Eating right and still gaining :(

erinknurse1

I am eating a clean 1200 calorie diet, gluten free, high protein, lots of fruits and veggies. One would think that would = weight loss. I am gaining consistently. I have gained 3 lbs this week and am really frustrated. I had weight loss surgery 4 years ago and have gained about 20 lbs back after a 100lb loss. I am eating for fuel, not for pleasure and I am just really frustrated. No wheat, no potatoes, limited dairy, organic meat, fruits and veggies. Ugh!!!!:sad:

IsaackGMOON

First off.. why gluten free? Has your Doctor said that you need to follow a gluten free diet because of medical conditions?

It could be the sudden change to a low calorie diet, in my eyes, I think 1200 calories is quite low. Instead of weighing yourself, go off of measurements. It could be water weight due to exercise.

erinknurse1

Quite honestly I feel better when I don't eat wheat and processed carbs. After weight loss surgery it is really easy to feel bloated and my Dr. has always told me to focus on protein and produce, then other stuff if I have the room. I had gotten back into eating sugary things that went down easy and now am trying to get back to a healthier routine. It is amazing how fast our bad habits can take over. So I feel less bloated without the wheat. It might be water, I guess time will tell.

GiveMeCoffee

Your diary is closed so can't see your logging. Do you use a food scale to weigh your portions? Are you checking the entries you pick in the database to make sure they are correct? Are you selecting generic or homemade entries? How long haven't you been losing?

Food should be fuel but enjoyable as well, there is no reason to make yourself miserable to lose weight.

deksgrl

You are either eating more than you think, or there is some medical issue or medication causing the weight gain.

JoRocka

You are either eating more than you think, or there is some medical issue or medication causing the weight gain.

This.

Be meticulous- use a food scale.
Don't get trapped in the "organic" healthy" clean" foods- all of those can cause gain too if you eat to much.

Read serving sizes- use them- use your scale- and log every little piece of food that crosses into your pie hole.

9/10 people are not accurately logging and or guestimating- over estimating calorie burns and under estimating foods.
Reverse that trend- or lock it down to something more accurate and you'll see results.

Otherwise it's a medical issue.

Mr_Knight

open your diary.

persistentsoul

It must be water, I also have bad habbit of looking at my scale daily and it jumps up and down between 3lb's quite often due to water changes. I only pay seriouse attention to the difference between weekly checks. So far i have lost or stayed the same on weekly checks. If i eat something very salty or if i eat something that irritates my system then i swell up with extra fluid. It resolves itself within few days as long as i stop eating the salty or irritating to system food. I was up 2lb this morning from yesterday but i had a stomach upset yesterday from eating too much of something with vinigar in. My system does not like vinigar it seems and despite being quite unwell and having no food remaining in my system i was up by 2lb this morning due to inflamation and fluid retention. It will probably be gone tomorrow. Don not panic

erinknurse1

I have recently had a change in medication, I will take a look at that. I measure, trust me I measure. The only time I don't measure is when dining out which is maybe once a week. I also think it might be hormonal. I will just keep doing my thing and eventually the tide should turn.

Need2Exerc1se

I am eating a clean 1200 calorie diet, gluten free, high protein, lots of fruits and veggies. One would think that would = weight loss. I am gaining consistently. I have gained 3 lbs this week and am really frustrated. I had weight loss surgery 4 years ago and have gained about 20 lbs back after a 100lb loss. I am eating for fuel, not for pleasure and I am just really frustrated. No wheat, no potatoes, limited dairy, organic meat, fruits and veggies. Ugh!!!!:sad:

See a doctor. If you are sure of your calories, then get checked for metabolic or hormonal or other disorders that may be affecting your weight.

erinknurse1

I just started a new medication for nerve pain, and came off of hormones (have been on them for 5 years). I have had labs done and am under the care of a Physician. I am going to give my body some time to adjust to these changes and then will follow up as needed. I am not starving, quite the contrary. Just a little frustrated at the scale.

JoRocka

I just started a new medication for nerve pain, and came off of hormones (have been on them for 5 years). I have had labs done and am under the care of a Physician. I am going to give my body some time to adjust to these changes and then will follow up as needed. I am not starving, quite the contrary. Just a little frustrated at the scale.

that would do it.

VaikeVihm

If you're gaining off of 1200 calories a day and really eating the way you say you are.. go to the doctor.

But really it sounds like you aren't tracking correctly. Get a kitchen scale if you don't already have one. Weigh every thing. The sugar/cream in your coffee adds up. Salad dressing adds up, and 2 tbsp isn't as much as you think. Oil/butter adds up. No one gains weight off of 1200 calories a day. This is probably all user error.

erinknurse1

As I previously said, I am measuring. For instance my dinner tonight REALLY had only 2oz of chicken. I use a scale to measure everything. I think it is a combination of medication changes and hormones.

Serah87

As I previously said, I am measuring. For instance my dinner tonight REALLY had only 2oz of chicken. I use a scale to measure everything. I think it is a combination of medication changes and hormones.

2 oz of chicken?? :noway:

I had 6 oz of chicken tonight for dinner.....I would starve off 1200 calories!! I did it in the past and it never ended well!!

erinknurse1

After weight loss surgery I lost 100lbs. Years later I have a slow metabolism and a very small stomach. Two to three ounces of meat is really pushing the limits for my stomach. The same food plan clearly doesn't work for all of us. One size does not fit all! On the plus side, the scale started moving the right direction this morning, the tide has finally turned :bigsmile:

trainguy917

Depending on what kind of surgery you had, you may not be getting enough calories and will need to eat more.

erinknurse1

I initially had a lap band. When the band eroded my esophagus they did a revision surgery to remove band and scar tissue, and performed a vertical sleeve gastrectomy at that time.

juggernaut1974

I'm also hopping on the "you're eating more than you think" bandwagon.

For example - breakfast this morning, one of the items you logged was 1.5 oz of cream cheese. Did you just eat a spoonful of cream cheese? Because I don't see anything else listed that one would normally eat cream cheese with (eggs, banana, bacon & protein shake).

How do you manage to only eat 1.5 eggs every day?

There's lots of mis-matched brands, etc (ie - yesterday's lunch was "Sebastian's" greens, "Boars Head" meats and "Wendy's" dressing on your salad). I understand the need sometimes to use a 'best guess' with the database and do the same thing at times, but that also can lead to inaccurate tracking, as the "Brand X" dressing I actually had may have a significantly different nutrition profile than the "Wendy's"

JoRocka

random thought- any chance you could be pregnant?

OmahaLaLa

If you believe you are calorie counting correctly, then have your doc check your thyroid. My friend gained 15 lbs. last year and was watching her diet...all of it was due to the thyroid. Also, this is a long shot. I saw on a TV program where sometimes people eat in the middle of the night without realizing it.

martinel2099

I am eating a clean 1200 calorie diet, gluten free, high protein, lots of fruits and veggies. One would think that would = weight loss.

That's your problem right there. Eating "clean" foods has nothing to do with weight loss, and you shouldn't care about going gluten free unless you have a medical reason to do so. Gluten free products being healthy is a marketing gimmick to make you buy their products, not make you healthy.

Also, 1,200 is too low even for someone who doesn't move around at all. If you are active this is definitely too low.

I have gained 3 lbs this week and am really frustrated.

Gaining 3 lbs of fat is pretty hard to do in one week, this can be attributed to a lot of things like water rention. Do you really think you consumed 3,500 times 3 = 10,500 calories? I highly doubt that. Don't track daily results, go by weekly and look for trends over a 4-6 week period.

Make sure you are weighing and measuring everything properly as well. If you don't have a kitchen scale get one.

I am eating for fuel, not for pleasure and I am just really frustrated. No wheat, no potatoes, limited dairy, organic meat, fruits and veggies. Ugh!!!!:sad:

Lastly you should enjoy your food. You don't need to cut out anything, potatoes are not making you fat. Enjoy your favorite foods in moderation and track and measure everything. I highly recommend that you check out IIFYM, or if it fits your macros.

You can lose weight eating seemly healthy foods and I have nothing against eating whole / organic foods/products. However just like anything, you will gain weight if you eat at a calorie surplus. Health benefits aside, a calorie is a calorie in the end.

erinknurse1

random thought- any chance you could be pregnant?

erinknurse1

You are too funny. That would be the second Christmas!

erinknurse1

I'm also hopping on the "you're eating more than you think" bandwagon.

For example - breakfast this morning, one of the items you logged was 1.5 oz of cream cheese. Did you just eat a spoonful of cream cheese? Because I don't see anything else listed that one would normally eat cream cheese with (eggs, banana, bacon & protein shake).

How do you manage to only eat 1.5 eggs every day?

There's lots of mis-matched brands, etc (ie - yesterday's lunch was "Sebastian's" greens, "Boars Head" meats and "Wendy's" dressing on your salad). I understand the need sometimes to use a 'best guess' with the database and do the same thing at times, but that also can lead to inaccurate tracking, as the "Brand X" dressing I actually had may have a significantly different nutrition profile than the "Wendy's"

JoRocka

well - i'ts funny- I'm petrified of being pregnant and having children- so it's NOT something I want- and occasionally- due to the way I'm built- I wind up with this little almost baby bump... and it scares the bejesus out of me.

and when I am not losing- or it looks like I'm gaining- I have this panic moment for real that that's what it is. Odds are SO incredibly low for me that it's not that- I just have an abnormal fear of winding up in that condition- BUT... that doesn't mean it's not more of a reality and it's something to think about if there is any chance.

It doesn't get mentioned as often because it's rare for that to be the issue- BUT- it's worth thinking about.

erinknurse1

Well, I cook three eggs and eat half on day 1 and half on day two. The fat free cream cheese was two 3/4 prepackaged containers, and the Wendy's salad dressing was a leftover packet I had in the fridge. I stir the cream cheese into the eggs to make them creamier. And yes the meat was boar's head, and yes I weighed it. I plan my food for the day the night before and pack it for work the next day. I work a twelve hour shift and thus have to pack multiple meals and my snacks. I don't mean to sound snarky because all your points are legitimate and valid for many folks.
Thanks for your input, it really is appreciated.

erinknurse1

You are too funny. That would be the second Christmas!

J72FIT

I would agree that if you are tracking correctly which after all the back and forth I believe you are, then your best bet is get to the doctors office.

How tall are you and what is your current weight? Also what are you doing for exercise?

Kellyfitness128

1200 calories is extremely (and dangerously) low! You're starving your body and your metabolism has probably slowed down. Honestly I'd say try upping your calories to at least 1500 with low fat foods (fruits and veggies on top of what you're eating now) and see where that takes you. If you're gaining at 1200, you've got nothing to lose by upping your calories to a healthy amount.

brinkska

I haven't read all the replies yet, but when I start working out and eating right I always gain a few pounds in the first week or two. Then it stays the same for about a month. However, after that, my weight just starts falling off somewhere between 2 to 3 lbs a week.