Frustrated
mrstinashort
Posts: 5 Member
No processed sugar products for 2 weeks. 2 egg breakfast, salad, veggies & fruit during day, one serving of dinner entree w/ salad, plenty of water. Plenty of calories leftover daily on the diary. Exercising.... and I'VE GAINED MORE WEIGHT! Not sure what to do next, skip dinner? Fast?
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Replies
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Are you tracking your calorie intake? Accurately?3
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I think so, using the labels on packages for the few non fresh foods and MFP for the fruits/veggies.0
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Today's say I have over 400 calories left.0
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Try getting a food scale, I found I was eating several hundred calories more than I thought I was when I was eyeballing or measuring by volume. Make sure you are logging beverages, cooking oil, condiments.
If your exercise is new, you could be retaining water for muscle repair which can hide fat loss on the scale.
Is it your TOM? That can also cause water weight fluctuations.
Two weeks is really too soon to judge your success regardless. Bodies are weird and don't always react to what we do as quickly as we would like.
How much total weight do you have to lose?4 -
mrstinashort wrote: »I think so, using the labels on packages for the few non fresh foods and MFP for the fruits/veggies.
How are you measuring what you eat?2 -
I’m pretty consistent with same foods daily. The only variety is dinner. (Tonight taco salad w blue corn chips). Yes I include all water & 2 c black coffee. Apples, spring mix salad 2 tbsp dressing, 2 organic eggs etc. bell peppers to snack. I’ve ate more cheese lately than ever before, that may be a cause. Jogged almost 20 miles this weekend. Walk all day at work. Not sedentary at all. Was 133 few days ago now 138!! Goal is 125. Nope, uterus free! Oh well I’ll try another 2 weeks, then I’ll try some diet pills if need too. Thanks for your time trying to help me.0
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mrstinashort wrote: »I’m pretty consistent with same foods daily. The only variety is dinner. (Tonight taco salad w blue corn chips). Yes I include all water & 2 c black coffee. Apples, spring mix salad 2 tbsp dressing, 2 organic eggs etc. bell peppers to snack. I’ve ate more cheese lately than ever before, that may be a cause. Jogged almost 20 miles this weekend. Walk all day at work. Not sedentary at all. Was 133 few days ago now 138!! Goal is 125. Nope, uterus free! Oh well I’ll try another 2 weeks, then I’ll try some diet pills if need too. Thanks for your time trying to help me.
Don't do diet pills. Spend the money on a food scale.4 -
These would be my suggestions:
1. If it's been less than 3 weeks or so, don't sweat it! Normal fluctuations happen and unfortunately sometimes we stall for a week or two even when we're doing everything right. Give your body some time to catch up with the changes you're making.
2. If you aren't already, be sure that you're logging everything. Sometimes people forget about things like veggies, drinks, cooking oils, and condiments. For some people these can add up to enough to halt your weight loss progress.
3. Consider buying a food scale if you don't already have one. They're about $10-$20 dollars in the US and easily found at places like Amazon, Target, and Walmart. Measuring cups and spoons are great, but they do come with some degree of inaccuracy. A food scale will be more accurate, and for some people it makes a big difference.
4. Logging accurately also means choosing accurate entries in the database. There are a lot of user-entered entries that are off. Double-check that you're using good entries and/or using the recipe builder instead of someone else's homemade entries.
5. Recalculate your goals if you haven't lately. As you lose weight your body requires fewer calories to run. Be sure you update your goals every ten pounds or so.
6. If you're eating back your exercise calories and you're relying on gym machine readouts or MFP's estimates, it might be best to eat back just 50-75% of those. Certain activities tend to be overestimated. If you're using an HRM or activity tracker, it might be a good idea to look into their accuracy and be sure that yours is calibrated properly.
7. If you're taking any cheat days that go over your calorie limits, it might be best to cut them out for a few weeks and see what happens. Some people go way over their calorie needs without realizing it when they don't track.
8. If you weigh yourself frequently, consider using a program like trendweight to even out the fluctuations. You could be losing weight but just don't see it because of the daily ups and downs.
9. Some people just burn fewer calories than the calculators predict. If you continue to have problems after 4-6 weeks, then it might be worth a trip to the doctor or a registered dietitian who can give you more specific advice.6 -
I didn't believe a food scale would make a difference, and boy was I wrong. I was eye-balling cheddar cheese, and underestimating a serving of 1 oz. by two or three times the actual weight. I was eating 200 to 300 calories more than I thought! I've increased my exercise and have gained 3 pounds in two weeks. I think it's related to water retention. My experience from last summer makes me believe that within the next week I'll have what's called a "whoosh" - the scale will finally show a loss. So hang in there! There are variations from product weights and the calorie count listed on the packaging sometimes. Try eating back just 50% to 75% of the calories you've earned from exercise. That reduction in calories might be enough to compensate for inaccurate calorie logging. An alternative would be to decrease your calorie intake by 150 to 200 calories (as long as you don't go under 1200 minimum MFP suggests) and see if that makes a difference.
Don't give up!!
Please don't use diet pills. You might get some initial success but that won't last.4 -
mrstinashort wrote: »I’m pretty consistent with same foods daily. The only variety is dinner. (Tonight taco salad w blue corn chips). Yes I include all water & 2 c black coffee. Apples, spring mix salad 2 tbsp dressing, 2 organic eggs etc. bell peppers to snack. I’ve ate more cheese lately than ever before, that may be a cause. Jogged almost 20 miles this weekend. Walk all day at work. Not sedentary at all. Was 133 few days ago now 138!! Goal is 125. Nope, uterus free! Oh well I’ll try another 2 weeks, then I’ll try some diet pills if need too. Thanks for your time trying to help me.
Okay, you're only trying to lose 10 lbs. You should really only be expecting to lose @ 0.5lbs per week, and that small amount can easily hide behind normal fluctuations on the scale. You are going to have to be patient, and switching from one method to another is just going to exacerbate water weight and digestion fluctuations and keep you spinning your wheels.
Focus on logging accurately and consistently, and give it time.5 -
Fasting works great with a few caveats. You have to make sure that when you eat you eat a lot! I make sure I eat at least maintenance and usually 200 over on eating days. If you want to get the most benefit keto adapting and no snacking really helps to get your insulin levels down. The more often you eat the more you stimulate insulin. Insulin is the fat storage hormone, and also regulates the body set weight. Lower insulin = lower body set weight
That said you may have stressed your body with too much exercise. That will make your muscles retain water to help repair them. It seriously might be that simple!14 -
flitabout38 wrote: »Fasting works great with a few caveats. You have to make sure that when you eat you eat a lot! I make sure I eat at least maintenance and usually 200 over on eating days. If you want to get the most benefit keto adapting and no snacking really helps to get your insulin levels down. The more often you eat the more you stimulate insulin. Insulin is the fat storage hormone, and also regulates the body set weight. Lower insulin = lower body set weight
That said you may have stressed your body with too much exercise. That will make your muscles retain water to help repair them. It seriously might be that simple!
Nope!4 -
Nope to what?0
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flitabout38 wrote: »Nope to what?
To everything. Do you know how weight is lost?5 -
I am very clear on how it is lost. Start here and then start reading the actual studies. It's quite eye opening. Because common belief on weigh loss in the last 40 years has worked so well the obesity and overweight in the developed world is what now 30%. Yeah CICO works great! Not!!! https://youtube.com/watch?v=5F5o0a4p_3U&t=11s11
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flitabout38 wrote: »I am very clear on how it is lost. Start here and then start reading the actual studies. It's quite eye opening. Because common belief on weigh loss in the last 40 years has worked so well the obesity and overweight in the developed world is what now 30%. Yeah CICO works great! Not!!! https://youtube.com/watch?v=5F5o0a4p_3U&t=11s
Ooooh, information from YouTube. LOL7 -
flitabout38 wrote: »I am very clear on how it is lost. Start here and then start reading the actual studies. It's quite eye opening. Because common belief on weigh loss in the last 40 years has worked so well the obesity and overweight in the developed world is what now 30%. Yeah CICO works great! Not!!! https://youtube.com/watch?v=5F5o0a4p_3U&t=11s
Rather than derailing OPs thread, why not check out some of the many threads debating calorie counting in the Debate Forum? It's too soon to tell whether what OP is doing is working anyway!4 -
Like I said start their then read the studies I never said that it was the end all beat all. Take Ansel Keys' Minnesota starvation study done back in 1944-45. They didn't really starve them just put them on a calorie reduced diet or the smaller Biggest Loser study. The actual information is truly shocking, If you would rather get up on a high horse and not look at a different perspective that's on you. My point was that keto makes it easier to fast. It's a hormone issue not a calorie issue.10
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Thank you everyone, I do appreciate the time you took to assist me. Apparently one of my issues is that I haven't been eating enough calories and am retaining. I do eat several snacks throughout my day but they are all very low cal vegetables and an apple. ( As a nurse I'm on feet 8-10 hours and would go hypoglycemic.) The other issue is the possibility of gaining muscle. I have noticed a loss of a couple inches around my ribs and thighs. I will continue and see what occurs next week. By then I hope to have been processed sugar free for 4 weeks. Thank you all again!2
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No matter what the scale shows, don't you just feel better being off processed sugar? Are you getting enough protein for your increased exercise?0
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The cheese may be causing two problems. First it has the extra calories, but even worse, it is full of sodium. You may be retaining lots of water due to excess sodium. Try to keep your sodium down and see what happens.0
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mrstinashort wrote: »Thank you everyone, I do appreciate the time you took to assist me. Apparently one of my issues is that I haven't been eating enough calories and am retaining. I do eat several snacks throughout my day but they are all very low cal vegetables and an apple. ( As a nurse I'm on feet 8-10 hours and would go hypoglycemic.) The other issue is the possibility of gaining muscle. I have noticed a loss of a couple inches around my ribs and thighs. I will continue and see what occurs next week. By then I hope to have been processed sugar free for 4 weeks. Thank you all again!
Retaining water is a possibility. With so little to go losses would be small and can sometimes get masked by water weight. Muscle gain is unlikely, building muscle takes a lot of focus and effort. Get a food scale and track that way for 4-6 weeks and see how things go. Package labels can be off enough for it to matter with weight.4 -
mrstinashort wrote: »Thank you everyone, I do appreciate the time you took to assist me. Apparently one of my issues is that I haven't been eating enough calories and am retaining. I do eat several snacks throughout my day but they are all very low cal vegetables and an apple. ( As a nurse I'm on feet 8-10 hours and would go hypoglycemic.) The other issue is the possibility of gaining muscle. I have noticed a loss of a couple inches around my ribs and thighs. I will continue and see what occurs next week. By then I hope to have been processed sugar free for 4 weeks. Thank you all again!
Neither of these is the issue. No one doesn't lose weight because they are eating too little, and it's highly unlikely that you will built any notable muscle mass eating in a deficit.
Try the suggestion of weighing all solid food accurately on a food scale, keeping within your calorie goal, , and bear in mind that so close to goal weight, any loss will be slow and some water weight fluctuations (e.g. from exercise) may mask your loss at first.
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flitabout38 wrote: »Like I said start their then read the studies I never said that it was the end all beat all. Take Ansel Keys' Minnesota starvation study done back in 1944-45. They didn't really starve them just put them on a calorie reduced diet or the smaller Biggest Loser study. The actual information is truly shocking, If you would rather get up on a high horse and not look at a different perspective that's on you. My point was that keto makes it easier to fast. It's a hormone issue not a calorie issue.
Once again - NOPE.
Keto is not magical and Fung is a quack.
https://www.myoleanfitness.com/evidence-caloric-restriction/6 -
Based on your description of your diet, it could be hormonal. If you don't get enough carbs, your body will go into a hormonal starvation mode and your metabolism will slow.
Have 15-20g carbs for breakfast, 30-40g before your workout, 20-30g after your workout, and 10-15g or so in your snacks and whatnot throughout the day, cutting carbs out entirely in the evening. Make sure they're high-quality carbs: whole grains, legumes, fruit, dairy. This will fill up your 400 remaining calories and will also let your body know that you're not starving, thereby increasing leptin levels, decreasing cortisol levels, regulating insulin, and revving up your metabolism.
Also, insulin isn't as cut-and-dry as previous posts suggest. Insulin is what tells your cells to take up the macronutrients in your blood--in other words, it's what tells your muscle cells to take up protein. It's not healthy to have low insulin levels all the time. What you want to do is avoid high/frequent insulin spikes (which are generally caused by eating simple carbs like white bread/sugar and which result in excess fat storage) and instead focus on gentle and drawn-out insulin "hills" (which you get from consuming complex carbs along with protein and fat and which help your body absorb the nutrients it needs as it's using those nutrients). If you're interested, I'm happy to break down the science of this process on a more detailed level. Understanding insulin (and leptin and cortisol) is such a key if you're eating for fitness!8 -
carolsoules wrote: »Based on your description of your diet, it could be hormonal. If you don't get enough carbs, your body will go into a hormonal starvation mode and your metabolism will slow.
Have 15-20g carbs for breakfast, 30-40g before your workout, 20-30g after your workout, and 10-15g or so in your snacks and whatnot throughout the day, cutting carbs out entirely in the evening. Make sure they're high-quality carbs: whole grains, legumes, fruit, dairy. This will fill up your 400 remaining calories and will also let your body know that you're not starving, thereby increasing leptin levels, decreasing cortisol levels, regulating insulin, and revving up your metabolism.
Also, insulin isn't as cut-and-dry as previous posts suggest. Insulin is what tells your cells to take up the macronutrients in your blood--in other words, it's what tells your muscle cells to take up protein. It's not healthy to have low insulin levels all the time. What you want to do is avoid high/frequent insulin spikes (which are generally caused by eating simple carbs like white bread/sugar and which result in excess fat storage) and instead focus on gentle and drawn-out insulin "hills" (which you get from consuming complex carbs along with protein and fat and which help your body absorb the nutrients it needs as it's using those nutrients). If you're interested, I'm happy to break down the science of this process on a more detailed level. Understanding insulin (and leptin and cortisol) is such a key if you're eating for fitness!
So much woo. Let me guess. Six week online personal trainer course?
Starvation mode isn't a thing. Explain anorexics.
Your metabolism doesn't speed up and slow down on a whim. It takes excessive undereating for a long period of time.
Meal timing is irrelevant (unless you are Usain Bolt).
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