I'm gaining weight and I have no idea why!

JBHawaii

So until about a week ago my weight loss had been going amazing! I was literally stripping weight and feeling amazing. I kept myself on a lowish calorie diet (about 1500 a day which keeps me at a 1000 deficit) and I was lightly exercising daily with 2 good hard workouts a week. I went from to 232 to 193 in a pretty short time (39 lbs lost) and although the weight was starting to come off slower, I didn't fail to lose weight almost every day.

But the weight loss had started slowing down. So I decided that I needed to work out more, a lot more if I was going to lose the last 10 and get to my goal of 180. And I did. I started running at least 4 times week and lifting weights (previously I had only been doing body weight exercise). I refined my diet a little bit more and took out a bit of the fruit I had been eating to reduce my sugars. I thought it was all going to happen. But then, starting a week ago, I actually began gaining weight.

It started after a night out with some friends. I had 3 beers (yes, i know that's bad) and the next day I didn't lose any weight, I didn't gain, but I also didn't lose. I though, hey, this is ok, I deserved that, but then it got worse. I ate well the next day and then boom, i gained a pound... the next day another! Then, I had my cheat day, no biggie, I do this every week and I only ever have a single cheat meal. I made braised short ribs, had a little bread and cheese, made some rice (which was awesome) and had a piece of pie and a few glasses of wine, all in all, not that terrible... and then the real shock, I gained almost 3.5 pounds the next day!

That was 5 days ago and I have now steadily gained back to where I was almost a month a ago! I am exercising hard, eating really well, cutting out almost all the sugars and I NEVER eat junk food... im obsessive about my diet. But the weight still isnt coming off! Getting down to where I was before this gain back was, I hate to say, pretty easy by my standards but after this gainback I'm finding it super tough.

I am really depressed about this. I am having trouble having fun because I feel like a failure and I cant fiure out what in the world I have done wrong... I would love any advice,

JB

So what am I doing wrong? Where have I screwed up?

hummingbird71

Without being able to view your diary its hard to say anything about the food choices you are eating. One question, are you drinking your water? It just sounds to me like you have water weight. I mean you don't gain that much in that short of time. Not actual "fat" that is. The other thing- What is your BMR? Are you sure you are GETTING enough to eat? I was on a 1200 calorie a day plan for about 8-9 months. Lost good on it but then started slowing down then nothing. Someone suggested that I was not getting enough to eat and I needed to increase my calories. I now NET close to what my BMR is and last week started loosing again! Just some suggestions for you.! Good luck and great progress so far!

overfences

If it's only a few lbs, I would suspect water weight and muscle gain. I wouldn't stress about it. Are you measuring yourself? That's a FAR better indicator than the scale (and scales are frequently inaccurate).

marycmeadows

first off -- you shouldn't be losing weight every day. somethings weird about that. 1000 calorie deficit is probably too much - and your body is slowing down your metabolism to conserve energy since you're NOT FEEDING IT ENOUGH. I can't see what you're eating, but high protein high fiber is always good - you may not be eating enough protein. Also, if you just incorporated strength training, you may be retaining glycogen (water weight in your muscles). You should not be aiming to lose every day. That's not healthy, and fast weight lost typically doesn't last. Also, the closer you get to your goal, the less you have to lose, the slower it will come off. Guaranteed. Your body is trying to reach a state of equilibruim, and it will seem to work against you to do that.

lsang

It is so much easier to lose weight in the beginning and you do feel like it is just falling off. That is because most of it is water weight (bloating). After you lose this, you then find that you have to really work in order to lose the rest of it. I have lost 42 pounds so far (in 4 months); the first 30 pounds came off with no problem, but the last 12 have been tough. Remember, as long as you are eating right and exercising, it will come off. Make sure you are not just watching calories, but the type of foods you eat. Some foods that you think are "healthy" have high trans fat and are not good for you. You may only lose a few pounds a month once you are at this point, but you have to stay dedicated and strong. Remind yourself that even if you are not losing weight at this point, that you are still becoming a healthier "YOU" by eating right and exercising. Don't give up!

Oh, and I would probably forgo the beer, wine, ribs, bread, rice, cheese, etc. (all of these are very BAD) and the "cheat day"!!!! Eat a moderate and healthy diet every day and make it your lifestyle.

Good luck!

IveLanded

I had the exact same problem. I raised my calories a bit (just from 1200 to 1550) and I dropped 5lbs in less than two weeks. I also have realized that as it gets harder to lose those lbs, I have to be stricter about my food. I was having cheat days on weekends and I had added alcohol back into my "allowed treats" and I was just maintaining.....even WITH adding work outs. Since what I was doing wasn't working, I changed it.........I am going back to a more strict diet, going back to being very on top of my calories, and I'm back to losing a little. I think it goes slower as you get higher in your weight loss, and I think that's normal. I would suggest raising your calories a touch, especially if you've noticed at all that you've gained muscle.

1holegrouper

The closer you get to your goal the more precision will be required. I know because I'm going through this right now myself. The sweetspots for how many calories you eat a day given exercise levels and how much and how often you 'cheat' will naturally become much more tight in their ranges. Everyone is unique and different to a point but I think this would apply to 99.9% of us.

Seeing your diary would help but let me venture a guess and suspect a couple of things;

1) Your sodium intake and water intake; When you go off the strict diet for a day or for a meal you are not just vulnerable to the calories and glycemic response but also excess sodium. This is epidemic for most restaurant and prepared foods. I would take a look at that and increase your water intake as well to flush out your system. 3.5 pounds in 1 day is most likely mainly water weight.

2) You may want to consider rejiggering your cheat days and times. Carb recycling/ metabolism confusing is a great tool when it is done carefully. The most important part of this strategy you already seem to do. That is; to be absolutely flawless on your non cheat days. Once a week may be too much for your system. I think it is too much for most people but I may be wrong. For me I have found that every 30-60 days works. Also, during your "cheat" time, in my opinion it is NOT an invitation to stuff one'self. Maybe you haven't done this but it is a common mistake. It is a shock enough to the system that you are introducing things you may not normally have; sugars, alcohol, starches, dairy etc. So, what I try to do is have a good time but not go crazy on amounts- I try to stay reasonable here. That with assessing the frequency of these breaks should help you bust this plateau.

Additionally, you are on the right track of thinking about your normal diet routine and tweaking some of that as well. For me, it is reducing the number of soaked almonds and fruit (in the AM only) amounts. Asking myself; was that really only 1 tsp of olive oil? etc..

Let us know how you do!

JBHawaii

You're a smart guy. 3,500 calories per LBS of fat. To gain 3lbs you have to eat 10,500 calories ABOVE your TDEE for 3 days. have you done this? If you haven't it's not fat.

Thats exactly why I am having so much trouble figuring out what has gone wrong! This 8lb gainback= 8x3500 calories = 28k calories! Thats like 2.5 weeks of food, lol.... ochance I have eaten even close to that... and even if I did, not all of it would go directly to fat. Im just getting demoralized, i have worked so hard but I feel like im falling back and nothing I do helps me stop the fall =( I guess im just really depressed about it

spicychick1987

Its always easier to lose weight in the begining.
Over time it will slow down, maybe even 'stuck' or going up slowly.

Its possible following reason:
Need change up in exerise pattern
You might are gaining muscle, muscles weight heavier than fat but look much slimmer.
Maybe need eat little more? This helped me lose 10 pounds over time by eat just little more.

vfnmoody

just keep swinging


get back to what you know works and let it work