Gaining instead of Losing

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Anybody else out there gaining weight instead of losing? Despite watching what you are eating and exercising at least 5 times a week??? For me it has been a constant gain every week since the beginning of the month when I started again at it on a serious note.
Not even during my 2 weeks holiday during xmas and new years, I only gained 1lbs not really exercising or watching what I was eating!!!

So WTH???

Replies

  • ILiftHeavyAcrylics
    ILiftHeavyAcrylics Posts: 27,732 Member
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    I think you're underestimating your calories. I took a look through your diary and saw some things that didn't look right. Have you been using entries from the database that you didn't write?

    Example: 1 cup green beans with olive oil: 40 calories. 1/2 tbsp of oil is 62 by itself. Green beans are 40 calories by themselves.

    10 oz of pork loin chops-- 110 calories? No way. I get 190 per 3 oz serving, so it'd be closer to 600 for 10 oz.

    If you get a bunch of inconsistencies like that going you could easily be going over. My advice is to create your own recipes, double check with google at first.

    Have you figured out your BMR and TDEE?
  • hippie162
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    I think that sounds right .. I make a 10 oz about 675 cals! that's prob the issue..
  • Pineapples
    Pineapples Posts: 246 Member
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    hehehe I didn't eat 10oz, it was probably more like 4oz but I didn't think the amount of cals was right so i increased the service size.. :D.. But I do understand what you mean. thanks
  • ILiftHeavyAcrylics
    ILiftHeavyAcrylics Posts: 27,732 Member
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    hehehe I didn't eat 10oz, it was probably more like 4oz but I didn't think the amount of cals was right so i increased the service size.. :D.. But I do understand what you mean. thanks

    Yeah sometimes there are wrong entries in the database. If it seems wrong to you, check several entries and find one that's right. I usually google things like meat to double check.

    Also, you've only got a couple of days logged. It takes time and patience. But if, as you say, you've been slowly but steadily gaining, that means you're eating too many calories.

    ETA: "probably" is not your friend in this. In the beginning especially you want to weigh everything. Do you have a food scale? Here's an interesting study about how even dieticians can underestimate calories by a pretty huge amount:

    http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/12396160
    In this study they compared caloric intake from 10 female registered dietitians and 10 women of comparable weight who were not dietitians and the study compared the energy intake obtained from 7-day food records with energy expenditure measured over the corresponding 7-day period using doubly labeled water.

    Participants were told that the goal was to record food intake as accurately as possible, because it would be compared with the simultaneous measurement of energy expenditure determined by doubly labeled water.

    Dietitians underreported their food intake by an average of 223 calories per day, while the non-dietitians underreported their intake by an average of 429 calories per day.
  • psuLemon
    psuLemon Posts: 38,389 MFP Moderator
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    It's water weight. Your carbs are high, which means you store more glycogen and water. You are exercising, so your body stores water weight to repair muscle and to gain new fat, you would need to eat 17,500 calories more than you burn in a day to gain that in fat.


    Water loss isn't linear, it's about trends. Not daily or weekly, more monthly. If anything, try to eat more protein and less carbs. I like my macro's to be around 35% carbs, 40% protein and 25% fats.
  • 1223345
    1223345 Posts: 1,386 Member
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    So much can go into it. It is not the same for us all either. What works for one will not work for us all. It took me years to find my solution. I say cut out the wheat (of any kind) and see if it helps. If does not help you, then try something else!
  • ILiftHeavyAcrylics
    ILiftHeavyAcrylics Posts: 27,732 Member
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    Agree that it could be water weight, if your exercise is new. I took it to mean you were gaining even before starting to exercise. If not, and it suddenly appeared when you began your exercise routine, then yeah I agree that it's water.

    It could also be a combination of things, which is why patience is key.
  • jakidb
    jakidb Posts: 1,010 Member
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    Speaking from my own personal experience, this happens to me when I'm over in the areas of sodium, carbs, or fat. I would just say make sure that you're at or under in these categories and see what happens :)
  • 1223345
    1223345 Posts: 1,386 Member
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    It could also be a combination of things, which is why patience is key.

    YES! It is very easy to lose hope and become frustrated. Sometimes it just takes trial and error. But when you find your groove you will be so glad you didn't give up!
  • Pineapples
    Pineapples Posts: 246 Member
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    Thanks everyone for your response.

    I understand the macros thing but considering though that on avg I burn about 2800 calories a day(I wear a bodybugg) you would think that even if i'm not hitting my macros I would still see some weight loss. Or if anything staying the same and not gaining! I do hope is water wait.
    What beats me is that when I was not loggin my food and barely making it to the gym twice a week i was at least maintaining and I was eating well past 2000 cals...
  • psuLemon
    psuLemon Posts: 38,389 MFP Moderator
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    Speaking from my own personal experience, this happens to me when I'm over in the areas of sodium, carbs, or fat. I would just say make sure that you're at or under in these categories and see what happens :)
    Sodium and carbs can cause water weight, but it's impossible with fat. The recommendations for fat and protein should be thought of as minimums. I would suspect that when you are over on your fat, you are also over on sodium and carbs.
  • psuLemon
    psuLemon Posts: 38,389 MFP Moderator
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    Thanks everyone for your response.

    I understand the macros thing but considering though that on avg I burn about 2800 calories a day(I wear a bodybugg) you would think that even if i'm not hitting my macros I would still see some weight loss. Or if anything staying the same and not gaining! I do hope is water wait.
    What beats me is that when I was not loggin my food and barely making it to the gym twice a week i was at least maintaining and I was eating well past 2000 cals...

    If you are truly burning 2800 calories a day, then your deficit might be too large. Cut 20% from 2800 calories and that is what you should be eating a day.
  • CarmenSRT
    CarmenSRT Posts: 843 Member
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    A food scale is key for food items that aren't prepackaged in readily identifiable portion sizes. Guesstimation is not a workable solution unless you've been at this for a LOOOOOOONG time. Part of the reason for that is most people have been taught to view as "normal" portion sizes that have little in common with the portion sizes the manufacturers base their nutrition data upon.

    The biggest consistent problem I saw in your diary was meats. The calories for the portion size given were ~20% to 25% of reality.

    I'd advise you to get a food scale and use it religiously. When logging the cals (especially for a food you eat and log frequently) check a couple of sources before settling on a database entry to use. :wink:
  • RAREBIRDART
    RAREBIRDART Posts: 100 Member
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    You need to look at your sodium intake. Your sodium will make you hold all of the water that you are consuming. You are well above what is good for your daily intake. If you ate less processed food, you would see that reduced a lot. In which will help you with your weight loss. I know sodium is hard to stay away from since it is in just about everything that we eat, every day. But if you you'll see a difference.

    Also reviewing your diary, youre not eating "enough" through out the day. You need to have a breakfast, a snack, a lunch, a snack, and then your dinner.

    Try something simple for a snack during the day, i.e. Turkey Roll ups (i know, I do them. And its not a lot, but its enough to keep the metabolism going.) Its a slice of deli ham/turkey whatever you prefer, Mustard, and fresh baby spinach rolled up. Or an apple. Something that has a lot of protein and will take a little while to break down.

    I swear, it works! Good luck! :)
  • psuLemon
    psuLemon Posts: 38,389 MFP Moderator
    Options
    You need to look at your sodium intake. Your sodium will make you hold all of the water that you are consuming. You are well above what is good for your daily intake. If you ate less processed food, you would see that reduced a lot. In which will help you with your weight loss. I know sodium is hard to stay away from since it is in just about everything that we eat, every day. But if you you'll see a difference.

    Also reviewing your diary, youre not eating "enough" through out the day. You need to have a breakfast, a snack, a lunch, a snack, and then your dinner.

    Try something simple for a snack during the day, i.e. Turkey Roll ups (i know, I do them. And its not a lot, but its enough to keep the metabolism going.) Its a slice of deli ham/turkey whatever you prefer, Mustard, and fresh baby spinach rolled up. Or an apple. Something that has a lot of protein and will take a little while to break down.

    I swear, it works! Good luck! :)

    First, you do NOT need to eat breakfast. Meal timing and frequency do NOT affect weight loss.. it's more psychological.


    http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/19943985

    Second, if you suggest watching sodium, then eliminating lunch meat should be one of those items. Lunch meat is highly processed and loaded with sodium. A chicken breast is a more suitable solution.

    Also, your metabolism never stops. If it did, you would die. If you aren't eating, your metabolism works other parts of your body, like your body functions. It's not just for breaking down food.
  • 1223345
    1223345 Posts: 1,386 Member
    Options
    You need to look at your sodium intake. Your sodium will make you hold all of the water that you are consuming. You are well above what is good for your daily intake. If you ate less processed food, you would see that reduced a lot. In which will help you with your weight loss. I know sodium is hard to stay away from since it is in just about everything that we eat, every day. But if you you'll see a difference.

    Also reviewing your diary, youre not eating "enough" through out the day. You need to have a breakfast, a snack, a lunch, a snack, and then your dinner.

    Try something simple for a snack during the day, i.e. Turkey Roll ups (i know, I do them. And its not a lot, but its enough to keep the metabolism going.) Its a slice of deli ham/turkey whatever you prefer, Mustard, and fresh baby spinach rolled up. Or an apple. Something that has a lot of protein and will take a little while to break down.

    I swear, it works! Good luck! :)

    First, you do NOT need to eat breakfast. Meal timing and frequency do NOT affect weight loss.. it's more psychological.


    http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/19943985

    Second, if you suggest watching sodium, then eliminating lunch meat should be one of those items. Lunch meat is highly processed and loaded with sodium. A chicken breast is a more suitable solution.

    Also, your metabolism never stops. If it did, you would die. If you aren't eating, your metabolism works other parts of your body, like your body functions. It's not just for breaking down food.

    Agreed. I have never found meal timing or frequency to have any effect one way or the other for myself. I think it is best to let your body guide you to your food. Eating when you don't feel hungry just because "they" (the "experts") say you should is not a good idea.
  • RAREBIRDART
    RAREBIRDART Posts: 100 Member
    Options
    You need to look at your sodium intake. Your sodium will make you hold all of the water that you are consuming. You are well above what is good for your daily intake. If you ate less processed food, you would see that reduced a lot. In which will help you with your weight loss. I know sodium is hard to stay away from since it is in just about everything that we eat, every day. But if you you'll see a difference.

    Also reviewing your diary, youre not eating "enough" through out the day. You need to have a breakfast, a snack, a lunch, a snack, and then your dinner.

    Try something simple for a snack during the day, i.e. Turkey Roll ups (i know, I do them. And its not a lot, but its enough to keep the metabolism going.) Its a slice of deli ham/turkey whatever you prefer, Mustard, and fresh baby spinach rolled up. Or an apple. Something that has a lot of protein and will take a little while to break down.

    I swear, it works! Good luck! :)

    First, you do NOT need to eat breakfast. Meal timing and frequency do NOT affect weight loss.. it's more psychological.


    http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/19943985

    Second, if you suggest watching sodium, then eliminating lunch meat should be one of those items. Lunch meat is highly processed and loaded with sodium. A chicken breast is a more suitable solution.

    Also, your metabolism never stops. If it did, you would die. If you aren't eating, your metabolism works other parts of your body, like your body functions. It's not just for breaking down food.


    Woah! Calm down! I wasn't being mean, or hurtful. I was just stating what I knew what worked for me. I know that sodium in deli meat is higher, But if you only have one or two slices, you are looking at 100 mg as opposed to other processed foods. (i.e. 1 slice of Hillshire Farm Deli Select Oven Roasted Turkey Breast)

    And this is a learning thing for me, because I thought if you skipped meals continuously it put your body into starvation mode, which it holds on to the fats when you do actually eat. Instead of processing them the way that they should. And I never thought listening to a dietician was a bad thing. That's weird. They would be "experts" in this field.

    And by the way I read this post, she was looking for opinions. But clearly one can not offer one. Good to know, thank you.
  • psuLemon
    psuLemon Posts: 38,389 MFP Moderator
    Options
    You need to look at your sodium intake. Your sodium will make you hold all of the water that you are consuming. You are well above what is good for your daily intake. If you ate less processed food, you would see that reduced a lot. In which will help you with your weight loss. I know sodium is hard to stay away from since it is in just about everything that we eat, every day. But if you you'll see a difference.

    Also reviewing your diary, youre not eating "enough" through out the day. You need to have a breakfast, a snack, a lunch, a snack, and then your dinner.

    Try something simple for a snack during the day, i.e. Turkey Roll ups (i know, I do them. And its not a lot, but its enough to keep the metabolism going.) Its a slice of deli ham/turkey whatever you prefer, Mustard, and fresh baby spinach rolled up. Or an apple. Something that has a lot of protein and will take a little while to break down.

    I swear, it works! Good luck! :)

    First, you do NOT need to eat breakfast. Meal timing and frequency do NOT affect weight loss.. it's more psychological.


    http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/19943985

    Second, if you suggest watching sodium, then eliminating lunch meat should be one of those items. Lunch meat is highly processed and loaded with sodium. A chicken breast is a more suitable solution.

    Also, your metabolism never stops. If it did, you would die. If you aren't eating, your metabolism works other parts of your body, like your body functions. It's not just for breaking down food.


    Woah! Calm down! I wasn't being mean, or hurtful. I was just stating what I knew what worked for me. I know that sodium in deli meat is higher, But if you only have one or two slices, you are looking at 100 mg as opposed to other processed foods. (i.e. 1 slice of Hillshire Farm Deli Select Oven Roasted Turkey Breast)

    And this is a learning thing for me, because I thought if you skipped meals continuously it put your body into starvation mode, which it holds on to the fats when you do actually eat. Instead of processing them the way that they should. And I never thought listening to a dietician was a bad thing. That's weird. They would be "experts" in this field.

    And by the way I read this post, she was looking for opinions. But clearly one can not offer one. Good to know, thank you.

    Sorry, I didn't mean to come off as defensive. :drinker:

    Eating break is more of a psychological benefit as many people will make healthier discussions by eating breakfast. So it's not required for weight loss, it may be helpful.