what am I doing wrong? need some inspiration this morning

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coopershanell
coopershanell Posts: 7 Member
in Getting Started
Good morning guys,
Im new to my fitness pal. Only an eight day streak. But ive been dieting for two weeks now. I woke up this morning and got on the scale and it says ive gained a pound. Im not sure how this can be and it has me so frustrated I just feel like giving up. Heres a little about myself. Im 25 5'3 and on june 2nd I weighed 230 pounds, by that sunday(I weigh myself every sunday) I weighed 222 pounds. But im sure that was just due to lose of water weight because in this two weeks time ive cut out all soda and juice. The only thing I drink is water. My goal is 1200 calories a day, im usually under that but never under 1000 calories a day. I assume thats not too bad cuz I definitely dont wanna go over my calories and I like to allow a little room just in case something I ate was more calories than I thought it was. My breakfast always consists of 1 bowl of special k with berries and 2% milk, my lunch is either a tuna or turkey sandwich on wheat bread or a salad with a piece of fruit. And dinner is some type of meat steamed in only water in a pan on my stove and one to two servings of a canned vegetable. I cut out all things white, no rice or mashed potatoes and I dance at high intensity EVERY NIGHT for 30 minutes, and also do crunches and a couple of other on the floor strength training exercises every night. Then I got on the scale this morning and I weight 223! How can that be? Someone please tell me what im doing wrong because ive been pushing myself so hard and not seeing any progress is making me feel like this is a battle I may never win..

Also 1 thing I do see is that im usually always over my sodium, which im sure comes from the canned veggies. But since salt has no calories, it shouldn't have made me gain weight, or could it?
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  • yarwell
    yarwell Posts: 10,477 Member
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    if your sodium intake is up and down the amount of water you retain may follow it, but you're right there's no calories and if your kidney's work they'll manage the sodium for you.

    Have you considered a protein / fat based breakfast like an omelette rather than a carb based cereal / skimmed milk. Something to try perhaps.

    Your diary is closed so can't say much more.
  • coopershanell
    coopershanell Posts: 7 Member
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    Ok diary open for business! Thanks for telling me it was closed. Being a new member I hadnt checked any of my settings. And no I haven't thought about a breakfast high in protein. I guess I was scared anything other than cereal and milk might add too much fat...
  • pope66682
    pope66682 Posts: 249 Member
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    It's probably just water weight. Sodium retains water. I don't know the exact numbers, but 100oz of water weighs roughly 6lbs. Lets say your sodium intake for the day should be 2000mg and that will hold 10% of the water, that would be about 0.5lbs (water weight). Now lets say you hit 6000mg of sodium in one day, that would be 3 times normal, 1.5lbs (water weight). So you would be about a pound heavier just because of sodium. BUT, that is only temporary weight. Easiest way to get that off is to sweat and eat less sodium. Watch your sodium and exercise this week, and dont be surprised if you lose even more next week.

    If you do canned veggies, try to get the no salt added ones. Your weight can also fluctuate throughout the day, so it depends what you drank, ate and when you weigh yourself. Also, if your eating better and exercising, you'll see and feel the difference. Weight it just a number :)

    Sorry for my math equation, hopefully that makes sense.
  • pope66682
    pope66682 Posts: 249 Member
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    Ok diary open for business! Thanks for telling me it was closed. Being a new member I hadnt checked any of my settings. And no I haven't thought about a breakfast high in protein. I guess I was scared anything other than cereal and milk might add too much fat...

    Look up good fat foods. Youll be surprised what you can eat that has high fat, but is actually good for you. Eggs, peanuts, peanut butter, avacados, fish etc...

    Heres a good list also: http://www.whfoods.com/foodstoc.php
  • JoanneLynn
    JoanneLynn Posts: 156 Member
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    Weight loss is not linear. Here is a link to get you started.
    http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/833026-important-posts-to-read

    Good luck on your journey!
  • sharyntg
    sharyntg Posts: 33
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    Always remember that what is really important is MASS, not WEIGHT. Water retention during initiation phases in weight loss is common and it hides the reality that you're actually losing weight. Water adds pounds, but only temporarily and what matters is what you see and feel. Remember too that muscle weighs more than fat and is slimmer and burns more calories. It's possible to build muscle and lose fat but weight the same or even more yet wear smaller sizes.

    What matters is what you see.
  • murph1349
    murph1349 Posts: 8 Member
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    ! looked at your diary and much of the food you eat is processed - canned, boxed, frozen, processed dairy, etc. Switch to fresh. For breakfast, don't have Special K with berries - have eggs, turkey bacon, whole grain bread (Ezekiel for example), fresh fruits, or oatmeal. For lunch and dinner - cook up some chicken or other meat and slice it for sandwiches or cube it to have with brown rice (or other whole grain - barely, farro, wheat berries, etc) or vegetable (fresh, not canned). There's lots of other lunch and dinner possibilities too of course, just throwing a couple out there.

    If you eliminate ALL processed foods for a week I think you'll see some real positive results and want to keep heading that way. Good luck!!
  • NessaR2011
    NessaR2011 Posts: 184 Member
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    I agree with all of the above posters plus.. this may be a personal question but have you thought about where you are on your cycle? I always gain about a pound back during ovulation and right before my period.
  • RaspberryKeytoneBoondoggle
    RaspberryKeytoneBoondoggle Posts: 1,349 Member
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    ! looked at your diary and much of the food you eat is processed - canned, boxed, frozen, processed dairy, etc. Switch to fresh. For breakfast, don't have Special K with berries - have eggs, turkey bacon, whole grain bread (Ezekiel for example), fresh fruits, or oatmeal. For lunch and dinner - cook up some chicken or other meat and slice it for sandwiches or cube it to have with brown rice (or other whole grain - barely, farro, wheat berries, etc) or vegetable (fresh, not canned). There's lots of other lunch and dinner possibilities too of course, just throwing a couple out there.

    If you eliminate ALL processed foods for a week I think you'll see some real positive results and want to keep heading that way. Good luck!!

    Or... Keep doing what you are doing because it IS working and you are not doing anything wrong. Read that link someone posted, and calculate your approximate TDEE if you haven't do e so already.

    You are doing well. I lost about 1/2 a pound or less a week when I was losing. My scale often goes up and down by 3 to 5 pounds. Lucky for me, I trust my methods and don't make drastic changes to my plan every time the scale says I gained a few. It's my logging and measuring of food that gives me the most reliable information, rather than the scale.
  • RaspberryKeytoneBoondoggle
    RaspberryKeytoneBoondoggle Posts: 1,349 Member
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    I think you should keep having Special K and milk for breakfast because it is what YOU LIKE. I like peanut butter or almond butter and bread every day for my breakfast:)
  • ceande985
    ceande985 Posts: 1
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    I noticed everyone has been commenting on your sodium intake but it sounds like you have been exercising quite a bit as well. That pound of weight gain could be muscle mass because muscle weighs more than fat :) Taking body measurements can be a more accurate way to track your weight loss because of water weight and muscle gain factors. I do have to agree on cutting back on processed foods at least a little though, an easy way would be to use frozen veggies instead of canned this would drastically decrease your sodium intake. Keep up the good work!
  • VTRutz
    VTRutz Posts: 52 Member
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    I also find when I dont eat enough (like when I am hitting my calories but not accounting for what i burn while working out and going too low) that my body tends to stall and hang on to everything. When I work out hard, I up my calories 200 or so and I almost always see the weight come back down.
  • CorydonCutie22
    CorydonCutie22 Posts: 33
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    Where you are in your cycle can also cause your weight to fluctuate. I know I'm always a pound or two heavier before mine. Hope that helps and good luck to you. If you want a friend to talk to, you can add me. I've only been dieting a week or two as well.
  • jkal1979
    jkal1979 Posts: 1,896 Member
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    The only thing I can really see that might be an issue is how you are logging things. Make separate entries for the cereal and the milk. It also might be a good idea to get a food scale to weigh solids instead of using measuring cups. Measuring in ounces and grams will help you be a lot more accurate with your calorie intake. Also make sure to compare the Nutritional Information on the package with what is in the database. Sometimes entries can be outdated or incorrect.

    If you are worried about the amount of sodium in canned veggies look into switching to frozen. There is a big difference in the sodium content.
  • FitnessInstructorKhalil
    FitnessInstructorKhalil Posts: 43 Member
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    Hi, you need to cut out the carbs from your breakfast as the carbs is stored as fat and protein is not stored. So a can of tuna for breakfast will be good, no more than 30g of protein per serving though. Eating what you like wont help you, i love fried chicken but its bad for my regimen, as nice as your breakfast is, you'll need to give it up. That's the challenge of fat loss, the best things for you wont always be what you like nor the ones that taste the best. Your full diet will need to be high in protein and low in carbs. No fried chicken, take the skin off the grilled chicken, no more than 30g of protein per meal (average sized chicken breast) ????
  • coopershanell
    coopershanell Posts: 7 Member
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    Wow thanx. That makes alot of sense
  • coopershanell
    coopershanell Posts: 7 Member
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    My cycle starts in about 3 days. I didnt kno u can gain pounds before your cycle starts. Thanx
  • coopershanell
    coopershanell Posts: 7 Member
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    Great. I actually felt like my pants fit a little better but I thought maybe it was only in my mind since the scale didnt reflect weight loss
  • missiontofitness
    missiontofitness Posts: 4,074 Member
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    Hi, you need to cut out the carbs from your breakfast as the carbs is stored as fat and protein is not stored. So a can of tuna for breakfast will be good, no more than 30g of protein per serving though. Eating what you like wont help you, i love fried chicken but its bad for my regimen, as nice as your breakfast is, you'll need to give it up. That's the challenge of fat loss, the best things for you wont always be what you like nor the ones that taste the best. Your full diet will need to be high in protein and low in carbs. No fried chicken, take the skin off the grilled chicken, no more than 30g of protein per meal (average sized chicken breast) ????

    Why are you still spreading misinformation to users on this website?
    There's no need to cut ANYTHING out of your intake. Moderation is key.
  • coopershanell
    coopershanell Posts: 7 Member
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    Only three days away actually

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