Help! I'm new

katalexandra7
katalexandra7 Posts: 14
in Health and Weight Loss
Hi :)
So I am really confused and could do with your help. Up until this point I really thought I understood weightloss and calories and the human body!
So I started university at the end of September and was 8 stone (I'm 5"2 and 19) and to get anywhere I have to walk at least half an hour uphill. So every day I do that much walking at least. I don't party much so maybe drink once or twice a week and because I'm a lightweight it's never much alcohol. I don't exceed a normal amount of calories even though it's not through the best of foods at times (probably about 1500 calories a day maybe 1900 on more strenuous days- if I'm hungry I'll eat), so after two months I have gained A STONE! How is this?! My clothes all fit, there's no change there, I'm also a cheerleader so get a bit of exercise from that (it's only once a week to train), my body measurements did change but are back to about what they were before uni, so 24-25 inch waist and 33 inch hips.
Why do you think I've gained this stone? I tried eating healthy for weeks now but NOTHING has happened. Is it possible that I've gained any muscle? But I thought muscle weighs less than fat?
Help please! I don't understand :( any tips on how to shift the pounds would also be greatly appreciated :)

Replies

  • randomtai
    randomtai Posts: 9,003 Member
    Why do you think I've gained this stone?

    Because you ate more than you burned.

    Read this thread:

    http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/1080242-a-guide-to-get-you-started-on-your-path-to-sexypants
  • katalexandra7
    katalexandra7 Posts: 14
    Why do you think I've gained this stone?

    Because you ate more than you burned.

    Read this thread:

    http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/1080242-a-guide-to-get-you-started-on-your-path-to-sexypants

    But this is why I'm asking the question because I haven't eaten more than I've burned which is what I've explained...
  • LyndzilooLand
    LyndzilooLand Posts: 2
    Have you been checked for any thyroid problems. It runs in my family so I know it makes you gain weight. Also use the food calculators on here it shocked me how many calories I was eating a day when I started doing it.

    Hope this helps
  • randomtai
    randomtai Posts: 9,003 Member
    Why do you think I've gained this stone?

    Because you ate more than you burned.

    Read this thread:

    http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/1080242-a-guide-to-get-you-started-on-your-path-to-sexypants

    But this is why I'm asking the question because I haven't eaten more than I've burned which is what I've explained...

    How do you know exactly what you were eating? Did you weigh your food? Log?
  • katalexandra7
    katalexandra7 Posts: 14
    Have you been checked for any thyroid problems. It runs in my family so I know it makes you gain weight. Also use the food calculators on here it shocked me how many calories I was eating a day when I started doing it.

    Hope this helps
    I got checked for this when I used to get dizzy a lot- my thymine levels were good.
    I used to use Calorie Count (the app) and would log my food, it's also hard to actually eat a lot because I wake up at about 12pm (oops--student life) and walk which is at least 100 calories, then I only eat pasta (I don't like sauces) and then meat with veg because I'm really fussy and couldn't cook any complex meals because I'm lazy and hate cooking/washing up!
  • ndj1979
    ndj1979 Posts: 29,136 Member
    do you weigh/measure all food and log everything you eat?
  • LyndzilooLand
    LyndzilooLand Posts: 2
    Get them checked again/speak to your doctor apparently it can start at any time or it might be some other hormone imbalance or something. Also I know certain contraceptives can make us put on weight so maybe look at those too.

    Haha yes I lived on pasta and pizza in first year!!! I found I put on alot of weight eating those so I started clean eating as often as possible/until I caved in to pizza. If I am in a rush/too tired to cook from scratch I have those birdseye microwaveable fish and birdseye microwaveable veg lol! When I was eating those often I lost loads! Theres loads of healthy one pot meals on bbc good food as well! They are dead easy to do! Just click on health section and then the one pot meals bit inside that!

    But I would definately try and use the MFP food counter I remember eating a pizza once not thinking about anything, I scanned the barcode and it was over 1000 calories I nearly choked lol!
  • bwogilvie
    bwogilvie Posts: 2,130 Member
    I used to use Calorie Count (the app) and would log my food, it's also hard to actually eat a lot because I wake up at about 12pm (oops--student life) and walk which is at least 100 calories, then I only eat pasta (I don't like sauces) and then meat with veg because I'm really fussy and couldn't cook any complex meals because I'm lazy and hate cooking/washing up!

    As others have asked: are you using a scale to weigh your food?

    A standard serving of pasta (2 oz/57 g) has 200 calories. But few people eat that little (that's under an eighth of a 500g box); most eat 2 or 3 "servings" if pasta is the main dish. There's a reason why pasta dinners are standard meals for marathon runners, endurance cyclists, etc. on the night before an event: it's a great way to get lots of carbohydrate calories, quickly.

    Meat can have lots of calories, too, as does cheese, butter, etc. If you're frying it, you need to add the calories from the frying oil.

    And are you drinking beer, lager, or cider? A pint of relatively weak bitter is around 182 calories; a pint of lager is 233 calories and a pint of cider is 240 (source: https://www.weightlossresources.co.uk/logout/news_features/alcohol.htm; I think some of their estimates are lowballing it, especially with the more potent beers). Wine is just as bad: a 175-ml class of wine has over 150 calories. Liquid calories can add up, and they don't trigger the hormones that produce satiety in the same way that solid food does.

    At the end of the day, if you're gaining weight, you're consuming more calories than you are expending. You might be putting on a little muscle, but realistically, nowhere near that much.
  • katalexandra7
    katalexandra7 Posts: 14
    I used to use Calorie Count (the app) and would log my food, it's also hard to actually eat a lot because I wake up at about 12pm (oops--student life) and walk which is at least 100 calories, then I only eat pasta (I don't like sauces) and then meat with veg because I'm really fussy and couldn't cook any complex meals because I'm lazy and hate cooking/washing up!

    As others have asked: are you using a scale to weigh your food?

    A standard serving of pasta (2 oz/57 g) has 200 calories. But few people eat that little (that's under an eighth of a 500g box); most eat 2 or 3 "servings" if pasta is the main dish. There's a reason why pasta dinners are standard meals for marathon runners, endurance cyclists, etc. on the night before an event: it's a great way to get lots of carbohydrate calories, quickly.

    Meat can have lots of calories, too, as does cheese, butter, etc. If you're frying it, you need to add the calories from the frying oil.

    And are you drinking beer, lager, or cider? A pint of relatively weak bitter is around 182 calories; a pint of lager is 233 calories and a pint of cider is 240 (source: https://www.weightlossresources.co.uk/logout/news_features/alcohol.htm; I think some of their estimates are lowballing it, especially with the more potent beers). Wine is just as bad: a 175-ml class of wine has over 150 calories. Liquid calories can add up, and they don't trigger the hormones that produce satiety in the same way that solid food does.

    At the end of the day, if you're gaining weight, you're consuming more calories than you are expending. You might be putting on a little muscle, but realistically, nowhere near that much.

    My mum's a chef and has taught me to weigh stuff always (Refuse to learn to cook although I do have some natural talent--just showing off ;)) and I eat about a serving of pasta, sometimes less. I also don't use frying all ever because that's why we have non-stick pans now :D Meat has a lot of calories, I know, but if I need to eat a lot of them then it's not exactly going to cause me to gain much when I only have one breast fillet of chicken or a seabass fillet for dinner (already has calorie info from the store) and with chicken I roast it in tinfoil and that's all and seabass just whop it in the pan, sometimes eat a potato with it.

    I know alcohol is bad but upon recollection I think beer was the issue. I don't drink much and when I go out have 2-3 drinks of just vodka which is lower cals. But towards the end of term I drank so much beer just relaxing because I was stressed. Maybe it did this to me!!
    Thanks for the advice :D
  • Valdolen
    Valdolen Posts: 6 Member
    thought muscle weighs less than fat?

    Muscle weighs more than fat. It's leaner and more condensed. I am sure this is what happened. It sounds like your activity level has changed and I am sure you just gained more muscle (: I hope this is comforting.

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