Gaining instead of losing.

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matheson_ashley
matheson_ashley Posts: 8 Member
in Health and Weight Loss
I went from eating whatever I wanted whenever I wanted to eating a lot better getting my fruits and veggies drinking a ton of water and using the elliptical 30 to 50 minutes a day and I've put on 7 pounds? Please tell me it's all bloat or water weight from drinking so much water. How can I fix this stepping on the scale is so discouraging.

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  • jemhh
    jemhh Posts: 14,261 Member
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    How long have you been "eating better"? Did you log your food before your change in diet and have you logged it since, to determine the calorie difference? In what time frame have you gained 7 pounds? Are you ovulating or getting close to having your period? Have you eaten more sodium or carbs than usual recently?
  • matheson_ashley
    matheson_ashley Posts: 8 Member
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    jemhh wrote: »
    How long have you been "eating better"? Did you log your food before your change in diet and have you logged it since, to determine the calorie difference? In what time frame have you gained 7 pounds? Are you ovulating or getting close to having your period? Have you eaten more sodium or carbs than usual recently?

    I've been eating better for 2 1/2 weeks I haven't tracked anything before or after. I've gained the 7 pounds in that 2 1/2 weeks. I'm not sure I could be ovulating I've recently suffered a loss so my cycle is messed up. I've been trying to cut on carbs grab fruit, veg, yogurt, almonds something else instead.
  • jemhh
    jemhh Posts: 14,261 Member
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    matheson_ashley wrote: »
    jemhh wrote: »
    How long have you been "eating better"? Did you log your food before your change in diet and have you logged it since, to determine the calorie difference? In what time frame have you gained 7 pounds? Are you ovulating or getting close to having your period? Have you eaten more sodium or carbs than usual recently?

    I've been eating better for 2 1/2 weeks I haven't tracked anything before or after. I've gained the 7 pounds in that 2 1/2 weeks. I'm not sure I could be ovulating I've recently suffered a loss so my cycle is messed up. I've been trying to cut on carbs grab fruit, veg, yogurt, almonds something else instead.

    Your recent loss (which I am very sorry about) and the hormonal fluctuation that your body is going through likely plays a part in this. My suggestion would be to take your weight today as your starting point. Get a digital kitchen scale if you don't already have one, and weigh all solids. Use a measuring cup for liquids (some people prefer to weigh liquids.) Use a measuring cup for solids only when absolutely necessary (i.e., the batteries in the scale are dead) and use visual estimates only when necessary (i.e., you're out of the house.) Log carefully, using good entries in the MFP database (USDA entries are good as are those that match food labels.) Eat to your MFP calorie goal (which should be set to a moderate deficit such as .5 lbs per week considering your 8 lb goal) and see how that goes.
  • Equus5374
    Equus5374 Posts: 462 Member
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    The kitchen scale is really an eye-opener. I've been grossly underestimating some of the little things that I never even thought about weighing/measuring because I didn't think they made an appreciable difference, such as my morning coffee! I use half & half and didn't realize how much I was actually using. It turned out to be about 80-120 cal. per cup that I was not logging! That adds up fast! I'm trying to train myself to go without a creamer, just so I can use those calories elsewhere. But it goes to show that the little things matter hugely when calorie counting!
  • erickirb
    erickirb Posts: 12,293 Member
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    If you recently started exercising or increasing intensity you could be retaining water to help protect and repair the muscles. Once you get used to the exercise your muscles will shed the majority of the excess water.
  • RGv2
    RGv2 Posts: 5,789 Member
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    erickirb wrote: »
    If you recently started exercising or increasing intensity you could be retaining water to help protect and repair the muscles. Once you get used to the exercise your muscles will shed the majority of the excess water.

    I would agree with this and add that, although good for you, nuts and some fruits can have quite the caloric punch.
  • SeanNJ
    SeanNJ Posts: 153 Member
    edited December 2015
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    matheson_ashley wrote: »
    I've been eating better for 2 1/2 weeks I haven't tracked anything before or after. I've gained the 7 pounds in that 2 1/2 weeks. I'm not sure I could be ovulating I've recently suffered a loss so my cycle is messed up. I've been trying to cut on carbs grab fruit, veg, yogurt, almonds something else instead.

    Almonds have an almost ridiculous caloric density. 1 oz (and that's barely a handful, depending on the size of your hand) will be 160 calories.
  • extra_medium
    extra_medium Posts: 1,525 Member
    edited December 2015
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    As others have pointed out it is really important to track and log your calories as accurately as possible, especially when you're first starting out. "Eating better" doesn't really mean much (as far as weight loss goes) if you're still going over on calories. You might actually be taking in more as the foods you consider healthy aren't satisfying you as much as something you didn't consider healthy. So instead of a cookie, you're eating a bunch of fruits and almonds etc and end up going higher calorie-wise.
  • dhimaan
    dhimaan Posts: 774 Member
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    You are eating more than you think.
  • cwolfman13
    cwolfman13 Posts: 41,867 Member
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    it's very possible to eat healthfully and still overeat. nuts and other healthy sources of fat are good for you, but they are also calorie dense...a mere ounce of almonds has 160 calories.

    also, being female, your hormones are going to play a bigger factor and you are likely to see greater fluctuations due to water retention, etc.

    beyond that, keep an eye on things...if the scale keeps going up, you are simply over eating, regardless of whether they are healthy choices or not.
  • matheson_ashley
    matheson_ashley Posts: 8 Member
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    I try to only grab 5 or 6 almonds any time I eat them and pair them with a yogurt. I'll have to look up some low calorie snacks and try and track my intake more.
  • Lucille4444
    Lucille4444 Posts: 284 Member
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    matheson_ashley wrote: »
    I try to only grab 5 or 6 almonds any time I eat them and pair them with a yogurt. I'll have to look up some low calorie snacks and try and track my intake more.
    I bet that would help a lot. It is discouraging to do so much work and not get results, I hope tracking your intake will allow you to tweak what you are doing so that you start losing soon.

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