GAINING weight?

blondiebonce

Hey guys.
Very disheartened atm. Basically, since starting on here just over a month ago, I've been eating within my calorie allowance (every day) and trying to exercise. I initially lost about 10lbs, and NOW I HAVE PUT ON ABOUT 3lb IN THE LAST WEEK.
I'm working hard, have little treats but eat as healthy as poss. Why would I GAIN? Is this water weight? I nearly ALWAYS eat more than 1200 (think i was under once?)
Please advise/reassure? haha

now_or_never12

It's hard to tell if we can't see your diary.

Do you track your sodium? Took much sodium isn't a good thing and frozen and processed foods are loaded with it. Do you drink enough water? Are you measuring your foods? Weighing when needed? Are you tracking every little thing? Do you double check the entries in the database before added them to your diary? Tons of things could be the cause of it.

Is it around TOM for you? That can cause some women to gain up to 10lbs! If not more. Could be a reason. Have you changed your exercise?

mhelm2010

I am doing the very same thing! It is so frustrating! I started off losing 10 lbs. and so far I've gained 1 lb back. I only drink water and I've been doing C25K for my exercise every other day. I just don't understand why the scale isn't showing all of my hard work!

blondiebonce

I've made my diary public now.

I track everything, and if in doubt I over compensate. I read packets as well to have a good idea of what to expect on here.
It may be I don't drink enough or too much salt- I've heard that can retain it.
It isn't my TOM at the moment, but I do feel more bloated and lethargic than normal (just this week, not an ongoing thing)
Haven't really changed exercise.

One thing I will say, is I did eat a fair amount of ice cream a day or so before I noticed the change on the scales. I know this wasn't "a good idea" but I figured keeping it within my calorie allowance would be ok.

I know fo' sure I haven't eaten an excess of 11000 calories this week!!!

Thanks for replying

now_or_never12

Maybe try tracking sodium in your tracker? You'd be surprised at how much is in things! I looked at your diary for the last few days and sodium may be partially to blame. Drinking more water and increasing potassium can help counteract the effects of sodium.

Try to eat a bit more. You normally only net about 1,000 so increasing may help a bit (kind of the opposite of what we've always been told about weight loss I know but I swear it works!).

Maybe try switching up the foods you eat. It looks like you eat the same few things frequently. If you switch up your food and exercise it may help. Eat your exercise calories back too. You may feel lethargic because your body isn't getting enough nutrition.

A bit of icecream shouldn't cause your weight to go up unless you ate a few thousand calories of it.

pdj1220

Yep, I would guess sodium is the culprit too. I know that in my case (I'm larger, so it shows up more) sodium can make a huge difference. Two weeks ago I had two days when I ended up around 4500 mgs sodium, and went way up on the scale. After being really careful and drinking a ton of water, I weighed 229 at 7:00 pm. At 8:00 am the next day (after peeing a lot!) I weighed 221. Eight pounds in thirteen hours!

nikkicancilla

Thanks this may give me an answer as to why Ive gained 6 pounds this week......Half term home with the kids, no exercise etc etc and lots of carbs ;-(

Deffo back to tracking everything, back to the gym (went back today!! 910 calories gone) and cutting back on carbs...I need to get these last few pounds gone before my hols in 5 weeks!

Good luck to everyone else on their weight loss journey - we will get there!

mcarter99

It's just water, in all likelihood. Sugar can be a culprit. You very likely didn't inadvertently take in the 10,000+ calories you'd need to really gain 3 lbs. of fat in one week. Ignore it.

mmapags

You didn't "gain" 3 lbs of anything but water. Sodium could be the culprit. Also, it seems you are eating under your calorie goal almost every day. That could be a factor also. It's fine to eat under a day or 2 per week but you can stall out or cause yourself other issues by consistently eating under your goal that already had a healthy deficit built in.

lil_pulp

It looks like you might not be eating enough since you seem to have calories left over every day. It's counter-intuitive, I know...

meggonkgonk

You need to eat 1200 NET calories as your minimum. 1200 + Calories burned doing exercise. If you search the boards, there is a lot of information about this.

OSC_ESD

~ The battle is over 90% in the kitchen ... your food choices will dictate your success ... make healthier choices and you will soon see a decline in your weight. Remain positive and don't allow the scale to ruin your goals. Losing weight isn't easy ... but being happy and remaining positive while doing it ... is !

Swap out some of those carbs and sodium " stalkers " for more one ingredient foods ... add more proteins and feel fuller, longer.

Best of luck ! You got this ! :flowerforyou:

RebelliousRibbons

Track sodium, and use a food scale for the most accurate measurements.

Also, be careful that you're not overestimating your exercise cals.

jayrey72

Sodium intake is definitely something to watch.

Also, make sure you're drinking lots of water. If your water intake is too low, your body will retain water to protect itself.

Your exercise looks good, so you might be building some muscle as well. I know that after I exercise pretty good, I ALWAYS will weigh more the next day. The buildup of lactic acid in the muscles is to blame. But it's a good thing - sore muscles means you're building "fat burners."

Cyndieann

If you weren't active before this, then you're probably starting to build muscle. Don't forget that muscle is dense, it weighs more than fat, but it works to your advantage because it burns up your calories faster. A little weight gain from muscle development is a good thing, it will help you with consistant weight loss in the weeks when you don't get as much cardio as you would like.

mmapags

If you weren't active before this, then you're probably starting to build muscle. Don't forget that muscle is dense, it weighs more than fat, but it works to your advantage because it burns up your calories faster. A little weight gain from muscle development is a good thing, it will help you with consistant weight loss in the weeks when you don't get as much cardio as you would like.

FTR, you do develop your existing muscle tissue but you don't "build muscle" in a deficit unless you are one of 3 things: obese, things provides extra fuel for muscle building from fat stores, a new weight lifter in which case you will experience 'newbie gains" of a pound or 2 or you are an athelete returning to training from a layoff. The rest of us develop our existing muscle tissue in a deficit but grow no new muscle cells. So we don't really build muscle.

etvannoy

Agreeing with Cindieann on this one. Building muscle is the number 1 reason for weight "gain" once you get into an excercise routine. Check with your doctor at your next visit about getting a proper BMI scored and if your blood labs show decrease in "bad" cholesterol and triglycerides, then the weight NUMBER need not be the focus for now.

These forums are fine for support, but shouldn't be a substitute for real, professional information.

idziak04

I would drink a BOAT LOAD of water over the next few days. It is probably just an excess of sodium causing the weight gain. Twice now, i have "gained" 2-3 pounds in a few days time. I drank alot of water those days and the "weight gain" disappeared within 24 hours. GL!

medennison123

whats is your exercise like?

sodium is not the issue.

3lbs in a week is not muscle. That kind of growth is imposable.

could be some fat and some glycogen in you muscles(not a bad thing)

now_or_never12

I doubt it's muscle gain as that is really hard to do eating at a large deficit.

Don't fret about the gain. Keep doing what you're doing, change things up every now and again so your body doesn't get used to it. Water I find helps a lot! The gain is a temp one.

Masterdo

The goal calories on MFP, once properly set, is something you should try to get close to everyday. If your goal, like it is right now, is 1500, then 1200 is 300 too low, and is not any better than 300 above. You will lose weight at your chosen pace while meeting your goal

Other than that, well just remember that gaining weight is not any faster than losing it. If you take 3 pounds in 2 days, well it's not fat. Just like when you lose 3 pounds in 2 days

ntriplett222

I agree with the sodium, however, there is one other pattern I am noticing. You are skipping breakfast. While this technically does avoid adding more calories, you are also more likely to have a lower metabolism. So that ~1500 calories it says you should eat for the day will actually be significantly lower. This was one of my 2 major problems when I first started my weight loss journey. The other thing that may be your issue (I can't tell from the diary), is how late are you eating? You should stop eating at least 2 hours before you go to bed. Also, your dinner should actually be the lowest calorie meal for the day as that is when your metabolism is lower as well (naturally).

So in summary, eat less process foods to assist in lower sodium intake, eat breakfast everyday, eat a smaller dinner, and stop eating at least 2 hours before bedtime. Assuming you do these things and accurately track all your food and exercise, you will start losing weight.

Just a small side note, make sure to only weigh yourself once a week, and do it in the morning under the same circumstances each time if possible.

Hope this helps.

mmapags

I agree with the sodium, however, there is one other pattern I am noticing. You are skipping breakfast. While this technically does avoid adding more calories, you are also more likely to have a lower metabolism. So that ~1500 calories it says you should eat for the day will actually be significantly lower. This was one of my 2 major problems when I first started my weight loss journey. The other thing that may be your issue (I can't tell from the diary), is how late are you eating? You should stop eating at least 2 hours before you go to bed. Also, your dinner should actually be the lowest calorie meal for the day as that is when your metabolism is lower as well (naturally).

So in summary, eat less process foods to assist in lower sodium intake, eat breakfast everyday, eat a smaller dinner, and stop eating at least 2 hours before bedtime. Assuming you do these things and accurately track all your food and exercise, you will start losing weight.

Just a small side note, make sure to only weigh yourself once a week, and do it in the morning under the same circumstances each time if possible.

Hope this helps.

No disrespect intended but this is not accurate info. Nutritional timing is of no consequence within a 24 hour period and there is no significant change in metabolic rate within a 24 hour period. Skipping breakfast does not slow the metabolism nor should you eat less in the evening because the metabolism is slower because it's not. The whole Leangains protocol of intermittent fasting has the scientific research that details that fasting for hours by doing something like skipping breakfast has no effect on metabolism. If one were to fast completely, the metabolism would actually increase after 18 to 24 hours and then begin to slow after 72 hours or so. There is no need to go through these nutritional timing gyrations.

fletchbaby

Oh I'm glad you posted this, the same problem with me, and come to think of it I think sodium is my problem too, I stay within my calorie goals but , have been eating salty snacks....i quit smoking three month s ago and seem to crave salty things like cheezies...I never ate that kind of stuff before I quit..I need to drink more water as well.

kdeaux1959

3 pounds is within the margin of variance on the scale. Usually small gains up to 3-5 pounds does not necessarily mean you are actually gaining weight. It may just be a point where your body is adjusting to your new regimen. You were losing before this happened and have changed nothing. Here are some suggestions...

1. Increase your cardio -- Do something more than you usually do in order to burst through this bit of a bubble... Maybe run, maybe increase time, maybe do what you have been doing with more energy.

2. Initiate weights -- Muscle burns fat more efficiently than fat does ... At first you may see an uptick on the scale from this as water is retained to start repairing muscle tissue. This is usually temporary and at worst you will see a drop in size as muscle tissue is denser and hence heavier per cubic inch than fat is. An example of this is that at 272, I am wearing the same size pants that I used to wear at 199... But again muscle tissue is denser... I look like I weigh less than I actually do... Of course my body fat % is less than it used to be ...

3. As others have said reduce sodium... If you drink soft drinks (even diet ones) they contain a large amount of sodium usually.. By reducing sodium, you reduce water retention

4. Be patient. This is a process not instantaneous. You seem to be on the right track and as long as the uptick does not continue going in the wrong direction, you should be okay.

channel11

It may be helpful to see your sodium intake on your Food page.
Go to 'Settings' (top of page), then 'Diary Setting' and change one of the five options to 'Sodium'.
Keep it going, you will be fine!

blondiebonce

Thank you to ALLLL of you for replying- very much appreciated!!
Ok, so I've changed my settings so that I can show my sodium intake. Going to drink a lot more water more regularly and try and bump up my cardio.
I've also ensured I'm set at losing 1lb a week to ensure accuracy. With my exercise, I actually do 4-5 hour shifts of "elder care", but I've heard that these calculators aren't as accurate as would be ideal, so I underestimate.
Had Noooo idea that eating more would help!
Have read all replies and will be going along with everything I can.

Thank you

blondiebonce

Is it normal for my measurements to be increasing along with this? Could just be water weight increasing that, right?

blondiebonce

Bump..

RuthieCass

Is it normal for my measurements to be increasing along with this? Could just be water weight increasing that, right?

Nope. If your measurements are increasing that would be an indication that your body fat is increasing. If that is the case, you need to reevaluate your food logging (use a food scale!) instead of labeling it as water retention. Of course, If you ate foods that make you bloated, your waist/hip measurement might increase a bit, but I think you can feel when you are bloated. Measure other parts of your body- biceps, thighs, etc- and use them for reference. Get someone to help you. Take the measurements right when you wake up in the morning before eating anything to avoid measuring food bloat.

Since you are now food journaling, you should make use of the information you collected to identify foods that make you bloated. These will usually be foods that you are sensitive to. On days that you feel a bloat, make a food note in your journal. Over time, you should be able to look back and notice a pattern.

blondiebonce

I am genuinely stumped then. I mean, I'll keep an eye on "bloating" foods, but I don't see how I can be putting on weight that isn't simply water. Looking at my diary now, the worst that should be happening is I stay the same.
This whole journey is feeling like such a massive mountain atm. I'm feeling really disheartened and frustrated. I thought I'd been doing really well.