Gaining several pounds in a day

reese66

*shakes head* No lecture from me...

megganwinland

Look and make sure you diet is on point. Processed foods are not good. Sodium levels can make you retain water and it may seem like your not losing. When you work out are you doing weight training? Cardio is very good to start out with before weight training, it can make you burn off a lot of extra fat in little time. I hope some of this was helpful. Never give up!

PMTpower

first off, you have to really record what goes in your mouth and out. get a food scale even to make sure.

second, do not eat too few calories... you should at least have 1200-1300 calories per day... or else you will gain.

third, hold the grains and the starchy carbohydrates, concentrate on fruits, vegetables (this is where your carbs should be coming from) and eat LEAN meat... divide your meals to 4-6 a day so as to regulate your insulin levels and try to eat low glycemic index foods. if you only eat one big meal a day - you can compare yourself to a sumo wrestler who becomes big and heavy by eating 1-2 BIG meals per day only.

try the above..

NanBar

I eat one full meal a day except on the weekends, then I might eat two (please do not lecture me about starvation mode I don't believe it I've been this way for years).

Ok we'll skip the lecture. Looks like it's finally caught up to you though. I used to think eating bacon cheeseburgers daily was perfectly good for me. I didn't believe the hype and did it that way for years.

brilliant

reese66

so the definition of insanity is doing the same thing over and over and expecting different results. maybe it is time to give something else a try for a few weeks, with real honesty and integrity and see if this gets you different results. you have been eating the same way for years-maybe its time to change this pattern in your life-just food for thought.

^What she said^

watch48win

so the definition of insanity is doing the same thing over and over and expecting different results. maybe it is time to give something else a try for a few weeks, with real honesty and integrity and see if this gets you different results. you have been eating the same way for years-maybe its time to change this pattern in your life-just food for thought.

^What she said^

What they said.....

Heather75

Boy can I relate to the over 40 thing LOL. It is good to know that others have the same problem with the fluctuation, it is so very frustrating but at least I know its not a "me" thing and others do experience this also.

THIS is what you took from the responses? Wow.

A lot of people took a lot of time to give you well thought out and excellent replies. Maybe you aren't responding to what they have said, but I really hope you are thinking about it. Maybe it is time to try something that works.

Sezmo83

So I'm about ready to give up. I have been exercising 3 to 4 times per week minimum. Depending on my schedule a minimum of 30 minutes or up to an hour. I eat one full meal a day except on the weekends, then I might eat two (please do not lecture me about starvation mode I don't believe it I've been this way for years).

Something I hear a lot on a dog training forum I'm on, "if you do what you've always done, you'll get what you always got". Change something and chances are you'll get a different result.

Therapist_mama

So much good advice on this thread! I hope that you will reconsider being lectured and listen to the wisdom being shared with you here! Time for a change Dear! :drinker:

mrssmock

Because I say I eat one full meal a day does not mean that I ONLY EAT once a day. Dinner is my only "meal", is it huge NO, do I starve myself all day and gorge on dinner NO.

To those who offered support thank you. To those who offered criticism I wish you luck.

taso42_DELETED

Luck is for winning lotteries or raffles.

Science, hard work, and discipline is for losing fat and getting fit.

juliehh73

If you are really really struggling to lose the pounds, and you have been totally honest with yourself, then it maybe possible you have an underactive thyroid (hypothyroidism) . This can account for weight gain, struggling with weight lose, and also carrying extra fluid i.e odema, especially in your lower legs and feet.(there are many other symptoms too, like tireness, dry hair and skin, mood changes etc)
This is the reason why I am here, after nearly a year after finding out I have hypothroidism, I am really at my wits end with trying to lose weight, so I have joined you guys for help and inspiration.

reese66

Because I say I eat one full meal a day does not mean that I ONLY EAT once a day. Dinner is my only "meal", is it huge NO, do I starve myself all day and gorge on dinner NO.

To those who offered support thank you. To those who offered criticism I wish you luck.

You also said..



I have not lost a single pound in the month or so I've been doing MFP. I am 300 to 400 calories under my calorie goal pretty much every day.

Which is not healthy and I think what most people keyed in on...

I support everyone in their rights to make their own choices, like I said no lecture from me. I mean since its working so well for you who are we to say anything...

Best wishes

Still_Sossy

I find it very interesting that you do not believe in starvation mode and you admit to only eating 1 maybe 2 meals a day for years. I think you answered your own question with that. You may have tanked your metabolism and your body is trying to hang on to whatever you do put into to it for nourishment.

Therapist_mama

Luck is for winning lotteries or raffles.

Science, hard work, and discipline is for losing fat and getting fit.

*LIKE*

Thanks to Taso and his communications on this board and my listening to him without an argument I am having good success with weight loss now! I am 49 years old so that is not an excuse for trouble losing weight! Nor is TOM! I have lost weight while having TOM. If you are doing the same thing you have always done then you have to consider that perhaps you need to change what you are doing. I never understood why I had to eat back my exercise calories and I struggled with making that happen but now that I am doing it and understand the value of giving my body the proper nutrition it needs in the right amounts for my activity level, I am seeing results that are astounding me!

I hope you can soften you heart enough to hear criticism that offers you good advice. Perhaps, if you do not feel you are being clearly understood in this thread, you need to open your diary so that others can see what you are eating. That will give you accountability and help others to give more informed advice.......providing you are truly interested in advice or help!

Hope you discover the reasons for your difficulty whether it be that you need to change habits you have or if you have a medical issue that is creating the complication.

Best to you in your endeavor to be successful with your goals!:flowerforyou:

dietcokeplease

“Criticism may not be agreeable, but it is necessary. It fulfils the same function as pain in the human body. It calls attention to an unhealthy state of things.” ---Winston Churchill.

“He has a right to criticize, who has a heart to help.”---Abraham Lincoln.

Criticism is part of life. Good luck to you as well.

amelia_atlantic

I'm sure everyone else is going to jump on this but two major things to consider:
Starvation mode and Sodium intake

Do a little research on both and re-evalute your diary.

Good luck! Don't get discouraged. It takes a while for it all to "click".

Therapist_mama

“Criticism may not be agreeable, but it is necessary. It fulfils the same function as pain in the human body. It calls attention to an unhealthy state of things.” ---Winston Churchill.

“He has a right to criticize, who has a heart to help.”---Abraham Lincoln.

Criticism is part of life. Good luck to you as well.

Therapist_mama

I'm sure everyone else is going to jump on this but two major things to consider:
Starvation mode and Sodium intake

Do a little research on both and re-evalute your diary.

Good luck! Don't get discouraged. It takes a while for it all to "click".

Therapist_mama

So I'm about ready to give up. I have been exercising 3 to 4 times per week minimum. Depending on my schedule a minimum of 30 minutes or up to an hour. I eat one full meal a day except on the weekends, then I might eat two (please do not lecture me about starvation mode I don't believe it I've been this way for years).

I have not lost a single pound in the month or so I've been doing MFP. I am 300 to 400 calories under my calorie goal pretty much every day.

My biggest frustration is the fact that I can get on the scale and gain anywhere from 2 to 4 pounds overnight! I don't understand this, once or twice I have actually lost a couple of pounds from my starting weight, but then BAM, on the scale the next day and have gained even though I was under my calorie goal and exercised. Yes, I do drink water.

Anyone else have a problem with this?

not going to lecture you about starvation mode but my guess is you are:

http://www.hussmanfitness.org/html/TPAdaptation.html

The law of unintended consequences

Your body is an amazing feedback system aimed at balance and survival. Humans are at the top of the food chain because they are able to adapt to their environment. Every action produces a reaction. Every change in its environment triggers a survival response. It's important to keep that in mind when you plan your fitness program. If you treat your body as an enemy to be conquered, you'll produce unintended results.

For example, if you severely cut off the supply of food to your body, it will defend itself by slowing down its metabolism to survive starvation. The body will shed muscle mass the same way that you would throw cargo from a plane that was low on fuel, and it will reduce its thyroid activity to conserve energy. The body will also actually defend its fat stores. In anorexia, muscle loss can be so profound that fat as a percentage of body weight actually rises. Extreme carbohydrate restriction also causes muscle loss, dehydration, and slower metabolism, which is why even successful Atkins dieters can have a significant rebound in weight after they stop the diet (don't worry – the advice on this site will prevent that from happening).

As another example, if you put your body under stress through overexertion and lack of sleep, it will respond by slowing down, reducing muscle growth, and increasing your appetite for junk food, carbohydrates and fat. If you feed your body excessive amounts of sugar and quickly digested carbohydrates, and it will shut off its ability to burn fat until those sugars are taken out of the bloodstream.

This website will show you how to work with your body to quickly produce the changes you want. In order to do that, you need to take actions that push your body to adapt – to build strength, burn fat, and increase fitness. You need a training program, not an exercise routine. You need a nutrition plan, not a diet. You need a challenge, not a few good habits you usually try to follow except when you don't.
Setting the right goal

John Dewey once said that a problem well-stated is half-solved. If you want to reach your goal, you have to define it correctly. See, a lot of people say “I want to lose weight.” Well, if losing weight is your goal, go on a no-carb diet. You'll lose a lot of weight – some of it will be fat, a lot of it will be water, and a dangerous amount will be muscle tissue. You'll lose weight quickly, but you'll slow your metabolism and gain fat more quickly once you go off the diet. Trust me on this. I've been there, done that.

The problem is that you've set the wrong goal. If you want to look better, have more energy and enjoy better health, the goal is not simply to “lose weight.” The goal is to improve your fitness level and body composition. That means losing fat, improving your aerobic capacity, training your strength and defending your muscle tissue. You can't do that with a no-carb diet. You will do it using the approach you'll learn on this website. Trust me on this one too. I know what it's like to feel fat, tired and helplessly out of shape. The whole point of this site is to help others avoid that, by sharing lessons that I had to learn the hard way.
Ready to change?

Right this minute, your body is the way it is because it has adapted to the lifestyle you've thrown at it, in an attempt to survive. Ever seen the directory at the mall with the little red arrow that says “you are here”? Well, fitness is the same way. You are here. You can't start anywhere else. So be kind to yourself. Don't beat yourself up. Don't worry about how much there is to do. Change your self-talk from “My body is my enemy” to “My body is my partner.” Accept where you are right now as the starting point, and start moving.

Changing your body requires more than just “going on a diet” for a few weeks. If you want to change your body, you have to make some changes to your lifestyle (which requires some discipline, but isn't as hard as it sounds). If you create the right environment, your body will adapt to it by becoming leaner, stronger, and more energetic. You can do this.



The words "starvation mode" have been taken a little too literally. Start doing some research on "Adaptive Thermogenesis". This is the scientific term for it. It is real and you are there.

Also read this:

http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/3047-700-calories-a-day-and-not-losing

mrssmock

Therapistmama I am not against opening my heart, but calling someone insane, lazy or implying other such things is not the way to give support or advice. I will not open my diary yet. My son spent the month of March in the hospital and it was hard for me to log in what I ate since there was really no good way to judge the calorie content (which I asked, they only provide that for patients and his menu was different), I will not be blasted for the piece of pizza I ended up eating one day because I needed something other than salad. Nor will I be accused of being dishonest because it has been hard to log in every day during April and fill out my diary. May will be better (Lord willing) and I may open it then.

I really just wanted to know if others had the same problem with the scale fluctuating up and down so drastically even though I do not overeat.

Juliehh I have had my thyroid tested and I am on the absolute bottom of "normal", therefore I am "normal" and the physicians say I am fine.

caesarslaw

So, I don't know if this will help but I've had the same issues in the beginning too where I would lose/gain etc. First, you need to make sure your scale is accurate - I've been looking at some reviews online and people also complain some scales vary greatly. Weigh yourself once a week, scale in the same location, wearing the same things, etc. Second, as to the starvation mode and the calories you eat. Prior to finding MFP, I used to eat only a meal and try to keep it very low in calories per day, but I was feeling very very hungry the whole time. After MFP, I had my calories set at 1200 and been reading the message boards. I am trying to eat healthier and try to stay within the calorie range but because my diet has been improving, I find that I am simply not hungry any more. So I may have a yummy sandwich and fruit and eggs and veggies and fish and by the end of the day I have 200 or so calories left but I am not hungry - and I don't force myself to eat them. While you may not agree with the starvation mode, I would try to eat so that you're never hungry in the day and stay within the calories --> this may include days where you don't eat the full amount and I think that's fine. I'm finally losing weight yay! and am not hungry as often. And I also eat pizza and tater tots so no stressing. I think most importantly, if you're starving during the day ...then your diet is not working, and will not work.

taso42_DELETED

I will not be blasted for the piece of pizza I ended up eating one day because I needed something other than salad. Nor will I be accused of being dishonest because it has been hard to log in every day during April and fill out my diary. May will be better (Lord willing) and I may open it then.

I have never seen the people I call friends on here blasting anybody for what they log in their diary. I guess my friends just rock. If anybody gives you crap for eating a piece of pizza, there's a delete button next to their name, and that solves that problem. Heck, in my circle, we give KUDOS for having a treat here and there.

mrssmock

Thank you Ceasarslaw. I know that weighing every day is not good and I am trying very hard to reduce those times. I will check my scale though. I know others brought that up too, there have been so many responses all at once its been hard to keep up. I do try and make sure that I do not get overly hungry during the day.

I saw several posts regarding sodium intake, processed foods etc. I have always tried to limit this as my parents both had high blood pressure (so does my twin) so I am conscious in that area. I cannot eat "diet foods" because I am allergic to artificial sweetener so cannot have anything with that in it.

mrssmock

I will not be blasted for the piece of pizza I ended up eating one day because I needed something other than salad. Nor will I be accused of being dishonest because it has been hard to log in every day during April and fill out my diary. May will be better (Lord willing) and I may open it then.

I have never seen the people I call friends on here blasting anybody for what they log in their diary. I guess my friends just rock. If anybody gives you crap for eating a piece of pizza, there's a delete button next to their name, and that solves that problem. Heck, in my circle, we give KUDOS for having a treat here and there.

thank you Taso.

Therapist_mama

Therapistmama I am not against opening my heart, but calling someone insane, lazy or implying other such things is not the way to give support or advice. I will not open my diary yet. My son spent the month of March in the hospital and it was hard for me to log in what I ate since there was really no good way to judge the calorie content (which I asked, they only provide that for patients and his menu was different), I will not be blasted for the piece of pizza I ended up eating one day because I needed something other than salad. Nor will I be accused of being dishonest because it has been hard to log in every day during April and fill out my diary. May will be better (Lord willing) and I may open it then.

I really just wanted to know if others had the same problem with the scale fluctuating up and down so drastically even though I do not overeat.

Juliehh I have had my thyroid tested and I am on the absolute bottom of "normal", therefore I am "normal" and the physicians say I am fine.

I agree with you about calling names or insinuating a belittling attitude. I hope you do not feel that way with what I was trying to say. I do not blast anyone for eating a piece of pizza or indulging in real foods that please the palate! I, in fact enjoy all such goodies within moderation. I found that when I opened my diary.....the incentive to do my best amazingly improved. Not only that but then others that are more knowledgeable can chime in and help me if I run into any problems. Also, I hope that whatever I am doing that is successful is encouraging and helpful to others.

The problem I had with the scale was getting on it every day and finding those fluctuations. I have to give myself pep talks to wait for Monday and I don't always succeed in listening to myself. For instance, yesterday was Sunday and I felt so wonderfully light when I woke up I couldn't resist finding out a day ahead of my self-imposed schedule. Then I got on this morning and had one pound weight gain from YESTERDAY! Ugh! But I try to keep in mind that I cannot gauge my success on the scale alone. I try to remind myself to keep doing what I know is good for my health. I try to gauge it also by how confident I feel with all my efforts. I did lose weight this week, but to see the scale fluctuate can make me crazy. So I am re-committing to my goal of weighing in only on Mondays :blushing:

I am sorry to hear your son was in the hospital for a month. I am sure that was taxing for you and your family. I hope he is doing better.

At any rate, I hope that you find the answers you need that will help you reach your goals!

:flowerforyou:

iangelab

I am sorry if you thought I was calling you insane, I was not inferring that. I was referring to our patterns and what we do-that is what brought most of us to this site or needing to make changes in our lives. I was referring to this statement in your post:

<<<<<<"I eat one full meal a day except on the weekends, then I might eat two (please do not lecture me about starvation mode I don't believe it I've been this way for years).

I have not lost a single pound in the month or so I've been doing MFP. I am 300 to 400 calories under my calorie goal pretty much every day. ">>>>>>>

You say you have been doing the same thing for years-and now you are still following this pattern and not seeing any changes on the scale-so my post was for you to contemplate the possibility that change might me needed in your thinking here. Insanity can infer a state of mind, but it can also be applied to a way of doing things, repeating patterns over and over without even realizing we are doing them in our lives until we are able to break these patterns and move beyond them. when we look back then we are able to see how much they affected us.

as far as weight fluctuations-I weigh myself everyday but I do so only to monitor changes in overall patterns-understanding that my weight can change day to day by as much as 3 pounds due to hormones, salt intake, water retention etc... so I look for an overall trend not day to day change, but change that continues to move up or down over time.

sorry you took my post to mean I was calling you insane, that was not my intention. good luck!

alana1966

I changed my diary settings to show sodium, and I was REALLY surprised at how much some foods had that I had eaten!! I do have the same problem, but I'm trying one thing at a time - stick to calories - lower fat and cholesterol - more protein - LESS SODIUM I haven't seen any movement in my scale lately either (even up a pound or two at times), and I have been exercising more than I have in MANY YEARS (42 years old and have a desk job)... BUT I will just keep at it and hopefully my body will surprise me one of these days!! I know that even if the scale hasn't moved, I FEEL better already for the exercise I've been doing and my fatigue I was experiencing is SO MUCH BETTER!!

You're definitely not alone with your question - I have read it COUNTLESS times already and I just joined myself....

goodforeyou

Weight loss is 80% nutrition. If the scale is popping up "overnight" it is most likely water from too much sodium. Quickest and easiest way to get @ the sodium is to limit canned soups, sauces, and frozen meals as they are typically loaded with it. As for sugar, I find I lose weight better when I limit myself to 2 pieces of fruit a day. While everyone will say "but it's natural sugar," it all adds up. By the time you have 2 pieces a fruit, a serving or 2 of healthy dairy and veggies you are easily nearing 60g of sugar. Sugar can actually have a similar effect as sodium which is why watching your intake, regardless of the source can be important.

Without seeing your journal, can't really give you any other specific advice.

Excellent points!!!

jennfer71

I also weigh daily just to keep myself on track. I don't take the fluctuations to heart but try to watch for patterns. Like I had pizza last night and the scale was up today. I realize that the pizza was high in sodium and this was most likely due to that. I have also found that when I am able to spread my calories out more evenly through the day, rather than getting them in fewer larger meals, the scale has a tendency to move in the downward direction. I still struggle with the eating back your exercise calories but I understand the premise. It just takes time to undo all the old habits and beliefs from years of yo-yo dieting. Listen to the advice offered here and believe that people are trying to help. Some people just may not be as smooth with their delivery or subscribe more to the tough love philosophy. We all have the same goal ~ to get healthy, maintain a healthier lifestyle, and help others do the same. Best wishes! :flowerforyou: