Why am I gaining weight!??!

On August 25th, I weighed 253. This morning I'm 258. It's not my TOM. This site tells me I can eat 2000 calories a day (I'm 6'2) and still lose a pound a week. I have only come close to 2000 calories a few times and am usually way under. I use a food scale and log every bite meticulously. What could I be doing wrong? My diary is open.
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Replies

  • Elise4270
    Elise4270 Posts: 8,375 Member
    I'm not able to see your diary. But just a guess....salt and or carbs would be to blame. I'm 5'5" 122lbs 46 female and can gain 5 pounds easily by carb-loading.

    Carbs and salt cause water retention. I'd wait it out, maybe some lemon water.
  • SillyCat1975
    SillyCat1975 Posts: 328 Member
    I wish I knew because I am too. I am hoping that it's water weight gain. I hope this straightens out of you, I know how discouraging it can be. Hang in there.
  • cathipa
    cathipa Posts: 2,991 Member
    edited September 2016
    Just looked at your diary. Have you started a new exercise routine? Sodium intake? I find it hard to believe that you are eating <1200 calories most days and have gained 3 pounds that is anything other than water weight.
  • tcunbeliever
    tcunbeliever Posts: 8,219 Member
    Also, if you have changed your exercise habits you will store more water in your muscles and that will impact the scale. Try taking measurements as well to see more fat loss related results.
  • mgobluetx12
    mgobluetx12 Posts: 1,326 Member
    I can't do much exercise because I have sciatica so even walking is painful. I haven't increased my activity at all. I'm totally befuddled. I do have hypothyroidism so I made an appointment with my doctor to have it checked though I was fine in March.

    I was 257 yesterday. 258 today after eating 800 calories yesterday. This just doesn't make any sense to me.

    Thanks for any advice!
  • tcunbeliever
    tcunbeliever Posts: 8,219 Member
    Hypothyroid - that's a challenge - are you getting enough iodine? I always try to eat shrimp at least once a week to keep adequate levels, but I'm sure there are other iodine rich foods if you don't like seafood.
  • mgobluetx12
    mgobluetx12 Posts: 1,326 Member
    I've never been told to monitor my iodine intake. I'll ask my doctor about that. I have never eaten shrimp, if you can believe it.
  • red99ryder
    red99ryder Posts: 399 Member
    Did you just start ? day to day numbers can be misleading .. we didn't gain it all in a day and we're not gonna loose it in a day
  • jemhh
    jemhh Posts: 14,261 Member
    On August 25th, I weighed 253. This morning I'm 258. It's not my TOM. This site tells me I can eat 2000 calories a day (I'm 6'2) and still lose a pound a week. I have only come close to 2000 calories a few times and am usually way under. I use a food scale and log every bite meticulously. What could I be doing wrong? My diary is open.

    What were your weights each day 8/26 through 9/11.

    It's impossible to see what could be going on with only 2 data points.
  • LazSommer
    LazSommer Posts: 1,851 Member
    Sorry, but you are eating more than you think. It's physically impossible to put on more weight when you are consuming so far below your TDEE/BMR. At 253 eating under 2k calories the weight would melt off.

    If you are weighing everything, make sure you are doing so correctly and using the right entries. No one here can verify that your log is true.
  • Sarahb29
    Sarahb29 Posts: 952 Member
    I gain/lose every day depending on what I've eaten and how much has.. stuck around. It's perfectly normal. I tend to hold more water weight if I eat more carbs and it def shows up on the scale the next AM. Be careful to not starve yourself either, continue on with your diet, stick to your plan and it will even out.
  • cee134
    cee134 Posts: 33,711 Member
    edited September 2016
    This is always a good start for weight gain or your weight staying the same.

    That being said the scale can go up by 5 lbs and it is normal. That doesn't mean that's your real weight. As long as you are seeing it go down over time.

    4e4x1qbou4k8.jpg
  • mgobluetx12
    mgobluetx12 Posts: 1,326 Member
    I've been at this since May and started at 273. I reached 253 on Aug 25 and have steadily crept upwards to 258. I am logging accurately. I lost 80lbs in 2013, so I know what I'm doing. I just didn't keep logging and gained 70lbs back. So I've done this before, but it wasn't this hard last time.
  • jemhh
    jemhh Posts: 14,261 Member
    edited September 2016
    Your hypothyroidism could certainly be a factor so I wouldn't rule that out. However, how often are you weighing your solid foods as opposed to using cups/spoons to measure them or just looking at the package and accepting that one item truly matches the weight on the nutrition label? I see a lot of things like "6 tots" or "eggs and beans 1 serving" or "1 salad" in your diary.

    Also, do you not have a kitchen? Your diet is almost entirely comprised of convenience foods, fast foods, etc. It is lacking in fresh fruits and veggies. While I don't think that you need to cut out all pleasure foods, I think you need to learn how to eat a well rounded diet as yours is not healthy.
  • kshama2001
    kshama2001 Posts: 28,052 Member
    edited September 2016
    I've never been told to monitor my iodine intake. I'll ask my doctor about that. I have never eaten shrimp, if you can believe it.

    I don't eat iodized salt, and no longer eat foods from the sea regularly, so take kelp tablets, which provide 150 mcg of iodine. Without it, I lose a scary amount of hair.

    FYI, various websites list three ounces of shrimp as having 23-35 mcg of iodine.

    http://bembu.com/iodine-rich-foods

  • mgobluetx12
    mgobluetx12 Posts: 1,326 Member
    I use the recipe builder a lot, so I don't weigh my food and change the calories every single time I make that recipe. That defeats the purpose. I eat plenty healthy. Just because you can't see what's in my recipes doesn't meant there aren't vegetables in there. All my salad a have zucchini noodles.

    As for the 'tots' they are a recipe I found on Skinny Taste and have exactly five ingredients which I have measured and weighed on my own to make sure they counts were correct.

    Even if I am slightly underestimating my calorie intake it doesn't explain why I gained five pounds.
  • leajas1
    leajas1 Posts: 823 Member
    It could be nothing. Fluctuations are natural - check out this article:

    http://www.healthdiscovery.net/articles/scale_lies.htm
  • Sabine_Stroehm
    Sabine_Stroehm Posts: 19,263 Member
    Are you ovulating? And all of the above questions about fluctuation etc.
  • kshama2001
    kshama2001 Posts: 28,052 Member
    I use the recipe builder a lot, so I don't weigh my food and change the calories every single time I make that recipe. That defeats the purpose. I eat plenty healthy. Just because you can't see what's in my recipes doesn't meant there aren't vegetables in there. All my salad a have zucchini noodles.

    As for the 'tots' they are a recipe I found on Skinny Taste and have exactly five ingredients which I have measured and weighed on my own to make sure they counts were correct.

    Even if I am slightly underestimating my calorie intake it doesn't explain why I gained five pounds.

    On the one day of your diary I was able to see before you closed it, it didn't look like you were weighing anything.

    You could have gained a few pounds from underestimating and a few due to ovulation, if that's where you are in your cycle.
  • jemhh
    jemhh Posts: 14,261 Member
    I use the recipe builder a lot, so I don't weigh my food and change the calories every single time I make that recipe. That defeats the purpose. I eat plenty healthy. Just because you can't see what's in my recipes doesn't meant there aren't vegetables in there. All my salad a have zucchini noodles.

    As for the 'tots' they are a recipe I found on Skinny Taste and have exactly five ingredients which I have measured and weighed on my own to make sure they counts were correct.

    Even if I am slightly underestimating my calorie intake it doesn't explain why I gained five pounds.

    You should still weigh your ingredients and adjust them in the recipe builder each time you make the recipe. Then weigh out your servings.

    Go see your doctor to have your thyroid checked. If it is okay, you are eating more than you think. Eating at the calorie level you claim since May should have helped you lose a lot more than you have so far, even if your activity level is low.
  • Sarahb29
    Sarahb29 Posts: 952 Member
    Are you ovulating? And all of the above questions about fluctuation etc.

    There's so many hormone problems for women when it comes to tracking weight. If its shark week, it's a guaranteed 3-5lb gain for me, but even during ovulation like you mentioned sometimes I'd get spikes there too. Weight is never linear so I tend to weight every day and log only when I reach a new lower number. Like OP I fluctuate around but the overall trend is down. It's tricky business!
  • jessiferrrb
    jessiferrrb Posts: 1,758 Member
    I've been at this since May and started at 273. I reached 253 on Aug 25 and have steadily crept upwards to 258. I am logging accurately. I lost 80lbs in 2013, so I know what I'm doing. I just didn't keep logging and gained 70lbs back. So I've done this before, but it wasn't this hard last time.

    have you revisited your goals on mfp? about every 10 or so lbs you lose you can update your goals with your new weight and get a new calorie goal. It could be that you were able to lose at 1800 (an example) at 273 but not at 253.
  • flipmode_7
    flipmode_7 Posts: 7 Member
    its not always about the scale my friend, could be muscle
  • jemhh
    jemhh Posts: 14,261 Member
    flipmode_7 wrote: »
    its not always about the scale my friend, could be muscle

    No.
    I can't do much exercise because I have sciatica so even walking is painful. I haven't increased my activity at all.



  • MissusMoon
    MissusMoon Posts: 1,900 Member
    I do see a lot of "3 slice" "1 serving' "6 tots" ".5 bun", "medium zucchini" and especially '.5TBS olive oil' ".25 cup cheese" and salad dressing. It doesn't look as though you're actually using a food scale at all. Ditch the spoons and cups and start weighing everything, even slices of meat and olive oil...weigh prepacked pre-weighed foods, too as they're not as accurate as the packaging states.

    THIS.
  • Water retention
  • mgobluetx12
    mgobluetx12 Posts: 1,326 Member
    For those of you food scale nazis, I lost 80lbs in 2013 and didn't even own a food scale. I'm not asking why I can't lose weight. I'm wondering if anyone has insight into why I've gained those five pounds in 2.5 weeks. I'd lost 20lbs in four months prior using measuring cups and spoons. I think that's pretty good.

    So you're saying I underestimated my calories by 17,500 because I didn't weigh my food. I don't think so.

    Thank you to those of you who are guessing water weight or my thyroid is low again. I appreciate the support.
  • Wickedfaery73
    Wickedfaery73 Posts: 184 Member
    Doesn't walking help sciatic pain? I know it has helped mine.. that and losing 45lbs so far