loss and should be avoided at all costs are white flour, refined sugar (basically packaged foods with sugar), and oil. Oil is just 100% fat, its void of anything nutritional and it's hard on your cardiovascular system. Sometimes the scale can be our worst enemy when trying to diet, if you have just started a exercise routine your body is going through changes and the weight will almost always be wrong at first, it can also be hormonal, water weight, etc. Its better to use a tape measure and see how many inches you lose verses pounds.

My recommendation check out this video here: Why Am I Not Losing Weight? Working Out but not Losing Weight? http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1RL5xHVMYoE

Also, a book that has helped me and my husband immensely is Eat To Live by Dr. Joel Fuhrman, he is one of the doctors who got President Bill Clinton back in good health after his heart surgery. I highly recommend his book.

There is no real advice here, just a bunch of weight loss myths all thrown together.

OP, how accurate is your log? Everything being weighed? You said you had surgery, any medications for that condition? That's where I would start looking. How long was it between weigh-ins? Way too many factors to give any real advice. Too many unknowns.

petunia_mcgillicutty

I have never really "dieted" but have tried off & on over the years to eat right and be active...Exercise DVD, bike riding, treadmill, the gym a couple of times.
The best thing I've ever done is the last 2 weeks: low carb with Atkins. I have lost 15 lbs and feel great!
AND I agree with Tiger...white flour & refined sugar = carbs.

shakess

How much could that tumor have been affecting everything? If you had it removed in June, that's only about 8 weeks ago … your body has been recovering (abdominal surgery takes a while). Have you discussed with your doctor how that could be a factor?

It sounds like you may not be eating enough. Your list of a day's food doesn't even sound like the 1300-1600 calories. Is there a reason you're restricting yourself to a Cliff bar in the morning and juicing at lunch? If it was working for you, I'd say keep it up, but it doesn't seem to be working.

Maybe the best thing would be to get a referral from your doctor for a dietician (NOT a nutritionist … you want someone who has had years of college and training in biology and nutrition and the human body, not just a 6 week course and test to pass). Discuss your medical history and ask for help coming up with a meal plan that will help you fully recover from the tumor and removal and move toward being healthy.

Good luck! I hope something helps!

Its funny you should say that! I am a almost 30, chemistry major that has been taking nutritional courses. It actually was the logical reason to change your diet. So much emphasis is put on calories, protein, carbs, fats...etc... reading a food label is where my money goes. A good rule of thumb is if you cant pronounce it, don't eat it. These additives and preservatives that are being added into foods are toxic to the body. If it is produced in a lab, its going to take a lab to digest it. Naturally, when these chemicals are not on the ingredients list, the other (cal, pro, fat) wont be either

mcgeorge5

Could you still be in 'recovery' mode following the tumor removal? Like your body still holding onto excess fluid/swelling?

Do you drink enough water daily?

Garden74

srsly? Please think before you post utter bull****.

If you are trying to lose weight you can skip this meal if you want.

This is not BS, she is may very well be throwing her body into starvation mode by not consuming enough calories, and the fastest way to go into starvation mode is by skipping breakfast. Which is why I asked her the question. You may want to get your facts straight before being so rude.

I feel your pain, I've had a similar situation. A few things to check, are you eating breakfast? If you are trying to lose weight you just can't skip this meal; are you eating enough calories? or too many? What kinds of foods are you consuming? 9 times out of 10 it comes back to diet, especially when you are exercising and chasing kids to boot! The worst foods for weight loss and should be avoided at all costs are white flour, refined sugar (basically packaged foods with sugar), and oil. Oil is just 100% fat, its void of anything nutritional and it's hard on your cardiovascular system. Sometimes the scale can be our worst enemy when trying to diet, if you have just started a exercise routine your body is going through changes and the weight will almost always be wrong at first, it can also be hormonal, water weight, etc. Its better to use a tape measure and see how many inches you lose verses pounds.

My recommendation check out this video here: Why Am I Not Losing Weight? Working Out but not Losing Weight? http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1RL5xHVMYoE

Also, a book that has helped me and my husband immensely is Eat To Live by Dr. Joel Fuhrman, he is one of the doctors who got President Bill Clinton back in good health after his heart surgery. I highly recommend his book.

There is no real advice here, just a bunch of weight loss myths all thrown together.

OP, how accurate is your log? Everything being weighed? You said you had surgery, any medications for that condition? That's where I would start looking. How long was it between weigh-ins? Way too many factors to give any real advice. Too many unknowns.

While I agree that there are many unknowns to the OP situation. The advice that I gave her is honest and very much factual, not only from my own personal experience but from others, I study nutrition and I do know what I am talking about.

To the original OP, I am supportive of a whole foods diet, I stay far away from processed foods, especially those with white flour, refined sugars, and oil ..not only for weight management but for my health. The first thing I would get rid of is the Clif bars, while those bars are convenient they are not really good for weight loss because they have a high amount of calories and they don't sustain you like real food does. I hope you find a solution to your situation, best of luck to you.

alanlmarshall

This is not BS, she is may very well be throwing her body into starvation mode by not consuming enough calories, and the fastest way to go into starvation mode is by skipping breakfast. Which is why I asked her the question.

I rest my case.

taso42

too many word. not enough paragraph breaks

DopeItUp

You're about to get a bunch of conflicting, confusing advice.

I reccomend you join this group:

http://www.myfitnesspal.com/groups/home/10118-eat-train-progress

Read the stickies before you post. That's your best chance for some real help here.

Best wishes.

Start with this. There's too much crap and myths thrown around the general forums. Such as the things already posted. Skipping breakfast, starvation mode, etc.. Waste of time reading these things. Go to ETP and see how it goes. I think the first thing you're going to need to do is start accurately tracking and logging everything again as well as weighing in consistently and see where you stand from there. If you gained a real 13lbs of fat then you are likely overestimating activity level or underestimating caloric intake. Or both. Or there is a .1% chance of a medical issue or medication problem or something.

walleymama

The first reply was correct: you are likely to be inundated with totally conflicting information, interspersed by rude know-it-alls who insist they have the right answer and who will jump up and down and claim that you aren't counting right. For every book recommendation there is another one with exactly the opposite philosophy.

Bottom line, read all the suggestions, consider how these things may relate to your own experience, and experiment. You'll get tons of anecdotal information, but the thing is, you are only trying to lose weight on your own body (i.e. n=1). So if your anecdotal experience works for you, who is anybody else to say you are wrong?

For me, carbs was the issue. Cut them out, lose weight effortlessly while eating a high calorie, high (good) fat diet. For others this doesn't seem to work. I'm now back to eating carbs but counting my calories and exercising a lot because...well, frankly I really love carbs, lol. That is so far working for me, but there are a million stories here and elsewhere of people for whom this isn't working. Some folks plateau, some end up having to eat more calories to lose weight (fallen off the portion of the curve where they are linearly related, is my guess). Some have to watch their macros, others don't.

So all I'm going to say is I'm sorry you are going through this and it must be very frustrating and disheartening. Hang in there and know you are definitely not alone. There are many here with the same story!

Garden74

You're about to get a bunch of conflicting, confusing advice.

I reccomend you join this group:

http://www.myfitnesspal.com/groups/home/10118-eat-train-progress

Read the stickies before you post. That's your best chance for some real help here.

Best wishes.

I doubt that anyone's chance of getting "real help" will come from a group that advocates having a photo of a slice of apple pie with ice cream piled on top of it, what a fantastic motto you have there..... I rest my case.

As I said before I support a whole foods diet, personally I follow a whole foods plant-based diet, fruits, vegetables, and whole grains are the best foods for your health and they happen to just have a side effect of weight loss!

The book that I did recommend (Eat To Live) is based on scientific evidence, although it doesn't take much common sense to know that eating whole foods, especially fruits and vegetables, is going to be good for you.

alanlmarshall

I doubt that anyone's chance of getting "real help" will come from a group that advocates having a photo of a slice of apple pie with ice cream piled on top of it, what a fantastic motto you have there..... I rest my case.

Just to be clear, it's not my group and I take no credit for it, and pie is delicious.

tigersword

You're about to get a bunch of conflicting, confusing advice.

I reccomend you join this group:

http://www.myfitnesspal.com/groups/home/10118-eat-train-progress

Read the stickies before you post. That's your best chance for some real help here.

Best wishes.

I doubt that anyone's chance of getting "real help" will come from a group that advocates having a photo of a slice of apple pie with ice cream piled on top of it, what a fantastic motto you have there..... I rest my case.

As I said before I support a whole foods diet, personally I follow a whole foods plant-based diet, fruits, vegetables, and whole grains are the best foods for your health and they happen to just have a side effect of weight loss!

The book that I did recommend (Eat To Live) is based on scientific evidence, although it doesn't take much common sense to know that eating whole foods, especially fruits and vegetables, is going to be good for you.

Uh huh. I guess since you can't refute the legitimacy of the science in that group, it makes perfect sense to use personal attacks instead. Your way is one way. It is not the only way. It is not even the best way. It is simply one way.

The entire purpose of that group is to use science to debunk the exact kinds of dieting myths you are insisting on propagating. Maybe you should actually go into the group and read, maybe even check out some of the studies posted. You just might broaden your world view and learn something. At the very least, you might figure out that trying to disprove something by making fun of a picture is not going to do anything but prove your ignorance and destroy any semblance of credibility you may have to give any kind of advice. I mean, if that's all you have to say before "resting your case," it shows that you have absolutely no case at all.

tigersword

How much could that tumor have been affecting everything? If you had it removed in June, that's only about 8 weeks ago … your body has been recovering (abdominal surgery takes a while). Have you discussed with your doctor how that could be a factor?

It sounds like you may not be eating enough. Your list of a day's food doesn't even sound like the 1300-1600 calories. Is there a reason you're restricting yourself to a Cliff bar in the morning and juicing at lunch? If it was working for you, I'd say keep it up, but it doesn't seem to be working.

Maybe the best thing would be to get a referral from your doctor for a dietician (NOT a nutritionist … you want someone who has had years of college and training in biology and nutrition and the human body, not just a 6 week course and test to pass). Discuss your medical history and ask for help coming up with a meal plan that will help you fully recover from the tumor and removal and move toward being healthy.

Good luck! I hope something helps!

Its funny you should say that! I am a almost 30, chemistry major that has been taking nutritional courses. It actually was the logical reason to change your diet. So much emphasis is put on calories, protein, carbs, fats...etc... reading a food label is where my money goes. A good rule of thumb is if you cant pronounce it, don't eat it. These additives and preservatives that are being added into foods are toxic to the body. If it is produced in a lab, its going to take a lab to digest it. Naturally, when these chemicals are not on the ingredients list, the other (cal, pro, fat) wont be either

If only you knew the "ingredients list" in fruits and vegetables. Would you eat something with pyridoxal phosphate in it? How about phylloquinone? Cholecalciferol? Asparagine? Docosahexaenoic acid? Those are all fairly hard to pronounce, after all.

They also happen to be vitamins b6, k, and d, respectively, amino acids, and essential fatty acids. You'd be dead if you didn't eat them. Choosing to eat something based on something as arbitrary as its name is silly.

Four_Leaf_Clover

My 2 cents is that you may not be eating enough or netting enough calories considering your activity level. I would suggest weighing, measuring, logging everything and weighing once a week. Then you will have more information to move forward with.

Have you noticed a difference in how your clothes feel (or measurements)? The scale is not always the best measure of how your body may have changed.

DopeItUp

You're about to get a bunch of conflicting, confusing advice.

I reccomend you join this group:

http://www.myfitnesspal.com/groups/home/10118-eat-train-progress

Read the stickies before you post. That's your best chance for some real help here.

Best wishes.

I doubt that anyone's chance of getting "real help" will come from a group that advocates having a photo of a slice of apple pie with ice cream piled on top of it, what a fantastic motto you have there..... I rest my case.

As I said before I support a whole foods diet, personally I follow a whole foods plant-based diet, fruits, vegetables, and whole grains are the best foods for your health and they happen to just have a side effect of weight loss!

The book that I did recommend (Eat To Live) is based on scientific evidence, although it doesn't take much common sense to know that eating whole foods, especially fruits and vegetables, is going to be good for you.

What's wrong with apple pie and ice cream? So far you only have a couple posts and I think I've happened to read them all. I know this because they have consistently stood out as all being terrible advice and/or propagating well-debunked myths. You're either a good troll or you need to do some research before you continue posting.

_crafty_

You're about to get a bunch of conflicting, confusing advice.

I reccomend you join this group:

http://www.myfitnesspal.com/groups/home/10118-eat-train-progress

Read the stickies before you post. That's your best chance for some real help here.

Best wishes.

I doubt that anyone's chance of getting "real help" will come from a group that advocates having a photo of a slice of apple pie with ice cream piled on top of it, what a fantastic motto you have there..... I rest my case.

apple pie is the devil!

seriously, if you can't enjoy a piece of pie with ice cream from time to time then you're doing it wrong.

ETA: you'll find some of the more knowledgeable people on this site in the group. The two moderators specifically.

strongmindstrongbody

Could you still be in 'recovery' mode following the tumor removal? Like your body still holding onto excess fluid/swelling?

This was my first thought too.

Also, if you're not logging your food, it really needs to be done. Even if you eat the same stuff every day. When I don't pre-log and then track what I ate, I've always gone over in calories. Doesn't feel like I'm overeating and at times my stomach is growling, but it's enough food for me to gain weight on. Track those calories like a hawk!

megalin9

srsly? Please think before you post utter bull****.

If you are trying to lose weight you can skip this meal if you want.

This is not BS, she is may very well be throwing her body into starvation mode by not consuming enough calories, and the fastest way to go into starvation mode is by skipping breakfast. Which is why I asked her the question. You may want to get your facts straight before being so rude.

Oh, dear God. :explode:

TribeHokie

It sounds like you didn't actually change up your diet until July and you didn't weigh yourself after your "three week setback" to get an accurate starting number, so is it possible that your starting weight was higher than you thought? I had that problem when I started. I kidded myself into thinking I was starting at 215 because that is roughly what I was previously maintaining at, nevermind the fact that I had upped drinking/food intake and had gone on a cruise the entirety of the previous month. I was too much of a baby to step on the scale before I did some work, so two weeks after I started I finally weighed myself and was quite upset to see the scale read 219. I thought about it and was honest with myself (and stumbled across a blog post from April where I mentioned actually being around 218) and I realized that I probably had started higher than I thought, but more importantly I realized that it really didn't matter because I'm going to continue regardless. If you're doing the right things you will be successful.

JoRocka

This is not BS, she is may very well be throwing her body into starvation mode by not consuming enough calories, and the fastest way to go into starvation mode is by skipping breakfast. Which is why I asked her the question. You may want to get your facts straight before being so rude.

dear god. please.stop.

please stop posting such nonsense. This is the biggest pile of rubbish I think I've read all day- and I work for the government- so I read a lot of horse manure. A LOT.

All those IF'ers- they have been in starvation mode for years. God damn them- how are they even still alive!!!


OP
24 hours in a day.
XXXX calories to consume in that day.

eat them whenever you feel like. make sure you are meticulous about what you eat- and make sure you are honest about what your TDEE and deficit should be.

sarahrbraun

Long story short. Weight training and gym classes, have not been helping in weight loss. It was my fault by not preparing lunch while taking the kids around, and on college campus. .Anyhow, in May I started Couch-2-5k because my mother and brother thought it would be fun. Never being a lover of running, I hesitantly agreed. Turns out, I like it, actually love it. Minus a three week set-back in June when I had to have a very large tumor removed from my abdomen I was still walking a couple miles a day (live on a farm). Never stepped on the scale after that. I figured it was better to avoid the beast. July rolls around, with a change in diet (cliff bar/coffee for breakfast, juicing or blending veggies for lunch, and meat+ whole wheat pita/veggies/hummus) I figured today would be a great day to step on the scale......Wrong. A gain of 12 pounds. How could this be? If a pound equals 3,500 calories I am taking in 1300-1600 average, and NOT eating my running calories back, I cannot see it. I am not drinking my calories, no soda (terrible for your teeth) and only black coffee. No changes in measurements either. This uphill battle has came to a screeching halt. I don't even want to look at tennis shoes now. Oh and doctor has checked me out medically. My measured BMI and weight puts be in the Obese category. Ouch. Why try, right? Yet I can run my 5k in 33-37 minutes (Depending on amplitude of heat and Georgia buggies, yuck) FYI, you can shave a couple minutes off your run just by getting chased by Georgia horse flies....Im not joking, lol. I take cross-fit and spin classes regularly, and generally do not sit down due to chasing a 2 year old. It just don't make sense. My husband is on the same diet and exercise (I run more often than him) yet he is a toned man that has lost 5 pounds this past month..... Does anyone share a similar nightmare? Anyone have any idea what is the solution to the equation? I have been a long time my fitness pal member but never really posted.

Honestly, I'm not sure what the answer is...what I can tell you is that the 12 pounds you "gained" are probably not accurate if your measurements are the same. it could be water weight. I have "gained" 6-8lbs overnight if I eat fast food or don't drink enough water.

Do you take progress pictures? If you do, take another set. It could be that you have lost fat and had some newbie muscle gains from the weight training. I have been between 195 and 200# for a good 8 months now. In that time I went to the gym 4x a week for 3 months, and 5 days for 5 months. I've been working with a trainer who I swear is trying to kill me. I have GAINED an inch on my thighs, but they look so good.