Eating less but gaining weight?

jenna_413
jenna_413 Posts: 2
in Health and Weight Loss
Hey there! I have a little problem with my diet. In the past I've been eating 2000+ calories a day, lived a pretty sedentary lifestyle, and weighed 150 lbs. Right now, I'm 20 years old, height 5'8", eating from 1500 - 2000 calories a day and trying to find time for working out, but because of school I spend most of my days sitting in class (can't really move around, right?). However, I've noticed that in the past month I've gained 11 lbs. I'm really disappointed because obviously it's the opposite of what I wanted. Anybody know a possible reason for it??

Replies

  • UnicornRides
    UnicornRides Posts: 56
    You are either:

    A. Not drinking enough water to support sitting for long periods
    B. Not eating enough fiber to support sitting for long periods
    C. Actually eating too much of one thing (sugar, protein, etc.)
    D. May need a 1400 calorie diet

    Since we can't see what you're eating (friends only), we can't really get an idea on how to help you there..
  • shadow2soul
    shadow2soul Posts: 7,692 Member
    Are you weighing your food?
    If not then you are probably eating more than you think.

    Are you logging your food here?
    If yes, can you please open your diary so people can have a look.
    If not, then again you could easily be eating more than you think.
  • vorgas
    vorgas Posts: 741 Member
    11 pounds in one month...

    3500 calories in a pound * 11 pounds = 38,500 calories / 30 days ~= 1280 calories per day.

    That's 1280 calories EXTRA over maintenance every day. If your maintenance is 1500 calories, that means you're eating 2780 calories per day. That's a lot of extra food.

    Some of that has to be water weight, or you're not logging even remotely accurately.
  • jenna_413
    jenna_413 Posts: 2
    I opened up my diary.
    Answering some of the suggestions:
    - I tend to go over the sugars limit quite often.
    - I don't drink a lot of water unless I work out. I drink about 3 cups of black tea daily though.
    - I don't weigh my food because my mom thinks it's stupid, but I think I eat pretty standard sized meals?
  • SLLRunner
    SLLRunner Posts: 12,942 Member
    Jenna,

    Welcome.

    My guess is you are eating more than you think you are. A gain of 11 pounds in a month is quite a lot.

    Wether you want to lose weight or maintain, I would suggest setting up your goals into MFP because then you will know your calorie goal. Be sure to log everything you eat and any exercise you do.

    Edited to add: I looked at your food diary. I notice you have some quick added calories. Be careful of those because the calorie content might be more than what we think. I also noticed you went over your calorie goal on some days. Once in awhile is not a big deal, but more often it can add up.

    Are you logging everything- I mean EVERY SINGLE THING--you put in your mouth-sugar or sweetener in your tea, on other things, mustard, mayonnaise, other condiments? This includes sodas, alcohol, juices, everything. Those calorie can add up pretty quickly.

    Try to drink more water if you can.

    Don't rely on MFP estimate for exercise. They are pretty high, I don't rely much on the machines at the gym unless they ask for my weight and age. I use my pedometer when I run,which has way lower calorie estimates than MFP and slightly lower than the treadmill.

    Most important of all, just make sure you eat enough to fuel your body.
  • Thockey123
    Thockey123 Posts: 6
    11 pounds is really weird after looking at what you've been eating. You really need to weigh your food, who cares what your mum thinks haha. It sounds like you are completely under estimating the amount of calories you're taking in as others have said. Once you start weighing your food you will be able to find out the problem. From looking at your diary, the types of food you are eating are fine, nothing wrong with them, they aren't the healthiest choice but you don't have to eat healthy to lose weight.

    Start making time for exercise, not finding time. There is ALWAYS time, I am a full time Uni student myself.
  • shadow2soul
    shadow2soul Posts: 7,692 Member
    1) Banana's will have a different amount of calories based on size. Example:
    (pulled from google, if you search for fruits and veggies the nutrition info pops up on the side)

    118g banana (roughly 7" to 7 7/8" long) is 105 calories
    101g banana (roughly 6" to 6 7/8" long) is 90 calories
    81 g banana (less than 6" long) is 72 calories

    Although there isn't much difference the little differences do add up. So say the day were you logged 2 bananas, if they happened to be 7" banana's that is an additional 30 calories that wasn't logged.

    2) Potato Chips:

    Depending on the size of the chips. It might only take 10 chips to equal a serving size of 28g. Or it could be 15 chips to equal that 28g. I have yet to find a bag of chips where every chip was the same size and it does make a difference in calories.

    Things I discovered when weighing food:

    - Bread is rarely cut evenly and as such some slices will have a few more calories than others.
    - A serving of peanut butter is a lot smaller than I once thought.
    - A serving of spinach is much bigger than I thought.


    The homemade dishes that are logged:
    Did you put the ingredients for that dish in the recipe builder or are you using someone else's entry?
    If your using another user's entry, the calorie count could be off unless your using the exact same ingredients that they are (although I'm not sure how you'd know if you are).
  • Mokey41
    Mokey41 Posts: 5,769 Member
    A lot of your foods are listed as homemade. How do you know for sure what the calories are? Nobody puts on 11 lbs in a month without eating more than they need for maintenance so I'd revisit your food items and really check that what are calculating is true.
  • WhyDelilah79
    WhyDelilah79 Posts: 54 Member
    Ignore your mum and weigh stuff. My partner thinks it's stupid too, but without weighing you don't know. If I take a banana to work I weigh it in the morning (and take a little off for skin, but not much).
    The main downfall I've had is my partner adding oil to cooking. One tablespoon of olive oil is about 150 calories! That can add lots on without you even realising.

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