So discouraged

missmelis1976
missmelis1976 Posts: 17 Member
edited November 29 in Motivation and Support
Guys,
I’ve gained roughly 25 lbs since exactly one year ago. I’m 5’9 and 42 yr old.
I finally started getting serious the past few 2 months about losing weight and instead of losing I’m gaining. I’m extremely frustrated
For the past week I’m finally doing cardio on my treadmill- 30 Min. each time walk and run but at least it’s something. Burning 250 calories roughly each time. That in addition with my logging in my daily food and staying below my alloted daily calories I’m at a loss as to why I’m gaining weight. As of 1 week ago this morning I ’ve put on 3 more lbs. What is going on ??? I drink about 6 glasses of water per day. I weigh myself same time and spot in the morning. Clothes are so tight I need new sizes. Ugh
Still have my HUGE sweet tooth with chocolate but I’m staying under my calories
Can someone please shed some light ? Thank you
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Replies

  • joinn68
    joinn68 Posts: 480 Member
    edited October 2018
    3 lb in one week? new exercise regimen could mean holding water weight and all that.

    If you are talking about gaining weight while logging at a deficit these past two months though: you are eating more than you think. At 5'9 your maintenance calories should be high enough though :/

    Could you open your diary so that people who want to help can have a look?
  • RunForPizza88
    RunForPizza88 Posts: 56 Member
    Are you certain that walking for 30 minutes burns 250 cals? That seems like a very inflated figure. Try using the formula weight in lbs x 0.3 x distance walked in miles. What does that give you?
    You are probably eating more than you think, are you weighting all your food on a digital food scale? If not, then you are almost certainly eating more than you think.
  • cmriverside
    cmriverside Posts: 34,458 Member
    Yeah, that calorie burn sounds way high.

    And yeah, food scale!

    There are lots of reasons the scale weight could be higher than it was. Time of the month, salt, exercise, stress, inflammation, illness, too much food, sleep, hydration and so on.

    Stay the course. Keep logging food, maybe use a smaller number on that exercise calories and keep going.
  • 88olds
    88olds Posts: 4,539 Member
    Agree about the water weight and exercise.

    You point to your last WI, but how are you doing overall? How long have you been keeping a food diary? Do you use a food scale? Are you eating back exercise calories?

    Folks get their backs up over this, but consider that the issue may be you aren’t eating in a deficit. Water weight, medical/medication issues, too many calories- can’t think of any other reason for gaining weight.

    But take heart. All of these calculators give the impression that they are spitting out the exact number for you to eat in a deficit. You don’t get an exact number outside of a lab. Plus there are always calorie counting gray areas. If you don’t have a food scale get one.

    If looking at your diary, you are convinced that your counting is as tight as you can get it, cut 100 calories per day and see if you can live with it. See it it moves the scale. Keep tinkering and adjusting until you find the right numbers. Be patient and determined.

    Last thing. Don’t beat yourself up over a piece of chocolate or two if it fits your plan. Feeling deprived is a plan killer. The rigid eating austerity program rarely lasts for long.
  • angelsja
    angelsja Posts: 859 Member
    I'm 5ft 8 and burn approximately 180 calories on a 30min walk depending on OP's weight and pace 250 isn't that unrealistic
  • hroderick
    hroderick Posts: 756 Member
    The supplement chromium picolineate helped me break the sweet tooth habit.

    Exercise, while good for you, isn't nearly as effective as calorie deficit for weight reduction.
  • missmelis1976
    missmelis1976 Posts: 17 Member
    You guys are great, thank you so much.
    Let me see if I can answer these questions:
    1. How do I show you my food log?
    2. I walk and run, together Sorry I just looked back and the highest was 205. Transposed my numbers
    3. I've been on and off this site many years but most recently since mid - end August 2018
    4. Definitely do NOT have a food scale. Do you really weigh every single thing you eat?
    5. Yes eating back calories.. Maybe that's what is going on??
  • RelCanonical
    RelCanonical Posts: 3,882 Member
    missmelis1976 wrote: »
    You guys are great, thank you so much.
    Let me see if I can answer these questions:
    1. How do I show you my food log?
    2. I walk and run, together Sorry I just looked back and the highest was 205. Transposed my numbers
    3. I've been on and off this site many years but most recently since mid - end August 2018
    4. Definitely do NOT have a food scale. Do you really weigh every single thing you eat?
    5. Yes eating back calories.. Maybe that's what is going on??

    You need a food scale. Once you get used to it, you'll find it's easier than measuring cups.
  • missmelis1976
    missmelis1976 Posts: 17 Member
    Just thought of something. A lot of things I guess on for calories b/c I can't find the exact thing I'm eating.. I make dinner each night. A lot of Pinterest recipes and so I try to find something close to it so how would I accurately figure out the calories in a casserole or dish I'm making for instance?
  • RelCanonical
    RelCanonical Posts: 3,882 Member
    missmelis1976 wrote: »
    Just thought of something. A lot of things I guess on for calories b/c I can't find the exact thing I'm eating.. I make dinner each night. A lot of Pinterest recipes and so I try to find something close to it so how would I accurately figure out the calories in a casserole or dish I'm making for instance?

    You can use the recipe builder on this site. It's under Food > Recipes. Enter in all the ingredients, the number of servings, and it'll calculate a calorie count for you for that portion. If you get a food scale, you can weigh the total amount of food to know how much a portion should be.
  • missmelis1976
    missmelis1976 Posts: 17 Member
    @RelCanonical AMAZING! I had no idea!!!!! Thank you
  • missmelis1976
    missmelis1976 Posts: 17 Member
    Random thought also... The past two nights when I used the treadmill was at 8:30pm right before bed. I woke up the next morning on both days with the same exact weight as the morning of
  • missmelis1976
    missmelis1976 Posts: 17 Member
    So for instance if I eat a sandwich at lunch this weekend I would weigh the sandwich beforehand? Just a little confused
  • DietQJ
    DietQJ Posts: 8 Member
    You have to weigh the individual ingredients to be accurate. Bread, weigh it. Meat, weigh it. Mayo--especially weigh it. etc. If you eat the same sandwich over and over, you can enter it into MFP as a recipe. I do that but I weight everything out all the time. Basically I make my sandwich on a plate on the scale. I love the OXO scale with a pull out front--makes it easy.
  • ruffneckred
    ruffneckred Posts: 69 Member
    I second that humans are not so good at estimating food volumes and weights, I try to guess the weights before measuring to condition myself to be more accurate, maybe someday the scale will gather dust. I make home cooked dished alot, like pizza. I use https://www.verywellfit.com/recipe-nutrition-analyzer-4157076 to get the macro, it can be tedious, but I get better at using it each time. I am definitely open to a better analyzer. Have a great day.
  • RunForPizza88
    RunForPizza88 Posts: 56 Member
    If you aren’t weighing your food that is your number one issue right there. Forget anything about exercise or what time you exercise it’s practically irrelevant if you aren’t tracking correctly.

    If you aren’t weighing your food how on earth can you track your calorie intake? For example if you had spagetti for dinner, you could be eating 250 calories worth, you could be eating 600 calories worth! I know I could gobble down the latter without stopping for breath!

    Start weighing all your food, from today! If you are making a receipe, for example the casserole you mentioned you need to weigh all the individual ingredients, raw, before you add them to the pot.

    Don’t forget to measure things like cooking oils as you can be adding lots of calories there. Also as you say you are just choosing random entries from the database that loosly match what you eat, stop doing this, the entry you are selecting could literally be any old rubbish that the calories in no way relate to what you just ate.

    P.S. I have been tracking and weighing food for 4 months and have lost much weight!
  • missmelis1976
    missmelis1976 Posts: 17 Member
    Awesome. Thanks again
  • 88olds
    88olds Posts: 4,539 Member
    missmelis1976 wrote: »
    So for instance if I eat a sandwich at lunch this weekend I would weigh the sandwich beforehand? Just a little confused

    I’d weigh the individual ingredients as I was making the sandwich. But now that I think of it, I’ve never weighed bread, always used the NI per slice. But may be checking it at next opportunity.
  • cmriverside
    cmriverside Posts: 34,458 Member
    88olds wrote: »
    missmelis1976 wrote: »
    So for instance if I eat a sandwich at lunch this weekend I would weigh the sandwich beforehand? Just a little confused

    I’d weigh the individual ingredients as I was making the sandwich. But now that I think of it, I’ve never weighed bread, always used the NI per slice. But may be checking it at next opportunity.

    I never did either until recently, then I thought maybe I'd just see. They're usually either 2-4g within range or right-on, in my experience.
  • bikecheryl
    bikecheryl Posts: 1,432 Member
    You may have to weigh all your food for awhile...... I find when I stop weighing - my portions slowly start to creep up... not awful if your maintaining..... a killer when your trying to loose weight and are getting closer to goal when you don't have a lot of wiggle room.

    I only eat back approx 50% of my exercise calories as a buffer.

    Absolutely every time I think I'm stalled it's because I become lax in weighing my food.... thinking I can eyeball it....

    lol my eyes are always bigger than my stomach. OMG I just channeled my mother. :o:#;):)

  • RelCanonical
    RelCanonical Posts: 3,882 Member
    cmriverside wrote: »
    88olds wrote: »
    missmelis1976 wrote: »
    So for instance if I eat a sandwich at lunch this weekend I would weigh the sandwich beforehand? Just a little confused

    I’d weigh the individual ingredients as I was making the sandwich. But now that I think of it, I’ve never weighed bread, always used the NI per slice. But may be checking it at next opportunity.

    I never did either until recently, then I thought maybe I'd just see. They're usually either 2-4g within range or right-on, in my experience.

    Some brands are definitely more consistent than others. I use the Aunt Millie's brand for bread, and they're usually spot on, but I use Joseph's brand for wraps, and while they say a wrap is 56g, most are above 60g, and some I've gotten up to 65g! Almost 20% more right there.
  • JeromeBarry1
    JeromeBarry1 Posts: 10,179 Member
    Here's an example of a simple stew:

    One can of stewed tomatoes - 350 grams
    One can of whole kernel corn - 350 grams
    One pound of 93% lean beef - 448 grams
    Total weight is total servings = 1148 servings.

    Using the old recipe builder you tell it that the recipe makes 1148 servings. Each case is different.
    The recipe tool proclaims each serving to be 0 or 1 gram, typically. You get a bowl full of stew and weigh it as 400 grams
    Log 400 servings and it will tell you that you have something like 350 calories.

    If you save the recipe you can use it again, editing it each time as you change ingredients and weights.
  • Rocknut53
    Rocknut53 Posts: 1,794 Member
    Kimmotion5783 wrote: »
    It is possible to burn that much on a walk, especially if you are going uphill and/or walking at a fast pace.

    The weight gain could due to be a few things:

    1.) Water weight. If you gain more than a pound per week, it's most likely water weight. This could be due to not drinking enough water- make sure you are definitely drinking at least 64 ounces of water per day bare minimum. If you take any medications, try to find out if weight gain is a side effect.

    2.) Eating too many calories. The average calorie goal for women's weight loss is roughly 1200-1300 calories per day. To lose weight, you need a calorie deficit. So if you're going past that, then that might be the culprit.

    3.) With the 2nd point in mind, DO NOT eat your exercise calories back. I made this mistake myself and wondered why I wasn't losing anything. Again, you want a calorie deficit so that your body will burn fat for energy.

    4.) Sweet tooth and cravings. Cravings are a sign that the body is missing nutrients it needs to function. Like you, I have a major sweet tooth and that was one of the biggest factors of my weight issue. I would do great all day only to come home late at night after work and binge on sweets because I was starving. Turns out I wasn't getting enough protein- nowhere near my protein goal. So try upping your protein intake if you find yourself craving sweets, especially at night.

    5.) Stress. Weight gain can also be due to stress. When I first started this journey two years ago, the first 80 pounds just flew off. Then I moved in with my grandparents to take care of them. Anyone who takes care of another human being - child or elderly adult- knows that it's the hardest, most thankless job on the planet, so you can only imagine how high my stress levels went. Needless to say, despite my best efforts, the weight loss progress slowed tremendously. To combat stress, I did a number of things like doing beginner yoga videos at home on YouTube (I recommend Yoga With Adrienne, she's great for beginners), adult coloring is another fun stress buster, and of course just getting out and doing something fun when you can. Everyone needs a break, especially moms and caregivers. We're not superwoman, and that's okay. We don't need to be.

    6.) Exercise. Walking is great exercise of course, but make sure you shake up your workout routine a bit. Your body may have become accustomed to your current routine, so it may no longer be challenging to you or building muscle. Maybe try something different like a dance class, fitness class, I don't know if you go to the gym or not, but if you do, try different machines. Or try short, intermittent jogging intervals during your walks.

    7.) Age & health issues. The older us women get, the slower our metabolism gets each year. If you've tried all of the above and still nothing works, then I would go see a doctor to make sure it's not an underlying health issue (usually it isn't, so don't worry. It's probably something to do with your diet/nutrition. That's usually the culprit.) The doctor can pinpoint the cause of possible weight gain, and/or direct you to a nutritionist/dietitian to help you get back on track.

    8.) Last but not least, it could be a weight loss plateau. Weight loss plateaus can happen for weeks to months depending on the person and situation. Again, to bust through the plateau, change up your exercise regimen a little to get things going again. Kind of like hitting the restart button on your metabolism.

    9.) It could be muscle buildup. Again, that happened to me. Muscle was replacing fat, which is great. Except when I hopped on the scale and didn't see it go down. That was disheartening. But if I'm going to weigh what I weigh, I'd rather it be all muscle than all fat. So that is something to take into consideration. God made us what we are.

    Sorry this response was so long, but I totally get how you feel. Don't worry, and certainly don't lose hope. Everything will be okay! You will start losing again, it's a matter of time. You are doing great, so keep it up. Anytime you think you are not accomplishing anything in your weight loss goals, just remember how fear you've come from where you started, the bad habits you changed, and the fact that you're way ahead of those couch potatoes who aren't even trying. A healthy lifestyle is a worthwhile pursuit. Big hugs to you, and don't worry- it will all workout.

    There is so much questionable about this advice. @Kimmotion5783 please feel free to further explain the items I highlighted.
  • intrigame23
    intrigame23 Posts: 193 Member
    Could it be PMS? I gain 8-10 lbs of water weight and stay painfully swollen for a whole week. May also account for the sweet tooth.

    I think you need more water, too, in addition to what people are saying about the food scale. We need way more than the recommended 8, 8oz glasses a day, and even more if you're active.

    Might be TMI but I lost 6lbs of literal crap drinking 128oz of water daily for the last 3 days. Im using Hydro Coach to track because it gives reminders in my phone's notifications. Could just be you haven't yet fully expelled your meals.
  • intrigame23
    intrigame23 Posts: 193 Member
    Also, if you've been eating salty foods or adding salt, you're probably experiencing water retention. Some 'healthy' food, like those VeggieStraws, have tons of sodium.

    And it would be really hard to gain 3lbs of fat in one week. (From what I understand its 3lbs from last week, right? Not 3lbs over the course of 3 months?) You'd have to be eating A TON to gain that much actual fat in a week, much much more than your maintenance number. Therefore it's not likely you're overeating tremendously without the food scale.
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