GAINING weight?

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.

RuthieCass

Hey, don't let one bad week get you down. Losing weight takes time, and everyone has their ups and downs in this process.

It does sound that a good portion of the weight is water since it's unlikely you ate that much over maintenance in just one week. (That would mean you ate 10,500 extra calories in one wk.) As others have suggested, if you limit your salt and drink plenty of water you should see the water weight come off.

Also, I looked at your diary. Here's my suggestions (in addition to what others said about sodium):

-Get a food scale and start weighing all food you prepare at home. Even if you *always* use a measuring cup, you are likely underestimating portion sizes. It is the best way to not let your brain trick you into thinking you're eating less than you actually are.

-Increase your protein. MFP's default suggestion is pretty low. You could try 40% carbs/ 30% fat/ 30% protein. Another recommendation I've read is 1 g protein for every lb of lean body mass (you just need an estimate of your body fat %, but I'd guess you're in the 100 g range). I see that you tend to eat a treat every day- you could start by swapping this for more protein, which will help you retain muscle. Carbs make you retain water, so you will also see a drop in water weight when you do this (pay more attention to your measurements though).

-I noticed that there seems to be A LOT of estimation going on in your diary. E.g., you use the quick-added calories and your use of "homemade" items from the MFP database. You want to avoid estimating whenever possible. For example, if you made the cheese scones at home, use the recipe function to calculate the calories instead of just picking something from the database. If you bought it from somewhere that does not offer nutritional info, I would suggest asking an employee for the info or not buying it. Colories in scones can vary by a ton- scones at Starbucks are in the 500 calorie range, not the 200 calorie range. So you could be sabotaging yourself a lot here.

-Limit your meals out. These are typically higher in sodium than food prepared out, so it will help you control salt intake. Also, you have no idea how closely any cook followed whatever recipe. If you have to eat out, add 1 plus a 1/4 serving of whatever you ate.

-MFP overestimates calories burned by a lot. You should probably only eat back 3/4 of your exercise calories.

Follow these steps and reassess your progress in the next month. You will see progress if you stick with it. People simply do not gain anything but water weight if they are eating at a deficit. Be accurate and consistent but patient.

blondiebonce

Thank you so much for replying. Might sound silly but am having a few days break from the diary atm, because I'm becoming obsessed and not in a healthy way. Whilst not recording, I'm making better choices already because I can't see exactly what they compare to on my chart. I used to have an ED, and only put weight on from illness.
I'm going to take into consideration your suggestions. Thanks again