Feeling Discouraged

bradp1979

I'm not sure what I'm doing wrong here. I'm eating consistently under my calories for the day, eating back only about half of the calories I "earn" through exercise, and although I lost a little over a pound the first week, and 2 pounds the second week, this week I have gained 2 pounds. I generally weigh every day and log once a week. What I saw throughout this week was exactly opposite to what I saw for the first 2 weeks. I normally see a gradual decrease every day (I weigh every day for just that reason. I like the gradual decrease). This week it was a gradual increase from 217.6 up to 218.2, then 218.6 where I stayed for a couple days, and today 219.6.


My diary is open to anyone who can offer some advice...Though last night wasn't a great example of how I normally eat. It was a complete one-off. We went to a baseball game. I didn't go nuts, but I did eat a hot dog and a bratwurst.

I'm thinking that the FitBit may be giving me too much leeway. It may be telling me that I'm burning far more calories than I actually am. Has any else experienced something similar?

Thanks

jlshea

I know its cliche but up your water. Its helped me immensely to kick start things in the right direction again.

Branstin

The rate at which your body burns fat varies from week to week due to bowels, sodium, hormones, exercise, stress, TOM, etc. This is normal body fluctuations and should be expected. Since you were losing prior to this week then continue as you were and have patience. Your body will catch up. The number on the scale sucks because it doesn’t account for body composition. If you aren’t doing so then take measurements and compare those as well as the scale reading. Focus more on a trend over a period such as 4-6 weeks as opposed to every week.

ewhip17

This happens to me all the time. It will probably even back out. Just this past week I had actually gained 2 lbs for a few days and then it just leveled back out and I lost 1.4 by my official weigh in day. It could be totally natural and is one of the hazards I've had to just accept with weighing myself every day and "playing the long game". I think it's also a danger that naturally pops up a few weeks into people's quest to lose weight. Your body is adapting. I just have to take a deep breath and realize that it will pass and, if I'm doing all the right things, it will come around.

Now, with all of that said, if I haven't seen significant movement for a couple of weeks I DO take that opportunity to be really, really, really honest with myself about what I've been eating, how accurate I've been in my logging of food, WHAT I've been eating to get calories, and how my activity level has been. Sometimes those very frank conversations with myself reveal that I've slipped a bit and I have to get back on it.

Also, and I know this is a point of debate here, but I don't log exercise calories and eat them back. That's just the way I do it because it works for me.

jkal1979

I was going to suggest it might be from too much sodium, but you don't track that so it's hard to tell.

Have you added in any new exercise? That can cause a gain from water retention as well.

WandaMM1

I was going to suggest it might be from too much sodium, but you don't track that so it's hard to tell.

^ this. Processed foods (especially smoked meats) have a ton of sodium. Drink water. And then drink more water. The newest recommendations say to divide your weight by 2 and then drink that many ounces of water (e.g. 200 pound person should drink 100 ounces of water a day).

Stick with it. Fluctuations are normal (unfortunately).

mattjeast

Two things stood out for me here:

1) You weigh yourself every day and log once a week. I would do the opposite if I were trying to lose weight gradually. If you're working out like you say you are, you might be gaining muscle. Numbers don't lie, but remember that muscle weighs more than fat. The thing that matters is the mirror. If you look and feel better, remember that nobody is looking at the scale except for you.

2) It looks like you're eating out or eating a bunch of pre-made meals. Do you know how to cook? When you cook for yourself, you know exactly what is going into your food and don't have to rely on MFP to guess your serving sizes for pre-made food. I guarantee if you cut fast food from your diet, you'll see results immediately. I know that cooking for yourself doesn't always work well for a busy schedule, but you can do yourself a massive favor to learn five different dishes that have a carb, a protein source, and some roasted vegetables. With the internet at your disposal, you can probably prepare at the grocery store a week in advance and learn a dish a day via YouTube or any number of websites (I've got a wife, kid, and full-time job, and I cook dinner for the family at least five times a week). Check out www.skinnytaste.com for a plethora of fit meals. The nutritional facts are listed with every recipe, and they import into MFP easily.

This is coming from someone that used to weigh more than 300 lbs. and now hover around 185 lbs. (a vast majority of my weight loss journey began prior to MFP... or even Facebook, really).

bradp1979

I like what everyone's said so far. I haven't added any new exercise. At the moment, the only exercise I do is to either walk or ride a stationary bike every day. Time is an issue for me, so I have an exercise bike at home, and I often will take a 45 minute walk when I'm at work on my lunch break. I haven't done any other exercises to speak of.

I'll work on water. I generally don't drink much throughout the day, and I know that's a problem.

As far as pre-made food, yes. I eat a lot of that. However, for the vast majority of time, it's the portion-controlled meals from either Safeway eating right or Smart Ones by Weight Watchers. I do know how to cook, but every single meal I have made on my own has been more calories than what I get from these.

I also forgot to mention that I have done this before. I lost 40 lbs (my goal) 2 years ago by doing exactly what I'm doing now. I didn't once see reverse motion on the scale back then, so that's why it's somewhat concerning now.

As far as my logging once a week, I log my food every time something goes in, but I log my weight and measurements once a week.

mynameislinea

Don't worry about it too much.

There are so many variables that can influence weight on a day-to-day basis that your weight can vary by a few pounds regardless of what you are doing (within reason).

If after a few more weeks you haven't seen a significant weight reduction then you are either underestimating your food intake, overestimating your exercise, or both.

But this kind of stuff really only shakes out over the long run- it's impossible to see what is happening on a day-to-day basis.