I gained weight

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I'm trying very hard to eat properly, (I'm even eating oatmeal, which I hate) I lost 3 pounds and turned around and gained 4! Help?

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  • cdrockylady
    cdrockylady Posts: 5 Member
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    So I looked at your meal logs - a couple things based on what I've learned. I don't know your back story or health situation, this is just general feedback. The foods you are recording are the classic "marketed as healthy" stuff, but they are actually not healthy or helpful for weight loss over the long run, and will cause weight gain in most situations in the long run. Some may disagree with me on this, in favor of the "calories in and out exclusively" theory. I think both theories are true - don't get me wrong. However, there is a healthy way to lose weight without hurting your organs, and there is an unhealthy way. The "healthy way" to lose weight will usually support the organs/body. It considers what taxes and stresses a body, not just how many calories you eat. On the other hand, the straight calories in/out theory says that you can eat whatever you want, even a diet entirely made of Twinkies - as long as you are under your calories... you will lose weight - And they are correct, you will lose weight. But that idea doesn't support the body, so the body will degenerate over time. Long story short, what you eat does matter in the long run for weight loss. Especially at your age, think long term, because organs are naturally going to weaken over time. Supportive eating is a healthier way to lose weight in general.

    Which brings me to my main feedback...

    Your calories are fine, so you already know that isn't the issue. But most of your food is pre-packaged, and certainly 100% has ingredients that will screw with your weight loss efforts. There are too many preservatives, chemicals, corn syrups and GMO stuff that tinkers with and disturbs your biochemistry, making it very-very hard to lose weight in the long run. Canned peaches for instance are full of syrups that are pure preservatives and artificial flavorings that tinker with neurochemistry/biochemistry, taxing the body, chemically confusing it, etc. Corn is a GMO crop, it disrupts hormones in most studies. I'm not even touching the sugar issue, that one is obvious now, and I see you try to use splenda instead. But, anything in a wrapper, boxed, pre-packaged or canned is a source of trouble for you for it's other extra ingredients. They screw with your natural weight loss mechanisms, which are entirely hormonal and chemical in nature. These extra ingredients in most of your food are not even "food", they are lab ingredients. They don't belong. Look at the ingredients in everything you eat really carefully, and Google each one until you are familiar with it. I'll save you the long journey... The the more simple your food, the better.

    The goal is to get most everything you eat to be as close "to the vine/ground/tree/animal" as possible. Meaning, simple, one ingredient or two that you know well, as unadulterated as you can find - plain - not touched by a processes or extra chemical tinkering (don't forget sauces, I'd avoid them unless you made them yourself from simple ingredients). Cooking is fine of course. This will allow your body to simply heal, recover, and come back to your intended chemistry, making your weight loss efforts more predictable and within your control. For sweeteners, try organic pure stevia extract powder instead of splenda (found on amazon). Just my personal suggestion. I'm not sure what the alternative health food is to Metamucil. It will take time to find alternatives to the things you thought were healthy. It will be a process, it won't happen all at once.

    My overall suggestion would be to clean up meals by trying to eliminate the boxed, wrapped, pre-packaged, canned and other packaged/container soups and other foods like them. Just know that during that process, if you chose to do it, weight loss won't be the main outcome right away, or will be unpredictable. Rather, you will be building a long-term lifestyle. As you make the shift to simpler real natural foods, you can expect more weight loss.

    There was no short way for me to say the above - Congrats on your choice to eat better, you are doing a great thing for yourself and your life. Happy learning - Best of luck!!
  • TavistockToad
    TavistockToad Posts: 35,719 Member
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    I'm trying very hard to eat properly, (I'm even eating oatmeal, which I hate) I lost 3 pounds and turned around and gained 4! Help?

    A diet where you eat things you hate will never work....
  • sodakat
    sodakat Posts: 1,126 Member
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    Over what time period did you lose 3 and gain 4? Were you weighing under the same conditions (same time of day, same clothing, empty bladder both times)?

    I looked at your diary and it looks fine to me. Just keep at it. There is no way you will gain fat if you are eating at a deficit. Impossible. You may retain water weight for various reasons now and then, but that is not fat and will go away.

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  • ByHisGrace18
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    Thanks everyone! I really appreciate the feed back. And I did not weigh at the same time etc. So I will do that in the future. Also will try to avoid the processed, packaged foods. My hubby (who is thin ) says to take it a day at a time and not to try to do it all at once. Small steps. But I have 8 wonderful grand children and I want to be here for them. I had 2 back surgeries, and during recovery became very sedentary. Now I need to get back to a more active lifestyle.