Gaining weight..no matter what I try!

CyeRyn

You eat a lot of sodium try keeping your sodium levels at or below 2,000 drink plenty of water and see a doctor for blood test to make sure there isn't a medical reason for not losing weight

See I had someone else tell me not to worry too much about the sodium level since all I ever drink is water. What is confusing me is that I lost 49lbs at first with no problems. Now it seems like I'm gaining it all back.

Perhaps some of it has to do with muscle gain? When I first started working out.. it took 6weeks of solid daily work outs (cardio and alternating stength training) to see any weight loss because I kept gaining muscle in between it.

zenfra

Stop eating your exercise calories back.

RoosMommy01

Looks like you're sort of inconsistent about logging your food...do you know how many calories you're eating on the days you don't log? That could be part of the problem.

Plus, like the other person said, you're almost always over on fat, which could be another part of it.

Looks like you eat your exercise calories back too. Maybe try not doing that for a few weeks and see what happens when you create a bigger deficit.

It's hard to log Thursday-Saturday because my husband is home and he hogs the computer but my eating stays the same Monday-Friday. Saturday is usually filled with salads or subway. As far as exercise calories go, I normally don't eat them back so my net for the day is wayyyyyy below my goal so I am thinking that is part of the reason as well.

RoosMommy01

Part of the reason people tell me I exercise too much is because my HRM says I burn anywhere between 450-500 calories during my morning walk. (And yes I did put in all my info correctly)

wolfehound22

I don't think your working out to much, especially since a lot of that is just walking, Looking at your diary it seems that your constantly going way over on fat, maybe try and tweak your lunch some. It looks like you eat the same thing every day, and that cheese is killer, so maybe start with that first.

I agree with you on the cheese. *L* I just had someone tell me since I had a hard time reaching m calorie goals to eat cheese and high calorie things like that. I hate yogurt with a passion so I was trying with that.

nfortunittly that is what makes losing weight sometimes, there are a ton of different apporaches, and everyone has their own ideas. Everyones different, and we all respond differently. I'd say talk to your doctor get some blood work, and try to rework your diet. MOre protein less carbs and fat. I think your workouts are great, even more intensity may help, but I do like that your adding in weight training.

I know its tough, but quitting won;t get you any closer, and will just make you more unhappy, at least by working out and trying to eat right your getting healthier everyday, maybe not on the scale, but in general. Are you taking pics and measurements as well, those always show me more successes than the scale.

RoosMommy01

I don't think your working out to much, especially since a lot of that is just walking, Looking at your diary it seems that your constantly going way over on fat, maybe try and tweak your lunch some. It looks like you eat the same thing every day, and that cheese is killer, so maybe start with that first.

I agree with you on the cheese. *L* I just had someone tell me since I had a hard time reaching m calorie goals to eat cheese and high calorie things like that. I hate yogurt with a passion so I was trying with that.

nfortunittly that is what makes losing weight sometimes, there are a ton of different apporaches, and everyone has their own ideas. Everyones different, and we all respond differently. I'd say talk to your doctor get some blood work, and try to rework your diet. MOre protein less carbs and fat. I think your workouts are great, even more intensity may help, but I do like that your adding in weight training.

I know its tough, but quitting won;t get you any closer, and will just make you more unhappy, at least by working out and trying to eat right your getting healthier everyday, maybe not on the scale, but in general. Are you taking pics and measurements as well, those always show me more successes than the scale.

Yeah I have taken before pics when I 1st started and then pics again after losing 40 something pounds. I just went in the bedroom and took the battery out of the scale and gave it to my husband to hid from me. I know that scale is making me feel like crap. I'm gonna bust out the tape measure and go from there for a while.

monicalosesweight

If you can't log it but know the calorie counts, I'd try to write down what you're eating and maybe access the computer for a short while to input it all in the a.m. at one time - I'm sure he won't mind if you use it for a tiny bit of time if you have it written down. Sometimes it's easier to plan ahead for the week anyway. I found myself surprised when I started counting. It's super easy to go over. Also, do you weigh and/or use measuring cups? I found that helped me tremendously to make sure I was eating the right amounts. I agree with everyone on the veggies and fruits, they really do help and they are good for you.

mgobluetx12

The scale made me feel like crap too. I've been working out a lot as well and eating 1400 cals a day and we're around the same weight and I only lost 3lbs in all of August, so you're not alone. I hope you figure out what works for you!!


(It's 'unfortunately' :-P)

ashleew1117

I'm also having the same problem...
I also just upped my calories to 1630, and i'm going to see how that works.

I think my problem is not eating right all the time, and not drinking enough water and way to much diet dr pepper.

yogapeach

have you tried any program like weight watchers or advocare 24 day challenge? I do the 24 day challenge with a group of people every few months and it works so wonderful for all of us. I do my next one Sept 10.

jwolfe0709

One of the problems is definitely diet related. Protein should account for 50-60% of your daily intake, and the rest equally divided between healthy carbs and fats. Also, you should try mixing up your workouts. Switch it up daily between cardio, free weights, cross training etc.

fairestthings

For people who need to upspeed their weight loss and are starting at your weight range, they usually do a very short LCD of 1200/day with moderate exercise.

Too much exercise is 5 days a week? NOPE! You're doing great tehre. Don't give up.

How long do you stick with the Eat More to Lose Weight? Or the BMR eating? If you don't stick with it for longer than 1-2 months, you're not giving yourself a real chance to see if it works. For me, hiking up my calories from 1300 to 1650 has worked and I got out of my plateau.

DinahLuneke

Hi! I've got 20 years on you, but have fought my weight all my adult life. I am a size 20 and over 200 pounds, and lost 13 lbs before joining MFP. Since joining in August, I've lost 7 more lbs.

I was a weight loss instructor/president for 2 years and my job was to motivate people. I can tell you that it's a fact that muscle weighs 30% more than fat, but I would definitely NOT cut back on your exercise program. It sounds like you're doing exactly what you need to be doing. It's much, much better for you to have more muscle because even when you're resting, your muscles are more efficiently burning up your extra fat.

Even though MFP yells at me and tells me to eat more food when I exercise more, I don't listen. And, I only eat when I'm hungry.

Start noticing how much fat is in the food you're eating. Did you know you can customize which categories MFP measures? I have selected: calories, carbs, calcium, fat, & sodium. You can go to REPORTS and click on NUTRITION and then click on one of your categories (calories, carbs, calcium, fat & sodium - or whichever one you have picked for your personal profile) and MFP will show you a chart of how you're doing.

Interesting fact - my favorite food is cheeseburgers - I love them! But I've noticed that say - I only eat 1,000 calories on a given day but part of my diet that day is a cheeseburger - that when I click on the "Complete this Entry" green button on the bottom of my food diay, that MFP will say that I won't lose much weight over the next 5 weeks. But if I have a day that I eat lean chicken and salads, but eat 2,000 calories, when I click on the same button, MFP will tell me that in 5 weeks, I will lose MORE WEIGHT than when I only ate 1,000 calories BUT had the cheeseburger, which is loaded with fat. This same thing happens if I have a day with too much sodium, but low calories. And, will happen if I have a day with too many carbs, BUT low calories. MFP always tells me that I will not lose much weight in the next 5 weeks. That's because my body is out of balance nutritionally.

It may not be how many calories or how much exercise you're doing daily, but instead, may actually be that one of your major categories of nutrition is out of balance - such as your sodium or carbs or fat. This is just a guess, but that's a key I have found out about my own weight loss struggles.

Wish you the very best and hope my reply helped you a bit. Have a happy, healthy holiday weekend!

Best,

Dinah in Dayton (Ohio)

simplymissfitness

HI RoosMommy01,

Do have any type of digestion problems that have been concerning you at all? Such as heartburn, indigestion, or other digestion issues?

I have been dealing with digestion issues since 2010 and I started gaining weight quickly. No matter how well I ate or how much I exercise, I could not lose weight. I had gone to numerous doctors for heartburn issues and indigestion. I took acid reducers that did not work. It only relieved symptoms temporarily. I stopped all acid reducers as I stopped fully digesting my foods. I found a new doctor now that is actually investigating all avenues of my issues instead of pushing more acid reducers on me.

My new doctor has treated me instead for H. Pylori infection of the gut (infection that attacks your acid producing cells) as well as Candida Overgrowth, which is a yeast overgrowth. Since I have been on the treatment I have gone from 212 pounds to 195 in just 4 weeks. I am now digesting my food properly and I also have NO signs of heartburn or digestion pain. Heartburn and indigestion is a sign of a more serious problem and taking an acid reducer will only make problems worse. I only bring this up because a lot of people with weight issues also have problems with digestion issues. My doctor recommends that everyone do a Candida treatment at least twice a year because Americans are on a diet high in carbohydrates these days. She also recommends people get treated for H. Pylori because heartburn is ALMOST ALWAYS caused by TOO LITTLE acid, not too much acid. Having too much acid is a very rare condition. In the next few weeks when my current treatment is over with, I will then be getting bloodwork on my thyroid, liver, gallbladder, pancreas, and adrenals. Then I will get testing for food allergies. My pattern of digestion issues only happened when I ate certain carbohydrate foods. It is starting to look like I may have a wheat sensitivity, but only the blood testing will tell me for sure. I am going to do a full food panel testing though to check everything. Digestion issues is a very serious problems among Americans, especially overweight Americans. Believe it or not, we need stomach acid to break down our food so we can absorb nutrients. Taking acid blockers is counterproductive to our digestive system. If you don't have acid, you can't absorb the nutrients you need. Taking acid reducers for that rest of one's life should not be done. My father got stomach cancer and many Americans get stomach and esophagus cancer from acid blockers. People are only meant to take them for 6 weeks for certain conditions such as ulcers. They are not meant to be a lifetime drug. Acid blocks only cover up or mask a more serious problem. I also learned through my own experience that when you shut off your stomach acid by taking acid blockers, your ph is off balance and now you are wide open for new infections such as sinus infections and bronchitis. Your defenses are down because you don't have enough acid to kill the many types of bad bacteria we ingest every day.

Here is a good 5-part article that explains everything: http://chriskresser.com/what-everybody-ought-to-know-but-doesnt-about-heartburn-gerd

I started MyFitnessPal today at 195 pounds and I have my Fitbit all hooked up and ready to go to start tracking my progress. Now that I am digesting my food and absorbing nutrients again, I am able to sleep and live life again. I am active and eating a healthier diet. I have cut out all wheat products and eat my carbs from other sources such as baked potatoes, rice and quinoa. I have never felt so good since 2010. I recommend reading the book "Wheat Belly". It will blow your mind. Through scientific research, it is proven that wheat acts just like an Opiate on our brains. It took me a while to get off wheat but now that I am off of it, I feel so much better and I don't crave it anymore.

I do hope you start seeing a loss soon! Don't give up! :-)

I am on a mission to get people off of acid reducers if you can't tell. They are so dangerous long-term it is not even funny. Sometimes we have to be our own doctors when something is not right. Sometimes you have to dump 4 doctors like I did and try to find one that will listen to you. Only we know our own bodies.

monicalosesweight

I sometimes run out of time so I try to repeat certain healthy meals to make it easier to enter what I'm eating. There's that neat quick meal feature that's in the system. I also write down notes and jot down what I'm eating with calories so I can enter them when I have a chance (be it during lunch or that evening).

kdsteelez

I looked at your food log and noticed you usually eat 2 meals a day consisting of breakfast (190 calories), a high calorie lunch (930 calories) and high calorie snacks (760 calories) loaded with fat such as peanut butter and cheese.

Try adjusting your goals (custom) and increasing your protein to 30%, fat to 20% and carbs to 50%. Eat 5 - 6 smaller meals per day and try to get close to your total calorie goal and macronutrient numbers. Log your food intake everyday.

The calories MFP specified around 1600 should be a good start. Avoid empty liquid calories such as soft drinks and sweet tea. Your exercise and weight lifting and great, keep it up. Starting Strength and StrongLifts 5x5 are good weight lifting programs.

Hope this will help you reach your goals!

meshashesha2012

- are you losing inches?

- have you yo yo dieted frequently in the past? if so it's possible that your metabolism is much lower than what the formulas will tell you. in that case you should be spending time first repairing your metabolism before trying to lose weight

- is it possible that you're eating more than you think you are? the MFP database isn't 100% accurate. i know i've seen stuff that isn't right either calorie wise or serving size wise. i generally assume that i'm eating 10-20% MORE than what i have logged

chicadejmu

get blood work done

I agree. I was thinking I might have to do the same but eating more actually worked for me. Hopefully your Dr. can help you lose weight.

RoosMommy01

For people who need to upspeed their weight loss and are starting at your weight range, they usually do a very short LCD of 1200/day with moderate exercise.

Too much exercise is 5 days a week? NOPE! You're doing great tehre. Don't give up.

How long do you stick with the Eat More to Lose Weight? Or the BMR eating? If you don't stick with it for longer than 1-2 months, you're not giving yourself a real chance to see if it works. For me, hiking up my calories from 1300 to 1650 has worked and I got out of my plateau.

I did the that group for 2 months and in the process gained 10-12 lbs. I kept my exercise the same but I honestly think for me that it was just too much food. I was never hungry and was forcing myself to eat.

gaylynn35

I think you need to cut down on the cheese and sour cream. I am not a doctor and I don't pretend to be one. That is just my observation.