Gaining weight?

samatalma

I keep gaining weight. I'm not quite sure why. I know my sodium intake has been quite high lately, but I've been drinking my water. I also know I tend to eat quite a few processed foods, which right now I am trying to cut that all out but it's kinda hard when you're poor. I exercise (cardio and body weight/calisthenics) 5-6 days a week, aiming for at least 30 minutes a day and I've been trying really hard to eat right. I generally stay well under my calorie limit and try very hard to eat at least 1200 net calories.
Unless someone has an answer, I'm just gonna keep on truckin and see what next week's weigh in brings. I'm not quite sure what else to do.

samatalma

Bump?

hofficoffi

Hey hunni,

Im not very rich either so I know how hard it is to eat healthily on the cheap! However I do a lot of batch cooking and its a lot cheaper. My shopping bills are now really really low and I eat really well. If you need any help on cooking like that my food blog is www.thethriftygoddess.blogspot.com if you trawl through the old posts there's a post called 'rubber chicken' part 1 and part 2 is good as you can get so many meals out of one chicken! Plus other posts to do with slow cooking.

I hope that helps xxx

samatalma

Thank you! I will check out your website

hofficoffi

Plus I hope you don't mind me saying, ive checked your food diary and the sodium is really high..... is there any way you could try and reduce it? xxx

samatalma

Yeah, I know my sodium has been pretty bad lately. It's because all we've had in the house really is a lot of processed foods. I'm definitely planning on cutting down on that.

samatalma

Bump! I'd like some more input please

samatalma

Bumping again!! Please help?!

hamullin

I wish I had an answer but I feel your pain. My first weigh in of having a week where I felt like I did everything right and I gained 2 pounds!! My biggest fear had been that it would be the same, not gained!

Don't let it get you down and keep plugging a long. Maybe your hard work will show up in a future weigh in.

rugbyphreak

i have been gaining weight too lately even though i've been doing everything right. people keep telling me that it's muscle or water weight, but i don't want to hear that. i want to fix it and start losing again. 35 pounds is not what i wanted to lose, i want to lose at least 60 pounds! so discouraged!

aekaya

Hi, this site might help you:

http://www.poorgirleatswell.com/

You can eat very well on a low budget, you just need to know what to get Some "superfoods" that are really cheap include things like sweet potatoes, eggs, skim milk, kale, dry beans, oatmeal, canned fish, etc.

If there's a trader joe's near you, I also can't rec that enough! Once I bought all my groceries for the week for $9 (I just bought lots of fruits and veggies and had a super healthy week, lol).

It might also help to cut out dressings/sauces (like mayonnaise - or maybe switch to the kind where they use olive oil?) as well as sugary cereals. I'd recommend eating oatmeal instead for breakfast. It'll keep you full for HOURS! Good luck!

fbmandy55

Looking at your diary, you aren't eating much different than me, but maybe it's the potatoes and breads and lack of fruits and veggies?

Stick with it, don't give up and try to get more of those fruits and veggies in!

SARgirl

I see you live in East Hickory, PA (don't know where that is) but I live in PA too. We have several different grocery stores around here that have lower priced items (Aldi's, Save-A-Lot, Food King) and a place called Erie County Farms that has tons of fresh fruits, veggies, and meat for low prices (I'm talking filet for 4.99 a pound). That place can be crazy but it's worth it when you are on a budget. Also, what type of exercise are you doing? Definitely need to cut down on the sodium:) I'm the same way with sugar though! Good luck!

sarah44254

Great job on staying under calorie goal many days in the past week (I think all but your free day, which is really great)

You mentioned you have been drinking your water, but you have 8 cups average. With sodium levels so high (over 4000mg one day I remember) you would benefit from drinking more water, up to 16 I would say.

Personally my sodium levels stay around 2000-3000 which is more than many folks who use this site. But I have low blood pressure and dropping sodium too far means I pass out, so that is just not something I watch. But I do try to keep my water even with sodium. I drink 8-20 cups a day, depending on how thirsty (or bored!) I am as well as how much sodium I've had. Somedays I will have 8 cups of water before noon, and only eat a little. Those are the days I feel the worst, and then I eat salty crackers or sometimes even just a packet of salt (gross but it keeps me standing)

You probably do not have this issue but I just wanted to mention it because some people are afraid to drink 'too much' water. Too much is a very high level and you will KNOW when you reach it. Especially if you drink throughout the day instead of all at once, (all at once can be dangerous). I have a 32 oz cup that I fill up and drink every 3-4 hrs. 2 of those reaches my 8 cup goal, 3 of those is what I normally drink each day.

Keep going with your great job under calorie goal (but over 1200, which is very good!) and try to a) drink more water b) eat less sodium c) a little mix of both

I also wanted to ask how you are measuring your food? Do you just guess? Do you have a food scale? Do you use measuring cups / sticks?

My1985Freckles

Hi,

I was curious what you have your weightloss goal set to per week? What is your fitness level set at (sedentary, etc)? Have you by any chance calculated your BMR (apart from MFP's calculation which can be a little high sometimes- at least it was for me)?

Try focusing in on that sodium, do a week of keeping it under 2500, then lower it to 2250, then 2000. I have mine at 2000 right now, but I want to eventually lower it to 1500.

Also, try eating breakfast. I started losing weight and feeling better when I started eating breakfast. Even something as small as a thing of yogurt, or peanut butter toast, or oatmeal (the instant kind has a bunch of sodium Boo! lol). Maybe some apples or bananas to have as a mid-morning/afternoon snack?

It is a process, you have to start somewhere. I read an article on here about gaining when you first start a new exercise routine... Something about your body storing more water in the muscles etc (search "why you gain when first working out"). You might experience a little weight gain now and then have it fall off drastically after a few weeks.

ETA: I'm in PA too! :-)

mrsjennifermaffei

Working out 5-6 times a week for 30 minutes and staying under 1200 calorie goal sometimes?
Your body is probably going into starvation mode. Try eating a bit more for a week and continue your work outs and see if it levels out for you. Also, you may be gaining muscle instead of losing fat if you are doing work outs like push ups and squats. Good luck!

lostsanity137

I would definitely say keep working at it. If you have been doing the same workout for a while, try switching it up or set up a new challenge to push yourself. I love setting up challenges to keep myself motivated.
Also, like the previous said, try cutting the sodium a bit, and work on getting better foods in your diet. This can be a slow change, no need to empty your pantry and start over! Just try switching in a veggie/fruit in place of other snacks, wheat in place of white breads/pasta.
Always water.

Quasita

What you have to remember is that salt makes you retain water. If you have too much sodium/salt in your body, you will just bloat and carry more water, it doesn't flush completely out. This is especially true if you continue to eat high sodium content. I would say that you are making an excuse for yourself, saying "it's what we have in the house". That's not a good reason to eat it. If you don't have healthy foods for you, then go get some, and hold to eating them. Let the others in the house eat the bad foods if they want to, but if your goal is being jeopardized, you have to be stricter with yourself.

Also watch out and make sure that your water is pure water, not Gatorade/Powerade, Crystal Light, or other things of this nature. If what you're drinking has electrolytes added, you should stop because you already get way too much of those as is. Electrolytes are added to water drinks to promote retention of water to avoid dehydration.

You should also limit frozen dinners and canned veggies. They are easier but also pack a high salt punch. Canned veggies can be okay if you get the no salt added versions; I personally prefer them anyway.

I'd also say that if you are at 1200 calories, drinking plenty of water, and exercises 30+ minutes a day, I'd be inclined to think you are not being honest about some of those things. It may be time to re-evaluate.

bizco

Same question is asked thousands of times. Here are replies from a few minutes ago. You can also use the Search function to find other replies to this same question. Copy and paste into your browser:

http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/446248-why-am-i-gaining-weight

sarahmaryfearnley

Hofficoffi - I'm definately going to check out your blog! Eating well on the cheap is a passion of mine. I posted a thread here a while back with some excellent tips from me and other very creative people.

http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/391578-eating-well-on-a-budget

OP - I wonder if 1200cals is not enough for you. I am not a "starvation mode" prodder but I do think each of us have (I like to call it) a "sweet spot" for weight loss. My BMR is 1415 and when I first started ~1200cals was fine but after a few months, nothing, then weight gain, then nothing. I played around with my cals and 1500 is my sweet spot. I think it's different for everyone so I suggest trying some different levels for a month or so. Increase it to 1800 for a couple weeks, I know that sounds drastic. Lower it to 1600 for a week, lower it to 1500 for a week and see if you can find your sweet spot.

hellraisedfire

yes! sodium will make you retain water, so if you increase your sodium, you'll be thirstier, and you'll actually hold water weight. strange, eh? I also concur with reduced sodium canned veggies... they aren't expensive, and they have less sodium whole wheat pasta and pizza crusts are good, if you like them, and you can make a quick tomato sauce in a blender with some chopped tomatoes, and some dried herbs.
also, I think everyone else is onto something with the 1200 calories being too low. I seem to be going through the same trouble you are, my app tells me to eat 1260 calories a day, but I'm STARVING all day! that isn't normal. there's only so much computer stuff can do to vary person to person, and they can't always take metabolic rates and cardio rates into account. I would try adding maybe 100 calories of healthy food, like a banana or other fruits/veggies and see if that helps out.

Marll

Just taking a look at your diary it seems like you are taking in a lot of sugar and processed foods high in carbohydrates. I personally don't think that your sodium intake is the culprit, but rather the combination of processed foods and sugar/carbs.

I sypmathize being on a budget, but know first hand that you can buy better natural foods while staying on a budget, as you cut out the purchase of all the boxed, processed foods and replace it with produce and meats it sort of balances out. My grocery bill is actually $100-200 less a month after switching to a lower carb, no grain, no processed foods diet and I eat primarily meat, cheese, eggs, all kinds of vegtables and some fruits.

Ditch all the nonsense and get back to natural whole food as much as possible and you'll start loosing again. And remember whole grains are NOT = whole natural foods

firesoforion

Eating processed foods is actually significantly more expensive than non processed ones, it's just that it seems more expensive to buy all the individual ingredients you'd use to make something similar. The thing is, though, that if you buy individual ingredients, they last longer, so it becomes much cheaper very quickly. Frozen pre-prepared meals, like a lean cuisine, or digiorno pizza for example, is cheaper than say buying a whole bunch of chicken and vegetables, or all the ingredients to make a pizza, but the difference is that with the chicken and vegetables, that will feed you multiple meals, whereas the lean cuisine is barely one, same with the pizza ingredients. Per gram, the processed stuff is significantly more expensive, but the fact that it portions it out, and you don't have to buy every individual ingredient, makes it seem cheaper. Staying away from the processed stuff you'll almost necessarily be eating healthier and less sodium too, so double win. For example:

The texas toast from wal mart, 150 calories a slice, one gram of fiber, 44 carbs and 340 sodium. Instead you can take a piece of whole wheat bread and spread it with some butter you've mixed with fresh garlic. You then control the amount of butter (and therefore the calories), and get less sodium and more fiber. As it is, GV texas toast is just empty calories, and because you buy them in packs premade, you're pretty much paying by the slice.

Yogurt! Instead of the individual yogurt parfaits, get a big tub of low fat unsweetened greek yogurt, add your own fruit and nuts or granola. It will be way, way cheaper and you will get way more health benefits (lowered calories, lowered sugar, and probiotics which you may or may not be getting from the parfaits. You'll get more of the yogurty taste and less of the sugar which can take a little getting used to to start with, but then you get accustomed and the dense creamy richness of the plain yogurt makes it really hard to go back to the other stuff.

So what you can do is decide on what you're going to make, simple stuff, and figure out the cheapest way to make those on your own. Buy it in bulk and freeze what you don't buy. Buy on sale! Studies have shown the cheapest way to buy stuff is to stock up on your items you use a lot when they're on sale, so you can buy them less when they're not. Get in a rhythm of how you buy and what you prepare, and soon you'll be so accustomed to paying less for food that preprocessed stuff will seem like a waste (no pun intended ) of money.


Another little thing is that some stuff, like Baby Ruth minis, raisinettes and chinese, is tasty but really bad for you! So you don't have to cut it out but just sticking with a taste of something can be a huge benefit. I love the idea of just barely tasting something to get the taste without as many calories, and it really works. I bought a couple huge bags of Cinnamon M&Ms right before they went away and were on half price, and some whipped cream, and when the sweet tooth hits, just take three or four M&Ms, or a small spray of the whipped cream, and that's that. I know that's all I'm getting too, so I make the most of it.

auticus

Your caloric intake being so low combined with the quality of food you are eating (poor to bad) is the key reasons why you are gaining weight despite your efforts.

beckylawrence70

Sounds like you're doing the right things, just keep truckin!

erika010

Sometimes you just need to be a little patient at the grocery store. It's easy to pick healthy, unprocessed foods that are also inexpensive!

Bananas are a great example. At around $50 a pound, you could get enough for your family for a whole week for 1-2 bucks! Also apples tend to be on sale a lot, as well as carrots and celery. Easy to take to lunch, also.

I make a lot of soup! That's easy to make in bulk, on the cheap, with healthy ingredients. Also great for freezing!

Also, bags of beans/whole grain rice is inexpensive (because of the time it takes to make, most people want the instant and that stuff is way more $$$). Beans and lentils especially are a quick, cheap source of protein.

Also sometimes at walmart and target they do specials on the birdseye steamed veggies. I bought 6 backs of broccoli for $6! And if you store in a tupperware in the fridge it stays good for an additional 1-2 days, just heat in the microwave with a little water.

Healthy food doesn't have to be expensive!! Plus, it's better for your health so in the long run it is MUCH cheaper than processed foods!

samatalma

Thank you for all the replies!! I know I have some work to do on my diet!! We are finally able to go grocery shopping tonight. We haven't had any money for food. So yes, it may be an excuse but when you don't have money that week, you do what you need to do for me, unfortunately that meant eating what I had in the house.

I try very hard to stay over 1200 net cals a day and feel like I do an okay job at it, but maybe I DO need to do better.

I am definitely planning on getting more fresh fruits and veggies for the house tonight. I love veggies and some fruits!

I really appreciate all the advice and replies Thank you very much!

erika010

oh my gosh sorry for the typos, I was typing much too quickly that should be $0.50 for bananas, and bucks :-)

p0stdramatic

How have you been gaining? Have you been gaining steadily over a period of time with no losses? Or did you just wake up one day and weigh more? How long has it been happening?

Sodium can definitely cause you to retain water, but only so much. If you've been gaining consistently for a while, then it's not sodium. Are you measuring and weighing your food, and tracking every bite that goes in your mouth? Are you overestimating your calories burned?

I see you say you try to net around 1200 calories, but your diary the past few says says more. I don't know your height/weight ect., but you may be eating too many calories. I can net 1800 and still lose, but my best friend doesn't lose unless she nets 1400 or less. She's pint-sized (5'1), and I'm 5'11.

Articeluvsmemphis

I still loss weight with a high sodium intake, not that big of a deal.

But I would say go for the protein. Eggs, Nuts, Milk, Protein Shake (I just use cheap whey from walmart) and Bacon

Make sure you are taking rest days, your body thinks you are nuts if you overdo the exercise, IDK at least for me. Nutrition is number 1 for weight loss.

Have your candy and eat it too, just not a bunch, so turn a serving of 4 mini bars into 2 mini bars if possible.

Limit, reduce, cut out liquid calories b/c they stick like glue, lol.

Good Luck, I know this process is difficult, I'm having a hard time as of late, but keep going.

One thing that helped me was weighing myself once a day everyday in the morning when I woke up. I did that for about 2months, and then decided to quit, wish I would not have done that, it kept me focused.

samatalma

I honestly only gained about 2 pounds over the past 2 weeks. Which is the time period which I started doing body weight exercises.
Honestly, it probably isn't that big of a deal and I probably just got a little over-frustrated this morning when I weighed myself. And I also think that it may be getting close to my time of the month, so that could have something to do with it too, right?