no weight loss

sheggymarie
sheggymarie Posts: 13
edited September 26 in Health and Weight Loss
Why haven't I lost any weight? I have actually gained 5 pounds. Can someone help me out on this. I made my diary public so anyone can check it. I changed my lifestyle choice from sedentary to light active because I thought maybe I wasn't getting enough calories. I've been trying to get in my water requirements. Could it be that my body is holding onto water because it was so dehydrated (really ws) before hand? Could It because i'm building a little muscle in my legs? Can anyone please look at my diary and see what you think? After having gastric bypass 4 years ago and lossing 130 pounds, then to gain 40 of them back, I am extremely nervous about gaining.


I've been counting calories, and sticking with the plan. Have been exercising even though I am in excrutiating pain when doing so, I just want to know its worth it.

I know my tastes are changing because that big mac yesterday was disgusting.

PLEASE any input would be great.

Replies

  • widmanab01
    widmanab01 Posts: 14 Member
    What are you doing when you exercise? It's not good that you are in such pain. It could be that you are gaining muscle before you are losing fat, which would account for the weight gain.

    I looked at your diary as well. Remember that calories are not the most important thing. What is in the calories is the most important. Try to not eat processed foods, soo much sodium and chemicals! That will def cause you to hold water and feel bloated. Try making a sandwich and bringing a price of fruit and some nuts for lunch or something. That is what I do to try to stay away from processed.
  • Mmmary212
    Mmmary212 Posts: 410 Member
    I noticed for myself, when I consumed too much sugar and carbs in addition to the sodium, my body held on to water. But when I monitor those and keep them as low as I can, I've reduced my water retention tremendously. It didnt matter how much water (or Diurex (water pills) I had...my body would not let go. It's like night and day.
  • I don't mean to sound like a b#$&* but the big mac is probably more or close to all of the calories you should eat in a day... :)
  • Galathea
    Galathea Posts: 420 Member
    Looking at your diary it's possible (of course that's only my opinion) you get too much sodium in, which would explain why your body is holding on to water and you're gaining. Watch it next to fat/carbs/protein to be sure you don't get more than 2500 mg a day.
    It is possible you gained a bit muscle mass, but in no way could this be 5 lbs in such a short time while being on a calorie deficit. I seriously think it's water, which means you will have to drink even more, so your body starts releasing it again. Hope that helps a bit.
  • I have chronic pain from severe plantar fasciitis. I'm in physical therapy for it because the drs want to do surgery, and I definately am not going to do that. I can't do any other exercise because it puts too much pressure on my feet. In addition to the platar fasciitis, my feet in general cause me a great deal of pain. I've been dealing with the plantar fasciitis since the beginning of Jan. I've had injections, and worn a boot for 2 months. PT seems to be helping some. But, I'm still in a lot of pain. I have an appointment with a pain management specialist next week to see if he can help me. So, any exercise I do will be painful, the bike is the least pain causing, Thank you for asking. And for your comments.
  • Mmmary212
    Mmmary212 Posts: 410 Member
    540 calories in a big mac is all one needs in a day? Check the stats before you criticize. If you don't want to sound like a B, then dont..
  • I don't mean to sound like a b#$&* but the big mac is probably more or close to all of the calories you should eat in a day... :)

    Oh, I know the big mac was a bad choice, but since it fit in caloric wise i thought I would try it. It was nasty. And i didn't finish it, which left me hungry, so I grabbled the leftover chicken nuggets. Yes, one of my weaker moments.

    Tonight will be a challenge because it's my daughters birthday and she wants to go to cicis pizza. I already looked up nutritional info for that.
  • Lexie28
    Lexie28 Posts: 219
    How active are you? I go to the gym 3 days a week and walk on weekends. There are a lot of times that I don't add the regular stuff I do every day...simply because it's just a regular part of my day. I have myself classed as "sedentary" because I have a desk job ...unless you are walking around most of the day...you may want to keep yourself as "sedentary", I don't know your weight and height...but you may be consuming too many calories. Just something to think about. Cheers
  • ejohndrow
    ejohndrow Posts: 1,399 Member
    Processed foods, sodium, drink more water, and I guess only you know for sure if your lifestyle is truly "light active" or "sedentary". I can say that even with exercise I rarely go over 1200 calories a day. Make sure you are actually hungry when you eat and eat healthy foods that will fill you up. Also, if you are in such pain either change the type of exercise you do, or I would suggest seeing a doctor about it (since we don't know what kind of pain it is).

    Main suggestion though: eat foods that have only a few ingredients, the less processed the better. If you can't figure thinkgs out, you may just need to speak with a nutritionist/dietician, not everyone responds the same to these changes.

    Good luck.
  • 540 calories in a big mac is all one needs in a day? Check the stats before you criticize. If you don't want to sound like a B, then dont..
    THANKS!
  • _Shelley_
    _Shelley_ Posts: 206
    I browsed your food intake and from what I saw you're taking in A LOT of fruit. While fruit is good for you, it is loaded with sugar. You should limited yourself to two fruits a day. There are certain fruits that have more sugar than others so you have to be careful.

    I have a similar problem and turned to a friend of mine who recommended I cut back on my fruit intake. And esp cutting back at night. The sugar will not process properly, unlike if you were going to eat it before/after a work out, and may end up being stored as fat.

    And eating processed foods is no good. Esp McDonalds. Even if you only eat a small portion, it's loaded with so many bad things that it counteracts the fact that you didn't eat much of it. Plus, the meat and chicken are not exactly lean or "real" for that matter! Maybe replacing it with a small salad with a chicken breast would be better. Wendy's has a great chicken breast salad and it's pretty low in calories (around 200) if you don't include the dressing & pecans.
  • Tangerine302
    Tangerine302 Posts: 1,509 Member
    You can add another category (sodium) to your daily plan. I would be interested to see what that is. Try adding that maybe and I wonder if it might be on the high side.
  • I put light active because I watch 5 children at home and have two autistic teenage girls of my own.

    I will be seeing a dietician next week, so maybe she'll be able to help.

    Trying to eat less processed foods, but when you rely a lot on local food banks to help you out, unfortunately that's what you get. i try to keep fresh fruits stocked, but it doesn't allways work out that way.

    Going to keep working on the water intake. HATE water. LOL.

    My weight is 285 and my height is 5foot 2. I weighted 375 before gastric bypass four years ago, got down to my lowest weight of 247 then krept back up. I'm dealing with PCOS, Hemochromatosis, Fibromyalgia and Chronic Pain due to plantar fasciitis.

    Will try to keep sodium in check. Again, hard with the limited foods we have.

    Hope that answers some questions so maybe someone has some other suggestions based on that information. Please don't think I'm being defensive. I just wanted to put out the info. so yall can help. :flowerforyou: :flowerforyou:
  • You can add another category (sodium) to your daily plan. I would be interested to see what that is. Try adding that maybe and I wonder if it might be on the high side.
    Thanks, just added that.
  • I browsed your food intake and from what I saw you're taking in A LOT of fruit. While fruit is good for you, it is loaded with sugar. You should limited yourself to two fruits a day. There are certain fruits that have more sugar than others so you have to be careful.

    I have a similar problem and turned to a friend of mine who recommended I cut back on my fruit intake. And esp cutting back at night. The sugar will not process properly, unlike if you were going to eat it before/after a work out, and may end up being stored as fat.

    And eating processed foods is no good. Esp McDonalds. Even if you only eat a small portion, it's loaded with so many bad things that it counteracts the fact that you didn't eat much of it. Plus, the meat and chicken are not exactly lean or "real" for that matter! Maybe replacing it with a small salad with a chicken breast would be better. Wendy's has a great chicken breast salad and it's pretty low in calories (around 200) if you don't include the dressing & pecans.


    Yeah, I don't eat fast food all that much, we got it for the kids and I thought I would try. Mistake, I know.
    About the sugars though. My weight loss dietician said that I needed to eat lots of fruits and vegetables. Since the gastric bypass helps dump the sugars quickly, it doesn't matter if I eat more than I should
  • widmanab01
    widmanab01 Posts: 14 Member
    I'm so sorry about your medical issue! That sounds so painful! I totally understand why is it hard to do any sort of cardio, which is generally attributed to weight loss. Have you looked into Yoga? I do yoga on a daily basis and there are tons of moves you can do where you are off your feet. It gets your body moving and you won't be in such severe pain when your workout! Always listen to your body :) There is a really good website for yoga...http://www.yogajournal.com/poses/finder/browse_categories

    Check it out. :) I hope this helps!
  • Mary1NYS
    Mary1NYS Posts: 15 Member
    Ugh..plantar fasciitis...I battled that for 7 years and basically stopped exercising for a few years. I tried everything and nothing worked until I got orthotics for my shoes. That was 6 months ago and now I am pain free. Have you tried a recumbent stationary bike? Less weight on the feet and that did allow me to exercise pain free.
  • Tangerine302
    Tangerine302 Posts: 1,509 Member
    Well, you've just gone over the sodium a few times. Just by looking at it I know my sodium would be through the roof if I ate those things. My calorie intake is set to 1260 though. Have you tried the Sobe water with zero calories? They are sometimes a little switch from plain water. I would say just keep at it. I'm new to all of the calorie counting, but what I have found out for me is that anything from a drive through/ frozen type things just wreck my calories/sodium. You can eat so many more calories at home then anything from the drive through.
    More one ingredient foods seems to easy on the calories and everything else.
    I've also cut a lot of bread out. I still like to make paninis, but don't eat much bread besides that.
  • ejohndrow
    ejohndrow Posts: 1,399 Member
    You really aren't eating a huge amount of fruit, and if you feel the need to cut down then look up fruits that aren't as high in sugar or replace it with more veggies. Yes sugar is sugar, but fruit provides the body with essential nutrients it needs, as well as fiber which will make you-well regular- which can in turn flush out more fat.

    I was vegan years ago and in a little less than a year I lost about 60 lbs. I ate a ton of fresh fruit all the time. For many reasons now it's hard for me to maintain that sort of diet (vegan) but I am still a fan of fruits and vegetables (yes, I should be eating more) and have not seen anything anywhere that is likely to deter my opinion any time soon.
  • joesan563
    joesan563 Posts: 18 Member
    Looks like your eating alot of garbage. stay away from items marked low fat and the Mcdonalds.
  • Tangerine302
    Tangerine302 Posts: 1,509 Member
    What are you usually drinking during the day? Some days you don't have any water checked and I don't see what else there was to drink. Maybe I overlooked it. :)
    Just seems like too much sodium/processed and not enough water to me at a general glance. (I'm just comparing what the menue would be like if it was mine though.)
    Glad you are getting your fruit! :)
  • ejohndrow
    ejohndrow Posts: 1,399 Member
    After reading all you go through I can definitely say you've been given a tough hand. I consider myself lucky that at nearly 28 years of age I was able to join the Navy and make it through boot camp and A school without being set back and at age 30 being able to work with guys/girls that are about 5-10 years younger than myself. I hope that with some simple changes you can stay on track. Also, if you have time maybe look up exercises for people with the kind of pain problems you have (if you haven't already).


    P.S. Learn to love water! I used to absolutely hate it, and now it's my drink of choice, it makes your body feel wonderful. Embrace it :)
  • ILuvLifehouse
    ILuvLifehouse Posts: 55 Member
    I struggled with plantar fasciitis for over a year and I applaude you that you to do any exercise b/c I couldn't even put my foot on the floor w/o pain I walked with a limp for a long time. I feel your pain there. Have you tried putting heel cusions in your shoes they helped me a lot? Hang in there and I hope you see results soon.
  • Tangerine302
    Tangerine302 Posts: 1,509 Member
    I was just looking at my sodium to see if I could make a comparison. We both have 2500 as our sodium limit. I wrote down what the sodium amounts I have left for each day.
    1900,899,1578,1415,668,684,1032,1830,624,177,1046,1924
    I've read that sodium retains water so maybe the sodium is contributing? I hope you find what works for you! It sounds like you are trying hard with having a surgery and keeping track of things here. I wish you all the best. Sorry you have foot trouble. I would just watch eating more and not think about as much excercise if you are in pain. I also read that most of being on a diet is what you put in your mouth more than excercise. Not that excercise isn't important, just when you are injured I don't think it would be great to do a lot of hopping around on it.
  • fittocycle
    fittocycle Posts: 827 Member
    I just read your posts and see you have a lot going on in your life right now. One of the previous posters suggested yoga and that might be a good idea. It will help you deal with the stress in your life and also give you a good workout. There are lots of yoga dvds and tapes out there to do at home.

    Also, I noticed you are using quite a few calories for snacks. I've done that before too so I know where you're coming from. If you added more good fats to your regular meals, you might find you are satisfied and less likely to snack. Try adding some olive oil and a small amount of walnuts to a tossed salad.

    You are brave for opening up your diary to share and seeking help with weight loss. Don't give up!
  • mursey
    mursey Posts: 191 Member
    Reading (most of) these replies, I am shocked at how so many people on a diet website don't see there are to many processed foods, and mostly STARCHY HIGH CARB PROCESSED FOODS are on her diary. Yes, her sodium is high, but that's all you got from looking at her diary?

    Cookies, crackers, pizza, english muffins, . . . from a store or chain restaurant are never a dieter's friend. Margarine is crap too. Pure crap. SheggyMarie, I wish you the very best of luck, but from looking at a lot of these replies this website is the last place I'd go to for nutrition or diet advice. Stick to a nutritionist or a good personal trainer, or google it. Watch some food documentaries on netflix.

    Also, all this crap marketed in little low calorie packs as "diet" food isn't good food. It's still ****. Low fat foods usually make up for it in sugars and carbs, chemical additives, etc. Not to mention these kinds of carbs make you hungrier later as anything processed made with mostly white flour causes your blood sugar levels to spike then drop .. . often referred to as a "crash". That is why you are still hungry all the time.

    Try to eat more "whole foods". Read about empty calories vs nutritionally dense calories. You can have a burger, but have a home made burger made from grass fed organic beef, not a McDonald's burger, for example, skip the bun or at least eat a whole grain bun if you have to. Trade the processed cookies for something of more nutritional value, fruit like you've been doing. Read the nutritional labels before you pick what brand to buy.

    Stick to :

    organic, no nitrates or grass fed meats/fish poultry
    vegetables
    fruits
    dairy- (raw dairy if you can find it and it's legal where you are, organic dairy if you can't)
  • lodro
    lodro Posts: 982 Member
    I have chronic pain from severe plantar fasciitis. I'm in physical therapy for it because the drs want to do surgery, and I definately am not going to do that. I can't do any other exercise because it puts too much pressure on my feet. In addition to the platar fasciitis, my feet in general cause me a great deal of pain. I've been dealing with the plantar fasciitis since the beginning of Jan. I've had injections, and worn a boot for 2 months. PT seems to be helping some. But, I'm still in a lot of pain. I have an appointment with a pain management specialist next week to see if he can help me. So, any exercise I do will be painful, the bike is the least pain causing, Thank you for asking. And for your comments.

    why don't you try rowing on an ergometer? fantastic workout and it won't impact your feet, but I guarantee you will use all your muscles!.

    Also, I think you're rather high in calories: given the fact that most people underestimate their intake a little on every meal, you might be closer to the 2000 mark. Why not try dropping to 1500/1600 (factoring in underestimating you would end up near 1700 or 1800 and shooting for a carb/protein/fat ratio of 40/30/30? And try to start moving away from pizzas and macdonalds: not much bang for the buck, imo.
  • Tangerine302
    Tangerine302 Posts: 1,509 Member
    Meaning that all of the process foods that she is eating is making the sodium high. Meaning avoiding the processed foods to begin with is what I meant. :) Not just sodium alone. If you look at the diary, all of the processed foods are contributing to the bad eating. I don't believe in just staying under calories by eating a bunch of junk.
    When you eat fruits, vegetables, etc you sodium isn't crazy. The healthier the food the less sodium naturally is going to show. I didn't mean sodium is the only thing wrong, but by looking at the sodium it leads to each item as not a healthy choice. :)
  • fcrisswell
    fcrisswell Posts: 234 Member
    From one GPS patient to another.

    Have you tried going back to the early days of eating right afte surgery? I am not suggesting eating 500 calories a day. But, do you have any of the nutrition info they gave you then? High protien, low processed carbs.

    Now, I know that eating the processed carbs is "easier" than eating protien. But, what goes down easier is not necessarily better.
    I got into this trap when pregnant. I would eat the crackers and bread and chips because it would not get stuck and make me sick or hurt. But now the baby is 8 months old and I am still fighting the last 20 pounds I put on then.

    Put protein first then veggies and last fruit. As hard as it is cut out the easy carbs that are full of flour and sugar. Keep boiled eggs in the fridge. Cook a bag of chicken, then refreeze in individual baggies. Cook beans on the weekend....I love beans and can do al kinds of things with them. Leftover beans make great "refried" beans if you mash them when you re cook them and put with salsa in a low carb tortilla.

    I sent you a friend request. I am no expert by any means but am full of ideas if you need help with the foods you have on hand.

    You can do this!
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