I'm...gaining?

heychristyna

I have used MFP for a few years now on and off. I started again in the middle of January '13.
I am now a month and a half in and have actually gained a pound. I have been eating 1290 calories a day. I do yoga for 45 mins to an hour every night and walk the dog almost every day. I have NEVER had trouble getting weight off before.

I've done some research on why this could be happening and the #1 cause I have found is that I could be not eating enough calories. To me this seems extremely unlikely since in the past I was eating 1000 cals a day and losing weight consistently.

I am a vegetarian so cutting carbs is VERY difficult for me. However this isn't a new thing, so I don't think that coud be the reason I can't get weight off this time.

Does anyone have any ideas on what could be going on? I am discouraged and about to give up.

bonniejo

Maybe it's stress? Also, are you weighing/measuring your food? It can be really easy to go over!

Givemewings

It's almost definitely that you are not eating enough. You need to factor in the calories for the exercise you are doing and mustn't be afraid of eating them!

AllergicToExercise

Depending on your starting weight, 1290 cals a day could be very low. It may be better you changing your loss rate to 1lb a week - you may want to lose faster than this (don't we all!) but it's a steady approach that will mean not cutting back too heavily and maybe slowing down your rate of loss.

Find out your BMR and adjust your calorie intake accordingly.

Givemewings

It's a lot easier to lose weight when you are more overweight. Of course you can lose eating 1000 calories but this is not healthy or sustainable in the long run for your body.

significance

Not eating enough WILL NOT make you gain weight, but it might make weight loss harder.

I'll assume that 1290 calories is the goal MFP set for you. How often are you weighing? A pound or even two pounds fluctuation from one day to the next is normal and doesn't necessarily mean you have actually gained weight, but if you are weighing daily and see that as the trend over time, it could be real.

In that case, things to consider:

* Are you weighing your food? Packaged food and fast food are often more (up to 25% more!) than the label says. Lower-fat fast food options have been found to be over by more than most food, as the people serving you think it doesn't look enough, and end up being heavy-handed with the mayo or cheese or whatever ingredient is highest in calories.

* If you are eating back exercise calories, are you sure you haven't over-estimated them? Most ways to estimate exercise calories are very approximate.

* Are you really logging every bite that you eat? And are you tending to go for the highest estimates in the database or the lowest, when you have to pick between a few options? This can make a big difference to your count.

* Is it possible that you over-estimated your activity level in setting up your goal? From what you say, it sounds as though "sedentary" would be the most accurate choice.

heychristyna

Thank you for your insight!

*I am weighing once a week. I have seen fluctuations but on average, no loss.

*I do not weigh my food but I cook for myself and know exactly what is going into my body 90% of the time

* I am not eating back exercise calories. as a matter of fact I don't even log my exercise calories in order to reduce the temptation to eat them back. I don't log exercise whatsoever on MFP since I feel that the exercise I am doing is really only enough to make up for any calories that may slip under the radar.

*I work in a coffeeshop so I am on my feet for 4-6 hours every day. I put lightly active. Even if I had put sedentary, I would still be eating few enough calories to where MFP estimates I'd lose 1 to 1 1/2 pounds a week.

*I could be more vigilant about logging everything down to chewing gum, but I have absolutely never had to do that before in my three rounds with this site (for example, I haven't ever logged the two pieces of lettuce on my sandwich in the past, which didn't cause me trouble before) Maybe something changed.


I think I will be a little more nazi about logging every last crumb and turn my setting to losing 1 lb a week in case there is an off chance I am really not eating enough. I might as well enjoy those extra calories since depriving myself of them clearly isn't benefitting me...fingers crossed I can figure this out

Givemewings

Hi again. I'd love to try and help more but it's very difficult when I can't see your diary. Significance is right, you shouldn't gain if you are not eating enough but the body is more likely to hold on to the weight. If you don't eat enough your metabolism slows down I believe ( no expert, just what I have gleaned from precious discussions on the forums). It doesn't sound to me as though you are eating enough but of course I don't know your height or weight so can't make a judgement.I f you are using MFP for your settings, the thing about the exercise calories is this: MFP has already worked a deficit into your figures so that you can lose the weight. So you should always eat your calories back or at least most of them. I think you are more than lightly active if you are on your feet for 4-6 hours a day too. As far as the logging goes, log everything just to be sure you are not missing something!

significance

Sounds like you are doing everything right; and you are right, with your work in a coffee shop, you are not sedentary.
In that case, I agree with others that you should probably eat back at least some of your exercise calories (for the sake of your health).

Other than "weight your food" and "count every crumb", I don't have any other ideas and can only sympathise with you! Hang in there.

cwolfman13

You only have 20ish Lbs to lose and are being very aggressive = body doesn't want to comply with your wishes. You should be shooting for no more than 1 Lb per week with 20ish Lbs to lose.

Also, one measly Lb could be anything...I can take a **** and lose a Lb...eat lunch and gain 2. You have normal body weight fluctuations at play here...1 Lb, it's pretty tough to be definitive as to what is contributing to that Lb...could just be water.

DebbieLyn63

What is your height and weight? Are you actually in the overweight category? If you are at a healthy weight already, it will be more difficult to lose weight. You may not even need to lose any weight at all, and perhaps should concentrate more on strength building at this point. Of course this wouldn't automatically explain the gain. That might be from water fluctuations, or not weighing your food accurately. Or your BMR may actually be lower than you think it is, and you may be eating closer to your TDEE at this point. Too many variables. Need more info to help you. Starting with height and weight.

ETA If you work in a coffee shop, make sure you aren't drinking more calories than you realize. Coffee drinks can have a lot of calories.

agandera

watch your salt intake. too much salt can cause a rapid weight gain. also be careful of how much "diet" products you consume. like diet soda and sugar free products. most use aspertame and aspertame has actually been proven to cause a person to gain weight.