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liza1435
Posts: 5 Member
For almost two weeks now i have been monitoring what ive been eating, like cutting out junk foods and late night snacks, ive been going for walks pretty well every day as well. I probably missed 3 days in the past two weeks. Ive also been eating healthier foods, getting my 8 glasses of water a day, and ive even been drinking 2-3 cups of green tea each day because ive heard its good to promote weight loss. I weighed in today since ive made these switches, and ive gained more than 5 pounds! I cant understand how thos happened, i thought i was doing so well 
... Im not 100% about my scale, since it was telling me 3 dofferent weights, but all three were still showing gain. Does anyone have some wise words or positivity to share? I could use it here this morning
... Im not 100% about my scale, since it was telling me 3 dofferent weights, but all three were still showing gain. Does anyone have some wise words or positivity to share? I could use it here this morning 0
Replies
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have you been weighing your food?0
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You haven't mentioned the single thing that is required for fat loss. A calorie deficit.
Are you maintaining a calorie deficit?0 -
Wow, I was expecting you to say you'd stay the same, wasn't expecting the 5lb gain haha.
Do you weigh your food? If you're using cups or estimating portions you're probably eating more than you think. Do you eat back your exercise calories? Can you open your diary? Have you only weighed once in these 2 weeks? Did you eat particularly salty food yesterday (since salt can make you retain water and bumps the scale up for a day or so afterwards)?
Also a few things: cutting out junk food and late night snacks, green tea, healthier foods... none of this matters for weight loss. If it helps keep you in your calories then great, but calories are all that matter. Meal timing doesn't matter, what you eat doesn't matter, green tea doesn't boost your metabolism or anything. Accurately counting your calories and sticking to your goal will make you lose weight, not any of these things.
So if you're not already weighing everything definitely start doing that. I'd also recommend portioning out what you would eat then weighing it to see if it was actually what you expected, just to see if you were really far out or if you were actually pretty much where you expected to be. Other than that I'd say to just stick with it, especially since it's only been 2 weeks. Weight loss isn't linear - you won't lose weight every week. Weigh everything, keep going for a few weeks and see how you do. Good luck!0 -
You say you are making better choices and that's great - but do you actually know how many calories you are consuming each day? If you are not eating at a calorie deficit, you simply won't lose weight - so you could be making some really good changes by cutting out junk food, but still eating TOO much! :] I'd say work out your allowance and stick to it - you'll see results!0
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I have not been weighing food no, i will definitly start to do that!
I have been staying within my calorie goal, but i will admit there were a couple days i did go over. When excercising I will have most of those calories left over. As of now its only walking that i am doing, and my walks are normally between 30-60 minutes each day.0 -
And yes, i have only weighed once since i started.0
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Yeah definitely start weighing foods, then give it a few weeks and see how you're doing.0
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And depending where you are in your cycle you can have water weight from that as well.0
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That is true glinda1971, i never took that into account either.0
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Good luck and welcome to the world of food weighing
!! 0 -
Everything everyone has said above me is accurate so I wont repeat it but I will say to stay positive and remember this journey is also a mental one. Consider the great things you are not only doing for your body, but for your life. All the healthy choices are you making ARE making a difference! I step on the scale and sometimes gain and sometimes I don't lose. Just look in the mirror and (try to) smile
and stay the course! Keep trying everyday and you will begin to notice a physical and mental change! Don't let the scale solely dictate your success. Best of luck! You can do it! 0 -
If you weren't in the habit of weighing before you started, you will need to get used to the fact that the scale can fluctuate a lot for reasons that have nothing to do with actual fat lost or gained. Some weigh once a week for this reason, but it's why I like to weigh every day and note the changes but not overreact to them. It's the best way to get a baseline of what your real starting weight is, as well as your weight going forward. You could have weighed initially on a down day and then on an up day (especially as women's cycles will have effects and you won't know precisely what they are until doing this for a few months). I am sure you didn't actually gain 5 lbs.
As for losing, the #1 thing that matters, as others have said, is keeping a calorie deficit. MFP's estimate is usually a good place to start, and if you are mainly walking I wouldn't eat back more than 50% of exercise calories. It may take a week or so to get your calories on point, so thing of the first bit as a learning process.
You can do it!0 -
I have not been weighing food no, i will definitly start to do that!
I have been staying within my calorie goal, but i will admit there were a couple days i did go over.
You are making some fantastic changes so please stay strong. I agree with everyone also but I do just question one thing (in a completely non judgy way) which is.... How do you know you are staying within your calorie goal if you are not weighing food? I think you may be surprised by portion sizes/weight of food and I think using a scale will be a positive method for you to employ. It does get annoying at times but once you have done it for a while you will get used to appropriate portion sizes for your goals and will mentally be able to picture them better.
Keep up the great work and don't get disheartened0 -
Sometimes when I exercise I start eating more...I don't even notice. Except when I log. Last night I had a killer gym workout with my man and when I got home I ate dinner, and then two hours later I wanted more food. I looked at my log and decided it wasn't worth it and I wasn't actually really that hungry. Maybe this is happening to you to? You're doing well, congrats! Don't let the scale increase get you down...you're making changes that will help you lose weight in the long run!
Best advice is just start logging accurately. Pick up a digital kitchen scale and even if you only weigh your foods for a few weeks it'll make you realize how many calories you're eating and what a portion size looks like. Eat lots of veggies to fill you up with your meals to bring calories down and watch healthy foods. I haven't looked at your diary but if you switched your unhealthy snacks with say, trail mix, you could be eating a pile of calories without realizing it. Also, I find it helpful to take measurements and also feeling how my clothes fit.
You've got this! Just push through it! When you feel down because of the scale, just think of how you feel! Do you feel better? Focus on that! It helps to get through the tough times.0 -
When i have meals i do normally eye / measure it out.. But i will definitely switch to weighing no matter how frusterating it will be at first lol
Thank you everybody so much, all very helpful sugestions:)0
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