Walking - Staying Within Calories... But Gaining??

suechamber1
suechamber1 Posts: 8 Member
in Health and Weight Loss
I have recently started using my fitnesspal from another "paid" weight loss program. I am in my 3rd week of myfitnesspal and love it! To date I have lost 18 pounds since January (obviously the paid program was going very very slowly for me - with only a 3 lb/week avg loss) and when I started myfitnesspal a few weeks ago I started losing again. In fact I lost 3 pounds the first week which is unheard of for me. Oh and I should point out that I have 100 pounds to lose so I am an obese person. For the past 2 weeks I started walking an hour a day - and I try to beat my pace so I don't just stroll. I am also being very conscious about staying under my 1500 allocated calories. I will dip into my exercise calories but never use them all. I don't eat after 8:00 and I drink lots of water. My frustration is that although I feel pretty good I am GAINING weight. Each morning I step on the scale feeling good and thinking I will see a loss but no! I have to double take the numbers on the scale because I can't see how I could possibly be gaining. In the last 2 weeks I have gained 3 pounds. Should I change my goals (currently set at 1.2 lb/week) so that I have less calories to eat? Is it the exercising? I am not letting myself stop what I am doing but I would like to know if anyone has experienced the same and if they have any suggestions?

Replies

  • flutatious1
    flutatious1 Posts: 120 Member
    you might actually need more calories. try upping the amount and see if that changes anything...it worked for me. also how much water are you drinking each day? are you watching your sodium intake? that is a HUGE key when looking at a gain...at least it is for me!
  • 81Katz
    81Katz Posts: 7,074 Member
    Do you weigh your food and log everything you eat?
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  • glin23
    glin23 Posts: 460 Member
    Do you weigh your food and log everything you eat?

    This. Are you sure about your portion sizes? You might be unpleasantly surprised.
  • whisperer02
    whisperer02 Posts: 52
    I would say you are eating too few calories. I walk 10,000 or more steps a day (thank u fitbit), which means i am supposed to eat about 1700 calories a day. I am 5' 6" and weigh 155, but I started at 177 lbs. When i eat my numbers I lose about 1.2 lbs a week, when I dont I either gain or start a plateau period. I did not beleive eating more would help a loss, but I now know eating under does not.
  • nomeejerome
    nomeejerome Posts: 2,616 Member
    The questions about weighing food and logging need to be answered first before any appropriate suggestions can be made to OP. In addition, opening your diary.
  • Tonnina
    Tonnina Posts: 979 Member
    Don't forget to drink your water! You need 1oz for every 2lbs of body weight... So for someone like me who's 204.8lbs I need 102.4 oz of water a day MINIMUM. Best to drink 20oz or so as soon as you wake up and 16oz before every meal... This will also help you to not over eat because the water will be taking up a lot of room in your stomach!
  • sunnyside1213
    sunnyside1213 Posts: 1,205 Member
    The questions about weighing food and logging need to be answered first before any appropriate suggestions can be made to OP. In addition, opening your diary.

    This.
  • dolphin_queen
    dolphin_queen Posts: 10
    You did say that the last 2 weeks you had gained 3 pounds. I have a couple weeks of the month (TTOTM) that happens also...could that be it? Also are you doing more exercise than you had in the past? You could be gaining muscle.
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  • glin23
    glin23 Posts: 460 Member
    Don't forget to drink your water! You need 1oz for every 2lbs of body weight... So for someone like me who's 204.8lbs I need 102.4 oz of water a day MINIMUM. Best to drink 20oz or so as soon as you wake up and 16oz before every meal... This will also help you to not over eat because the water will be taking up a lot of room in your stomach!

    FWIW many foods contain a decent amount of water, so you don't really need to drink it all. Where did you hear this anyways? I've never heard the 2 fl. oz. per 2 pounds rule before
  • MoreBean13
    MoreBean13 Posts: 8,701 Member
    I don't think you're gaining. I think the 3 lbs you lost the first week was a water loss and for whatever reason it's back- sodium would be my chief suspect.

    Your program sounds pretty good, just stick with it. Make sure you're logging everything accurately and honestly, and you might want to keep an eye on your sodium intake, and try to increase your potassium intake.
  • QuilterInVA
    QuilterInVA Posts: 672 Member
    Guys, it makes no sense to say that you gain weight if you eat too few calories (also you can google it and find it is a myth) because if that were the case, people couldn't become anorexic or starve to death.
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  • ElliottTN
    ElliottTN Posts: 1,614 Member
    Weight loss slows when you have an extreme calorie deficit and the body enters starvation mode. It's scientifically proven.

    You people in your starvation mode crap. Yes, it's scientifically proven that if you eat at a reduction of minus 50% of what your body needs for extended periods of time (weeks to months) that your body could enter starvation mode in which its possible your metabolism slows up to 10%. BUT the thing is you will still have a calorie deficiet of at least 40%. You will still be losing weight. Given at a slower rate but still losing. Not gaining, not the same weight. Losing.

    If a body was ever able to enter starvation mode (get less nutrients than the body needs to survive for long periods of time) and gain weight/stay same than congratulations...your body has just defied physics. You should report to your closest government office because you have just solved the entire worlds energy problems.

    Or....just possibly....you don't have a tight of a grasp on your portion sizes when recording and most likely the apps are far overestimating what you are really burning during your excercise.

    Maybe you sleep walk eat? Dunno but there's that pesky think about science, its true regardless if you believe in it or not.
  • acidosaur
    acidosaur Posts: 295 Member
    Guys, it makes no sense to say that you gain weight if you eat too few calories (also you can google it and find it is a myth) because if that were the case, people couldn't become anorexic or starve to death.
    Weight loss slows when you have an extreme calorie deficit and the body enters starvation mode. It's scientifically proven.

    It does slow after a very low calorie diet for a very long time. However weight loss does not stop altogether. Otherwise people wouldn't starve to death. It's difficult to enter starvation mode unless you're eating less than 1000 calories a day for months at a time. I highly doubt that's the case here.
  • ElliottTN
    ElliottTN Posts: 1,614 Member
    Guys, it makes no sense to say that you gain weight if you eat too few calories (also you can google it and find it is a myth) because if that were the case, people couldn't become anorexic or starve to death.

    And not to be a **** bc I get what you are trying to say and agree but not all anorexia suffers are skeletons. Just want to bring that up as a bad example. Starve to death=good example though.
  • Ninkyou
    Ninkyou Posts: 6,666 Member
    1. Eat back your exercise calories. Your body needs fuel.
    2. Sodium. If your sodium is high, you'll retain water and it's reflected on the scale
    3. Time of the month
  • cwolfman13
    cwolfman13 Posts: 41,865 Member
    My guess is that you are just eyeballing portions, etc and not weighing and measuring your food and ingredients. This invites calorie creep...when people just eyeball, on average, they underestimate consumption by 20-30%. Also, that first three pounds was largely water...it's pretty much impossible to lose fat that quickly due to the deficit of calories that would be required. Most likely you dumped a bunch of water and for whatever reason put that water weight back on...could just be natural hormone/body fluctuations, high sodium, change in workout regimen, etc.

    It sounds to me as if you're maintaining really and not actually (maintenance isn't static and you can fluctuate easily 3-5 Lbs day to day) at a deficit of calories...whether that is due to underestimation of consumption or other medical issues interfering with metabolism is what you will need to figure out. Also, if you're obese you may have insulin sensitivity (even if you do not have diabetes or are otherwise insulin resistant)...if you are insulin sensitive, carbs can have a negative impact on your weight loss goals.
  • Francl27
    Francl27 Posts: 26,371 Member
    Things to think about (might have been mentioned) - I'm 162 lbs and I've been losing on 1600-1700 calories a day, and most of my exercise are walks as well (with some strength 2-3 times a week), so you might not be eating enough.

    Second thing, make sure you weigh all your food so you're 100% sure about how many calories you are eating.
  • suechamber1
    suechamber1 Posts: 8 Member
    Thank you everyone - I am overwhelmed by how helpful everyone is! For the most part I am counting everything - I count out the number of grapes, cherries, etc however I do eyeball some stuff so I will make a better effect on non portioned meat, etc. I do drink a lot of water but I also tend to drink most of it from 4:00 pm on - I would even say I have 16-32 oz between 8:00 pm and bedtime. I think I will try cutting this down so late at night and drink more at work instead of after work. I did notice that I can be high on my sodium levels. I have been so concentrated on the calories that I never really paid attention to sodium. Some of my favourite snacks, such as rice cakes, are very high in sodium. Wow - good to know! Needless to say I will find a different favourite "go to" snack. I don't eat a lot of carbs - generally I have a tortilla wrap for lunch and stay away from pastas at dinner and end up having salads for dinner (love salads!). I still find a little surprising that my gains can be the calorie intake because I do measure most of what I eat however I will do better at this. I do feel really good and feel like I am losing (which is why I am so shocked by the scale) so maybe I should concentrate on my sodium levels and ensure that I eat my calories. I will figure out how to make my diary public but in the meantime thanks so much to everyone!
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