Why am I gaining weight?

There are way too many health factors at play for this to be a real issue just yet. Stay consistent with healthy eating, being faithful with your logging and activity levels, and monitor your health situation closely. I don't think, given all that's going on, a daily weigh in will be truly healthy for you- you have too many other things that should take your attention- but only you can make that decision.

maryjane_88 wrote:

You are not eating enough, your body is trying to hold on to whatever it can get!

No.
You've been here plenty long enough to have learned by now that what you just wrote there is
complete and utter nonsense.
Why would you post it at all, let alone trying to get a newbie to believe it?!

You have to burn energy to stay alive. Have to. No way around it.
Your body will NOT "hang onto" calories if you're not eating as much as you need.
If you are eating less than you need to burn (to live), you will lose weight because your body will
burn what it has available to keep you alive.
It prefers carbs (glucose {blood sugar}, then glycogen {stored in muscles & the liver}), then it
burns fat, and as a distant third it burns protein.
(Yes, there's some overlap; it's real life, not neat & tidy. But that's the general order.)
Protein is last for 2 reasons.
First, it's an inefficient conversion. Just like when eating protein, you don't get all the calories out
that you'd expect for the mass of protein you're working with.
Second, it's a race against death. Your body is betting that you will find food before you run out of
muscle and die. (Particularly your heart & diaphragm.)


This is a somewhat long, but very informative, thorough, and well-written explanation of why what
you wrote up there is wrong. He gives 4 ways of proving that it's nonsense.
http://www.aworkoutroutine.com/starvation-mode/

what most people think of starvation mode to be is complete and utter nonsense
...
As long as you create a caloric deficit (meaning consume less calories than your body burns, or burn more calories than you consume…), then you will lose weight every single time regardless of whether you’re creating a deficit that is small, moderate or large.

Even if your calorie intake is dangerously low (not recommended at all, just making a point), you will still lose weight.

There is no such thing as “I’m not losing any weight because I’m eating too little.” That’s horses.h.i.t. And there’s definitely no such thing as “I’m gaining weight because I’m eating too little.” That’s even bigger horses.h.i.t

OP, I agree with the others that
a - it's a small fluctuation (in the overall scheme of things; I understand it's a large part of what you've already lost)
b - likely related to water retention & maybe your other health problems

Don't worry too much about not being able to exercise much or strenuously right now. Just get well.
"Most weight loss occurs because of decreased caloric intake.
However, evidence shows the only way to maintain weight loss is to be engaged in regular physical activity."
http://www.cdc.gov/healthyweight/physical_activity/index.html


But I also see some room for improvement in your food log.
I'm not trying to be mean here, just point out some places that might be slowing you down. :flowerforyou:

I don't need answers here, but you do.
Are you short enough that 120 lb is a healthy goal weight for you? If not, why are you at 1200 cal?
And why are you consistently eating less than that? You're making this harder on yourself than it has to be.
1200 is the minimum for a woman of average size to get the nutrition she needs. (That's actual calories, not net.
Ignore net. Just eat at your healthy calorie goal.)


In your diary, I'm seeing few fruits & vegetables, lots of carbs, sodium, sugar (candy).
Don't use "homemade" entries unless you've entered the recipe yourself.
Use brand names, or for nonpackaged foods include "USDA" in your search string.

As much as possible, don't use "piece" or "serving", try to use weight or volume.
Your ice cream cone... how many ounces of ice cream was that? Was it a sugar cone or waffle cone? It makes a difference.
How much did your pork chop weigh? They vary a lot!
"Generic - Broasted Potato Wedges, 7 wedges" ... how much did that weigh? They're different sizes.
"Home Made - Steak Kabob - Beef, Bell Pepper, Onion, 1 kabob" How much of each ingredient? Having 6 oz of beef
makes for a much more calorific kabob than 2 oz of beef with 8 oz of veggies.

Enter the ingredients.
As an example, instead of "Homemade - Grilled Cheese on White, 1 Sandwich", enter 2 slices of bread of whatever
brand you used, and the butter you spread on it to toast it, and how many slices or ounces of what brand of cheese.
And the "Generic - Beef Vegetable Soup Homemade, 1 cup". What was in that?


These might help:
http://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/discussion/1080242/a-guide-to-get-you-started-on-your-path-to-sexypants
http://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/discussion/10012907/logging-accuracy-consistency-and-youre-probably-eating-more-than-you-think
http://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/discussion/819925/the-basics-dont-complicate-it/p1
http://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/discussion/872212/youre-probably-eating-more-than-you-think/p1

Lady_Grell wrote: »

I got a kidney transplant back August 29th, so I am on a lot of meds, but the doctors are after me to lose weight. I went to my surgeon week before last to look at the large knot on my side, and he said I was too fat for him to see anything. Turns out the CAT scan revealed this massive hernia, but he went on vacation.

Due to your medical issues, and the fact that you are on medications, it seems to me you should be under your doctor's care for your dietary plan.

Unless you are under strict medical supervision because the benefit of losing weight quickly is more than the risks of being overweight, you should not be eating so few calories.

As for an 11 day period, that could be what's causing your 3 pounds to come back, it's just water. You need to get to the doctor because something could be wrong.

I'm sending lots of good vibes your way and hope all turns out well with your doctor appointment tomorrow.