Under Daily Calorie Goal But Still Gaining Weight

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I’m only in my first week of tracking, but I’m not sure that I’m doing things right. I’ve come in under my calorie goal for the last seven days, and have completed low impact beginner level workouts three times this week. However, I have actually gained weight. I am not one for wasting food, so my pantry and refrigerator are about half and half on healthy versus unhealthy foods since I just started this whole weight loss thing again. I’m hoping that once I am out of the unhealthy stuff, and can focus on just healthier options that I’ll start seeing positive results. Is it possible that I’m just not eating the right foods (unhealthy fats? bad carbs?) even though I’m under calories for the day? Any tips or helpful advice would be greatly appreciated.

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  • callsitlikeiseeit
    callsitlikeiseeit Posts: 8,627 Member
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  • whathapnd
    whathapnd Posts: 1,242 Member
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    OP, there's lots of great advice above. Weight loss really is a matter of CICO. The thing some people forget is that weight loss isn't linear, and sometimes it takes the scale awhile to catch-up with our efforts. And many small things can affect a single weigh-in like how salty was your last meal, how inflamed are you, menstrual cycle, etc. So to echo others, it's the trend over time that matters.

    I also think it's possible for a lot of folks (not suggesting you did this) that their initial weigh-in is under-represented. Many people eat/drink "lightly" for a few days/a week before finally facing the scale, and that can impact the initial weigh-in to which all future weigh-ins are compared. Which means it might take a couple weeks to see scale movement.

    But the scale will catch up with your efforts if you consistently track and create a calorie deficit.

    Good luck!
  • garystrickland357
    garystrickland357 Posts: 598 Member
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    pinuplove wrote: »
    The sad fact I've learned from measuring food is, a portion is almost always less food than I think it should be :laugh: I hope the food scale helps you dial things in and start losing.

    I know, right? I always think, “That small portion will never fill me up.” I usually make a deal with myself - if I’m still hungry in 30 minutes I’ll eat some more. The truth is though - that small portion is always enough. I very rarely want more - it’s a mental game more than a physical/metabolic issue.