Gaining weight but doing everything right?
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Shaystays
Posts: 34
Since June of last year I've list a total of about 30 pounds. It's been off and on, mostly off, I definitely wasn't eating good the entire time. In February I started taking nutritional supplements and learned I was allergic to gluten slightly. I gave up all bread and am about 70% gluten free and still trying. In the past few months I've given up soda, bread, most gluten, candy, fast food, most juice, and even potatoes. For the past 3 to 4 weeks I've been eating mostly vegetables, fruit and meat, drinking water and doing at least 45 minutes of walking 4-5 days a week sometimes 1+ hour along with running about half a mile off and on. In February I was 176 lbs. I got down to 172 lbs in 2 or 3 weeks. 2 weeks ago I was 172 lbs. Last week I weighed in after not going over my calories more than 1 maybe 2 days that week and it was only over by 100-200 maybe, exercising and everything, and I weighed 175lbs. So all the past week I've tried and tried, done everything right, and I weighed in this morning at 174 lbs. I'm glad I lost 1 lb but why in the world had I gained 3 lbs when I didn't go over my calories and I exercised? I'm eating 1,200 a day and burning at least 150-250 around 4-5 times a week (and I do not eat them back)
Im discouraged and confused. I'm supposed to be 168 lbs by now, my goal was 1.5 lbs to 2lbs a week for the first 2 months or so. I'm not asking your opinion on my goals, I want to know why I gained when I did everything right. I've given up everything in my diet, I've been exercising and trying hard and I still gained, and considering how hard I've worked it feels absolutely terrible. Heck even if I stayed the same weight I'd be happier with that thought than gaining.
And my goal weight is 135 - 140lbs (that's my doctors recommendation) so I have at least 30- 35+lbs to go.
Im discouraged and confused. I'm supposed to be 168 lbs by now, my goal was 1.5 lbs to 2lbs a week for the first 2 months or so. I'm not asking your opinion on my goals, I want to know why I gained when I did everything right. I've given up everything in my diet, I've been exercising and trying hard and I still gained, and considering how hard I've worked it feels absolutely terrible. Heck even if I stayed the same weight I'd be happier with that thought than gaining.
And my goal weight is 135 - 140lbs (that's my doctors recommendation) so I have at least 30- 35+lbs to go.
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Replies
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Are you weighing your food? If not, then the bottom line is (assuming no medical conditions) you are simply eating more than you think.
It is not necessary to give up all of those foods. Your diary is not open so there is not much more advice to be offered at the moment.0 -
Do you estimate your calories in?
You should use a food scale (grams) and weigh them exactly...
Estimating is no good.
Also, depending on how much sodium you consumed, it could just be water being held within the body...
I over ate during the weekend...I went up 3 kgs...
but I was in my maintenance calories limit. I have a ton of water inside me...as well as the food that I ate that is making up the 3 kgs.
Water retention takes a couple of days to disappear.
Food weight will disappear with bowel movement.
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Welcome to the world of water retention. You just have to understand that your body has cycles and weight loss isn't linear. Some weeks you gain, some you lose and some you maintain, but you have to look at the big picture over several weeks or months.
Side note, I would drop some of the cardio in favor of some resistance training. This will help with muscle retention (gives you a tighter body) and help maintain metabolic functions.0 -
You are either underestimating your food intake, or overestimating your calorie burns. Do you use a food scale to weigh your food, and pick accurate entries from the database?
Also, barring allergies, and other medical conditions, you do not need to give up any of the foods you love in order to lose weight.
You can still gain weight just eating vegetables, fruit, and meat if you are eating too much.0 -
Agree with the poster above. But also keep in mind that you might carry more water weight depending on your sodium intake.0
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If your period is due soon you might be retaining water too. I only lose the week after my period.0
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Can you open your diary?0
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2 weeks ago I was 172 lbs. Last week I weighed in after not going over my calories more than 1 maybe 2 days that week and it was only over by 100-200 maybe, exercising and everything, and I weighed 175lbs. So all the past week I've tried and tried, done everything right, and I weighed in this morning at 174 lbs.
To summarize-
Week 1: 172 lbs
Week 2: 175 lbs
Week 3: 174 lbs
You should be looking to an overall trend. I recommend viewing your progress report on MFP for 3 months at a time. If I were to look at my weight from week to week I would be thoroughly discouraged. It's possible that, when you weighed in at 172 lbs you had just pooped or you were dehydrated or you had just depleted your glycogen stores, or any number of things. It's possible that you weighed in at 175 lbs because you had heavy sodium or maybe some alcohol that week, or you were retaining water due to your period, or you were retaining water due to stress, or you needed to poop.
One way to determine if it's weight gain or water retention, try weighing yourself every day and see how much it fluctuates, then look at the trend. Also, watch your sodium and water levels for a few days. Weigh all of your food on a food scale. See what happens.0 -
Liftng4Lis wrote: »Can you open your diary?
This.0 -
1. Weight loss isn't linear.
2. Weight loss isn't linear.
3. Weight loss isn't linear.
Read this thread.
And why are you cutting out so many foods that are healthy and fine for you in moderation? Sounds like you're stressing yourself out trying to make this more complex than it actually is. Focus on the calorie number, and not on specific foods that you should eliminate or not eliminate (except in the case of food allergies or medical conditions, which, fine, that can be an issue, but it's a separate one).
Also, be careful about those diagnoses of "slightly allergic" to gluten, or the nutritional supplements. Neither of those things sound to me like they're coming from a medical doctor or licensed dietitian. They sound more like the work of one of the many quacks out there describing themselves as "holistic" or "naturopathic" nutritionists -- those are their favourite diagnoses, after all, and none of them are backed by science and most of the time they're just out to sell you a bunch of products you don't need.
If this actually is coming from a (real) medical doctor, then by all means, follow their advice. But a healthy dose of skepticism will serve you well.0 -
1. Weight loss isn't linear.
2. Weight loss isn't linear.
3. Weight loss isn't linear.
Read this thread.
And why are you cutting out so many foods that are healthy and fine for you in moderation? Sounds like you're stressing yourself out trying to make this more complex than it actually is. Focus on the calorie number, and not on specific foods that you should eliminate or not eliminate (except in the case of food allergies or medical conditions, which, fine, that can be an issue, but it's a separate one).
Also, be careful about those diagnoses of "slightly allergic" to gluten, or the nutritional supplements. Neither of those things sound to me like they're coming from a medical doctor or licensed dietitian. They sound more like the work of one of the many quacks out there describing themselves as "holistic" or "naturopathic" nutritionists -- those are their favourite diagnoses, after all, and none of them are backed by science and most of the time they're just out to sell you a bunch of products you don't need.
If this actually is coming from a (real) medical doctor, then by all means, follow their advice. But a healthy dose of skepticism will serve you well.
^^^^ this. Go to an allergist if you really think you have a true allergy. There is no such thing as "slightly allergic". You are or you aren't. And if you aren't, you're going through a lot of hassle for no gain!0 -
Do you estimate your calories in?
You should use a food scale (grams) and weigh them exactly...
Estimating is no good.
Also, depending on how much sodium you consumed, it could just be water being held within the body...
I over ate during the weekend...I went up 3 kgs...
but I was in my maintenance calories limit. I have a ton of water inside me...as well as the food that I ate that is making up the 3 kgs.
Water retention takes a couple of days to disappear.
Food weight will disappear with bowel movement.
Spot on about the water retention. I'm a salty savory lover and it's just something i expect, I'm going to bloat. I have notices after intense workouts I bloat up as well, but it goes away.
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Okay so I'm just going to tell it like it is. There is no such thing as being allergic to gluten. I think people that say they have this don't realize that what they have is actually a mild wheat allergy, if they are truly having problems with anything. You either have Celiac Disease, which is an autoimmune disease, or you don't. It's not like you can just have a slight version of celiac disease you either have it or you don't. Gluten is a sticky protein and when people with celiac disease consume it it triggers an autoimmune reaction in their body. People with it can get serious damage to their villi in their intestine. If you feel like you may truly have Celiac Disease you need to ask your doctor for a blood test to see. If you feel like maybe you are having a slight reaction when consuming wheat products you should go and get allergy testing done. Also please don't say that you are allergic to gluten and then eat it in front of others because it causes a real problem for people where it is medical necessary for them stick to a gluten free diet.
Anyways rant over
-Are you weighing your food?
-Consuming enough water?
-Logging everything?
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Yeah, I don't think there is a "slight allergy to gluten." When my mother was having allergic reactions to gluten, she would break out and then she'd go back over the stuff she had eaten, only to discover that there was something with trace amounts of gluten in it.0
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Geez nobody here is ever nice. I don't ask questions often because I always get lectured.
I said slightly allergic because I don't have severe pain, vomiting or rashes and etc when I eat bread. I had an allergy test done by my allergist who did go to 8 years of college and has a license and yes it was also assessed by a licensed nutritionist. I cannot eat bread, when I do try to eat it I get stomach pain and diarrhea and feel awful the next day. So yeah, I think I'm allergic to it. But thanks for your judgement, it just helped so so much.
I cut out all that food for the same reason. I live with chronic pain, if I drink soda, eat bread, fast food etc then I can't get out of bed in the morning and want to cry the entire day following because of how awful I feel. When I cut it all out I felt so much better. And taking my nutritional supplements have helped my IBS, allergies, fibro, they've helped everything. I feel better so I'm going to stick with what is working for me.
I didn't cut out that food just to lose weight, I did it because I want to be able to wake up and not have to take a handful of painkillers just to get through the day. I have depression issues from my pain and cutting that food out, drinking water only and taking my vitamins make me feel better physically and emotionally. I don't need people lecturing me about trying to feel better.
Opening my diary wouldn't help because I rarely ever log in it, I write it down. I do weigh my food most meals and pretty much follow the serving size and calories to a T. I time my exercising and calculate my pace (MPH) then use the MFP log to see how many calories I burned.0 -
Opening my diary wouldn't help because I rarely ever log in it, I write it down. I do weigh my food most meals and pretty much follow the serving size and calories to a T. I time my exercising and calculate my pace (MPH) then use the MFP log to see how many calories I burned.
It's that last sentence right there. MFP estimates are generally for a 6'5, 400 pound man or thereabouts. Cut the default MFP number in half for all of your exercise. Unless you are 6'5 and 400 pounds
It also sounds like you've changed up a lot of things vis a vis your digestive process. Maybe your insides are healing, your gut flora regrowing, new tissues growing, who knows - if you've gone from sickness and pain to a normal feeling, maybe that had something to do with your slight gain but isn't it worth it? Keep tracking, watch those exercise calories, and be patient.0 -
It also really sounds like you might not like the answers you get here when you post a question on a website despite not actually using the website's programs. MFP is a calorie counting site. That's what everyone's here for, so everyone here is going to tell you to log and track because, for most of us, it works. If you don't want to do that, that's fine. But if you then turn around and ask everyone here why you're not losing weight, don't get mad when they advise you to log and track.
As for the rest, it sounds like you've got some serious emotional issues around food. Would strongly suggest seeking out the help of a qualified counselor or therapist.0 -
I think if you track both your intake of calories and how much you burn it may help you to see exactly why you're gaining. This will give you a much better picture of what is going on with you. Only tracking exercise on MFP but writing what you eat down makes it much much harder to really see what's going on. If that works for you keep going but if not you may need change the way you track everything you do.
All the best with it and let's hope the next time you post it is with a more positive story!0 -
I don't think what I said was an attack on you, and I would hope that you wouldn't take it that way. What I am saying is you are not allergic to gluten. There is no gluten allergy. You either have Celiac Disease which is an autoimmune disease or you have a wheat allergy. Saying that you are allergic to gluten does not make any sense. You aren't allergic to it. Now you may have Celiac Disease, and from your description of your symptoms it does sound like a definite possibility, but there is no gluten allergy! There are wheat allergies but not gluten allergies. The internal reaction of Celiac Disease and wheat allergies are completely different. I would recommend going to your general practitioner and asking them for a blood test to see if you have Celiac Disease or not. If it comes back as positive they will most likely refer you to a gastroenterologist where you may or may not have a biopsy of your intestines to confirm a diagnosis. If they don't then either way they have access to a lot of resources that may help you with the condition. I'm sure that you already do see a gastroenterologist due to your IBS though, so you could always just speak to them. If it comes back as negative you will probably need to infer about getting allergy testing because you very well could have a wheat allergy. If you do have a wheat allergy getting a definite diagnosis is very important because allergies can become worse over time, until the point where you could very well need to use an epinephrine pen. The two things are widely different. I definitely think that it sounds as if you have Celiac Disease but the problem I have is with your phrasing it as an allergy, which it is not. If you do indeed have Celiac Disease you need to eat 100 percent gluten free as it can lead to malnutrition as well as other negative effects internally. There is no cheating when you have Celiac Disease, or only partially eating gluten free, as it is a serious medical condition. Both my mother and myself have Celiac Disease so I am well versed on it. She also has Fibromyalgia and has definitely seen a reduction in pain, so I do understand what you are saying. From what I have gathered people with Celiacs have a higher comorbidity rate than the general population. Meaning you're more likely to have more than one autoimmune disorder. What I'm basically trying to say is that if you don't have Celiac Disease do not say that you are allergic to gluten. Even if you do it's not the correct way to explain your condition, but under certain circumstances (I.E. explaining to a waiter) I completely understand. Basically if you eat gluten free because it helps you with your conditions that's great for you, but if you don't have Celiac Disease do not say that you are allergic to gluten. I hope that you don't take what I am saying as an attack, because it isn't. I'm just trying to explain to you how your phrase could be misconstrued. When people say that they have a "gluten allergy" then proceed to say they try to eat 70-80 percent gluten free it detracts from the validity of people who truly have to be gluten free0
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Geez nobody here is ever nice. I don't ask questions often because I always get lectured.
I said slightly allergic because I don't have severe pain, vomiting or rashes and etc when I eat bread. I had an allergy test done by my allergist who did go to 8 years of college and has a license and yes it was also assessed by a licensed nutritionist. I cannot eat bread, when I do try to eat it I get stomach pain and diarrhea and feel awful the next day. So yeah, I think I'm allergic to it. But thanks for your judgement, it just helped so so much.
I cut out all that food for the same reason. I live with chronic pain, if I drink soda, eat bread, fast food etc then I can't get out of bed in the morning and want to cry the entire day following because of how awful I feel. When I cut it all out I felt so much better. And taking my nutritional supplements have helped my IBS, allergies, fibro, they've helped everything. I feel better so I'm going to stick with what is working for me.
I didn't cut out that food just to lose weight, I did it because I want to be able to wake up and not have to take a handful of painkillers just to get through the day. I have depression issues from my pain and cutting that food out, drinking water only and taking my vitamins make me feel better physically and emotionally. I don't need people lecturing me about trying to feel better.
Opening my diary wouldn't help because I rarely ever log in it, I write it down. I do weigh my food most meals and pretty much follow the serving size and calories to a T. I time my exercising and calculate my pace (MPH) then use the MFP log to see how many calories I burned.
I am reluctant to offer help because you've already tagged people who have responded as not being very nice, and that would include me.
That said, setting aside your chronic pain issues, if you are not losing weight, you are eating too much. You say you weigh your food and have accurate entries for food, but I'm going to take a wild guess that your burn calories are overestimated because you use MFP to see how many calories you burned. MFP is notorious for providing overestimated burns. I suggest you eat about half of your calories back.
Good luck to you.
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