Gaining weight?

JLJones_2010
JLJones_2010 Posts: 14
edited September 26 in Health and Weight Loss
I started MFP 17 days ago. I have been really watching what I eat and logging every little thing. Yet over the last few weigh-ins I have gained instead of lost! What could I be doing wrong? Maybe I need to adjust my sleeping? I even account what I drink. (coffee with sugar) I have completely quit drinking everything carbonated. I will NOT give up but its extremely frustrating! Any ideas? Maybe its getting close to my t.o.m. I just really don't know.

Replies

  • MonCheri
    MonCheri Posts: 7 Member
    I gained 2 pounds this week and I'm scratching my head as to how??? I've been working out hard at the gym and have been under my goal calories for most of the week..it's just so crazy. Not to get too personal, but it's not even that time of the month (water weight) so I have no idea.
  • sunshine79
    sunshine79 Posts: 758 Member
    Sorry to hear about your frustrations. You'd need to open your food diary so that we can see in order to give any advice though :smile:
  • cmriverside
    cmriverside Posts: 34,422 Member
    We need to know all about you to really make suggestions. First, make your Food Diary public.

    What is your
    age
    height
    weight
    goal weight
    activity level
    goal loss-per-week?
  • meggonkgonk
    meggonkgonk Posts: 2,066 Member
    How often do you weigh in? If you are taking your weight a few sucessive days, then it is likely that youre weight is still roughly the same- daily water flucutations make you heavier and lighter by as many as a few pounds over the course of the week (which is why you should be weighing in 1x a week if you can help it).

    Also to consider- are you meeting your calorie goals? Meaning the amount MFP recommends + the amount you log for exercise?
  • Ladyap28
    Ladyap28 Posts: 43
    Are you working out? My trainer told me that i may not see any weightloss right away because i am working out so i am building muscle and then i would start to see the inches slowly fall out then the pounds. I am trying to stay motivated as well and perhaps soon enough my MFP scale will start to move.

    Good luck
  • Hikaroo
    Hikaroo Posts: 16
    If you are exercising a lot, muscle weighs more than fat. So you could be losing fat, but gaining equal amounts of muscle.

    That is why, at almost 200 lbs, I do not look that weight. (Still look big, just not 200 lbs)
  • Mommy07inlove
    Mommy07inlove Posts: 21
    Everyones body reacts differently in the beginning of a change like diets and exercise...and your 1 body can react differently to the same hing at different times..if that makes any sense lol. I started a diet and exercise routine before and gained i think like 5 pounds before seen numbers going down.....are you eating enough cals?Excercising?and getting PLENTY of water?If you are doing what your body needs you should see it going down soon!!
  • meggonkgonk
    meggonkgonk Posts: 2,066 Member
    I gained 2 pounds this week and I'm scratching my head as to how??? I've been working out hard at the gym and have been under my goal calories for most of the week..it's just so crazy. Not to get too personal, but it's not even that time of the month (water weight) so I have no idea.

    This is a common mistake many people make when starting out:

    1) Working out very hard will make your muscles retain water to repair themselves. It is temporary, but common when starting a new workout.

    2) UNDER your calorie goal isn't always ideal. Your goal should be to meet it everyday- as much as you can. There is an equation on your homepage :

    GOAL FOOD - EXERCISE = NET your goal is to make the NET number MATCH the GOAL number.
  • JLJones_2010
    JLJones_2010 Posts: 14
    We need to know all about you to really make suggestions. First, make your Food Diary public.

    What is your
    age
    height
    weight
    goal weight
    activity level
    goal loss-per-week?

    Food diary is now public :)
    age: 29F
    height: 5'2"
    weight: 262
    goal weight: 160
    2lbs a week
  • skinnyjeanzbound
    skinnyjeanzbound Posts: 3,932 Member
    I was having a bad week--did a mid-week weigh in and was 4 lbs. more than my official weigh in last Sunday. I realized, however, that it was just bloating due to my TOM. Today when I did my weekly weigh in I was 1 lb. down from last Sunday.
  • nyd_12
    nyd_12 Posts: 12 Member
    It happens... it can be that you are retaining water... try to decrease your salt intake... eating cucumbers & tomatoes help with bloating.... all I can tell you is last year I did the HCG diet & I have taken some of the stuff from there & included it with my eating habits now. I have been able to keep the weight off. Also it's best to eat Granny Smith's green apples they help get rid of toxins. I hope this helps some but don't get discouraged. Have a great day!
  • waltrip2315
    waltrip2315 Posts: 5
    it all depends on your calorie intake...it set me at 1200 calories a day, of which i did faithfully and I too gained weight (starvation mode). I personally raised my calories and run an average of 10-12 miles a week and have spin class 1 night a week. So I think i have changed mine for the better. I stayed the same for about another week and then i lost 3 lbs.
  • meggonkgonk
    meggonkgonk Posts: 2,066 Member
    If you are exercising a lot, muscle weighs more than fat. So you could be losing fat, but gaining equal amounts of muscle.

    That is why, at almost 200 lbs, I do not look that weight. (Still look big, just not 200 lbs)

    Muscle is more dense than fat, but in just a week or two you won't gain enough muscle to make much of a difference to the scale. More likely is new workouts push your muscles and they retain water for repair.
  • JLJones_2010
    JLJones_2010 Posts: 14
    I weigh in every Sunday before I take my shower. I make sure everything is the same every week. I empty all bodily fluids. I drink 6-8 bottles of water a day. Plus gatorade if I am feeling parched. I don't actually do workouts due to the effects of an accident almost 2 years ago.
  • meggonkgonk
    meggonkgonk Posts: 2,066 Member
    My $.02?

    1) Turn on your sodium tracker- you are eating very processed foods and that they have pretty high sodium contents which will make your weight fluctuate like crazy. Try to drop the McD's- it will def help mellow your sodium out and a good portion of eggs or something protein-y will really help getting your metabolism going early on and keep you full.

    2) Up your calorie goal. 1200 is the minimum on here and you are often quite below it. Try aiming for 1300-1500 (plus your exercise calories) every day.

    3) Try to prepare more of your foods at home if you can find a way to. Processed foods really mess up your body's ability to digest and even though you will likely lose weight overall- you will see the scale spike and drop throughout the process.
  • twinsmommaplus1
    twinsmommaplus1 Posts: 25 Member
    I would say to try to eat more quality calories. Skip the fast foods, and convience items. Have a complex carbohydrate and protien at each meal. Try to eat 5-6 small meals. Think of have a fist and a half amount of food on your plate as a meal...not counting veggies.

    Some ideas,
    Egg whites
    Lean chicken breast
    Tuna
    Oatmeal
    Brown rice
    Sweet potatoes
    Broccoli

    I am happy to help you with meal ideas too!
  • Walt75
    Walt75 Posts: 182 Member
    From looking at your diary I see alot of fatty foods with lots of sodium. You might be retaining alot of water weight. Do you wake up in the middle of the night to go to the bathroom?
  • JLJones_2010
    JLJones_2010 Posts: 14
    how do you add the SW, CW, GW?
  • JLJones_2010
    JLJones_2010 Posts: 14
    From looking at your diary I see alot of fatty foods with lots of sodium. You might be retaining alot of water weight. Do you wake up in the middle of the night to go to the bathroom?

    I am a nighttime person. I go to the restroom a lot during the day anyways so I don't notice much of a difference. Yeah I am new at the whole dieting thing. My Dr recommended Water Aerobics but we do not have a local gym/pool here. I do walk 4 days a week but it's only about a mile.
  • eeeekie
    eeeekie Posts: 1,011 Member
    Try adding more fruit/veg and home-made stuff to your diet.

    Also you say you weigh in the same day, same time, before your shower. That's great. Are you sure you're not about to start your period? Track to see if you are because during this time (sometimes up to a week before) you can gain weight.
  • JLJones_2010
    JLJones_2010 Posts: 14
    If my period were consistent I would do that, but it comes and goes pretty much as it pleases. Every 3 weeks, or 4 weeks. Not much fun.
  • shreddingit
    shreddingit Posts: 1,133 Member
    your not tracking sugar or fiber...this needs to monitored carefully....sugar needs to be around 25-35gr and get enough fiber at least 30gr...
    track:
    sugar
    sodium
    fat
    fiber
    protein
  • cmriverside
    cmriverside Posts: 34,422 Member
    your not tracking sugar or fiber...this needs to monitored carefully....sugar needs to be around 25-35gr and get enough fiber at least 30gr...
    track:
    sugar
    sodium
    fat
    fiber
    protein

    Go to the "Printable" report on your Food Diary. I believe sugar and fiber and sodium are tracked by default on that page. Or, I've been tracking them so long I just think it's default....
  • cmriverside
    cmriverside Posts: 34,422 Member
    We need to know all about you to really make suggestions. First, make your Food Diary public.

    What is your
    age
    height
    weight
    goal weight
    activity level
    goal loss-per-week?

    Food diary is now public :)
    age: 29F
    height: 5'2"
    weight: 262
    goal weight: 160
    2lbs a week
    Great. . According to MFP's calculations you should be eating 1530 calories a day using these numbers. You should not try to eat less than that ever. There are many many threads here that discuss why. Start with these :

    http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/186814-some-mfp-basics

    http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/30898-bmr-vs-tdee-what-mfp-is-telling-you

    http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/9433-expectations

    http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/8977-your-body-s-thoughts-on-calories


    I agree with most of the other posters: you are not eating nearly enough. You are eating the wrong types of foods; including the Gatorade, which is just loaded with sodium. Processed food is high in sodium. Stick with one-ingredient foods as much as possible. Vegetables, fruit, dairy, lean meats, whole grains, nuts.

    Don't start focusing on the scale at this point, you know you have a lot to lose and it will discourage you to dwell on every single pound. You didn't gain it overnight, and you will not lose it overnight. A one hundred pound loss is going to mean you have to change everything about your way of looking at life. It is a learning process and will take time to create this new life. There will be some weeks when you gain, some you will lose, many more you will have little to no change. Don't get too obsessed with the scale. If you create a pattern of good eating and moderate exercise you will lose the weight. The beginning - where you are right now - is actually the easiest weight to lose.

    Patience is one of the most important aspects of this process! You can do it.


    edit to add meat, thx banks :tongue:
  • SHBoss1673
    SHBoss1673 Posts: 7,161 Member
    CHERYL!

    You forgot to add lean meats to that list. Silly lady (or is she a veggie and I missed it?). :tongue:
  • cmriverside
    cmriverside Posts: 34,422 Member
    oops, Lean Meat!!!!

    I use meat as a condiment - sorry Steve-O-Saurus.
  • SHBoss1673
    SHBoss1673 Posts: 7,161 Member
    oops, Lean Meat!!!!

    I use meat as a condiment - sorry Steve-O-Saurus.

    you mean like chicken breast pesto? :laugh:

    I crack me up.:drinker:
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