Don't know what I'm doing wrong

Elly1021

I am working hard at this diet but have been steadily gaining weight the past week. I have no idea why, so any help/advice would be GREATLY appreciated!!!

I started my diet about 3 weeks ago. I'm 5'8" and 240 lbs. I joined a gym and started exercising for an hour + every day. I do mostly cardio, but some strength training. I eat well under my calorie limit every day and am SUPER conscientious about logging my food accurately. The quality (nutritional content) of the food I eat is also very good, for what that may be worth. If I am unsure, for any reason, I err on the side of caution and say I've eaten more than I think I have.

I lost some weight the first week - around four pounds. For the past seven days I have been doing nothing but gaining weight. This in spite of the fact that I am eating the exact same food and doing more exercise.

I took measurements a few days after I started and measured my body fat percentage. I've lost a few inches in a few places, but I find measurements tricky to do accurately, & don't put much store in them. In terms of body fat, my first measurement was 43.2% --- 135lbs of muscle/bone. Today it says I am 41% -- 141 lbs of muscle/bone. That seems like too much muscle gain in too short a time, but that is undoubtedly the reading I am getting (first thing AM).

So, even if I have gained some muscle, that can't really explain all of the weight gain, can it? And, am I just going to gain weight forever? Become a 300lb muscle bound woman? (Nothing wrong with that, but wasn't really my aim.) Or, is it just some weird reactionary response my body is doing and I just have to push through it? Or am I doing something completely wrong and don't know it? I'm really lost.

Side note, I have PCOS so I avoid simple carbs (PCOS is a hormonal disorder that is adversely impacted by the consumption of carbohydrates). Since dieting I have been eating more complex carbs -- oranges, whole oats, and etc. Maybe that is where I am going wrong?

mschicagocubs

When you start a new or more intense workout plan water weight definitely can pack on...

Do you weigh your foods?

It's not muscle...it's extremely hard to gain muscle while eating at a deficit.

Elly1021

Thank you for the response. If portion size is unclear, I use a food scale. If I don't have access to one, I estimate & then add 1.5 oz.

mschicagocubs

How much weight have you "gained" ?

It's hard to gain fat that quickly. So I assume if you have put on 5lbs in a couple of weeks, it is probably water weight.

I would stick with it and see where you are at in 2 weeks.

The only way you can gain fat is by eating over your maintenance calories.

Elly1021

I'm up almost 3.8 lbs from the first week low. I expected some bounce back, b/c you tend to lose water weight the first week. But, four pounds is more than my average. Also, the consistency of the gain -- 1/2 lb here and two days later another 1/2 lb over the span of a week, concerns me.

I can gain weight if I eat carbs -- even if I am under my calorie limit. That's the nature of PCOS. But, I thought I would be okay if they weren't simple carbs. Maybe not.

Also, my calorie goal is set at losing 2lbs a week, and I generally have 300-700 calories to spare at the end of the day - including those earned by exercise. I eat under the amount allowed (w/o exercise) and use the calories burned during exercise as a cushion. Or, at least that was the plan. Doesn't seem to be working out for me. Could the calorie estimation for me just be way off?

malimisko

So I don't know what PCOS is, googling it from WebMD it says one of the symptoms is weight gain. So you might want to check with more experienced people i.e. doctors about your particular condition.

kpiva

Hello, I had the same thing happen, seems I gained 6 pds like overnight. i was working out daily at gym, cardio / strength. eating 1400 cal. I came to the conclusion it was water gain, then after a few weeks it came back down. i also was not eating enough calories. I backed off the exercise a bit till i lose more weight and am more focused on calories and what they are and am losing much faster.

Nice2BFitAgain

From what I read about nutrition and PCOS, you should have no more than 25g of sugar in your diet. Your mandarin oranges are putting you over your goal... this may not be the culprit but I have no idea how sensitive you become to sugar due to PCOS.

http://www.pcosnutrition.com/index.php?pID=27

Better to stick with berries. Here is a list of Fruit with the sugar content listed http://www.newhealthguide.org/Low-Sugar-Fruits.html

Unfortunately, tangerines are on the very high sugar list.

HTH - Good Luck

Rogiefreida

How much weight have you "gained" ?

It's hard to gain fat that quickly. So I assume if you have put on 5lbs in a couple of weeks, it is probably water weight.

I would stick with it and see where you are at in 2 weeks.

The only way you can gain fat is by eating over your maintenance calories.

This. Give it time. The body doesn't necessarily lose weight in a linear fashion. Hormones can play a role in water weight too.

Also, FWIW, I have mild PCOS and I eat fruit and carbs and don't have a problem with them. I know everyone says that carbs are evil if you have it, but I don't find that to be true as long as I moderate my intake and try to choose complex carbs. Carbs aren't evil, even if you have PCOS. It is true that it can make it harder to lose weight, but it's not impossible.

econista

I notice from a quick look in your diary that it seems you are not drinking your 8 glasses of water/day, which is super important so your body can process foods, eliminate waste and toxins, etc, to get/ stay healthy and working smoothly.

the next thing I notice is that you get your carbs mostly from fruit which are simple carbs, which is not what you want- go for mostly dark green leafy veggies for your more complex carbs.

Finally if you are not eating your RMR in calories everyday at a minimum (which you are not!) you will go into starvation metabolism mode (which it looks like you have) and will gain weight. The only way to fix that is to keep working out and to eat more calories (mostly in green veggies, healthy fat and protein), and to do it small meals every 2-3 hours all day everyday so your body gets the message that it IS NOT STARVING, being careful to include healthy fats and plenty of proteins at every meal. Finally look at going with a low to moderate carb*, high fat, high protein diet with LOTS of greens like KALE with your specifics: this will put you in ketosis or fat burning mode, while meeting your body's need for macro and micro nutrients, so you can build muscle and burn fat while you feel full.

Your body stores carbs as body fat, so if you eat less, there are less to store, and if you eat enough less you force your body to use fat you eat and have on your body for energy (ketosis) instead of more easily accessible carbs from your diet which trigger insulin release, (which is not what you want if you want to lose weight)... there's a lot more to it, but you have google.

establishingaplace

Tape measurements are much more accurate than the scale or bodyfat measurement tools, both of which are affected by water retention.

When starting out a new exercise program, it's common to gain a few pounds on the scale due to increased glycogen stores in your muscles. Three weeks ago I started a lifting program and immediately the scale went up 4 pounds. Last week, those 4 pounds disappeared along with a 5th. So, keep doing what you're doing, and don't change anything unless you find yourself gaining more.

With PCOS, there is no One Size Fits All approach to nutrition. If you haven't already, try experimenting with different macro ratios and find what works best for you. You want to stick with whatever you try out for at least a month. Some people do well on low carb diets, but that was a disaster for me. Fruit sugars don't bother me, but processed sugars in excess cause me to break out like a 14-year-old boy. My SIL has PCOS and just practiced moderation to lose weight. We're all different.

Elly1021

Thanks for all the great responses.

I will lose the mandarins! I remember reading that certain types of oranges were okay & so I tried to slip them in. Foolish! Thank you so much for pointing that out. My body is super sensitive to carbs/sugar. I know everyone who has PCOS is different, but for me the carb thing is a no-brainer. I don't get cycles if I eat carbs -- & I do when I don't. It's a 1:1 correlation.

I am shameful about drinking water. Does it really impact weight loss? I always thought of that as a wive's tale.

Ketogenic is best for me, but I've had nothing but trouble with them in late years. They work great in terms of weight loss, but I invariably have something else go wrong. I get bad leg cramping and weird ghost pains, even when I take supplements (magnesium, potassium, chromium, etc.). Also, since I've had my gallbladder removed my ability to eat fats is reduced, making it less appealing overall. I don't know, I may have to try to find one that works for me.

I suppose the wt. gain could be water weight from the additional exercise, but it sort of came on like it meant to stay. Maybe that's just the panic talking though.

Going forward I will lose the oranges, eat more greens, drink more water, and keep on exercising.

Thanks again for the responses. It gives me lots to think about!