Why am I gaining weight?

girlr94

I joined MyFitnessPal about 2 weeks ago and since then I've been counting calories on it. I've been putting in absolutely everything I eat each day, and I've been avoiding unhealthy stuff, and eating loads of fruit and veg. I've cut down on bread as well. They set my maximum as 1320 cals per day and minumum 1200. I've managed to stay within those boundaries pretty much the whole time, except for one or two days where I was about 50 cals above or below the limits. I know you can gain weight if you eat too little but I thought that if it was 1200 or above surely I wouldn't be 'starving myself'? I've tried to be really strict with myself. I know it takes a while to lose weight, more than 2 weeks but surely it should be slowly coming off, not rapidly going on?!

But since I joined I've gained 4 pounds! How is that possible? I've been trying to eat as well as I can, with a balance of foods, but it hasn't worked. My goal is 9st 12, and when I started I was 10st 4, not I'm 10st 8! I've been weighing myself every morning just before I get in the shower, so clothes, food and drink won't affect it. Can anybody enlighten me as to what went wrong?

DanaDark

Most likely you are not measuring your foods properly and thus underestimating how much you are eating.

From there, I'd suggest looking at your sodium and water intake.

And finally, also suggest that you make all variables constant when weighing every week.

deb3129

I looked at your diary, and there are quite a few days you are over your calorie goal, a couple of them were by over 600 calories.

girlr94

Those two days where I ate 600 calories over were when I was staying with my gran, and she'd cooked all these meals and I didn't have the heart to tell her that I was trying to cut down because she worries that i won't like what she cooks. I know it's not really an excuse but it's difficult to try to lose weight because when I mention it to my parents they get annoyed because they don't think I need to (I'm 10st 8 and 5ft 5 though so obviously I could do with losing a bit). So I don't tell them and because I live with them I have to eat what they eat. It's not like they're unhealthy because they've both been losing weight in the past year too so we're pretty healthy in my house, but meals like the 'Couscous Houmous pitta bread' thing I don't think my dad realises how many carbs they've got. They'd really freak out if they knew I was counting calories! So I don't always have the opportunity to eat really healthy stuff all the time. For some reason my parents have lost loads of weight from eating this way and they didn't really need to lose much either, so I don't know why it won't work for me! I know it's a bad excuse but I don't want to hurt anybody's feelings by turning food down, because most of it is healthy it's just not all the time. I don't really have a choice in what I eat in the evenings. Sorry I probably sound like I'm making excuses!

davidpm

One thing to remember is that you're trying to lose FAT, not weight. Don't go crazy weighing yourself all the time because there are days where you retain water or have food in your stomach or whatever and the numbers fluctuate. I've had my "weight" change 7 pounds in a day from the morning when I was dehydrated and on an empty stomach to the end of the day when I was full of food, had worked out, and had drank a lot of water.

Find some other weighs of measuring your success. Take pictures of yourself. Get a tailor's measuring tape and measure your waist and neck. You may see progress in those ways.

I had 6 weeks at a time where I didn't lose a pound but lost 2-3 inches off my waist. The science backs up the fact that if you're running a calorie deficit, you ARE losing fat.

dwh77tx

I agree with the others about making sure you are weighing/measuring accurately. Fruit can really add up.

DanaDark

You are making excuses. But that is a rather neutral statement I think.

You can eat what they make, just remember portion sizes! Eating that many extra calories is not going to help you at all.

If you just simply MUST eat that much, then you're going to have to pick up a lot of exercise.

Sorry, just the way it is. Reduce eating, move more.

LunaHare

It sounds as though you are already eating healthy foods, why not just cut portion size a bit? Either that or do some more excercise on the days you go over to balance it all out? Find an excercise you *love* doing and do that. I swim, and its not just for excercise, its because I need it now as I love it so much. So find your thing and do it Happy endorphines from excercise too.

Iceman1800

Protein is way too low, fat is too low and carbs are way, way too high

GoaliesWife123

One thing to remember is that you're trying to lose FAT, not weight. Don't go crazy weighing yourself all the time because there are days where you retain water or have food in your stomach or whatever and the numbers fluctuate. I've had my "weight" change 7 pounds in a day from the morning when I was dehydrated and on an empty stomach to the end of the day when I was full of food, had worked out, and had drank a lot of water.

Find some other weighs of measuring your success. Take pictures of yourself. Get a tailor's measuring tape and measure your waist and neck. You may see progress in those ways.

I had 6 weeks at a time where I didn't lose a pound but lost 2-3 inches off my waist. The science backs up the fact that if you're running a calorie deficit, you ARE losing fat.

THIS.

phynyxfyre

Agreed. Portion sizes are crazy. There is a thing called a silent diet. It is where you take 25% less than you normally would eat, thus reducing calories. But, most people aren't likely to notice that you are eating less either. Exercise is absolutely key. I know some mornings I really don't feel like it. I feel discouraged and sore and I have a hundred excuses not to. Who is going to notice anyway? I get depressed and want to hide from the world and myself. BUT, I KNOW I will regret it the next day. I know it will set up an unhealthy pattern for me. So I buck up and do it. I feel better afterwards.

higgins1988

I think you need to give it time... it took about 4 weeks for me to lose much at all! and excercise

erindh87

It could also just be TOM. One week out of the month I tend to weight ~2 lbs more than I normally do. Some women gain a lot more than that for that one week.

Also, if you've just started an exercise program, that will most likely cause water retention.

Just be consistent in how you measure (i.e. same clothes, same time of day, post toilet use, etc). Try not to get discouraged by what you see on the scale. There are a lot of factors that go into weight. I notice a 3-5 lb difference in the same day depending on what time of day I'm weighing myself. Like someone mentioned above, it's a good idea to have another method of judging such as body fat % or measurements.

Give it some time to really tell. 2 weeks is pretty early in to get worried. If you're still gaining after 4-6, then you might want to change things up. Just my opionion for what it's worth.

Smuterella

Protein is way too low, fat is too low and carbs are way, way too high

Does this really affect fat loss though, I can see protein being important for muscle building what if you just want to shed the fat?

dycheelizabeth

I went through this same thing for a couple of weeks and realized it was because I was eating small things here or there that were not making it to my food log...these little snacks can seriously add up! Make sure you are being honest in your food diary...if not you are only hurting your progress. If you "fall of the wagon" one day dont get discouraged or embarassed...it happens to all of us. The important thing is to recognize what happened and try to eat healthier the next day!

shan1204

Looking at your diary. You need to take control of portion size and I don't see any exercise.

artbaby1

It's looks like you are not drinking much water. Water and protein is key to weight loss. You shoud be drinking at least 3 liters of water each day. Also you may wanna change your settings to look at your sodium intake. I bet you are over the limit in sodium and then not drinking enough water. Not a good combination. You're probably putting on a lot of water weight. If your stomach feels bloated or you feel that you have excess fat on your belly then you need to drink more water, eat more protein, less carbs and exercise!

brookjodie

Okay, so I was a little nosey and looked at your diary. (hope that's okay) and I know it will be hard to change but there is a lot of processed foods in your diet and sugar and salt. Healthy natural foods keep you full longer and nourish your body properly. Someone on MFP said change at least one thing and when you master that then change something else. It's important to remember that it's a lifestyle change and it's okay to make those changes slowly otherwise it will be very hard to stick to.

Erykah3584

It's looks like you are not drinking much water. Water and protein is key to weight loss. You shoud be drinking at least 3 liters of water each day. Also you may wanna change your settings to look at your sodium intake. I bet you are over the limit in sodium and then not drinking enough water. Not a good combination. You're probably putting on a lot of water weight. If your stomach feels bloated or you feel that you have excess fat on your belly then you need to drink more water, eat more protein, less carbs and exercise!

All of this!!

girlr94

I went through this same thing for a couple of weeks and realized it was because I was eating small things here or there that were not making it to my food log...these little snacks can seriously add up! Make sure you are being honest in your food diary...if not you are only hurting your progress. If you "fall of the wagon" one day dont get discouraged or embarassed...it happens to all of us. The important thing is to recognize what happened and try to eat healthier the next day!

I would like to say at this point that I have literally been putting EVERYTHING in that I eat, even if it's just a satsuma or a couple of Skittles. I don't even miss out a glass of squash!

wahmx3

How much water do you drink? What are you doing for exercise? There were too many days where you missed a meal and that isn't good for your metabolism. You should eat a bigger breakfast, more at lunch and then less at dinner, although some people will say it doesn't make a difference. You could also eat more since you are so young.