What is not working? -Gained 3 lbs-

Nidda_C

So I started this site a little over a month ago and was losing 3 lbs / week. Last week I lost 2.5 lbs. But, this week I gained 2.5 lbs TT_____TT And honestly I didn't change much. Please help me. What am I doing wrong?

My stats:
-I am 24 years old
-I eat what I want if it fits my calories.....but mostly eat homemade food.
-I weigh 203 lbs (right now)
-My exercise mostly consists of walking at ~2.5mph for about 2 hours

-Also, I have MFP set up as lightly active but there are a few (very few) days that I don't do anything. But, usually even when I don't go to school, I cook, do chores, clean, fidget, etc. and I don't record any of that in 'exercise'. Even if I walk somewhere (e.g. convenience store 15 minutes away) that is not a part of my 'scheduled' exercise I don't record it.

MY JOURNAL IS OPEN so feel free to look at it.

Also, I AM a student so I believe in reading research and coming to my own conclusions after reading that research. I do not lift weights etc. so I am eating 1300 calories per day and I DON'T feel deprived. If you are going to tell me to up my calories (which I don't want to do as I feel like I am stuffing myself with too much food), please provide peer reviewed journal articles if you can. It will help me to learn how to do this properly faster.

Thank you.

Lysander666

You're not eating enough. And no, I'm not going to link you to "peer reviewed journal articles".

HIT YOUR NET CALORIE GOAL. You are under it by several hundred calories a day.

tricksee

If you are going to tell me to up my calories (which I don't want to do as I feel like I am stuffing myself with too much food), please provide peer reviewed journal articles.

Thank you.

Are you kidding?

Some people aren't worth helping.

AmyRhubarb

I have to agree with the first comment above - you're not eating enough. I'm not going to tell you to eat more than your daily goal, but you're not even meeting that goal! You're under 1300 and when you subtract your exercise cals you're only netting around 450 calories a day! Waaaaay too low.

You lost at first, but now your body is catching on to the low intake, and losses are slowing - your body has no reason to burn fat - it wants to store it because you're not giving it enough fuel.

MFP has you at a daily deficit at the 1300 already - eat that much with no exercise and you'll lose. Factor in the exercise and you are creating too large a deficit.

If you feel like you can't eat more food to meet your goal, eat more calorie dense foods - add some nuts and nut butters, avocados, full fat dairy, use olive and coconut oils in cooking and dressings - small portions of these foods pack a lot of healthy calories, getting you closer to goal without feeling like you have to eat a ton of food to get there.

shaleyn

Weigh/measure everything.
Drink water.
Watch your sodium intake.
Stay off the scale.

Nidda_C

You're not eating enough. And no, I'm not going to link you to "peer reviewed journal articles".

HIT YOUR NET CALORIE GOAL. You are under it by several hundred calories a day.

Okay, I can do that at least. Are there any calorie-dense foods you suggest that I should eat to up my calories?

dfonte

Are you entering the correct portion sizes?

And you don't track all of your macros. Try a different approach.

HeidiCooksSupper

Every weight measurement is an approximation of your "weight." It is what you weigh at that moment as per a particular scale. Don't look at this one week, look at the overall trend -- which is downward at a pretty rapid pace. The difference this week may be in how much water you are retaining or whatever. One week does not tell the whole tale.

TimeForMe99

You won't lose every week. Sometimes you'll go down, sometimes you'll go up. It's important to keep a slow, steady weight loss in order to succeed and keep the weight off.

This entire site is "peer reviewed". When there are thousands of people successfully losing weight at 1 pound per week and feeling great you have to see it's the way to go.

Nidda_C

I have to agree with the first comment above - you're not eating enough. I'm not going to tell you to eat more than your daily goal, but you're not even meeting that goal! You're under 1300 and when you subtract your exercise cals you're only netting around 450 calories a day! Waaaaay too low.

You lost at first, but now your body is catching on to the low intake, and losses are slowing - your body has no reason to burn fat - it wants to store it because you're not giving it enough fuel.

MFP has you at a daily deficit at the 1300 already - eat that much with no exercise and you'll lose. Factor in the exercise and you are creating too large a deficit.

If you feel like you can't eat more food to meet your goal, eat more calorie dense foods - add some nuts and nut butters, avocados, full fat dairy, use olive and coconut oils in cooking and dressings - small portions of these foods pack a lot of healthy calories, getting you closer to goal without feeling like you have to eat a ton of food to get there.

Thank you for an actually helpful reply. I already put dressing in my salads, and vegetable oil in my daily curries. I also leave room for error....so that is why I am a few calories low. I'll start drinking a cup of milk per day again to up my calories. I also walk for 2 hours per day because there are a few days I have to skip exercising. Do you think I should reduce the amount of time I walk?

Also, a major concern of mine is that I gained weight......not maintained it. Can you please explain why this happened when I am on a calorie deficit?

Sorry for the trouble.

TavistockToad

If you are going to tell me to up my calories (which I don't want to do as I feel like I am stuffing myself with too much food), please provide peer reviewed journal articles.

Thank you.

Are you kidding?

Some people aren't worth helping.

harsh, but true!

bevtyndall

bump

Lysander666

You're not eating enough. And no, I'm not going to link you to "peer reviewed journal articles".

HIT YOUR NET CALORIE GOAL. You are under it by several hundred calories a day.

Okay, I can do that at least. Are there any calorie-dense foods you suggest that I should eat to up my calories?

Your diet is quite appalling. I'm saying that to help you. No breakfast, evening meal of 250 calories, quite a bit of junk.

You need to eat differently, not have calorie-dense foods.

Eat breakfast eveyr day, muesli or cereal bars up to 400kcal
Eat lunch, sandwiches, wraps or salads up to 500 kcal
Eat dinner, baked potatoes, tuna, bean salads, rice etc up to 800 kcal

Work off any extra calories so you NET 1300.

Nidda_C

Are you entering the correct portion sizes?

And you don't track all of your macros. Try a different approach.

I am not weighing my food. But, I try imagining how much would fit in one cup and go accordingly. There may be a margin of error in my tracking, but it is not that large (maybe by .5 or less).
How do you suggest I track my portion sizes more correctly?

Also, what do you mean by "you don't track all of your macros"?

_kannnd

My husband and I weigh out portions of nuts and seeds. They add calories and good fats and protein. Sunflower seeds, almonds, and pumpkin seeds are what we typically eat. Avocados are good too. Eat more protein too.

Your body needs fuel. I had to up my calorie intake in order to see a difference. The more you work out, the more you need to eat. The site already has you at a deficit. If you workout, it's designed for you to eat those calories back.

Nidda_C

If you are going to tell me to up my calories (which I don't want to do as I feel like I am stuffing myself with too much food), please provide peer reviewed journal articles.

Thank you.

Are you kidding?

Some people aren't worth helping.

harsh, but true!

Honestly speaking EVERYONE is worth helping. Even the dumbest of the dumb.
I live by the principle that if you have nothing nice to say you shouldn't say it.

I lack a lot and I never claimed to be all knowing or full of it. Otherwise, I would not have posted on the forums.
I was expecting to receive constructive criticism that helped me, not posts like these which make me feel like I should stop posting on the forums to ask for help altogether.

thisismeraw

You're not eating enough. And no, I'm not going to link you to "peer reviewed journal articles".

HIT YOUR NET CALORIE GOAL. You are under it by several hundred calories a day.

Okay, I can do that at least. Are there any calorie-dense foods you suggest that I should eat to up my calories?

I am a bit older than you and weight less than you and NET 1600 calories a day at minimum.

You definately need to consume more. You are often netting far under 1000 calories a day.. some days less than about 400 calories net. You NEED to eat more. What you are eating is not even all that healthy of food choices (I see days where you just eat turkey for lunch and dinner). Where are the vegetables, fruits? Carrots and dip for lunch? Half a bag of popcorn for dinner?

When you consistantly eat too little your body will adapt and burn less at rest. When you aren't properly fueling your body you increase muscle loss.

I would bet your sodium is high if you tracked that. Take out the juices and add in fruits and vegetables. Have salads with the turkey. Add in vegetables. Have fruit with your breakfast. Try to cut out all the processed foods (or a good chunk of them) and replace with fresh foods. Extra sodium can cause weight gain due to water rentention.

ALso, know you won't lose every week regardless of your efforts. It is just how it goes. Water rentetion, hormones etc all change your weight along with natural changes.

Nidda_C

You're not eating enough. And no, I'm not going to link you to "peer reviewed journal articles".

HIT YOUR NET CALORIE GOAL. You are under it by several hundred calories a day.

Okay, I can do that at least. Are there any calorie-dense foods you suggest that I should eat to up my calories?

Your diet is quite appalling. I'm saying that to help you. No breakfast, evening meal of 250 calories, quite a bit of junk.

You need to eat differently, not have calorie-dense foods.

Eat breakfast eveyr day, muesli or cereal bars up to 400kcal
Eat lunch, sandwiches, wraps or salads up to 500 kcal
Eat dinner, baked potatoes, tuna, bean salads, rice etc up to 800 kcal

Work off any extra calories so you NET 1300.

Thank you. I completely forgot that this week I did not eat breakfast quite a few days which probably made a huge difference. In the previous weeks I had been eating a fully nutritious breakfast and it did wonders for my energy level.

I will stop being lazy with breakfast. Again thank you for reminding me.

thisismeraw

Are you entering the correct portion sizes?

And you don't track all of your macros. Try a different approach.

I am not weighing my food. But, I try imagining how much would fit in one cup and go accordingly. There may be a margin of error in my tracking, but it is not that large (maybe by .5 or less).
How do you suggest I track my portion sizes more correctly?

Also, what do you mean by "you don't track all of your macros"?

Always always always weigh food. You can get a food scale pretty cheap. What we think is 1 cup of rice for example is usually a lot more. Never use measuring cups/spoons for food only for liquids as food will vary by weight. My oatmeal for exmaple is a certain amout of grams that should fit into 1/3 cup. When I weight that 1/3 cup it is more grams than it should be. Eyeballing it will only result in you consuming more than you are tracking. Far too often we overestimate our exercise or intensity and underestimate what we are consuming. Pay attention to labels as well as some things that we think are a single serving actually have two or more servings in them.

Nidda_C

Every weight measurement is an approximation of your "weight." It is what you weigh at that moment as per a particular scale. Don't look at this one week, look at the overall trend -- which is downward at a pretty rapid pace. The difference this week may be in how much water you are retaining or whatever. One week does not tell the whole tale.

So what method should I use to measure my progress then?

Jxnsmma

Cut out the sugary drinks and treats, replace with fruit like apples with natural peanut butter or some berries. Eat more vegetables. Have a decent breakfast like.... scrambled eggs and a banana for example... add a salad to your lunches and dinners.

tricksee

Honestly speaking EVERYONE is worth helping. Even the dumbest of the dumb.

I believe in helping the dumb, I really do. I refuse to help the rude and downright discourteous, though.

skparker2

My husband and I weigh out portions of nuts and seeds. They add calories and good fats and protein. Sunflower seeds, almonds, and pumpkin seeds are what we typically eat. Avocados are good too. Eat more protein too.

Your body needs fuel. I had to up my calorie intake in order to see a difference. The more you work out, the more you need to eat. The site already has you at a deficit. If you workout, it's designed for you to eat those calories back.

Amen, sister! I had to do the same thing. I hardly lost any weight in March and now in April, the pounds are melting off! Lol, but I'm also exercising a lot more & it's taken me 2 months to slowly start changing my eating habits.

Nidda_C

You won't lose every week. Sometimes you'll go down, sometimes you'll go up. It's important to keep a slow, steady weight loss in order to succeed and keep the weight off.

This entire site is "peer reviewed". When there are thousands of people successfully losing weight at 1 pound per week and feeling great you have to see it's the way to go.

So its normal to go up? If so, next week do those people lose more weight or do they lose only the regular 2 lbs?
I am a bit confused about this weight gain/loss scenario. Why does it happen if people are tracking their food and exercise properly and doing everything right? (I am not claiming I am doing anything right. I am just trying to learn).

DoreeB2013

First of all, those that don't have something positive to say should just MYOB!! This journey is hard enough and it doesn't have to be made harder by bullies and inconsiderate people.

You have to monitor your overall weight loss and concentrate on that and your first few weeks are a testament to your dedication. You are a young adult and a woman, you can expect fluctuations in your journey if you look at it weekly. Female issues can add weight in a very short time and can also decrease weight in a very short time. Allow for that and don't be afraid of that, embrace it.

As for eating more calories than you are eating now...it may be advice that is founded in good experience but I believe it is better to monitor your body, you know your body better than anyone else and should do what is best for your body.
Remember this as well....there is a reason that ALL diets suggest a weight loss of NOT more than 2 lbs a week. You will have to experiment with your daily food diary to find that balance that will give you that steady and healthy weight loss.

If you look at it from a long term view and continue to monitor your journey and find in the next two months that you steadily lose weight 3 out of 4 weeks and have this one week of gain then you may want to contribute it to a female effect. During that one week it may be prudent to monitor your sodium intake and lower it for those days. Up the fresh fruits and veggies during that one week as well. It will help flush your system.

Ignore the negative people that insist on posting rude comments on boards and blogs...you don't need them. The positive people who are struggling right along with you out number them and will help to guide you in a positive and uplifting manner.

You are doing a great job, celebrate your success!

rissaloses

I agree that you aren't eating enough. My weight loss stalled after just a few weeks following the guidelines MFP set (1400-1600). I upped my cals so that I net just above my BMR (or try to). I'm still losing at least a pound per week, and have reduced my body fat without losing any muscle. Chances are, you are eating way below your BMR and your body is fighting to keep what you have.
I would suggest using this calculator:
http://www.fat2fitradio.com/tools/bmr

Also, invest in a food scale! It will likely make you realize you are not estimating correctly. I swear by weighing out just about everything. You can get a decent one on Amazon for $10-$15.

thisismeraw

You won't lose every week. Sometimes you'll go down, sometimes you'll go up. It's important to keep a slow, steady weight loss in order to succeed and keep the weight off.

This entire site is "peer reviewed". When there are thousands of people successfully losing weight at 1 pound per week and feeling great you have to see it's the way to go.

So its normal to go up? If so, next week do those people lose more weight or do they lose only the regular 2 lbs?
I am a bit confused about this weight gain/loss scenario. Why does it happen if people are tracking their food and exercise properly and doing everything right? (I am not claiming I am doing anything right. I am just trying to learn).

The body doesn't respond to the math of weight loss. There are a lot of factors that change our weight. I can step on the scale four times within an hour, each time getting a different weight while not doing anything myself to change that weight.

Hormones change your weight (especially if you are female... TOM can cause females to gain upwards of 10lbs). Water rentention/sodium/muscle retaining for repair all change your weight. Undigested food changes your weight. Your weight changes naturally. You most likely won't lose every week. It's just what happens.

If you have a deficit weekly that is equal to the math of 2lbs lost, doesn't mean you will lose 2lbs. You could have a weekly deficit that works out to 5lbs (not healthy at all) but actually gain. My deficit is apparently only about 0.5lb a week. I tend to lose at least 1lb. Unfortunately doing things right won't always result in the losses the math claims.

Nidda_C

My husband and I weigh out portions of nuts and seeds. They add calories and good fats and protein. Sunflower seeds, almonds, and pumpkin seeds are what we typically eat. Avocados are good too. Eat more protein too.

Your body needs fuel. I had to up my calorie intake in order to see a difference. The more you work out, the more you need to eat. The site already has you at a deficit. If you workout, it's designed for you to eat those calories back.

Thank you for your reply. I love nuts. I have developed a strange addiction to almonds, raisins and peanuts lately. I will try to eat more of those.

Nidda_C

You're not eating enough. And no, I'm not going to link you to "peer reviewed journal articles".

HIT YOUR NET CALORIE GOAL. You are under it by several hundred calories a day.

Okay, I can do that at least. Are there any calorie-dense foods you suggest that I should eat to up my calories?

I am a bit older than you and weight less than you and NET 1600 calories a day at minimum.

You definately need to consume more. You are often netting far under 1000 calories a day.. some days less than about 400 calories net. You NEED to eat more. What you are eating is not even all that healthy of food choices (I see days where you just eat turkey for lunch and dinner). Where are the vegetables, fruits? Carrots and dip for lunch? Half a bag of popcorn for dinner?

When you consistantly eat too little your body will adapt and burn less at rest. When you aren't properly fueling your body you increase muscle loss.

I would bet your sodium is high if you tracked that. Take out the juices and add in fruits and vegetables. Have salads with the turkey. Add in vegetables. Have fruit with your breakfast. Try to cut out all the processed foods (or a good chunk of them) and replace with fresh foods. Extra sodium can cause weight gain due to water rentention.

ALso, know you won't lose every week regardless of your efforts. It is just how it goes. Water rentetion, hormones etc all change your weight along with natural changes.

Thank you. I thought I could eat however I wanted so that is why I was going crazy with the turkey. It was my lazy microwaved meal. I will stop being lazy and eat more fruit/salad.

But, I usually eat at least 2 medium oranges per day. Is that not enough? How much fruit/salad is considered enough?

graceire

I wouldn't cut back on the walking as you asked a couple of posts ago. You might want to try upping the speed and doing less time, see if that helps.

You and I are similar in weight and goals. I too tried keeping my calories around 1200-1300 when I first joined. That worked for about a month. But as I got in better shape, and started working out harder, my body had enough of being deprived and I plateaued for several weeks. I figured out my BMR and TDEE and started doing TDEE - 20%, which put me at about 1700-1800 calories depending on the amount of exercise I did per day. I started that 3 weeks ago and have lost 4 pounds--it took about a week for my body to adjust and rejoice in more calories.

I also don't think that you've truly gained 3 pounds. The body is fickle and so is the scale. You might see a bigger drop once your body adjusts to eating more every day.

Nidda_C

Are you entering the correct portion sizes?

And you don't track all of your macros. Try a different approach.

I am not weighing my food. But, I try imagining how much would fit in one cup and go accordingly. There may be a margin of error in my tracking, but it is not that large (maybe by .5 or less).
How do you suggest I track my portion sizes more correctly?

Also, what do you mean by "you don't track all of your macros"?

Always always always weigh food. You can get a food scale pretty cheap. What we think is 1 cup of rice for example is usually a lot more. Never use measuring cups/spoons for food only for liquids as food will vary by weight. My oatmeal for exmaple is a certain amout of grams that should fit into 1/3 cup. When I weight that 1/3 cup it is more grams than it should be. Eyeballing it will only result in you consuming more than you are tracking. Far too often we overestimate our exercise or intensity and underestimate what we are consuming. Pay attention to labels as well as some things that we think are a single serving actually have two or more servings in them.

Okay I will buy a cheap food scale when I find one. When I make food at home should I measure each ingredient separately then, or should I measure the finished product on the scale?