WHY?????

KristensMom314

I can't see your diary, but I have a guess.

You are probably not eating as clean or healthy as you think you are (again just a guess). As to those who say you are building muscle - I hate to burst your (and their) bubble, BUT it is really difficult to gain muscle. Believe me, I'm trying. I have a woman professional body builder friend on MFP. She has informed me that a woman who lifts very heavy weights and eats a proper diet for muscle gain will, at best, gain on average about 5 pounds of muscle in one year. So, all of these people who think you are gaining muscle are being optimistic.

Now, it's no fun for me to come on here and be a kill joy so let me tell you if you are seeing fluctuations of 1-2 lbs, that's normal. And likely water. Especially if you're working out like you say you are. 30 DS is TOUGH, if you're challenging your muscles, they are likely to retain some water here and there from time to time. Your sodium will also BIG TIME affect how much water you retain as well as your potassium

Speaking of water - sounds like you may not be drinking enough. You need to drink a minimum of EIGHT 8 oz glasses a day, PLUS 8 oz for each cup of tea, coffee, or soda you drink, PLUS 8 oz for each 30 minutes of cardio you do.

Think of your body as a giant toilet. After you eat, you have to flush all of the toxins, salts, general garbage, etc... out of your body. It's hard to flush a toilet that doesn't have any water in it, so drink up! If you're running to the potty all day, then you might be drinking enough.

As far as food, keep sugar and sodium low and aim for fiber and protein to be high.

My recommendations are no more than 10% of your calories from sugar (including fruit), sodium under 1500 mg a day or less, and get at least 26 grams of fiber a day. You need roughly 1 gram of protein per lb of body weight. This usually ends up being close to 30% of your calories coming from protein.

In the mean time, eat clean, drink lots of water, keep exercising and your body will get there! You just have to be CONSISTENT.

Edited to add - I also think you should up your calories. Try 1400-1600 and see how that works for you.

Do you have any recommendations for getting more water? It's hard enough to drink 6-8 glasses. I used to drink--maybe--one! What helps you?

_GlaDOS_

What do you have your net calories set at? It is possible you may not be eating enough.

MFP has me set to 1200 net. I don't know that I would know what other amount is good...

This is much too low. I had mine set to 1200 for a while, I stayed at the same weight and then gained back 4-5 pounds. I started eating more, based on my BMR, and I started losing weight again. You need to eat more.

Your basal metabolic rate (BMR) is basically the calories your body needs to survive-- doing just about nothing. Based on the information from your signature, and using a BMR calculator (http://www.bmi-calculator.net/bmr-calculator/), you should be eating around 1600 calories (net) AT LEAST + your exercise calories.

I thought MFP calculated it to my lifestyle/weight loss goals?

True, but it sounds like you have it set to lose more than 1 pound a week, which although would be ideal, is not realistic for most of us. Losing 2 lbs a week is realistic for really obese people, which you clearly aren't. I have mine set to lose 1 pound a week now, and I have lost 4 pounds in the past 2 weeks. So I would seriously consider changing your weight loss goals. I know it may seem like you will lose weight more slowly, but in my opinion, it's worth a try. It sounds like your body is trying to hold on to all the calories it can get, because you're making it think it's not going to get enough.

You're not losing weight now, so it may be worth it to try and see if that's what is making you gain weight or stay the same.

KristensMom314

Thanks for your help!