HELP! I'm having a rough week, I'm exercising but gaining we

For getting more veggies ... if you like mashed potatoes, have you tried mashed cauliflower? You whip them up just like potatoes and they provide a similar texture and satisfaction. Not exactly the same, but not bad at all

As for the gain, don't fret too much. I try really hard to stick to the once a week and under same circumstances weighing rule. I can't handle the stress of it any more frequently! LOL

Good luck

Be much more thorough with your calorie report and documenting EVERYTHING that goes into your mouth. I am guilty of that extra tablespoon of peanut butter that hits my mouth before the bread so there is 100 calories right there. Also try to add more strength training to your routine. That will help your body metabolize. Best of luck

Maybe you're developing muscle mass?

I agree! That could definitely be the reason. When I stepped on the scale more frequently ( i know, a big no no) I was frustrated to see that I had gained a few pounds, but my husband reassured me that I was probably just gaining muscle.
BTW, Congrats on what you've lost so far!!

Hey - You are doing great to lose that much since April!! But, please do me a favor and invest $4 on a used book "Larry North's Slimdown For Life". He sells NO supplements - He sells NO gadgets. If you go to amazon.com, you can read the first 20 pages or so and see what I'm talking about. I did a exercise class at our Gym 5 days a week - 1 hour a day - and lost 9 pounds in 90 days (way to slow for me) while eating a 1700 calorie a day diet (I'm 6 foot 3 and was 265 pounds).

Now that I've started the program (not a diet), I've lost 15 pounds in 45 days (still exercising). Here's a typical eating day (just an example:

7AM: LowFat/LowSugar yogurt (variety of flavors) - mixed with oatmeal and a few fresh berries and some 2 pieces of Canadian bacon (or instead of the bacon I can have scrambled egg whites with one yolk, or just plain hard boiled egg whites which most people don't like but I do). If you don't like yougurt, you can make the oatmeal with skim milk, splenda or truvia, and cinnamon. If you don't like oatmeal you can have rice - or some other good carb.

11:00 AM: Blackened Chicken Breast on a bed of whole grain rice and pinto beans flavored with a 3 pepper and onion stir fry and some diced tomatoes (or I have the marinated chicken breast with 1/2 a baked potato with butter buds and fat free sour cream) (I make this mixture in batches to last a few days)

2:30 PM: Turkey Sandwich and some baked lays or a rice cake

6:00 PM: Chili Made with 98% Lean Free Range Grass-Fed Longhorn Beef (I think you could use Bison)

8:30 PM: Carrots or Celery with some scrambled egg whites (4 whites/ 1 yolk) or some other protein (like 1/2 a chicken bread or a Pepper Turkey wrap - just the meat rolled up) and then a sugar free jello or some other frozen treat.

I should be eating more fibrous veggies - but I'm trying to work those in.

If someone has a birthday, I have some birthday cake and ice cream. If we go out to celebrate our daughter's high school graduation, I have steak. Is it realistic to go out on a birthday celebration and eat a salad? Not for me. If I want a fruit pie two or three times a month, I get one.

This is not a diet - it's an eating program - where you find realistic ways to make foods you like in a better way - instead of eating 3 meals and then snacking (or fighting the urge to snack) - you break up your day into 5 meals - but no snacking. So you don't get famished and then want that sugar/fat fix.

I did invest $15 in some "good sense" tupperware - that way I make bigger batches of healthy food about twice a week. I try all sorts of different marinades and rubs for my chicken breasts to make them the way I like them - it's not realistic for me to eat food that I don't love for the rest of my life. So I make a big pot of rice/bean/veggie mix - scoop in 1 cup of the mixture into the bowl and throw a small marinated or blackened chicken breast on top (or you can even buy the pre-cooked chicken fajita strips that come frozen in a bag and use about 1/2 of the 8oz bag.) then I put on the lid and I have 5 of those over the next 3 to 4 days.

It's been nice that we are near a Tom Thumb supermarket and they carry the Springerhill ranch 98% Lean free range grass fed beef. It's about $4.99 a pound. I can get it on sale for $3.99 and stock up - that's comparable to wal-marts 96/4 beef price at $3.50 a pound. Adding in a hamburger patty or meat loaf or chili breaks up the chicken monotony.

In the program, there are tons and tons of food choices - I just found out what I liked and worked ways to prepare it differently and plan ahead just a little. Since were tight on cash, I have to stock up on chicken breast and beef when it 's on sale - but I was spending $5 a day on lunch and most of my meals average around $2 to $3.

Way to go and best of luck to you.