Why am i gaining weight?

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Myamya123
Myamya123 Posts: 30 Member
in Health and Weight Loss
Hi, so i go on and off eating completely clean. However these past 4-5 days i have been so strict and have been around 50-100 cals under my 1500 limit. My starting weight was 162lbs after weighing myself this morning i am 166lbs. I just dont understand why i could be gaining weight when i have been eating so well. Any thoughts? Thanks
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Replies

  • AllieGeorge23
    AllieGeorge23 Posts: 26
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    Open your diary. :)
  • Myamya123
    Myamya123 Posts: 30 Member
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    how do i do that?
  • AllieGeorge23
    AllieGeorge23 Posts: 26
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    http://www.myfitnesspal.com/account/diary_settings

    change to make public.
  • Myamya123
    Myamya123 Posts: 30 Member
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    ok done
  • arrseegee
    arrseegee Posts: 575 Member
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    Your diary looks good so I would recommend keep at it for longer than 4-5 days, that's hardly any time at all and the increase to 166 is likely just normal fluctuations. Check it again in a week and if it's still static then post again and see what responses you get.
  • mhc100g
    mhc100g Posts: 3 Member
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    I would wait for a couple months to see if this is a trend or just an outlier. Meaning, you really can't tell much from one point in time. It may be hormonal, it may be activity, caloric intake...it could be anything. I remember during my bachelors degree (which was along time ago, btw ....lol) we discussed this in ex phys class and the thought was the inflammation process can incease fluid retention during the first 6 weeks of training or so. As a result, the body can physically gain weight during this time. Once the body begins to accomodate the stress, the cortisol levels decrease, and the reaction ceases. I am not saying this is WHAT it is...just throwing out ideas. Of course, you should re-check your calculations and make sure you are eating the right amounts, etc.
    Always give yourself something to be positive of...even on a bad day/week/month. Taking measurements (something I am terrible at) can also help you as the weight may be up or the same, but the measurements may be better. Another thing you can do if available is blood work to show you are improving physiologically.

    So...don't give up. You know this is not a sprint. Look for trends :)
  • auddii
    auddii Posts: 15,357 Member
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    Are you weighing your food to make sure it's accurate? You have 4oz of chicken breast, but I find they're usually much larger than that these days (and that entry may be for raw weight, not cooked), and some of your entries say "homemade". The calories for those can be wrong, so I like to use the recipe builder or log taco components separately.

    That said, in one week, it's likely just water weight. Is you time of the month coming up? I always put on a few pounds the week before, and it doesn't drop off until the week after. I didn't see anything overly salting, but sometimes we just retain water, and there isn't a clear reason. Give it a few more weeks; likely the weight will drop off again. There is no way you would be able to gain 4lbs in a week. You would have to eat 14000 calories above maintenance for it to be fat, and there's just no way you did that.
  • eldamiano
    eldamiano Posts: 2,667 Member
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    Must try harder. Dont believe the cosy excuses such as water weight. They dont help. Losing weight is about being tough with yourself. Prepare yourself for the worst but most likely reason - you probably arent recording properly.
  • auddii
    auddii Posts: 15,357 Member
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    Must try harder. Dont believe the cosy excuses such as water weight. They dont help. Losing weight is about being tough with yourself. Prepare yourself for the worst but most likely reason - you probably arent recording properly.
    Leave it to a man to say women don't gain water weight when on their period. Just ignore hormones and their effects on your body. Whatever.
  • mumblemagic
    mumblemagic Posts: 1,090 Member
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    Read this thread:

    http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/872212-you-re-probably-eating-more-than-you-think

    The figure for fajitas doesn't look right to me - when I make them, the tortilla is about what you have quoted, but the sour cream, chicken etc, are on top of that.

    100g for a pork loin steak is quite small - typically the sizes I've eaten are more like 200 - 250 g.

    Weigh everything!

    Also, drink lots of water! And 2 lbs could just be a small variation, you have to weigh in at the same time of day, preferably after peeing, naked, with dry hair, and make sure that you use the exact same spot on your bathroom floor each time to put your scales on - even slight variations in whether the floor is level can change the scale reading by a lb or 2 which is fine providing you are consistent with the spot you use.
  • Tedebearduff
    Tedebearduff Posts: 1,155 Member
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    Hi, so i go on and off eating completely clean. However these past 4-5 days i have been so strict and have been around 50-100 cals under my 1500 limit. My starting weight was 162lbs after weighing myself this morning i am 166lbs. I just dont understand why i could be gaining weight when i have been eating so well. Any thoughts? Thanks

    Seeing your diary doesn't matter ... doing something for 4-5 days you wont see a difference even if you see the number drop odds are its not actually fat.

    Anyways you need to be more realistic and chill, this is a marathon not a sprint.

    Just because you try hard at work for 4-5 days doesn't mean someones going to notice and give you raise in those 4-5 days, you have to do it day in and day out.

    P.S I hate questions like these
  • lorizimmerman58
    lorizimmerman58 Posts: 1
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    I started a 1200. cal diet last Thurs, quit sugar, I was probably eating at least 3000 cal previously. I weighed myself this morning and I have GAINED 2lbs! So......... you are not alone. My theory is that my body thinks I am going to starve and wants to store as much fat as possible right now. I am not going to give up, let your body adjust to the new calories you are eating and keep going, I think it will all catch up in the next week or two. I hope my theory is correct!!!!!!
  • Myamya123
    Myamya123 Posts: 30 Member
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    thanks, its just frustrating, could it possibly be from coffee? i drink quite a bit. I just see when i dont try i keep at the same weight but when i try i gain its confusing. I do have a scale i have been using maybe ill track everything separately then
  • mumblemagic
    mumblemagic Posts: 1,090 Member
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    Must try harder. Dont believe the cosy excuses such as water weight. They dont help. Losing weight is about being tough with yourself. Prepare yourself for the worst but most likely reason - you probably arent recording properly.
    Leave it to a man to say women don't gain water weight when on their period. Just ignore hormones and their effects on your body. Whatever.

    Agreed.

    Also both men and women can gain water weight just by not drinking enough water (paradoxically).
  • mumblemagic
    mumblemagic Posts: 1,090 Member
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    I started a 1200. cal diet last Thurs, quit sugar, I was probably eating at least 3000 cal previously. I weighed myself this morning and I have GAINED 2lbs! So......... you are not alone. My theory is that my body thinks I am going to starve and wants to store as much fat as possible right now. I am not going to give up, let your body adjust to the new calories you are eating and keep going, I think it will all catch up in the next week or two. I hope my theory is correct!!!!!!

    Sorry love but this is boll*cks. Please read this:
    http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/1077746-starvation-mode-adaptive-thermogenesis-and-weight-loss
  • MinnieInMaine
    MinnieInMaine Posts: 6,400 Member
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    4-5 days isn't really long enough to know whether or not your new eating habits are working.

    It very well could be water weight from a week ago (sometimes it's quick, sometimes it takes a week or two). Your sodium intake isn't too bad but how is your water intake? You're not logging that so it's hard to tell. If you're not hardly drinking anything, even sodkum intake around the limit will cause retention, especially if you're sensitive. I've learned through tracking that I'm quite sensitive to this kind of inbalance and it can take up to a week to get things back to normal, especially with other things involved like time of month (TOM) or heavy exercise induced water/glycogen retention.

    As others suggested...are you weighing/measuring your food or just guesstimating? Guesstimating has its place from time to time but if you have no clue what a serving size really is, it can pay to weigh things, at least at first. And it's amazing how much you may be overeating without knowing the difference.
  • mumblemagic
    mumblemagic Posts: 1,090 Member
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    thanks, its just frustrating, could it possibly be from coffee? i drink quite a bit. I just see when i dont try i keep at the same weight but when i try i gain its confusing. I do have a scale i have been using maybe ill track everything separately then

    It is so frustrating isn't it? I've been tracking my weight every day for the last week or so as an experiment. The general trend is down, but even weighing at the same time each day it can fluctuate by up to a kg (i.e. 2 lbs) day by day.
  • mccindy72
    mccindy72 Posts: 7,001 Member
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    Must try harder. Dont believe the cosy excuses such as water weight. They dont help. Losing weight is about being tough with yourself. Prepare yourself for the worst but most likely reason - you probably arent recording properly.
    Leave it to a man to say women don't gain water weight when on their period. Just ignore hormones and their effects on your body. Whatever.

    Agreed.

    Also both men and women can gain water weight just by not drinking enough water (paradoxically).

    Also both men and women can gain water weight by working their muscles harder, eating too much sodium, eating too many carbs, and hormonal fluctuations (yes, men have hormones too). one week really isn't enough time to determine whether your eating is creating enough of a deficit for you to lose weight, just by watching the scale. "Eating clean" really isn't the issue, it's how many total calories you consume in a day. Get a food scale, weigh and measure everything you eat, then you'll have a much more accurate calorie count.
  • littleburgy
    littleburgy Posts: 570 Member
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    you probably arent recording properly.

    FTFY

    The rest of that poster's quote is not necessary or helpful.
    I also suspect the "cozy excuse" (whatever that is) of possible water weight. Unless you ate 12,000 calories over your limit this week, that weight is not fat.
  • otillie03103
    otillie03103 Posts: 107 Member
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    My body tends to hold onto a lot of water when I start cutting back and for about a week, nothing and then one day I pee none stop and it's like my body finally gives in to the change. The next day I am down 3 lbs. It's crazy. Keep at it and it will happen.

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