Weight gain instead of loss? Frustrated

nancyltharp
nancyltharp Posts: 5 Member
edited December 2024 in Health and Weight Loss
I'm starting to feel discouraged. I started this program almost 2 months ago. My goal was to lose 1-2 lbs per week. I am eat 1300 calories per day. I am unable to exercise due to health issues. I lost 16 pounds in the first month. I am now gaining weight. I am precise with my calorie counts. Most days I have to make myself eat another snack to make the 1300 goal. I'm not hungry and I'm feeling good. For 2 weeks I have not lost a pound. Today I weighed myself and have gained 2lbs. How is this possible? Will the weight loss begin again or am I stuck indefinitely? My weight is over 200 lbs. I need to lose weight to improve my health. Any advice or comments would be greatly appeciated. Thank you!

Replies

  • Bxqtie116
    Bxqtie116 Posts: 552 Member
    You have to give it some time. Your body is still adjusting to your new routine. Have you taken measurements? Sometimes you'll lose inches but not lbs. How are your sodium levels? Are you staying under? How much water do you drink everyday? Excess sodium can cause water retention which causes weight gain. Just continue logging and weighing your food, and make sure you drink enough water. You say you're unable to exercise due to health issues, but can you walk? That's a great but simple way to get your body moving. Even if you only walk for 5 minutes, walk as much as you can and you'll find yourself walking for longer periods of time.
  • nancyltharp
    nancyltharp Posts: 5 Member
    I am in the midwest, also. Yes, the heat and humid have be horrid. I just checked my daily amounts of calories, sodium, etc. I noticed I have eaten less protein and more carbs in the past 2 weeks. I am assuming all calories aren't equal. Gonna switch some food choices around and see if that helps, too. Thanks so much for responding. Your advice is appreciated! :)
  • Bxqtie116
    Bxqtie116 Posts: 552 Member
    nancyltharp wrote: »
    I am in the midwest, also. Yes, the heat and humid have be horrid. I just checked my daily amounts of calories, sodium, etc. I noticed I have eaten less protein and more carbs in the past 2 weeks. I am assuming all calories aren't equal. Gonna switch some food choices around and see if that helps, too. Thanks so much for responding. Your advice is appreciated! :)

    Try increasing your protein. Our bodies needs more protein when losing weight and working out as it helps build and retain muscle mass. Keep us posted.
  • JDixon852019
    JDixon852019 Posts: 312 Member
    Midwest represent!

    Fluctuating 1-3lbs is NORMAL, quit being so hard on yourself! Keep any eye on your sodium and increase your water intake. I personally aim for 3L a day. I also don't recommend forcing yourself to eat when you are not hungry, trust your body more. As you loose weight, your calorie needs are going to change.
  • mgobluetx12
    mgobluetx12 Posts: 1,326 Member
    Have patience! Your weight will fluctuate all the time so get used to that. Just keep doing what you're doing and you will see results. I lost no weight for a whole month then dropped six pounds last week alone.
  • arditarose
    arditarose Posts: 15,573 Member
    As long as you're logging accurately, just take it easy. I was up 4 lbs this week, from high carbs and hormones. I've been at this for awhile and I was still upset, so I know how you feel. But weight fluctuations are completely natural.
  • Bearbo27
    Bearbo27 Posts: 339 Member
    A week ago I had gained 2 lbs over night. I was within my calorie goal and everything. It took two days but the wait dropped off a few days later along with another pound the day after that.
  • bethannien
    bethannien Posts: 556 Member
    Another thing to consider is time of the month. Without fail, I put on 3-5 lbs every time.

    Don't be discouraged. You're doing great
  • Rebekah_89
    Rebekah_89 Posts: 61 Member
    jrulo16 wrote: »
    Midwest represent!

    Fluctuating 1-3lbs is NORMAL, quit being so hard on yourself! Keep any eye on your sodium and increase your water intake. I personally aim for 3L a day. I also don't recommend forcing yourself to eat when you are not hungry, trust your body more. As you loose weight, your calorie needs are going to change.


    @jrulo16 What did you mean by "as you lose weight, your calories need change". Do you need to lower your calories as you lose weight?
  • Sued0nim
    Sued0nim Posts: 17,456 Member
    Rebekah_89 wrote: »
    jrulo16 wrote: »
    Midwest represent!

    Fluctuating 1-3lbs is NORMAL, quit being so hard on yourself! Keep any eye on your sodium and increase your water intake. I personally aim for 3L a day. I also don't recommend forcing yourself to eat when you are not hungry, trust your body more. As you loose weight, your calorie needs are going to change.


    @jrulo16 What did you mean by "as you lose weight, your calories need change". Do you need to lower your calories as you lose weight?

    Yes as your mass reduces it cuts down the amount of calories your body needs ...unless you increase your exercise to compensate
  • arditarose
    arditarose Posts: 15,573 Member
    Makaylacreason wrote: »
    It really all depends on what you're eating. For example, I'm currently on the Keto diet and have been for the past month. It's honestly the best and easiest diet I've ever done. It does take discipline but it's soo worth it. If you don't kno what the Keto diet is, it's basically where you eat very little carbs (under 30 grams a day) and high fat and moderate protein. Look it up I really recommend it

    I'm not dissing Keto, but for the most part-weight loss, maintenance, and gain comes down to calories. Not what you're eating. Though, if someone is sensitive to carbohydrates, I can see how a lower carb diet may keep their weight SWINGS in check, but a downward trend on the scale will be seen whether you eat high carb or low carb, as long as you're in a calorie deficit.


  • arditarose
    arditarose Posts: 15,573 Member
    edited July 2016
    By the way OP, I was up 5 lbs since last sunday all through the week. Then I dropped below what I had weighed before that. Completely normal. 2lbs is really just water, food volume, hormones, etc.

    Also, a male on my friends list gained 14 lbs over the last week or two and then dropped it off. Just be glad you're not dealing with THAT kind of swing. Geeze. I told him to come into all of these threads and put you all to ease. Except I didn't say it that nicely.
  • Sued0nim
    Sued0nim Posts: 17,456 Member
    As a woman it is normal for our scale weight to fluctuate with hormones

    But also every human has fluctuations in scale weight due to water weight (which is 50-60% of our weight anyway) ..can be affected by hormones, diet, exercise, ambient temperature,hydration, medicines, stress, phases of the moon etc)

    Best to give yourself a 5lb weight range and watch trendlines over time (6-8 weeks) through apps like happy scale or libra, or sites like Weightographer or trendweight

    I do trendweight, cos it links to my Fitbit and automatically updates my weight...I've been in maintenance for about 18 months but still get regular fluctuations

    This is a good illustration of normality across 3 months, stable intake

    c58wl4iknsx9.jpeg


    T

  • mom22dogs
    mom22dogs Posts: 470 Member
    Carbs make you retain more water. You said you've been eating more carbs, so that is most likely why you are up a few pounds. Over the 4th of July weekend I ate out a couple of times, and weight a few days later and was up 7 lbs. It took about 12 days, but I lost it and am now back down where I should be. I ate a lot of carbs which I normally don't do.
  • JDixon852019
    JDixon852019 Posts: 312 Member
    Rebekah_89 wrote: »
    jrulo16 wrote: »
    Midwest represent!

    Fluctuating 1-3lbs is NORMAL, quit being so hard on yourself! Keep any eye on your sodium and increase your water intake. I personally aim for 3L a day. I also don't recommend forcing yourself to eat when you are not hungry, trust your body more. As you loose weight, your calorie needs are going to change.


    @jrulo16 What did you mean by "as you lose weight, your calories need change". Do you need to lower your calories as you lose weight?

    Yes, that is exactly what I meant. When I weighed 148lbs, MFP suggested 1290cal per day. When I reached 130lbs, I recalibrate my goals on the app and it dropped my calories down to1200c
  • nancyltharp
    nancyltharp Posts: 5 Member
    You guys are awesome! I did lose it plus 1 extra pounds. Shout out to the "real" experts! ;)
  • nancyltharp
    nancyltharp Posts: 5 Member
    edited July 2016
    I also recalibrated. I had no idea I would need to do that. Thank you!
  • JDixon852019
    JDixon852019 Posts: 312 Member
    @nancyltharp recalibration isn't something most think of. I kinda discovered this by accident while checking to see what my maintenance intake should be lol.
  • nancyltharp
    nancyltharp Posts: 5 Member
    You have saved me a lot of heartache, @jrulo16 . Thank you very much!!
  • exact0ninja
    exact0ninja Posts: 33 Member
    This could be your first plateau. I would also consider if 1300 is too low or you might have increased your activity levels due to your weight loss? If you have too low of a caloric intake for a while, your body will adjust and start to shift gears and store fat differently due to hormonal and metabolic changes. This can either cause your weight loss to stop completely, or you might start to slowly gain weight depending on what you're eating. I've seen both cases happen. 1300 is usually a good starting point for people, but everyones body is different and adjusts differently. Like people mentioned above, you are probably due for a good adjusting of macros and you should probably check your activity levels. I would suggest less sodium, more protein if you've been on the low side, and slow burning foods that are high in fiber.
  • StaciMarie1974
    StaciMarie1974 Posts: 4,138 Member
    Ultimately a calorie is a calorie. But some food choices can lead to water weight gain. If your goal is to lose weight for health reasons, the water weight is not really an issue. You want to lose fat, right? Or do you want to trick the scale into thinking you weigh less by dehydrating? Water weight is annoying, but its not the end of the world.

    Some things that can lead to water weight:

    Increased carbs
    Increased sodium
    Stress
    Lack of sleep
    New workout program
    Increasing intensity of workout program
    TOM/hormones

    There are more but those are what come easily to mind. The key is its temporary, and if you are eating at a deficit then the weight will come off over time.
This discussion has been closed.

Categories