I don't get it!

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pitanita
pitanita Posts: 6
in Motivation and Support
I've been SO good for the last week. Always under my calories for the day. Walked almost every day (missed a few because of the weather). So how did I gain almost 3 lbs??? *sigh*

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  • HealthyChanges2010
    HealthyChanges2010 Posts: 5,831 Member
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    Pms? water retention? not eating enough? not eating your workout cals back? Some days we retain water simply due to weather, especially humidity is a killer! Closed food diary, so hard to tell there.

    You say 'under your cals', how far under, 30 cals under? 400 cals under?

    If you open your food diary or give us more details we might be able to help out more!:flowerforyou:

    Ok, just noticed you have 15 lbs. to lose, that will be far slower than someone with 50 to lose, again the above are ideas but unable to go on much without seeing what foods you're eating.:wink:
  • brookekedd
    brookekedd Posts: 14
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    Maybe if you're eating under your calories, your putting your body into starvation mode. Try eating at least 1200 cals a day. You have to have so many to be able to keep your body burning or else it will start to store fat. I've been learning this the past couple of months. I've worked out a lot and ate very little, but it was working against me.

    Good luck next week! Good job on the walking!
  • Alure
    Alure Posts: 30
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    Sometimes if you are working out you gain muscle (which is denser than fat) so you can weigh more, but fit into your clothes better. That's why lots of people recommend taking measurements and/or body fat percentage measurements as well. Scale weight doesn't reflect body composition, so it's not always an accurate measure of how you're doing. :) I know it's sad to see scale numbers go up, but try not to despair. A little bit of weight fluctuation is normal (3 lbs at your CW is only like 1.4%). Take into consideration whether you were drinking enough water, time of day you were weighing, and even your time of the month... Good luck and don't feel bad. You're healthier even if the scale doesn't reflect it.
  • lisacherrone
    lisacherrone Posts: 11 Member
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    all replies are great! one other thing to suggest, try mixing up your workouts. go take a zumba class, or kickboxing, or something to just kick it up a bit. or you could start jogging for a minute during your walk, and start to increase the time and frequency you jog. good luck, please dont get discouraged, you have come a long way on a hard road...you have a lot to be proud of.
  • pitanita
    pitanita Posts: 6
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    Thanks for the replies!

    On average I'm under my calories by 300+ but that's including the exercise calories. I haven't been eating those because I only have time to exercise at night and don't want to be eating after 10.

    How do I open my diary? I have no problem doing it, just don't know how. lol

    Pms? water retention? not eating enough? not eating your workout cals back? Some days we retain water simply due to weather, especially humidity is a killer! Closed food diary, so hard to tell there.

    Oh, and the 15 lbs is just my first mini-goal. I have a total of about 75 lbs to lose. :)
    You say 'under your cals', how far under, 30 cals under? 400 cals under?

    If you open your food diary or give us more details we might be able to help out more!:flowerforyou:

    Ok, just noticed you have 15 lbs. to lose, that will be far slower than someone with 50 to lose, again the above are ideas but unable to go on much without seeing what foods you're eating.:wink:
  • pitanita
    pitanita Posts: 6
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    Got it! My food diary should now be unlocked. I didn't even notice the settings tab up there.
  • lds25
    lds25 Posts: 68
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    Wow you are very much under your goals. You need to increase your calories and at least get close to it so that your body doesnt go into starvation mode. Try to increase your caloric intake and see how that works for you. Good luck!
  • melodyg
    melodyg Posts: 1,423 Member
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    I'd definitely eat at least some of those exercise calories if you are only eating 1200/day without exercise. If you are planning on exercising at night (and it seems like you are pretty consistent about doing that from what you've said), go ahead and eat some of those calories during the day in anticipation of exercising that night. Or eat them the next day if you want to wait until you have exercised for sure.

    I noticed you have a lot of processed foods (eating out or lunchmeat, etc.) the last few days and those are pretty high in sodium, so my vote for weight gain goes to water retention if eating like that is not typical for you (or even if it is!). Drink plenty of water and be sure to get some fruit and veggies in too!
  • RominaSullivan
    RominaSullivan Posts: 42
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    I think all has been pretty much said but yeah... since you are burning a lot of calories with your workouts try to get closer to your goal and not just stay under 1200 (or even worst, way under). Plan for it like they suggest above. If you are planning to work out then eat more calories during the day and make sure you do work out at night. Try to make better food choices too. I'm still learning this part so I can't suggest for you to go check out my diary for examples (especially cause I'm on vacation and have been kinda bad these days :-D) but definitely add some veggies to your diet and cook more at home if possible (baked or grilled chicken, fish, salads, etc). Avocado & nuts are great snacks if you don't want to eat a lot late at night but fill in your calories.
    Good luck!! and make sure to drink more water!! everything seems to go slow at first but in just a couple of weeks when you figure things out they start to take off. You'll see!!

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