What in the World is Going On?

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sapphire1166
sapphire1166 Posts: 114 Member
in Health and Weight Loss
I'm only 10 days in to logging my calories, and I have been meticulous about weighing, portion sizes, etc. I've only "really" gone over my calories on my birthday, and my other very small overages were made up with lighter eating days. At a starting weight of 237 lbs at 5' 8", I've been going for a 2 lbs weight loss a week and am at about 1200 calories a day. After 4 days I had lost 4 lbs and was excited, but knew a lot of that was probably water weight. I drink one diet soda a day, and the rest is water (although I don't usually log my liquids).

However, I stepped on the scale this morning and I'm back at my starting weight! A little over it, in fact. I'm not exercising, so it's not muscle gain. The ONLY possible explanation I can think of is that I'm due to start my cycle in 10 days, but I would have thought any bloating from that would start a few days before, not 10.

I'm not completely discouraged and will continue trying to eat well, but I'm wondering if anyone has any possible explanations for why I'd be at a higher weight than my starting point?

Replies

  • Liftng4Lis
    Liftng4Lis Posts: 15,150 Member
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    Water retention at TOM. Also, if your liquids are coffee, tea or water (NO sugar), it's fine to not log, but anything else, I would.
  • mizroxy13
    mizroxy13 Posts: 466 Member
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    It could be a couple of things. One, it looks like you're eating a really low amount of calories which would stall your metabolism. If you truly are eating 1000-1100 calories a day, you are backing yourself into a corner. I also agree with Liftng4Lis about the beverages and also about accounting for foods properly. I only say that because the sweets I see in your diary seem to have very few calories. Banana bread is usually upwards of 350-400+ calories per slice. Perhaps you are eating a healthy version, but if not it seems like a really low calorie estimate. I always estimate higher and am honest about my intake (I used to disregard a bite here and there which adds up quickly).

    Also, this website should help understand your proper calorie intake...which should be more than 1100 calories. Once I started using the IIFYM/TDEE calculators, I started dropping weight.

    http://iifym.com/iifym-calculator/
  • cincysweetheart
    cincysweetheart Posts: 892 Member
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    If you can lose 4 pounds in 4 days of water weight… what makes you think you can't also gain that much in water weight? I once "gained" 3 pounds in 12 hours. Fluctuations are NORMAL! Daily fluctuations and even weekly fluctuations. And fluctuations seem to be especially present early on (it was for me). Ten days is hardly enough time to judge anything by.

    And if you're nearing your TOM… that's obviously another very real possibility.

    If you really are spot on with your weighing and measuring of all foods (absolutely start accurately logging all liquids)… then relax! You are most likely dealing with water weight and/or other aspects that affect your weight. I would suggest only weighing yourself once a week… at most. And make sure it's the same day… same time of day… same clothing (if any) each time. It will help you get a better feel for real losses/gains versus the fluctuations that are so common. And it will save you a TON of sanity!
  • FoodieMotion
    FoodieMotion Posts: 78 Member
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    5ft 8 and 1200 calories a day? You're potentially eating too little as well (MFP does estimate a bit low).

    Don't freak out at the scales. Cycle is probably a really good reason, I find that I might gain a week before sometimes.

    Just keep going and see what happens next week.
  • sapphire1166
    sapphire1166 Posts: 114 Member
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    Thanks everyone! MizRoxy, I was eating a healthy version of banana bread with Splenda and applesauce (not nearly as good as non-healthy!). I'll start logging all my liquids.

    Do you guys think I should up my calories to 1400 or so? Multiple websites where I calculated my caloric needs say around 1200 (sedentary lifestyle), but I definitely think first-hand experience is way better to go by.

    Also, I sort of assumed that any water weight due to TOM would come later on, not 10 days before I'm due (especially since I'm on the pill). Perhaps I'm wrong?
  • mymodernbabylon
    mymodernbabylon Posts: 1,038 Member
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    Sedentary means that you pretty much don't move around hardly at all. Are you at a complete desk job and doing almost nothing else to move around at all? Have you checked out the TDEE calculators at Scooby Workshop? Might be worth it just to see if you should eat more:
    http://scoobysworkshop.com/calorie-calculator/
  • mizroxy13
    mizroxy13 Posts: 466 Member
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    Girl, I show a bunch of weight gain on the scale when I ovulate (tmi?..haha), so you're probably right on the money. Track your liquids if they're caloric for sure and you might be surprised.

    Yah, it looks like you should be eating around 1800 according to TDEE calculations. I'm 5'7 and almost ten years older and eat roughly 1500 and still lose. Everyone is very different, of course, but just to help you better understand/gauge.

    Also, that bread sounds yum!
  • sapphire1166
    sapphire1166 Posts: 114 Member
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    Yes, at the moment I work at a desk job all day and do very little activity outside of work, so the "sedentary" description fits me perfectly. I KNOW I need to add exercise in, but that's a beast I'll tackle when I start making some progress handling my eating and am in a better mental state.

    Currently, I don't really feel "hungry" on 1200 calories a day. I eat something almost every 2 hours, so I never get a huge drop between meals. If I'm feeling okay eating this many calories should I just continue and hope the weight eventually drops, or do you think my body is rebelling and it's better to increase my calories?
  • MinnieInMaine
    MinnieInMaine Posts: 6,400 Member
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    The TOM water weight thing is different for everyone. Hell, I've noticed it can even be different depending on the month. Sometimes it's worse during ovulation (which, at 10 days out, you might be at right now), sometimes it's a few days before TOM, sometimes it's the first few days of TOM. The great thing about tracking is that you can start using the food notes area or somewhere else, and keep a history to learn how your body works. Just because you're on the pill doesn't mean all the side effects of hormone fluctuations go away. I've been on BC for years and still get cramps and bloating and get *****y. :)

    Took a quick peek at our diary and your sodium was a bit high a couple days ago - you could still be working on moving that along. Drink a bit more water, maybe even some hot tea, and give it a few more days.

    P.S. I think you should give your current settings a bit more time, especially since you feel ok at your current calories. Give it at least a couple more weeks and see how things go.
  • kshadows
    kshadows Posts: 1,315 Member
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    Yes, at the moment I work at a desk job all day and do very little activity outside of work, so the "sedentary" description fits me perfectly. I KNOW I need to add exercise in, but that's a beast I'll tackle when I start making some progress handling my eating and am in a better mental state.

    Currently, I don't really feel "hungry" on 1200 calories a day. I eat something almost every 2 hours, so I never get a huge drop between meals. If I'm feeling okay eating this many calories should I just continue and hope the weight eventually drops, or do you think my body is rebelling and it's better to increase my calories?

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

    A great place to get started.
  • Deadlay
    Deadlay Posts: 135 Member
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    I'm only 10 days in

    Give your program a chance to work. If you go changing things too often you'll have no idea what works and what doesn't.
  • emdeesea
    emdeesea Posts: 1,823 Member
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    Here's a great calculator to use. I've been using it and it's working like a charm. Eating 1,200 is nowhere near enough. I'd starve!

    http://scoobysworkshop.com/calorie-calculator/

    I'm eating around 1,500+ daily, more on exercise days, less on rest days. The weight loss is slow, but it's a loss, and that's what matters.

    Added: The gain is probably TOM. I gain about 3-4 pounds of water every month. It's the bane of every woman's existence, unfortunately. Additionally, personally I find that when I eat higher carbs, I tend to retain more water. So I try to keep both sodium and carbs a bit lower for the most part. I don't always succeed, but I try. It seems to help bloating overall.
  • jnv7594
    jnv7594 Posts: 983 Member
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    You might try changing your goals, which would raise your calories. Honestly, I know it sounds backwards, but sometimes you have to eat more to lose weight. I saw in your diary that there were some days you weren't even hitting 1200 calories. That could possibly be the culprit. I hit a plateau not long ago and was ready to quit. Instead of quitting, I tried some advice here and changed my goals and raised my calories by about 500. Almost right away I started losing weight again and have been losing weight steadily again since then.
  • Fit_Fox88
    Fit_Fox88 Posts: 410 Member
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    Thanks everyone! MizRoxy, I was eating a healthy version of banana bread with Splenda and applesauce (not nearly as good as non-healthy!). I'll start logging all my liquids.

    Do you guys think I should up my calories to 1400 or so? Multiple websites where I calculated my caloric needs say around 1200 (sedentary lifestyle), but I definitely think first-hand experience is way better to go by.

    Also, I sort of assumed that any water weight due to TOM would come later on, not 10 days before I'm due (especially since I'm on the pill). Perhaps I'm wrong?

    I would drop your weight loss goals to 1lb per week. At the beginning 2 lbs sounds great- I've been there, done that and failed. 1200 calorie diets are not the ultimate answer. Try upping your calories and see how you feel. Also, do a little exercise. Do you literally sit all day or do you get up to go to the copier/break room, bathroom, talk to people, etc.? I would consider changing your activity level to lightly active. Unless you are just literally lying in bed all day not moving, you are not living a sedentary lifestyle.

    And, as someone else mentioned, it's only been 10 days. That's not nearly enough time for any changes to be noticeable. You have to stick with it. Try taking a walk after work, even if it's just for 10 minutes. Then over time make it longer. Regardless of what you do, stick with it for a solid month, at least, and then evaluate where you're at. Don't weigh everyday, shoot for one day a week. Daily fluctuations are normal and really can bring you down when you think you're doing great then the scale shows a gain.

    Feel free to add me! And good luck!

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