Advice??

So, lately I've started (again) trying to lose weight but this is the first time that I've been trying to eat really healthy rather than just eating everything "in moderation". I've tried to cut back on a lot of carbs and eat vegetables instead, I've been drinking several cups of green tea every day, eating fruit in between meals, I've cut out sodas and sweet tea, and tried to avoid fast food as much as possible, and my first two meals of the day are usually slim-fast.
Now, I know it's not really recommended to weight every day and normally I don't, and even then I don't really take the weight seriously because I know it can fluctuate daily without being really accurate. But I've been weighed every day or every other day since I started and I could tell I was starting to lose weight.
I went to the beach yesterday and since I was 50 miles away from home and the people I went with decided to stop at McDonald's so I decided to get just a very small burger, fry, and soda (since I was also limited on money). We also bought an ice cream cone on the way home and basically I didn't have a very good day yesterday as far as eating, but even still I didn't go totally overboard and binge like crazy.
Now today I weight, again just curious, and even though I had lost like 2-3 pounds in the week or two since I started I'm now about 2 lbs OVER what I was in the beginning, and I just feel Really fat and bloated.

Could this be just from one day of "bad" eating?
Is this "normal" when losing weight to have those days where you just don't feel top notch?

I've new at this so I'm not entirely sure what to expect. Any advice??

Replies

  • wilsoje74
    wilsoje74 Posts: 1,720 Member
    I don't see anything logged in your diary. Do you exercise? 2 slim fast meals would not be my suggestion for wright loss but it works for some. I would try to eat real, healthy foods. And log everything do you know where your calories stand. It's probably the sodium from mcd that caused the gain, not real weight gain. Drink lots of water!
  • JenRunTriHappyGirl
    JenRunTriHappyGirl Posts: 521 Member
    YES! It is totally normal to have bad, fat bloated days. I am having one today! It is okay that you weren't on 100%..... eating foods that your body is not used to (bad foods in particular) can wreck havoc on your digestive system sometimes. Thus, being bloated. Do not beat yourself up, you are doing fine! Keep going and pushing and I am willing to bet those pounds will be gone in a couple of days. Good luck! Feel free to add me!
  • hello there! firstly, its great that you want to change your diet. thats the first step.


    1. always weigh yourself first thing in the morning, this is the most accurate time of the day for a weigh in.
    2. starting tracking your foods and keep strict to your calorie intake this is the best thing you can start to get into a habit with, because it will guide you to about 70-80% of your weight loss. Weight loss, muscle gains and weight gain has everything to do with what you eat and about 25% training at the gym.

    Plan and track your food.
  • daniellemm1
    daniellemm1 Posts: 465 Member
    As you said our bodies fluctuate so even if you had not eaten those foods you might still be showing a "gain" according to the scale. Now add the fact that McDonalds food has sooooo much sodium and you would most definately show a gain but again not a real gain. Just drink lots of water to flush out that sodium. I weigh daily just to learn how my body fluctuates based on a million factors but not everyone should do that. Only weigh yourself every day if you think that you won't get obsessed with the daily fluctuations. As long as you are within your calories and exercising the weight will come off. Use the way you feel and how your clothes fit to measure your success. On this journey you will have bad days, but reach out to you friends who will pull you through it. One bad day is just that, one bad day. You will have many amazing days where you feel more alive and stronger then you ever thought you could be. On those days reach out to your friends who will celebrate with you!!!

    THE SCALE IS A LIAR! I know that is dramatic but it is true. Good luck to you
  • Giraffe33991
    Giraffe33991 Posts: 434 Member
    First, I would suggest cutting out ALL soda and sweetened drinks and replace them with PLAIN WATER (no Crystal Light, no Mio!). Drink at least half your body weight in ounces per day (so if you weigh 150 pounds, drink 75 ounces of water).

    You will pee ALOT, you will also notice you aren't as hungry all the time, your skin looks better and generally will start feeling better.

    Then work on cleaning up your diet. No one is perfect so the occasional fast food trip is fine - don't over do it.

    Second, plan for emergencies! Stash a high protein bar and a bottle of water in your purse. This will keep you from binging on bad choices when you get that starving feeling!

    Third, you should make sure you get some REAL exercise for at least 30 minutes per day. (Brisk walking, a run, swim, bike ride or a Jillian Michaels workout DVD) As you get used to working out, you can add in more time. But 30 minutes minimum to start!

    Good luck! Don't beat yourself up when you have a bad day, just get back at it the next day!
  • oldandhealthier
    oldandhealthier Posts: 449 Member
    I doubt seriously if that had anything to do with it. It is too soon for the food to affect you besides you would have to eat a lot more than that. Was the scales kept in the same place? They don't like being moved. Do you weigh at the same time? With or without clothes? All this things can affect scales plus there is always the chance of scales being wrong. Feeling tired could be the result of changing diet or not enough calories. Keep an eye on both. Some people have like withdraw when they change their diet till their body adjust.
  • Sara__Beth
    Sara__Beth Posts: 30 Member
    @wilsoje74 I don't have anything in my diary because I haven't been recording it. Sometimes it gets too meticulous for me and I get stressed out about every little calorie so I don't always record it. I have been trying to exercise at least a little everyday. I have a stationary bike that I ride. Since I was gone all day I didn't have the time to yesterday which no doubt could have contributed to my overall icky feeling today.
    @traumaticthra I do always weight first thing in the morning. And try my best to plan my meals.
    @Giraffe33991 I'm not quite at the place where I can cut out ALL soda-I do love my coke :smile: - but I have cut back significantly, yesterday was the first one I've had in a week or two. Like I said, I've been drinking tons of green tea and trying to drink more water. And yes, I've been peeing ALOT :laugh:
  • retiree2006
    retiree2006 Posts: 951 Member
    @wilsoje74 I don't have anything in my diary because I haven't been recording it. Sometimes it gets too meticulous for me and I get stressed out about every little calorie so I don't always record it. I have been trying to exercise at least a little everyday. I have a stationary bike that I ride. Since I was gone all day I didn't have the time to yesterday which no doubt could have contributed to my overall icky feeling today.
    @traumaticthra I do always weight first thing in the morning. And try my best to plan my meals.

    It's normal to fluctuate, especially when you eat differently. The McD sodium is pretty high on many items, so that will also cause water retention. It's a temporary thing so just get back to your normal routine and relax.
  • JustPeachy044
    JustPeachy044 Posts: 770 Member
    My fitness coach once said to me, "your body today is the one you earned last week, not the one you earned yesterday." This has helped me not get too frustrated when the scale doesn't show what I think it should. I also rely more on other measures, such as tape measurements and how my clothes fit than the scale.

    I agree with the poster who said that she did not recommend the slimfast shakes as a regular diet. I suppose if you are crunched for time, drinking one on occasion is ok. They are highly processed, but to me, just as big of an issue is that they are not a good regular substitute for 'real' foods. You will get bored with them, I think, and you will want to reach for something else. You need to know what that something else is and be able to eat a variety to keep your palate satisfied as well as getting in important nutrients. Just my rant, in the end you have to do what works for you...

    Congratulations on making the commitment to change. It is a long windy road, and we all just have to take it one step at a time. Sometimes, we take a step or two backwards, sometimes it's baby steps forward. In the end, as long as we are overall focused on moving forward, we will win. You got this!! :)
  • MinnieInMaine
    MinnieInMaine Posts: 6,400 Member
    if you don't log your foods, there is no way for any of us to give you good solid advice. The food log may seem like a pain in the butt but it's a very valuable tool. Up a couple pounds? You can go back and see if maybe you had a high sodium day or ate more than you realized last week.

    Very likely this quick gain was due to water weight, not actual weight. 3500 calories = 1 pound of fat so unless you ate WAY over your limit (which it doesn't sound like you did), it's definitely water. As someone else mentioned, McD's food, actually any prepared restaurant food, has a TON of sodium in it. If you had tracked what you ate, you would see a cheeseburger is only 300 calories. Depending on what kind of ice cream you had and how much you had, it might not be as bad as you think.

    Take this however you want but I feel the need to add - you say you're trying to eat healthier - drinking Slim Fast for breakfast and lunch really isn't as healthy as you may think. Once in a while maybe as others pointed out but not all the time. There are real/whole foods you could have for the same amount of calories that would probably make you feel much better in the long run. How about some yogurt and fruit or some steel cut oats?

    ETA: Eating at McD's once in a while when you're stuck in a bind is fine too, and so is having an ice cream. No need to deprive yourself of everything all the time. But maybe consider, if you know you're going to be going to the beach for the day like this, pack a nice healthy lunch and some snacks and encourage your friends to do the same, like pot luck picnic thing. Fun, right? Another idea is to have a list of options in your head and ask if you can stop at a grocery store on the way to pick up a couple things. Buy enough for everyone (if you can) or encourage them to buy their own.
  • MinnieInMaine
    MinnieInMaine Posts: 6,400 Member
    My fitness coach once said to me, "your body today is the one you earned last week, not the one you earned yesterday." This has helped me not get too frustrated when the scale doesn't show what I think it should. I also rely more on other measures, such as tape measurements and how my clothes fit than the scale.

    Excellent advice!
  • JustPeachy044
    JustPeachy044 Posts: 770 Member
    I am on this rant against slimfast. I looked up the ingredients in the french vanilla. See below.

    FAT FREE MILK, WATER, SUGAR, MILK PROTEIN CONCENTRATE, GUM ARABIC, CANOLA OIL, CELLULOSE GEL, MONO AND DIGLYCERIDES, POTASSIUM PHOSPHATE, HYDROGENATED SOYBEAN OIL, MALTODEXTRIN, SOY LECITHIN, CELLULOSE GUM, NATURAL AND ARTIFICIAL FLAVORS, CARRAGEENAN, SODIUM BICARBONATE, SUCRALOSE AND ACESULFAME POTASSIUM (NONNUTRITIVE SWEETENERS), SODIUM CITRATE, CITRIC ACID.

    MAGNESIUM PHOSPHATE, CALCIUM PHOSPHATE, SODIUM ASCORBATE, VITAMIN E ACETATE, ZINC GLUCONATE, FERRIC ORTHOPHOSPHATE, NIACINAMIDE, CALCIUM PANTOTHENATE, MANGANESE SULFATE, VITAMIN A PALMITATE, PYRIDOXINE HYDROCHLORIDE, RIBOFLAVIN, THIAMIN MONONITRATE, FOLIC ACID, CHROMIUM CHLORIDE, BIOTIN, SODIUM MOLYBDATE, POTASSIUM IODIDE, PHYLLOQUINONE (VITAMIN K1), SODIUM SELENITE, CYANOCOBALAMIN (VITAMIN B12), CHOLECALCIFEROL (VITAMIN D3). SWEETENED WITH A NUTRITIVE SWEETENER AND NONNUTRITIVE SWEETENERS. CONTAINS MILK AND SOY.

    Sugar AND sucralose? Hydrogenated soybean oil? Yuck.

    OK, I'm done now.
  • jennfranklin
    jennfranklin Posts: 434 Member
    It takes 3,500 extra calories over your norm to gain a pound of fat! So no worries!
  • clarkeje1
    clarkeje1 Posts: 1,623 Member
    That is normal. Eating processed foods high in sodium after eating good for a while can make you hold onto water weight. This comes off in a day or two after you get back to your meal plan. Just try to not eat like that too much and you will see results :)
  • Hornsby
    Hornsby Posts: 10,322 Member
    You really need to start logging your foods/drinks. You might be overeating. If you are, it doesn't matter if it's 2500 calories worth of french fries, or 2500 calories of lettuce. If you are taking in more than you are burning, you won't lose weight.

    Get off the Slim Fast. You can eat a more satisfying meal with as little of calories as a Slim Fast.

    And if you are going to eat at McDonalds, get a grilled premium McWrap next time. That's my "go to" when I must eat fast food.
  • H_Factor
    H_Factor Posts: 1,722 Member
    Don't weigh yourself daily....and whenever you weigh yourself, it needs to be first thing in the morning, after you pee, and before you eat or drink anything.

    Fast food and other processed foods have a lot of salt in them. So does soda. When you eat that crap, your body retains water. So, if you're going to weigh in on a daily or near daily basis, do not weigh in the day after you've eaten a bunch of sodium. It will never be pretty.

    Congrats on your restart. I fell off the wagon and restarted a few weeks ago as well. However, I can tell you that while this has to be a lifestyle and you have to treat yourself every now and then, I think its super important to be as strict as possible with healthy eating for the first two months (at least). This doesn't mean you can or will or should be perfect.....but it would be beneficial to cut out fast food, fried food, and soda completely....and to limit processed foods as much as possible. Plan ahead. If you're going to the beach or other place, eat something healthy before you leave and eat something when you return. If you think you will need a snack along the way, pack something healthy. Bring some nuts, carrots, etc.

    There is no reason you had to go get fast food. You got fast food because it was easier. Not to be harsh here, but let's face it....you, me, and a lot of other people are not where we want to be healthwise because we made the easier choices too many times. I was in the same boat. I know that, in order to get my good health back, I have to plan ahead and avoid making decisions just because they are easier.
  • leroyizzy
    leroyizzy Posts: 55
    I am on this rant against slimfast. I looked up the ingredients in the french vanilla. See below.

    FAT FREE MILK, WATER, SUGAR, MILK PROTEIN CONCENTRATE, GUM ARABIC, CANOLA OIL, CELLULOSE GEL, MONO AND DIGLYCERIDES, POTASSIUM PHOSPHATE, HYDROGENATED SOYBEAN OIL, MALTODEXTRIN, SOY LECITHIN, CELLULOSE GUM, NATURAL AND ARTIFICIAL FLAVORS, CARRAGEENAN, SODIUM BICARBONATE, SUCRALOSE AND ACESULFAME POTASSIUM (NONNUTRITIVE SWEETENERS), SODIUM CITRATE, CITRIC ACID.

    MAGNESIUM PHOSPHATE, CALCIUM PHOSPHATE, SODIUM ASCORBATE, VITAMIN E ACETATE, ZINC GLUCONATE, FERRIC ORTHOPHOSPHATE, NIACINAMIDE, CALCIUM PANTOTHENATE, MANGANESE SULFATE, VITAMIN A PALMITATE, PYRIDOXINE HYDROCHLORIDE, RIBOFLAVIN, THIAMIN MONONITRATE, FOLIC ACID, CHROMIUM CHLORIDE, BIOTIN, SODIUM MOLYBDATE, POTASSIUM IODIDE, PHYLLOQUINONE (VITAMIN K1), SODIUM SELENITE, CYANOCOBALAMIN (VITAMIN B12), CHOLECALCIFEROL (VITAMIN D3). SWEETENED WITH A NUTRITIVE SWEETENER AND NONNUTRITIVE SWEETENERS. CONTAINS MILK AND SOY.

    Sugar AND sucralose? Hydrogenated soybean oil? Yuck.

    OK, I'm done now.

    This poster hit the nail on the head! This isn't even food!
    All the artificial (and real) sugar and you cant even read most of the ingredients :sick:
    Eating real food will give you energy, help you lose weight, make your skin clearer and you get rid of acid reflux and heartburn. Why not eat delicious real food, feel great and have the energy to work out and get fit?!
    OK.... I may be on a Slimfast rant too :smile:
  • Nufraser
    Nufraser Posts: 87 Member


    Second, plan for emergencies! Stash a high protein bar and a bottle of water in your purse. This will keep you from binging on bad choices when you get that starving feeling!

    What good tasting high protein bar do you recommend?? Thanks..
  • momzeeee
    momzeeee Posts: 475 Member
    Probably jusy water weight, due to the salty fast food. It will go away in a day or two. I also agree with the others, SlimFast is crap as far as ingredients go. A smoothie might be a good alternative to them :)
  • wilsoje74
    wilsoje74 Posts: 1,720 Member
    Well if you don't log then you have no idea how many calories you're eating. You could be gaining if you are not keeping track.