I'm only eating fruits and veggies, but GAINING...what is the problem?

ycatsms2014
ycatsms2014 Posts: 3 Member
in Health and Weight Loss
I've had baaad mono for the last 2 months, so I've not been able to excercise. I've changed my diet to a fresh nutri-bullet smoothie with baby spinach and kale, banana, and about a cup of other fruits, a scoop of whey protein (30g), a handful of almonds and 2 cups 2% milk. Then I'll have bean soup that I made, so no additives, salt, etc., there (1 1/2 cups) and 1/2 container Oikos plain Greek yogurt. Then my only cheat is for dessert is apple slices and sugar free cool whip. For snacks I do 1 P3 protein pack (cheese, nuts, meat), and usually a New Whey protein bullet (42g). I drink plenty of water. AND THAT'S IT. So, I'm confused as to how I can be GAINING weight instead of losing?

I'm staying within my calories on myfitnesspal, but my sugars, protein and vitamin C are over. I'm not hitting my sodium or potassium, and I'm close on my carbs. Fats are close, but high on monounsaturated fats, so I'm at a total loss?? I'm guessing the sugars might be a problem, but it's all from the fruit, so is it REALLY that bad?

Anyone got any ideas or pointers?
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Replies

  • lseed87
    lseed87 Posts: 1,105 Member
    Not eating enough / eating too much

    it's kind of hard to say since don't know the exact macros. I'd aim for less sugar and monounsaturated fats. And add more potassium...

    Pregnant, tom, unknown medical reasons could be factors
  • middlehaitch
    middlehaitch Posts: 8,487 Member
    Are you weighing everything with a food scale?
    Not knowing your stats or goals it is hard giving any advice except to weigh and measure everything.
  • kommodevaran
    kommodevaran Posts: 17,890 Member
    What is your calorie goal, and how many calories are you eating?
  • LKArgh
    LKArgh Posts: 5,178 Member
    ycatsms2014 wrote: »
    I've had baaad mono for the last 2 months, so I've not been able to excercise. I've changed my diet to a fresh nutri-bullet smoothie with baby spinach and kale, banana, and about a cup of other fruits, a scoop of whey protein (30g), a handful of almonds and 2 cups 2% milk. Then I'll have bean soup that I made, so no additives, salt, etc., there (1 1/2 cups) and 1/2 container Oikos plain Greek yogurt. Then my only cheat is for dessert is apple slices and sugar free cool whip. For snacks I do 1 P3 protein pack (cheese, nuts, meat), and usually a New Whey protein bullet (42g). I drink plenty of water. AND THAT'S IT. So, I'm confused as to how I can be GAINING weight instead of losing?

    I'm staying within my calories on myfitnesspal, but my sugars, protein and vitamin C are over. I'm not hitting my sodium or potassium, and I'm close on my carbs. Fats are close, but high on monounsaturated fats, so I'm at a total loss?? I'm guessing the sugars might be a problem, but it's all from the fruit, so is it REALLY that bad?

    Anyone got any ideas or pointers?

    You can eat too much of all the things you listed. Try counting your calories for a few days to see how you are doing?
  • yarwell
    yarwell Posts: 10,477 Member
    Misleading title. Since when was whey protein a fruit or vegetable (not to mention several other items).

    Open your diary - settings, bottom left, set to Public. Or tell us how many calories a day you eat, how tall and what your current / goal weight is.
  • dhimaan
    dhimaan Posts: 774 Member
    Partial information and closed diary. Difficult to give constructive advice.
  • ycatsms2014
    ycatsms2014 Posts: 3 Member
    Thanks y'all! MFP is giving me 1460 call/day and I'm staying within that almost to the tee. I'm not pregnant, but I do have health problems (broken back) so I'm on disability. But the main thing thats been hindering me lately is the mono...I've been sleeping between 14 - 20 hrs a day. So I'm wondering if that might not be part of the problem. And as far as weighing my portions, I'm doing that, too. But, I've been feeling a bit better, so maybe the mono is on its way out and I can start exercising and maybe that will make the difference.

    I appreciate all of your input!!
  • Jokersurv
    Jokersurv Posts: 75 Member
    Sometimes people with mono gain weight due to lack of physical activity. I would also research any meds you ate on while being treated. Some medications have a side effect of weight gain.
  • DemoraFairy
    DemoraFairy Posts: 1,806 Member
    edited September 2015
    A few things:

    1. What you eat doesn't matter, calories does. Get the idea that eating fruits will make you lose weight and eating sugar will make you gain weight out of your head, it's not true (barring any medical conditions, anyway). 'Then my only cheat is for dessert is apple slices and sugar free cool whip.' There is no such thing as a cheat if it's in your calories.
    2. How long have you been doing this? If it's only a week or two, don't panic, it's perfectly normal not to lose weight for a couple of weeks or so. Depending on your current weight and how often you weigh, progress can also be easily covered by fluctuations. Give us more details and we can help more.
    3. I'd also agree with the other people saying to open your diary.

    The extra hours sleeping may well be bringing your TDEE (how many calories you burn in a day) down as you're not moving around as much, if you're not better soon and it's not one of the other problems then try eating a bit less each day until you're feeling better.
  • Orphia
    Orphia Posts: 7,097 Member
    DemoraFairy wrote: »
    The extra hours sleeping may well be bringing your TDEE (how many calories you burn in a day) down as you're not moving around as much, if you're not better soon and it's not one of the other problems then try eating a bit less each day until you're feeling better.

    This. Very sorry to hear about your broken back. I hope you make a full recovery. Alas, at the moment, this restriction is stopping you from getting even your "sedentary" activity calories up. Sedentary counts for 5,000 steps a day, which I know for me are around 1000 kj I've earned. So you need to eat less to account for not making those steps.

    And you need to weigh and log everything. Cheats definitely included.

    Best wishes and kind regards.
  • KateTii
    KateTii Posts: 886 Member
    Are you weighing your food? Almonds are very calorie dense, "one handful" could be easily 300+ calories OR MORE. I don't know what your protein pack is but it also sounds calorie dense.

    "Eating healthy" is good for nutrition, eating less is good for weightloss. Check how many calories you are eating and adjust from there.
  • callsitlikeiseeit
    callsitlikeiseeit Posts: 8,626 Member
    without an open diary, none of us can really help you.

    I would wager you are eating more calories than you THINK you are, especially if you are not weighing and logging all of the food you eat.

  • rainbowbow
    rainbowbow Posts: 7,490 Member
    ycatsms2014 wrote: »
    I've had baaad mono for the last 2 months, so I've not been able to excercise. I've changed my diet to a fresh nutri-bullet smoothie with baby spinach and kale, banana, and about a cup of other fruits, a scoop of whey protein (30g), a handful of almonds and 2 cups 2% milk. Then I'll have bean soup that I made, so no additives, salt, etc., there (1 1/2 cups) and 1/2 container Oikos plain Greek yogurt. Then my only cheat is for dessert is apple slices and sugar free cool whip. For snacks I do 1 P3 protein pack (cheese, nuts, meat), and usually a New Whey protein bullet (42g). I drink plenty of water. AND THAT'S IT. So, I'm confused as to how I can be GAINING weight instead of losing?

    I'm staying within my calories on myfitnesspal, but my sugars, protein and vitamin C are over. I'm not hitting my sodium or potassium, and I'm close on my carbs. Fats are close, but high on monounsaturated fats, so I'm at a total loss?? I'm guessing the sugars might be a problem, but it's all from the fruit, so is it REALLY that bad?

    Anyone got any ideas or pointers?

    Doesn't seem like you have any actual measurements on anything. Sounds like the smoothie is high in calories, who knows for the soup, no accurate measurement for the snack or the dessert, PLUS an extra protein "bullet" with god knows what in it.


    How about you show us your diary?


    It's very likely you are seriously overestimating how much you're eating.
  • healthygreek
    healthygreek Posts: 2,137 Member
    You need to weigh all your food-not just measure by cups!
    As soon as your logging is accurate, you will begin to lose!
    Wishing you a swift recovery!
  • Ironmaiden4life
    Ironmaiden4life Posts: 422 Member
    healthygreek wrote: »
    You need to weigh all your food-not just measure by cups!
    As soon as your logging is accurate, you will begin to lose!
    Wishing you a swift recovery!

    ^^^This

    you're eating more than your burning - simple
  • Amberonamission
    Amberonamission Posts: 836 Member
    With your food, record it, stay under your number. Lots on that list that are not fruit or veg. But even fruit or vegetable is not free. Log it log it log it!
  • Amberonamission
    Amberonamission Posts: 836 Member
    I had a moment this weekend that might help. For breakfast yesterday I wanted dried apricots (I love them). I read the package 6 apricots 120 calories or 40 grams. So I weighed my 6 apricots they weighed 71 grams. That would have been 180 calories. Weighing food is super important. You could be eating more than you think you are.
  • WinoGelato
    WinoGelato Posts: 13,454 Member
    OP when you set up MFP and t told you 1460, was that to lose weight? 1 lb/week? Was that before you broke your back?

    Along with the suggestions to make sure you are weighing your food, accurately logging everything, I would think if you are on complete bed rest that your calories would be quite a bit lower than even a normal sedentary setting for someone of your height/weight. I'm not sure if there is a conversion slightly above BMR that you should be trying and what that would be, but it sounds like your situation is fairly different than most.

    How long is your recovery period and is there any physical activity you can be/should be doing to prevent muscle atrophy, etc?
  • MKEgal
    MKEgal Posts: 3,250 Member
    The only way to gain weight (other than temporary water retention) is to take in more calories than you burn off.
    And vice versa, for losing weight.

    So if you've consistently been gaining weight over say a month or two, you're consistently taking in more than you burn.
    You don't need to exercise to eat less. And in fact, both my doctor & dietician told me to ignore exercise calories
    w/r/t losing weight. (Don't eat them back.) It's great for health, once you have the energy, but don't push & make
    your health worse.


    Here are some useful pots. Definitely read sexypants a few times.
    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

    http://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/discussion/833026/important-posts-to-read/p1


    "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


    Goal setting, including weight, calories, and macros
    http://www.myfitnesspal.com/blog/MKEgal/view/2014-06-08-setting-goals-667045
  • jellybaby84
    jellybaby84 Posts: 583 Member
    If you're only awake for 4 hours some days then 1400 calories must be waaaay too much. You must be eating for most of the time you're awake! Even with 14 hours sleep, your TDEE will be lowered. And, with your broken back, I'm guessing you're completely sedentary even when awake.

    It sounds really awful for you but, tbh, unless you're very tall I'd be cutting back to around 1000 if you want to lose weight.
  • Maxematics
    Maxematics Posts: 2,287 Member
    Others have already told you that you're probably underestimating your calorie intake and I agree. Your morning smoothie is around 625 calories already and that's me being generous with the calorie calculation I came up with. Depending on how big the banana is, the other cup of fruits you're using, whether the 2 cups of milk truly is 2 cups and what exactly a "handful" of almonds amounts to for you, that smoothie can easily be 800+ calories. Since you're only allowed to eat 1460 calories per day, that would leave you with 660-835 calories to play with. When I look at the rest of what you eat during the day, that definitely seems to easily amount to 600+ calories. Since you can't do any physical activity right now your TDEE is also lower, so that combined with the high calories are what's making you gain weight. It doesn't matter how much you've changed your diet; if you eat excess calories you will gain weight.
  • Francl27
    Francl27 Posts: 26,371 Member
    Guessing you should eat your bmr to lose, and even then, you might maintain...

    Focus on getting better first, then worry about the weight IMO. Good luck.
  • Liftng4Lis
    Liftng4Lis Posts: 15,151 Member
    You're not in a deficit.
  • snowflake930
    snowflake930 Posts: 2,188 Member
    Liftng4Lis wrote: »
    You're not in a deficit.

    ^You most likely are eating more calories than you are burning. Doesn't matter if what you are eating is healthier. Calories are calories.


  • biodigit
    biodigit Posts: 145 Member
    I think two things are in play here.

    1. You're underestimating your daily calorie intake.
    2. You're not moving at all due to your back injury, which consequently has brought down your TDEE (maintenance calories) figure significantly.

    So in short - you need to properly log what you eat to determine calorie intake. and figure out the correct TDEE figures. It may very well be less than the 1400 calories. You have to play around with them to nail it down unfortunately. Bring that number down by 200 calories until you start seeing the results.

  • michelle7673
    michelle7673 Posts: 370 Member
    I'm sure your resting metabolic rate is really low, with mono. The most important thing is for your body to heal -- 2 months of mono is no joke -- and my guess is that the weight gain is more likely to be largely mono related and will dissipate when you are moving around again. Be well :)
  • Kalikel
    Kalikel Posts: 9,603 Member
    You're not just eating fruits and veggies. Cool Whip is not a vegetable.

    It could be a water issue, a period, new exercise. It could also be that you're eating too much to lose. Give it a few more weeks, if you don't lose anything, eat less.
  • cwolfman13
    cwolfman13 Posts: 41,865 Member
    well, fruit and veg have calories...excess calories beyond what you need to maintain the status quo will cause weight gain regardless of the source. also, if all you're eating is fruit and veg, how are you close on fat? also, there is no RDA of mono fats...these are good, heart healthy fats. you're probably pretty low in the protein department as well.

    maybe try to balance out your diet a little and accurately log to make sure you're hitting your targets.
  • msf74
    msf74 Posts: 3,498 Member
    ycatsms2014 wrote: »
    So, I'm confused as to how I can be GAINING weight instead of losing?

    How much have you gained and over what period of time?

    Is there a consistent upward trend over a number of weeks?

  • ycatsms2014
    ycatsms2014 Posts: 3 Member
    Thanks all...all pointed suggestions on weighing and eating less while I'm sick. I'll Def work on accuracy and tweaking and hopefully, I'll see some results. I also set up an app with a nutritionist today, so that'll help.

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