getting teary eyed... 30 days in and now gaining.

sheltielover

any advice is appreciated:

ive been on mfp since mid sept and had lost a total of 15 lbs - down to 185... this past week the weight's been slowly creeping up- and today I weighed in at 188. I'm dumbfounded.
--- I'm eating my calories--- have gone over 1 time by like 80 cals
---I'm working out - not daily, but about 3 times a week - on sunday I walked for an hour and burned 600 cals-
---I'm drinking my water- even somedays getting 10 glasses in
---It's not "that time of the month"... even when that happened I only gained like 1 lb and then lost it quickly

i've made my diary public b/c I'd like some frank honest comments to get me thru this.
I refuse to throw in the towel, but it gets hard to stay on plan and then see this type of gain for no reason.

here is my diary:
http://www.myfitnesspal.com/food/diary/sheltielover

Aimee

engineman312

you are right to not throw in the towel. we can not predict what our body does, or what will cause it to gain a pound or three. your weight will fluctuate, it just does. you need to do a lot of self analyzing, and see what you can change. maybe a new and different workout, and some new foods and eating habits.

JennLifts

No matter the underlying issue, you would benefit from doubling your protein.

smkey

It's very possible it is the sodium content in what you are eating. I see quite a bit that would indicate a fairly high sodium content. Try tracking it and bringing it down. It will likely require eliminating processed or prepared food, but will probably help a great deal. Don't get discouraged! You've made great progress so keep going!
Weight fluctuates all over the place during a week. You may also be better off weighing on a particular day at a particular time.

MzMiller1215

Looking at your food diary, I would suggest either eliminating or cutting your alcohol intake and increase your vegetables. You also need to increase your protein and decrease your sodium. A lot of restaurant foods are very high in sodium.

JoAnn73

Make sure to only weigh yourself once a week @ the same time ( morning). Dont let it get you down I have been going though the same thing for the past 3 months gaining and losing the same 3 pounds. Just dont give up!!

stephanie8625

First you said that you have been here since mid Sept. and you have lost 15 pounds??????? That is alot for a little time, and that might be the problem.

Watch your salt intake.

What is your goal on MFP? 1 pound a week?
Maybe try and add somre more exercise to the week, also, make sure that you are eating all your calories.....do not go under, sounds like to me your body is going into starvation, looking at your diary, does not appear you are eating all your calories, and when you exercise, eat back at least 1/2 of the calories that you burn off. You might need to play around with that -- I eat almost all my calories back that I work off !! YOUR BODY NEEDS THE FUEL, or else you will go into starvation mode and store fat.

I know that it is frustrating, but hang in there -- do not give up !!
Feel free to add me.......:flowerforyou:


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TavistockToad

you dont eat any exercise calories... eat them!

sethandjane

I agree with jennw10 - I'm not a nutritionist, and although you're not eating way too many refined carbs, it definitely won't hurt to get in a lot more protein and even some more "good" fats. And don't forget to eat a good breakfast.

And engineman312 is right too - don't give up!!!

Good luck

vim_n_vigor

Two things I see are that your sodium is probably really high, and I don't see fruits and veggies. The fruits and veggies are an essential part of your dietary needs. Also, you could probably raise your protein. If you are not working out so frequently, I would advise getting your protein from food instead of powder too. Eggs, chicken, tuna, etc.

KMSForLife

Okay - I feel like I have been saying this a lot lately but here goes (fyi - I'm certainly no expert) . . .

Change your food diary to show sugar and sodium. It looks like some of the things you eat could be high in sodium. I heard that you should consume more than 2,200 mg of sodium per day but I also recently heard that the new recommendation is 1,500 mg. I can't lose weight if I go high in sodium - it consumes me.

Also, eat more. I know - I still have a hard time with this concept BUT on most days you are not eating your recommended calories - you are under. My incredibly healthy, fit sister-in-law, who weighs 112 lbs, recommends that you never consume less than 1,800 calories per day. Now, those have to be healthy calories. She says for bread - never pick anything that contains less than 4g of fiber and go whole wheat. Fruit is great - but not too much because of the sugars. Green veggies - make them your best friend!

I don't do great all the time but I did take her recommendation of trying to increase my calorie intake and I did continue to lose weight. For me - so far, so good.

Oh, and I exercise a minimum of 6 days per week for at least 40 minutes. I alternate between running and recumbent bike.

Good luck to you!

Jewcybabe

First you said that you have been here since mid Sept. and you have lost 15 pounds??????? That is alot for a little time, and that might be the problem.

Watch your salt intake.

What is your goal on MFP? 1 pound a week?
Maybe try and add somre more exercise to the week, also, make sure that you are eating all your calories.....do not go under, sounds like to me your body is going into starvation, looking at your diary, does not appear you are eating all your calories, and when you exercise, eat back at least 1/2 of the calories that you burn off. You might need to play around with that -- I eat almost all my calories back that I work off !! YOUR BODY NEEDS THE FUEL, or else you will go into starvation mode and store fat.

I know that it is frustrating, but hang in there -- do not give up !!
Feel free to add me.......:flowerforyou:


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food4thought7

I see that there's a bit of alcohol intake. Try cutting back on that and put the extra calories to food..more specifically protein

Bonny272

Have you measured yourself? I've been going through the same thing and I know you want to cry and do something horrible to that mean scale. I was really frustrated and my husband told me that my body was changing a lot. I started looking in the mirror and realized he was right. My pants don't fit as snug as they did and my arms now make a light flap instead of glug glug. Your body is very happy with it's fat storage. You just have to keep at it and convince it you mean business and the fat has got to go. You're doing great! Just keep logging in and doing something healthy for yourself everyday.

susanofscottsdale

As frustrating and disapointing as it is - it is just one week. For me weight loss is very uneven, even when my eating and exercise are consitent. You may be experiencing something similar. Some ideas to try:

You may be taking in high levels of sodium from prepared foods. Add this to your elements to track, reduce it and see if it helps you shed water.

It is very easy to overestimate exercise calories. Consider "eating back" 50% only.

I see that you are already low in carbs. Try shocking your system a bit with one day of all lean protein/super low carbs. This has helped me in your situation.

Good luck and keep us posted!

Jewcybabe

Stephanie sounds like a savy lady with some good insights.........her advice seems sound. Hang in there!~

AlsDonkBoxSquat

you are right to not throw in the towel. we can not predict what our body does, or what will cause it to gain a pound or three. your weight will fluctuate, it just does. you need to do a lot of self analyzing, and see what you can change. maybe a new and different workout, and some new foods and eating habits.

Remember, any time you switch up your workout you're going to see an initial increase. That being said, he's right, your weight will fluctuate. You've lost 15 pounds in a month, that's extremely aggressive, and generally not a sustainable rate of loss. So your body could just be saying "woah, this is our new life so it's time to regulate." Ride it out for more than a week to know for sure (one week doesn't make a pattern, just a frustration). Also, I'd agree with taking a look at your food intake. What are your percentages? mfp defaults to a fairly low protein level, imho, I've reset mine to 40% protein, 40% carbs, and 20% fat . . . but I have no science behind that it's just what I arbitrarily decided upon mostly so that I could continue to accomodate my fruit. Play with your numbers, lose the high sodium foods as they aren't doing you any favors, and just keep plugging on.

Fatbuster205

OK, several others have noted two things - too much alcohol and not enough vegetables. I would also add that a lot of your food while small in quantity is high in fat. You can eat mountains of vegetables - I eat so many I can't always finish them! Aim to eat between 5 and 9 potions of fruit and veg every day. Also apply the 5% fat rule - this means looking at the 100g column and if it has less than 5% fat you can eat it. And I mean that - no cheating! If it's 5.1% per 100g its too high. I enjoy wine so I am not averse to some alcohol but as a treat only - it has high calories and no nutrition! Also increase your exercise. If that combination doesn't work see your doctor. but you need to ask yourself how honest you are being - I don't mean that in a nasty way but it is so easy to cheat ourselves. I tend to err on the side of caution and slightly overestimate my calories and underestimate the calories burnt through exercise. That seems to work and my weight loss is similar to you. I too have lost 15lbs since September which in itself is a fantastic achievement! Don't give up - just be pro-active and make some minor adjustments but above all be totally and brutally honest.

lolainlondon

Think about it logically. To put on a pound of fat, you have to overeat by roughly 3500 calories. You are attempting to lose 2lbs a week (if your calorie limit of 1200 is right), which means your goal already puts you at a deficit of 7000 a week. This means that to put on 3lb of fat you would have to overeat your calorie goal by a whopping 31500 calories.

Have you done that? If not, then you simply cannot have put on 3lb of fat, which means it can only be water. Water is retained for a number of reasons (including TOM as you mention) so if you have recently started any muscle building this could be a factor, but looking at your diet, your problem is sodium. Your sodium is over most days, and some days where it's not over were ones where you 'quick-added' calories so there is no sodium listed. This will be what is causing you to retain water.

Don't panic, reduce the amount of salt, and you'll begin to see it drop again.

vanessa194

Your dinners are way to big .. you should be eating more calories in the am or lunch time .. . Try incorparating whole grains, more fruit . and def more protein ... You also have to look at it as a lifestyle change and not a diet ..

Sidesteal

1) Do you own a food scale and do you use it, or do you estimate calories?
2) What are all the quick-add calorie items, or what is the reason for using this feature?

psuLemon

Ok, as many have stated, there are a couple of things. First, alcohol; there has been studies that have shown the affect that wine can slow the metabolism. This doesn't include that fact it's about 1/6 of your calories. Next, I believe you are rather low on your calories. Based on the assumption your basal metabolic rate is around 1500 and you workout 3 times a week (mean you are lightly acitve) and since you dont' have that much to lose (I woudl recommend 1 lb per week) You should eat around 1600 calories a day or you shoudl be eating 1300 calories (sedentary level) and eat back your exercise calories.


Also, it does appear a large portion of the items on your diary are packaged which are higher in sodium. I would recommend tracking that. Other than that, look to do some weight training. It can really help to increase your muscle mass (which burns more calories) as well as increase your metabolism.

Just some thoughts.

TheWolf77

Sheltie,
Hang in there, the goal is not to give up, this happens to all of us at some point or another. Sometimes sooner than others. There are a few bits of advice that I can offer however that might help you.

1) Change your workout routine. Everyone has the same problem, our body are designed to adapt and overcome adversity. If you have been putting all of your effort into your workout and you do the same or similar exercises everyday your body will identify what you are doing and it will find a way to work around it. I try to change my exercises up as often as I can. For example, if you are using walking as your exercise, instead of walking for 30 minutes try increasing the speed (even if slowly) for part of the time. Every 10 minutes you walk try to jog for 2 - 3 of those minutes. If you work out at the gym you can try my personal favorite, the elliptical. A lot of people tell me they "hate" the elliptical, but I have learned to call it my friend because of how many variables it offers and because I can use it to push myself. Try a different programmed pattern every day. To get around my issues, I did Manual settings on Monday (30 minutes of Level 17.. try it lower than that to start with, I started at level 8 and worked my way up to 17 over a course of 3 months, keeping my heart rate at 165 - 170 the entire time) Tuesday I did the Hill setting (again 30 minutes and do what you can to keep your heart rate up at about 165 , but don't try to go much above 170) Wednesday "Personal Trainer Mode" It makes you change directions and tells you to use your arms to push or pull or just use your legs. Thursday, back to manual mode, Friday "Around the world" Various hill settings. Saturday & Sunday rest. (5 days a week isn't for everyone, but it has helped me tremendously... find what works for you and go with that). No matter what kind of exercise you do, by the end of 30 minutes you should have broken enough of a sweat that it looks like you took a quick sprint outside in a downpour and back again.

2) Change your tracking info on your diary. I see that you use the default settings. Try going to Setting > Diary Info and changing what you are tracking. For me I changed mine to reflect Calories / Carbs / Protein / Sugar / Sodium. This helps because While everything looked great for a while as soon as I added "Sugar" to mine, I realized that there were days when I was going way overboard on sugars even though everything else looked good.

3) Take a multi-vitamin. It sounds like a strange suggestion, but sometimes your body resists change because it is not getting enough of one kind of vitamin, it will resist you in an effort to protect itself if its not getting something that it needs. Adding vitamins to your diet will increase the odds that your body will burn off everything that you put in and expunge everything that is excess. If you give it more nutritional suppliments than it needs it won't hang on to things that it doesn't need.

4) Sleep. The hardest thing to acquire is enough sleep. Once you change your workout routine, set yourself some goals. The first kinds of goals that I find make things better are "pleasure goals" I don't know anyone that doesn't like getting extra rest. So make a plan, chart everything out so that you can accomplish the things that you need to get done, and set yourself a goal even if its only 1 night a week to start to get a full 8 - 9 hours of sleep. While this is difficult (I know I have a 3 year old that wakes up at 5:30am everyday) you can make this happen by planning it out ahead of time. No matter what find one day that you can tell yourself "I'll be in bed by 9pm and awake by 7am". Its hard to do, but if you can get at least one day of rest your body will recover better.

5) Keep in touch with MFP friends. We all have our own experiences and we are all in the same boat here. Having a strong support group to keep things going is the best motivator and help you will find. Just like you did when you posted this topic, ask for help. Ask for suggestions. Those of us that have been where you are will not hesitate to offer whatever support we can to make your journey a successful one.

Good luck, keep up the hard work. You can do this!

-Ryan

Splinkysgirl2

I agree with everybody else on here. But specifically, I want to say also do not give up and throw in the towel -- even if you do not lose another pound, you are gaining a more fit body through exercise. Let's not focus so much on the scale, but also remember to pay attention to the inches lost. The inches are what matters when it comes down to fitting into smaller clothes -- not the pounds. Stay positive. :flowerforyou:

kerrikeene

Try decreasing your sodium intake...that can make you gain weight.

Teliooo

Cut out the booze or at least cut down a lot. All those empty cals, loads of sugar etc are no good for you.

Defo cut that sodium, I cut mine down to try and only have 1500 a day. I started this just last week and can already see the difference on the scales. Eat veg and maybe cut the carbs a bit. Also just accept that some weeks you may gain due to muscle weight, periods or water retention.

dsak

Others have said it..... cut out the alcohol and processed foods, and reduce the sodium intake (restaurant food has a lot). Eat more fruits and veggies. It's not enough to just consume within your calorie goal, but... you need to make healthy choices.

Melmade

STICK WITH IT!!!!! I've had that happen several weeks in a row. Do not let it get you down. Are you using a measuring tape??? That's what kept me motivated. I gained 4 lbs. but was down 3.5 inches on my waist last month. Additionally, 30 days is still a short period of time. Try to keep the big picture in mind. You're down 15 lbs--congratulations!!! Keep up the good work. If you keep up your new habits you will lose weight. You can do this. :flowerforyou:

sheltielover

Everyone, I just spent 20 minutes reading thru all of your knowledgeable comments.
Now I am crying- not from being frustrated, but b/c I feel so supported.

Thank you--- I am going to make some slight changes, as all of you suggested.
I can't tell you how much I appreciate you taking the time out of your lives to help a stranger.

Here's just part of the changes I'm going to make
1. cut the alcohol to once a week (I've noticed it has creeped up again)
2. cut the processed/high carb/high sodium foods-- get back to more REAL food
3. change up my workouts- push myself a bit more than just walking at 4.0
4. Start taking a multivitamin

And yes-- I do own a food scale- I've weighed everything religiously in the last month.
I may even adjust MFP to only lose 1 lb a week and up my calories.

It was hard for me to open my diary to "the world"- but I needed other sets of eyes to see what I hadnt been seeing!

Its all experimenting and finding out what works best for my body, right ?

Thank you all again- I've taken notes and am going to follow your advice!

graysmom2005

You can do this! :-) My question is, how are you getting your calorie count? Do you use a HRM? I only ask because 600 calories for an hour walk seems incredibly high. If you are using a HRM then ignore me. LOL!

sheltielover

hi, yes-- i used my HRM and it said 600 for the hour workout. i hope its right!!