Eating right & excersing, but gaining weight

You are not in a deficit if you are gaining weight. Do you weigh everything you eat? Are you over estimating your calorie burns?

Eating right doesn't really mean a whole lot. If you're in a caloric deficit you should lose weight (provided you give it some time to show on the scales). You can "eat right" and still be in a surplus and thus gain weight.

Give NO SUGAR, NO GRAINS, NO VEGETABLE OILS, NO FRUIT JUICE a try. Cook only in animal derived fats, lard, dripping etc, coconut oil or olive oil. Eat plenty of leafy green veg and a small quantity of fruit just to kill any sugar cravings you might have. Keep the protein and fat high and your carbs low. Limit dairy to only full fat products. Only eat when you're hungry. This means don't stick to breakfast, lunch, dinner. Read labels for added sugar. You need to fat adapt your body so that it burns fat not sugar (carbs). Don't panic if you feel like crap after a few days, that's your body switching over. Within a week you'll start to feel like you have more energy and clearer thoughts. As a result of using this diet, after trying just about every other diet out there and getting frustrated, my doctor has taken me off blood pressure tablets and statins and I've lost 12.5kg in two months without once feeling hungry or lacking energy.

zakkiwakki wrote: »

Give NO SUGAR, NO GRAINS, NO VEGETABLE OILS, NO FRUIT JUICE a try. Cook only in animal derived fats, lard, dripping etc, coconut oil or olive oil. Eat plenty of leafy green veg and a small quantity of fruit just to kill any sugar cravings you might have. Keep the protein and fat high and your carbs low. Limit dairy to only full fat products. Only eat when you're hungry. This means don't stick to breakfast, lunch, dinner. Read labels for added sugar. You need to fat adapt your body so that it burns fat not sugar (carbs). Don't panic if you feel like crap after a few days, that's your body switching over. Within a week you'll start to feel like you have more energy and clearer thoughts. As a result of using this diet, after trying just about every other diet out there and getting frustrated, my doctor has taken me off blood pressure tablets and statins and I've lost 12.5kg in two months without once feeling hungry or lacking energy.

I'm very happy for your success and especially about no longer needing medication, but for many people, this method will simply not be sustainable.

zakkiwakki wrote: »

Give NO SUGAR, NO GRAINS, NO VEGETABLE OILS, NO FRUIT JUICE a try. Cook only in animal derived fats, lard, dripping etc, coconut oil or olive oil. Eat plenty of leafy green veg and a small quantity of fruit just to kill any sugar cravings you might have. Keep the protein and fat high and your carbs low. Limit dairy to only full fat products. Only eat when you're hungry. This means don't stick to breakfast, lunch, dinner. Read labels for added sugar. You need to fat adapt your body so that it burns fat not sugar (carbs). Don't panic if you feel like crap after a few days, that's your body switching over. Within a week you'll start to feel like you have more energy and clearer thoughts. As a result of using this diet, after trying just about every other diet out there and getting frustrated, my doctor has taken me off blood pressure tablets and statins and I've lost 12.5kg in two months without once feeling hungry or lacking energy.

zakkiwakki wrote: »

P.S. Don't count calories.

None of this is necessary, OP. Though it's important to eat nutrient-dense food for health and satiety, you don't need to cut anything out. If you're gaining instead of losing weight, you're simply eating more than you think. I recommend getting a food scale and weighing and logging everything you consume consistently. This will give you a more accurate view of your calorie intake.

melissamayhart wrote: »

this happens to me every time I try losing weight. I create a caloric deficit, eat healthy, am mindful of what I'm eating & exercise, but every time, I gain weight! & it's not that I'm gaining muscle mass & losing inches, because I gain those too! I'm not sure what to do about it. It's really discouraging

This happened to me too. I was eating lots of vegetables and fruits, few processed foods and increased my activity. For a year. It didn't work. I did what zakkiwakki did and cut out sugars and raised animal fat. It worked. It's not just a diet either. You can do this for life. I still eat lots of vegetables, healthy fats and proteins. I'm also eating the same amount of calories, it's just constructed differently.

zakkiwakki wrote: »

All of the advice I offered is backed by strong recent scientific evidence of the effects your insulin is having. If you're already cutting calories and exercising and seeing no weight reduction you need to control the insulin spikes. Insulin is the hormone that saves the food you eat as fat. You're probably insulin resistant and you need to correct that issue first. Carbs are just glucose and effect the insulin to a much larger extent than fat or protein. You might want to read up on the paleo lifestyle. It's sound solid advice and it works in harmony with your bodies natural evolution. There'll be a lot of people on here who'll dispute the above I've given, but 12.5kg since November 23 without hunger pangs and without counting calories is evidence to me it works. I don't even go to the gym or work out.

As it's a slow Sunday I'd be interested to read some of the evidence, not in terms of the general physiological effects, but specifically in regards to fat loss benefits over other approaches. Can you point me in the right direction please?

On a general note I don't doubt that the approach mentioned above would work, but for me it's overly restrictive in terms of food, and restriction for me leads to failure. Myself, I eat a varied diet of moderate carb, moderate fat, and high protein, restricting nothing if it fits in to my calorie and macronutrient goals.

I've burnt through plenty of fat and have clear thought.

zakkiwakki wrote: »

All of the advice I offered is backed by strong recent scientific evidence of the effects your insulin is having. If you're already cutting calories and exercising and seeing no weight reduction you need to control the insulin spikes. Insulin is the hormone that saves the food you eat as fat. You're probably insulin resistant and you need to correct that issue first. Carbs are just glucose and effect the insulin to a much larger extent than fat or protein. You might want to read up on the paleo lifestyle. It's sound solid advice and it works in harmony with your bodies natural evolution. If you want further above PM me. There'll be a lot of people on here who'll dispute the above I've given, but 12.5kg since November 23 without hunger pangs and without counting calories is evidence to me it works. I don't even go to the gym or work out.

Insulin resistance should be medically diagnosed. Ignore this poster please.

OP, could you open up your diary?

Melissa, another thing to consider would be food allergies. I have a few that aren't what most people think of (my throat won't close if I eat peanuts) but I'm finding more and more that when I do eat these items, I gain and retain weight, even while exercising and limiting portions . The histamine in the food creates inflammation in the body. You can get tested or do an elimination diet. You can google top 10 food allergies. Try to pay attention to what happens when you eat these foods. It's amazing how good you can feel without the inflammation, and how the body adapts to being uncomfortable.

I was tested by an allergist. I went to learn about seasonal allergies, and was very surprised to learn that I had some food allergies to. I've been most successful with my personal weight loss when I am able to avoid these foods all together. Even if I eat more calories of the foods I can eat vs less calories of the foods I shouldn't eat... It continues to prove that the allergy foods are keeping the weight on.

You can also look for an anti inflation diet - there are lots of good sources online. But, check w/ your doc, because that's a lot to mess around with if you don't have to.

Good luck!

I've known a few people who start a diet and super exercise programme at the same time. They stop after 2 weeks because they don't lose weight. Starting a new exercise programme and sometimes eating foods high in salts will cause water weight gain - thus masking the beginnings of a good deficit diet. Keep moving forward and do all the things in the sexypants thread:
- http://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/discussion/1080242/a-guide-to-get-you-started-on-your-path-to-sexypants/p1

TimothyFish wrote: »

I spent all summer thinking my exercise was putting me at a calorie deficit, but it wasn't because I was eating more than I realized. Logging calories helps keep you honest. If you aren't good at eyeballing your portion sizes, weighing and measuring your food helps. (Just don't expect it to give you a more accurate calorie count than what's on the package.) But one of the easiest things to do is to simply eat less. You have a concept of what you are eating, so if you're gaining, reduce it.

Just how much packaged food do you eat? Please, enough with the "weighing not being as accurate" stuff. Since a good part of most people's diets comes from produce and meats, and you know... fresh food... it should be weighed. Liquids should be measured.

Zakkiwaki, you do realize you are using a calorie counting app, right? I think your method is probably great, but people who use MFP have lost weight by counting calories because that's the premise its built on. I have lost a lot of weight from counting and stand by it. I don't fault you for your method, but you will likely continually be challenged on this app if you continue to post non-calorie counting advice because counting calories is why we are here honestly. That's all I wanted to say. No further comments from me.

mamapeach910 wrote: »

Just how much packaged food do you eat?

Most of it, actually. Even meat comes in a package with a label that says how much it weighs. Fresh fruits and vegetables are often packaged. Since the company that packaged the food is weighing it with a scale that is calibrated by the government, why should I weigh it again with a scale that isn't?

melissamayhart wrote: »

For everyone who has posted along the lines of "are you actually eating more than you think" "are you actually creating a caloric deficit" "are you sure you have counted your calories properly" No. yes. yes. I've been counting for 5 years now, took a break when I got pregnant with baby #3 & now my body seems to be rejecting any dieting. I follow the 1410 calories that have been suggested by MFP & push to stay under, since my basal metabolic rate is in the 1500's I stay under anyway. I normally don't track my workouts to ensure I'm creating a deficit, because I don't like how the app automatically gives you "extra" calories. I follow the eat ever 2-3 hours rule & eat small, ie hard boiled egg white, banana etc. Also, I do my best to avoid processed food, more because I enjoy the taste of homemade than for health benefits & since I'm a house wife, there's really no reason for me to opt for processed. Most of the meals I cook do not require any oils, and I avoid carbs & starches. So, now that that's all out of the way, if anyone has any tips or ideas [that aren't just questioning my ability to keep track of what I'm doing] I'd be glad to hear them.

But do you use a food scale?