WTF Is Going On?
TouchofWrath
Posts: 16 Member
I have been working out since November. I go 3-5 times a week (3 is usually during busy weeks); always do 30 min of cardio each time, and do weight every other time.
I just seem to be getting heavier and heavier (on the scale) and bigger and bigger (measuring tape). i may not eat like a nutritionist, but I certainly have been eating healthier (1200 calories).
I had my thyroid checked via blood tests and they say nothing is wrong???
I tried on my bridesmaid dress this morning and there isn't even a chance it's going to close anymore...
WTF is going on... why is this happening to me... why am i getting fatter and fatter?
Edit 1: Just want to add, I thought things were getting better. Some of my clothes (like my underwear and pants) were fitting way better...
I just seem to be getting heavier and heavier (on the scale) and bigger and bigger (measuring tape). i may not eat like a nutritionist, but I certainly have been eating healthier (1200 calories).
I had my thyroid checked via blood tests and they say nothing is wrong???
I tried on my bridesmaid dress this morning and there isn't even a chance it's going to close anymore...
WTF is going on... why is this happening to me... why am i getting fatter and fatter?
Edit 1: Just want to add, I thought things were getting better. Some of my clothes (like my underwear and pants) were fitting way better...
2
Replies
-
Are you logging everything (cheat meals as well) you consume? How are you measuring what you eat/drink? If you are gaining you are in a calorie surplus since at 1200 calories a day and the activity frequency you state you should lose.3
-
Do you use a food scale? https://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/discussion/10634517/you-dont-use-a-food-scale/p10
-
Are you logging everything (cheat meals as well) you consume? How are you measuring what you eat/drink? If you are gaining you are in a calorie surplus since at 1200 calories a day and the activity frequency you state you should lose.
When I do have cheat days, I don't log b/c I know it'll cause me to have a melt down... cheat days are supposed to be fun "day off" days for me. But I don't have cheat days every day, so I feel like that's okay. On the normal days I logged everything on a calorie app on my phone; I was usually just under or barely over 1200. I don't log drinks b/c all I drink is tap water, which is always zero calories.1 -
TouchofWrath wrote: »Are you logging everything (cheat meals as well) you consume? How are you measuring what you eat/drink? If you are gaining you are in a calorie surplus since at 1200 calories a day and the activity frequency you state you should lose.
When I do have cheat days, I don't log b/c I know it'll cause me to have a melt down... cheat days are supposed to be fun "day off" days for me. But I don't have cheat days every day, so I feel like that's okay. On the normal days I logged everything on a calorie app on my phone; I was usually just under or barely over 1200. I don't log drinks b/c all I drink is tap water, which is always zero calories.
Are you using a food scale for all foods? not measuring cups or spoons but food scale?
How often are your cheat days? Would you mind describing one (a normal example of one?)2 -
If you were in fact eating 1200 calories you would be losing.
Therefore there is a problem in your calculating of your foods. If you have a cheat meal/day you could easily wipe out any lower calorie days. If you're not losing, you need to figure out how much you actually do eat.6 -
"Calorie app" on your phone? Is it this site? Once you get a good food log have someone look at it and troubleshoot with you. Just guessing at portions and using barcodes is not always going to get you good (correct) numbers.1
-
TouchofWrath wrote: »Are you logging everything (cheat meals as well) you consume? How are you measuring what you eat/drink? If you are gaining you are in a calorie surplus since at 1200 calories a day and the activity frequency you state you should lose.
When I do have cheat days, I don't log b/c I know it'll cause me to have a melt down... cheat days are supposed to be fun "day off" days for me. But I don't have cheat days every day, so I feel like that's okay. On the normal days I logged everything on a calorie app on my phone; I was usually just under or barely over 1200. I don't log drinks b/c all I drink is tap water, which is always zero calories.
Are you using a food scale for all foods? not measuring cups or spoons but food scale?
How often are your cheat days? Would you mind describing one (a normal example of one?)
I try to limit my cheat days to once a week; that day usually consists of pizza or a big bowl of mac n cheese. Three weeks ago, I'll admit, I had two cheat days; one was my own, the other was a pizza party at work.
I don't have a food scale, I rely on measuring cups/spoons.1 -
cmriverside wrote: »"Calorie app" on your phone? Is it this site? Once you get a good food log have someone look at it and troubleshoot with you. Just guessing at portions and using barcodes is not always going to get you good (correct) numbers.
It's not this site's calorie app, b/c for some reason my phone has trouble with the app. It's called Lose It! - Calorie Counter1 -
TouchofWrath wrote: »TouchofWrath wrote: »Are you logging everything (cheat meals as well) you consume? How are you measuring what you eat/drink? If you are gaining you are in a calorie surplus since at 1200 calories a day and the activity frequency you state you should lose.
When I do have cheat days, I don't log b/c I know it'll cause me to have a melt down... cheat days are supposed to be fun "day off" days for me. But I don't have cheat days every day, so I feel like that's okay. On the normal days I logged everything on a calorie app on my phone; I was usually just under or barely over 1200. I don't log drinks b/c all I drink is tap water, which is always zero calories.
Are you using a food scale for all foods? not measuring cups or spoons but food scale?
How often are your cheat days? Would you mind describing one (a normal example of one?)
I try to limit my cheat days to once a week; that day usually consists of pizza or a big bowl of mac n cheese. Three weeks ago, I'll admit, I had two cheat days; one was my own, the other was a pizza party at work.
I don't have a food scale, I rely on measuring cups/spoons.
17 -
TouchofWrath wrote: »TouchofWrath wrote: »Are you logging everything (cheat meals as well) you consume? How are you measuring what you eat/drink? If you are gaining you are in a calorie surplus since at 1200 calories a day and the activity frequency you state you should lose.
When I do have cheat days, I don't log b/c I know it'll cause me to have a melt down... cheat days are supposed to be fun "day off" days for me. But I don't have cheat days every day, so I feel like that's okay. On the normal days I logged everything on a calorie app on my phone; I was usually just under or barely over 1200. I don't log drinks b/c all I drink is tap water, which is always zero calories.
Are you using a food scale for all foods? not measuring cups or spoons but food scale?
How often are your cheat days? Would you mind describing one (a normal example of one?)
I try to limit my cheat days to once a week; that day usually consists of pizza or a big bowl of mac n cheese. Three weeks ago, I'll admit, I had two cheat days; one was my own, the other was a pizza party at work.
I don't have a food scale, I rely on measuring cups/spoons.
My guess is that it's a combination of underestimating how much you eat, as well as the cheat day wiping out any progress you make. Cheat day calories count just as much as non-cheat day calories, even if you don't log them. With pizza you can easily rack up several thousand calories in a day.
Try to weigh your food, and cut out your cheat day (or scale it down and log it), and that should help.14 -
Odds are good you are eating more than you think you are . My #1 recommendation is to get a food scale and weigh all foods. Chose the entry in mfp carefully when logging as there are many errors.
https://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/discussion/10634517/you-dont-use-a-food-scale/p1
and log the cheat days. depending how much of either you may be (or not) wiping out any deficit you made in the week. only one way to know. both those foods in large portions can add up very fast.1 -
When I do have cheat days, I don't log b/c I know it'll cause me to have a melt down... cheat days are supposed to be fun "day off" days for me. But I don't have cheat days every day, so I feel like that's okay. On the normal days I logged everything on a calorie app on my phone; I was usually just under or barely over 1200. I don't log drinks b/c all I drink is tap water, which is always zero calories. [/quote]
It's a bit hard to know what exactly it is that you're looking for, so I read your bio to try to get some context. You've had struggles with weight and accomplished an awesome goal, losing 68 lbs in a year, and then ended up in a situation where you lost another 18. Seeing your goal weight (at or below the weight you dropped to because of your situation at the time) and that you have Instagram Models as an inspiration worries me a bit. I don't know your current height or build, but unless you have a tiny frame and are 5'3" or under, your goal weight seems a bit on the low side.
Like others above, I'm having a challenge making sense of this. Taking you at your word that you are working out at the level that you've posted, eating <1200 calories/day, having occasional 'Cheat' days, and have no known endocrine issues would make you an exception to pretty much everything currently known regarding human metabolism. That being said, exceptions do exist, so I'm trying to keep an open mind.
In order for anyone to provide you with any useful advice, more information would be helpful. Do you know what your TDEE is for your current weight (or even for your goal weight)? You can get the calculation here. The nice thing about this site is it gives you both a daily and weekly calorie number, so even with a cheat day if your total weekly caloric intake works out below the TDEE level, you should lose weight.
Cheat Days may be the elephant in the room. You have said that you don't do them every day, but say nothing about their frequency. You've also mentioned that you don't log them because you'll have a melt down, so there's no information on their magnitude. Analyzing this could provide some insights into what might be happening in this case. In order to solve this problem, I'm afraid you're going to need to take your emotions out of this, measure and write down everything (cheat days, regular days, exercise) for a month. Once you have this, bring it to someone that you trust to sit down with you, spread sheet it and take an honest analysis of the data you have. Look for patterns and trends. If you make a point of taking notes about your state of mind, especially on cheat days (did you have days you felt great/down/unmotivated/etc), you might learn things that can help you with your relationship with food.
I hope you find what you're looking for.
7 -
If you think your clothes are fitting better, I would recommend finding your tightest non-stretchy clothes, or ones that don't even quite fit, and try them on once a week. Don't assume yet you're not making progress.1
-
TouchofWrath wrote: »TouchofWrath wrote: »Are you logging everything (cheat meals as well) you consume? How are you measuring what you eat/drink? If you are gaining you are in a calorie surplus since at 1200 calories a day and the activity frequency you state you should lose.
When I do have cheat days, I don't log b/c I know it'll cause me to have a melt down... cheat days are supposed to be fun "day off" days for me. But I don't have cheat days every day, so I feel like that's okay. On the normal days I logged everything on a calorie app on my phone; I was usually just under or barely over 1200. I don't log drinks b/c all I drink is tap water, which is always zero calories.
Are you using a food scale for all foods? not measuring cups or spoons but food scale?
How often are your cheat days? Would you mind describing one (a normal example of one?)
I don't have a food scale, I rely on measuring cups/spoons.
This as well as your cheat days is where the problem lies. Food scale, weigh everything for 4-6 weeks, log your cheat days, and go from there.4 -
Off topic, but Sheltie! Sheltie! Sheltie!!! Also, another Michelle.
1 -
It has to be something with diet. You can't outwork a bad diet is what my trainer says. As several have mentioned, log your food every day even the bad days. You might be surprised at just what you're "really" eating. Also, when you have a cheat day make it a healthy cheat. For me, I love, love, love chicken wings. And fried chicken wings are just hard to beat. So my cheat is to grill some wings (6-8) and use a good low cal sauce if I want. Find a book titled "Eating Clean" by Tosca Reno. It teaches you how to eat and how to shop for healthy, clean foods. You're on the right path, you just need a few tweaks. Don't give up! You've got this!0
-
MichelleSilverleaf wrote: »TouchofWrath wrote: »TouchofWrath wrote: »Are you logging everything (cheat meals as well) you consume? How are you measuring what you eat/drink? If you are gaining you are in a calorie surplus since at 1200 calories a day and the activity frequency you state you should lose.
When I do have cheat days, I don't log b/c I know it'll cause me to have a melt down... cheat days are supposed to be fun "day off" days for me. But I don't have cheat days every day, so I feel like that's okay. On the normal days I logged everything on a calorie app on my phone; I was usually just under or barely over 1200. I don't log drinks b/c all I drink is tap water, which is always zero calories.
Are you using a food scale for all foods? not measuring cups or spoons but food scale?
How often are your cheat days? Would you mind describing one (a normal example of one?)
I don't have a food scale, I rely on measuring cups/spoons.
This as well as your cheat days is where the problem lies. Food scale, weigh everything for 4-6 weeks, log your cheat days, and go from there.
I'd add this: You don't say whether you're eating back exercise calories on top of the 1200. If you are, it's also important to take care that the exercise calorie estimates are reasonable, not over-inflated. Many heart-rate-based devices will over-estimate strength training and interval training, and many exercise machines also over-estimate.1 -
MFP also over-estimates exercise calories.1
-
I have to ask what your thyroid numbers looked like...I was told for years that I didn't have a thyroid problem because my numbers were in a "normal" range .... It just wasn't normal for me! I ended up seeing an Endocrinologist - and found out I have Hashimoto's Disease! I DO have a thyroid problem .... The high end of the "normal" range was just too high for me - and caused me to gain weight for years!1
Categories
- All Categories
- 1.4M Health, Wellness and Goals
- 393.3K Introduce Yourself
- 43.8K Getting Started
- 260.2K Health and Weight Loss
- 175.9K Food and Nutrition
- 47.4K Recipes
- 232.5K Fitness and Exercise
- 424 Sleep, Mindfulness and Overall Wellness
- 6.5K Goal: Maintaining Weight
- 8.5K Goal: Gaining Weight and Body Building
- 153K Motivation and Support
- 8K Challenges
- 1.3K Debate Club
- 96.3K Chit-Chat
- 2.5K Fun and Games
- 3.7K MyFitnessPal Information
- 24 News and Announcements
- 1.1K Feature Suggestions and Ideas
- 2.6K MyFitnessPal Tech Support Questions