in desperate need of reassurance :(

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renfreri000
renfreri000 Posts: 5 Member
in Health and Weight Loss
Hi everyone,
I've just been really upset lately because for a whole month I basically had protein shakes for breakfast, chicken and rice and fruit for lunch, and dinner was some kind of meat and blackbean and veggie. This worked so great and it got me from 137 to 129. However I got sick of eating the same thing every day, so I starting trying new recipes (all of them healthy, and I continued counting my calories) the only thing I can even think that may be the cause is that some of them involved more carbs? for example instead of chicken and rice i would have a whole wheat turkey wrap. I didn't have a scale for a week or so and finally got a new one. I got on today expecting to lose EVEN MORE and what do you know.. I'm back at 131. I know you shouldn't focus on a number but its just a little discouraging to stay away from the scale and expect even more weight loss and get nothing but weight gain. I don't wanna feel like i'm gonna have to eat chicken and rice the rest of my life in order to NOT gain weight.. someone help me out here :(
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Replies

  • queenliz99
    queenliz99 Posts: 15,317 Member
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    Are you in a deficit? How accurate is your calorie counting? Do you use a food scale to weigh all solids?
  • keepupwithjack
    keepupwithjack Posts: 44 Member
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    It could be that your new scale weighs a bit heavier. I'd check your progress next week, on the same scale, and see how you're doing.
  • CoffeeNCardio
    CoffeeNCardio Posts: 1,847 Member
    edited January 2016
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    Just gonna drop this here. But also, I think you need to give it some time. You probably, if your logging is accurate, didn't gain back fat weight. You're female. Our hormones cause us to gain and lose water weight all month long, so you can't really trust that something has gone wrong on the scale until you have passed through a full menstrual cycle, the whole 28 days or whatever length yours typically is. You're not gonna know that you're in a state of gaining or losing until you weigh in at different points during your cycle to find out when you retain water the most, and that takes time and watching general trends. It is not at all uncommon for people, both men and women, to fluctuate within a 5 lb range all the time, cycle notwithstanding, so focus on larger numbers and not smaller ones.

    Eating Carbs or not eating carbs makes absolutely zero difference to losing weight if you maintain a caloric deficit. That's not how it works. Calories, from whatever source, are how it works. Eat less of them than you burn and you will lose weight carbs be damd. Eat what makes you full and happy.

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  • renfreri000
    renfreri000 Posts: 5 Member
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    I make sure to get 1,200 a day and I usually measure everything by cups. I dont have a food scale but when I eat meat it tells me on the package how much each oz weights. Regardless I don't think I'm ever more than a few calories off... It's just frustrating how precise it all has to be. People tell you just eat healthy and get exercise like its so simple. But I stop obsessively tracking or weighing in and I'm supposed to just gain back everything I worked hard for? I'm losing it guys.. all this hard work and I feel hopeless.
  • Ninkyou
    Ninkyou Posts: 6,666 Member
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    It could be any number of things. Glycogen replenishment, sodium intake, ovulation, period, hormones....

    Point being, weight fluctuates. It's not in the least bit linear. Give it time and it'll probably come off. Just keep on truckin'.
  • Duchy82
    Duchy82 Posts: 560 Member
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    Not every scale weighs the same I'm easier a few pounds heavier on the gp scales compared to mine at home. I don't think it will have had anything to do with what you ate give it a week weigh yourself on the new one after a week and see if you have a loss. You really don't need to eat the same thing every day to be able to lose weight.
  • shadowfax_c11
    shadowfax_c11 Posts: 1,942 Member
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    renfreri000 wrote: »
    I make sure to get 1,200 a day and I usually measure everything by cups.


    Right there is your problem. Get a food scale.
  • WalkingAlong
    WalkingAlong Posts: 4,926 Member
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    keepupwithjack wrote: »
    It could be that your new scale weighs a bit heavier. I'd check your progress next week, on the same scale, and see how you're doing.

    I agree. Even if your new scale is identical to your old scale, you're only up 2 lbs. That's 2 pints of water. You need to get a lot more data points (preferably from one scale) to tell anything.

    If you can input your data to Trendweight.com, that will help you ignore the day to day noise.
  • pstegman888
    pstegman888 Posts: 286 Member
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    You definitely do not need to restrict your meal plan so drastically. As long as you are weighing your food, logging it accurately, and staying at your correct calorie goal, you will lose over time. Most likely the new scale weighs slightly differently or you are retaining a little water. But you're going to burn out on the same boring food all the time. Enjoy your food choices; simply stay within your calories and take slight weight fluctuations in stride.
  • c_pantojas
    c_pantojas Posts: 47 Member
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    My weight fluctuates like 5 lbs each week and I get bummed at times BUT people keep telling me I look like I'm losing weight. Sooo don't be so hard on yourself
  • kimny72
    kimny72 Posts: 16,013 Member
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    OP, home scales are not perfectly exact, so your new scale might be a touch different than your old one. Also, it is perfectly normal for your scale weight to float up or down by around 5 lbs or so based on any numbers of factors like water weight, digestion, etc.

    My weight is different on my scale, my parents' scale, and my doctor's scale.
  • newheavensearth
    newheavensearth Posts: 870 Member
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    So she was losing weight just fine measuring in cups and all of a sudden it made her gain?

    Just saying. But get a food scale, anyway.

    I think it's the difference in scales. They are not all calibrated the same way, unless someone comes to all of our homes to calibrate all of our scales to the same measurement.
  • StaciMarie1974
    StaciMarie1974 Posts: 4,138 Member
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    Is this a 'gain' in a week, 2 weeks, 2 months? If short term, easily water weight and/or scale calibrated differently. Give it a few weeks to see what trend is happening.

    If its been a couple of months, then reevaluate your logging accuracy.
  • BurnWithBarn2015
    BurnWithBarn2015 Posts: 1,026 Member
    edited January 2016
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    chnphillips wrote: »
    So she was losing weight just fine measuring in cups and all of a sudden it made her gain?

    Just saying. But get a food scale, anyway.

    I think it's the difference in scales. They are not all calibrated the same way, unless someone comes to all of our homes to calibrate all of our scales to the same measurement.

    No most of the time when you start out you lose weight because of the sudden "healthy" cooking so less salt and the first week to two weeks people just lose a lot of water weight.

    Cups and spoons are highly inaccurate and it can be hundreds of calories off.
    Watch this short video that will show for just oats and peanut butter what difference it can be.


    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JVjWPclrWVY


    But weight loss is ( like others said) also not linear. Some weeks you lose more than others. Sometimes you gain a bit etc. The overal trend has to be downwards
    I can easily gain 10 lbs after eating to much salt...But when you look at the monthly average than i still lost weight.


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  • newheavensearth
    newheavensearth Posts: 870 Member
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    Thanks . I'm still trying to reverse habits that EVERY NUTRITIONIST and REGISTERED DIETITCIAN I EVER SAW TAUGHT ME. I just started using the scale, and so far all I've lost is my patience.
  • BurnWithBarn2015
    BurnWithBarn2015 Posts: 1,026 Member
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    chnphillips wrote: »
    Thanks . I'm still trying to reverse habits that EVERY NUTRITIONIST and REGISTERED DIETITCIAN I EVER SAW TAUGHT ME. I just started using the scale, and so far all I've lost is my patience.

    Well shouting and losing your patience wont get you far.

    You didn't gain this weight overnight and you dont lose it overnight.
    People try to help you here.

    And many successful people who lost their weight do it through CICO ( calories in versus Calories out) And weigh their food ( yes all their food) on a food scale

    But enough said i wish you luck and patience OP


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  • renfreri000
    renfreri000 Posts: 5 Member
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    Well I understand with meat how that would be effective (the scale) but I don't think I'm measuring wrong my using measuring cups? On things like cottage cheese, or brown rice, or even peanut butter it tells you the serving size. So I will either do the serving size or even half the serving size and just divide the calories in half.. I'm not sure how that would be inaccurate. I've been doing more things with weights so hopefully I'm just getting a little muscle and people are right that the scale is calibrated differently.. Im gonna buckle down a little more on planning and measuring cals because I heard after the first month or so that you kinda get careless. Thank you all for your suggestions and I'll try and stay updated and give it another week or so
  • ElizabethOakes2
    ElizabethOakes2 Posts: 1,038 Member
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    It's a shame they don't teach Home Ec in high school anymore or everyone would know how to properly measure and weigh their food. ;) I also recommend investing in some professional grade measuring spoons and cups and not relying on cheap plastic ones from the Dollar Store. I've found as much as a quarter cup variant in "cup" sizes! :)
  • mrsloganlife
    mrsloganlife Posts: 158 Member
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    renfreri000 wrote: »
    Well I understand with meat how that would be effective (the scale) but I don't think I'm measuring wrong my using measuring cups? On things like cottage cheese, or brown rice, or even peanut butter it tells you the serving size. So I will either do the serving size or even half the serving size and just divide the calories in half.. I'm not sure how that would be inaccurate. I've been doing more things with weights so hopefully I'm just getting a little muscle and people are right that the scale is calibrated differently.. Im gonna buckle down a little more on planning and measuring cals because I heard after the first month or so that you kinda get careless. Thank you all for your suggestions and I'll try and stay updated and give it another week or so

    Some people pack the food into measuring cups. Others loosely fill. Measuring cups aren't as accurate as believed. Unless you watched those people at the food factories and grocery store manufacturing centers fill up the measuring cup to determine the serving size, you will be off.

    Look I was like you. Why do I have to weigh everything? I honestly thought everyone on these forums harping about food scales were out of their minds. How do they have time to weigh everything? And then I challenged myself to do it for a week. And then I got myself the biggest slice of humble pie (calorie free) and ate it. I realized when I weighed everything that I had underestimated myself using measuring cups and I had eaten more calories than I realized. So now I've been weighing...and I've been losing consistently.

    And also remember that weight does fluctuate. I weighed myself last night, lost 1.3 pounds. I weighed myself this morning--I was 1.5 pounds heaver than I was 8 hours before! I weighed myself when I got home...I was 2 pounds lighter than I was 12 hours ago. Keep working, it's hard but well worth it!
  • AnvilHead
    AnvilHead Posts: 18,344 Member
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    chnphillips wrote: »
    Thanks . I'm still trying to reverse habits that EVERY NUTRITIONIST and REGISTERED DIETITCIAN I EVER SAW TAUGHT ME. I just started using the scale, and so far all I've lost is my patience.

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