HOW???

Symbolic_Fit · May 26

Please how can I be watching my calories and exercising daily and walking a ton of steps AND SOME HOW IVE GAINED WEIGHT??? I'm discouraged af. Please explain this to me??

cmriverside · May 26

Couple things. Water weight due to many reasons, explained here (link to the article is in the first post from staff) : https://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/discussion/10683010/the-weird-and-highly-annoying-world-of-scale-fluctuations/p1

Secondly, it may be one of these things:
(You will figure it out. Take a breath, keep doing the next right thing, it will work out.)

tomcustombuilder · May 26

If it’s been less than a month have patience. A month or longer and you’re taking in too many weekly calories.

yirara · May 26

It's waterweight. You started exercising, and your muscles have the habit of storing more water for healing (and eventually making you stronger). It will eventually come off. Another option: you might be eating different food. More carbs than before means that your body also holds more onto water. Water has weight and shows on the scale. It's not bodyfat though. Hey, step on the scale right now. Note the weight. Then drink a glass of water and step on the scale again. If your scale doesn't store the previous weight you'll be heavier now. Mind you, I just started strength training again. Result, apart from doms? 2kg more on the scale. Which isn't bodyfat.

Another option is that you might be a bit more constipated due to eating different food, maybe less fat? Fats are needed for a good digestion. Again, waste in your intestines is not bodyfat, but also weighs something.

MargaretYakoda · May 26

Deep breath. Let it out.

Completely normal for someone starting a new diet and exercise routine.

Hold the line. This too shall pass.

I don’t think any of the good comments above have mentioned a weight tracking app? They can be very helpful for showing weight trends. It’s the trend over time that is more important than the common day to day fluctuations.

On iOS many people like Happy Scale
For Android I think a popular app is Libra Weight Manager? If I’m wrong I hope another forum user will correct me on that.

csplatt · May 27

We are never a single weight consistency. Our weight operates in a range. It’s constantly fluctuating in ways unrelated to fat. So maybe for a while a persons weight will hit somewhere between, say, 170-175. But a few months later they may notice it has shifted to 165-170. It’s a downward TREND.

Corina1143 · May 27

So easy to explain. So frustrating to live through it. Been there, done that. For me, it was the stress I put on my body when I went from Park to High gear pulling a loaded trailer overnight.
It seems like you should go all out, turn your diet upside down, exercise like the devil himself is chasing you. But sometimes the body just doesn't understand. Slow down--DONT QUIT! --it's not the same thing. Take a deep breath. Exercise a moderate amount. Eat a moderate diet. A month from now, expect a modest loss. You'll be a little happy. Your body will be a lot happier and a little healthier!

ht7wj576my · May 29

Something I wish I’d known sooner is that it’s not how much you eat it’s what you eat. You could be in a caloric deficit eating healthier than before, but many foods cause the body to hold onto fat. Specifically simple carbs, and even complex carbs like sweet potatoes (when not eaten in moderation).

I was in your shoes a couple of years ago and so so discouraged. I totally understand and want you to remember it’s the long term goal that matters, your path to get there will not be what you expect and that’s okay. There’s lessons learned in the struggle and you’ll become more equipped as you go ❤️

Counting my macros seemed super daunting but focusing on a high protein, med fat, low carb diet has really helped me finally shed water weight and gain lean muscle mass. To make it less stressful I find the foods that fit in my macros and rotate through those foods in different ways, using the same portions for different meals or recipes to keep things interesting without having to reinvent the wheel every day.

Another thing is WHAT you eat and WHEN you eat it is crucial. Unfortunately any carbs we do take in will be turned to fat storage (specifically beige fat which is horrible for long term overall health), if it’s not used for energy while digesting. So eating any carbs or fats early on in the day and avoiding them in the afternoon helps your body to use them for your energy throughout the day, then at night they will have already been digested and your body can turn to using fat storage for its metabolic operations.

And if none of these suggestions work, it’s possible you have a hormonal imbalance. If you really have stubborn belly fat you could even have a metabolic disorder which is becoming more and more common due to the toxic ingredients in our foods. A simple blood test at the doctors office can tell you this, and very simple lifestyle changes can fix this. Highly recommend avoiding drugs to fix these problems because they are “lifetime drugs” and can only bandaid it but not truly fix the problem (hence, why you have to take them for the rest of your life). My husband went through this and learned simple changes to diet and supplements could heal his body a lot quicker and permanently and was able to quit the drugs that were actually harming his body. Hopefully it wouldn’t come to this, but thought it wouldn’t hurt to share my experience.

Wishing you the best of luck, you’ve got this and all of your efforts will be worth it when you’re living you’re healthiest and most confident life! ❤️❤️

ccrdragon · May 29

ht7wj576my wrote: »

Something I wish I’d known sooner is that it’s not how much you eat it’s what you eat. You could be in a caloric deficit eating healthier than before, but many foods cause the body to hold onto fat. Specifically simple carbs, and even complex carbs like sweet potatoes (when not eaten in moderation).

I was in your shoes a couple of years ago and so so discouraged. I totally understand and want you to remember it’s the long term goal that matters, your path to get there will not be what you expect and that’s okay. There’s lessons learned in the struggle and you’ll become more equipped as you go ❤️

Counting my macros seemed super daunting but focusing on a high protein, med fat, low carb diet has really helped me finally shed water weight and gain lean muscle mass. To make it less stressful I find the foods that fit in my macros and rotate through those foods in different ways, using the same portions for different meals or recipes to keep things interesting without having to reinvent the wheel every day.

Another thing is WHAT you eat and WHEN you eat it is crucial. Unfortunately any carbs we do take in will be turned to fat storage (specifically beige fat which is horrible for long term overall health), if it’s not used for energy while digesting. So eating any carbs or fats early on in the day and avoiding them in the afternoon helps your body to use them for your energy throughout the day, then at night they will have already been digested and your body can turn to using fat storage for its metabolic operations.

And if none of these suggestions work, it’s possible you have a hormonal imbalance. If you really have stubborn belly fat you could even have a metabolic disorder which is becoming more and more common due to the toxic ingredients in our foods. A simple blood test at the doctors office can tell you this, and very simple lifestyle changes can fix this. Highly recommend avoiding drugs to fix these problems because they are “lifetime drugs” and can only bandaid it but not truly fix the problem (hence, why you have to take them for the rest of your life). My husband went through this and learned simple changes to diet and supplements could heal his body a lot quicker and permanently and was able to quit the drugs that were actually harming his body. Hopefully it wouldn’t come to this, but thought it wouldn’t hurt to share my experience.

Wishing you the best of luck, you’ve got this and all of your efforts will be worth it when you’re living you’re healthiest and most confident life! ❤️❤️

I don't know where you are getting your info from but please stop because it's silly and it's wrong:
1. As long as you are eating fewer calories than you are burning, you will lose weight - regardless of what foods those calories come from. It is physiologically impossible for the body to 'hold on to fat when you are in a deficit.
2. Meal timing can affect how well you stick to a diet, but has no significant effect on weight loss - there are people the world over who eat carbs up until the time they go to sleep that are either slim or are losing weight.
3. The body already prefers to and does burn fat when you are sleeping, or resting or doing anything that is not physically taxing so again, eat the carbs at night if you prefer.
3. Please, list out the toxic ingredients that are in 'our foods'.

tomcustombuilder · May 29

ht7wj576my wrote: »

Something I wish I’d known sooner is that it’s not how much you eat it’s what you eat. You could be in a caloric deficit eating healthier than before, but many foods cause the body to hold onto fat. Specifically simple carbs, and even complex carbs like sweet potatoes (when not eaten in moderation).

I was in your shoes a couple of years ago and so so discouraged. I totally understand and want you to remember it’s the long term goal that matters, your path to get there will not be what you expect and that’s okay. There’s lessons learned in the struggle and you’ll become more equipped as you go ❤️

Counting my macros seemed super daunting but focusing on a high protein, med fat, low carb diet has really helped me finally shed water weight and gain lean muscle mass. To make it less stressful I find the foods that fit in my macros and rotate through those foods in different ways, using the same portions for different meals or recipes to keep things interesting without having to reinvent the wheel every day.

Another thing is WHAT you eat and WHEN you eat it is crucial. Unfortunately any carbs we do take in will be turned to fat storage (specifically beige fat which is horrible for long term overall health), if it’s not used for energy while digesting. So eating any carbs or fats early on in the day and avoiding them in the afternoon helps your body to use them for your energy throughout the day, then at night they will have already been digested and your body can turn to using fat storage for its metabolic operations.

And if none of these suggestions work, it’s possible you have a hormonal imbalance. If you really have stubborn belly fat you could even have a metabolic disorder which is becoming more and more common due to the toxic ingredients in our foods. A simple blood test at the doctors office can tell you this, and very simple lifestyle changes can fix this. Highly recommend avoiding drugs to fix these problems because they are “lifetime drugs” and can only bandaid it but not truly fix the problem (hence, why you have to take them for the rest of your life). My husband went through this and learned simple changes to diet and supplements could heal his body a lot quicker and permanently and was able to quit the drugs that were actually harming his body. Hopefully it wouldn’t come to this, but thought it wouldn’t hurt to share my experience.

Wishing you the best of luck, you’ve got this and all of your efforts will be worth it when you’re living you’re healthiest and most confident life! ❤️❤️

Just no. Please stop.

cmriverside · May 29

@ht7wj576my
I'll just add my DISAGREE to the list of those who disagree with your points.

1.) Don't get info from YouTube or supermarket magazines or sensationalist TV shows
2.) Get vaccinated (just in case, you sound like someone who maybe hasn't yet.)

I haven't had coffee yet.

ninerbuff · May 29

ht7wj576my wrote: »

Something I wish I’d known sooner is that it’s not how much you eat it’s what you eat. You could be in a caloric deficit eating healthier than before, but many foods cause the body to hold onto fat. Specifically simple carbs, and even complex carbs like sweet potatoes (when not eaten in moderation).

I was in your shoes a couple of years ago and so so discouraged. I totally understand and want you to remember it’s the long term goal that matters, your path to get there will not be what you expect and that’s okay. There’s lessons learned in the struggle and you’ll become more equipped as you go ❤️

Counting my macros seemed super daunting but focusing on a high protein, med fat, low carb diet has really helped me finally shed water weight and gain lean muscle mass. To make it less stressful I find the foods that fit in my macros and rotate through those foods in different ways, using the same portions for different meals or recipes to keep things interesting without having to reinvent the wheel every day.

Another thing is WHAT you eat and WHEN you eat it is crucial. Unfortunately any carbs we do take in will be turned to fat storage (specifically beige fat which is horrible for long term overall health), if it’s not used for energy while digesting. So eating any carbs or fats early on in the day and avoiding them in the afternoon helps your body to use them for your energy throughout the day, then at night they will have already been digested and your body can turn to using fat storage for its metabolic operations.

And if none of these suggestions work, it’s possible you have a hormonal imbalance. If you really have stubborn belly fat you could even have a metabolic disorder which is becoming more and more common due to the toxic ingredients in our foods. A simple blood test at the doctors office can tell you this, and very simple lifestyle changes can fix this. Highly recommend avoiding drugs to fix these problems because they are “lifetime drugs” and can only bandaid it but not truly fix the problem (hence, why you have to take them for the rest of your life). My husband went through this and learned simple changes to diet and supplements could heal his body a lot quicker and permanently and was able to quit the drugs that were actually harming his body. Hopefully it wouldn’t come to this, but thought it wouldn’t hurt to share my experience.

Wishing you the best of luck, you’ve got this and all of your efforts will be worth it when you’re living you’re healthiest and most confident life! ❤️❤️

There's a lot of pseudoscience here that was covered by the others, but understand that it's not an attack but opposing what's being touted by a lot of dieting companies, misinformed nutritonal gurus, etc.

A.C.E. Certified Personal and Group Fitness Trainer
IDEA Fitness member
Kickboxing Certified Instructor
Been in fitness for 35+ years and have studied kinesiology and nutrition

chicbuc · May 29

cmriverside wrote: »

@ht7wj576my
I'll just add my DISAGREE to the list of those who disagree with your points.

1.) Don't get info from YouTube or supermarket magazines or sensationalist TV shows
2.) Get vaccinated (just in case, you sound like someone who maybe hasn't yet.)

I haven't had coffee yet.

How did you deduce the unvaccinated part?

I'm so confused.

cmriverside · May 29

chicbuc wrote: »

cmriverside wrote: »

@ht7wj576my
I'll just add my DISAGREE to the list of those who disagree with your points.

1.) Don't get info from YouTube or supermarket magazines or sensationalist TV shows
2.) Get vaccinated (just in case, you sound like someone who maybe hasn't yet.)

I haven't had coffee yet.

How did you deduce the unvaccinated part? I'm so confused.

LOL.

Just a personality type who believes everything they read on a website they got to by Googling what they already believe. It's a thing.

...and again, that was a correlation created by a sleepy brain at 4:46AM, pre-coffee.

yirara · May 29

cmriverside wrote: »

@ht7wj576my
I'll just add my DISAGREE to the list of those who disagree with your points.

1.) Don't get info from YouTube or supermarket magazines or sensationalist TV shows
2.) Get vaccinated (just in case, you sound like someone who maybe hasn't yet.)

I haven't had coffee yet.

Thanks for not having coffee when you posted this. I had (well, tea actually) and decided to bite my tongue 😬😅

elisa123gal · May 29

Listen.. you're on your way to getting healthy fit and firm. There is no way you can exercise and eat better and get fatter. You will slim down and get strong. Your body is adjusting from the shock of you throwing everything but the kitchen sink at your fitness plan. Don't listen to the devil on your shoulder. Give it another week or so.. then look at your food.. tweak what you're eating.. when you have great losses.. pay attention to what you ate that worked for you.... .. you are on your way.

MargaretYakoda · May 29

cmriverside wrote: »

chicbuc wrote: »

cmriverside wrote: »

@ht7wj576my
I'll just add my DISAGREE to the list of those who disagree with your points.

1.) Don't get info from YouTube or supermarket magazines or sensationalist TV shows
2.) Get vaccinated (just in case, you sound like someone who maybe hasn't yet.)

I haven't had coffee yet.

How did you deduce the unvaccinated part? I'm so confused.

LOL.

Just a personality type who believes everything they read on a website they got to by Googling what they already believe. It's a thing.

...and again, that was a correlation created by a sleepy brain at 4:46AM, pre-coffee.

To be fair, the Venn diagram is often a big circle

mtaratoot · May 30

ht7wj576my wrote: »

it’s not how much you eat it’s what you eat. You could be in a caloric deficit eating healthier than before, but many foods cause the body to hold onto fat.

This is patently false. That would be like saying there's a certain gas station that makes your car burn less fuel. A calorie is a measure of energy. Your body stores excess energy as fat and uses stored fat for energy when dietary energy is less than what's needed.

ht7wj576my wrote: »

Unfortunately any carbs we do take in will be turned to fat storage (specifically beige fat which is horrible for long term overall health), if it’s not used for energy while digesting. So eating any carbs or fats early on in the day and avoiding them in the afternoon helps your body to use them for your energy throughout the day, then at night they will have already been digested and your body can turn to using fat storage for its metabolic operations.

Um... No. Your body is constantly storing fat and using stored fat throughout the day and night.

tomcustombuilder · May 30

mtaratoot wrote: »

ht7wj576my wrote: »

it’s not how much you eat it’s what you eat. You could be in a caloric deficit eating healthier than before, but many foods cause the body to hold onto fat.

This is patently false. That would be like saying there's a certain gas station that makes your car burn less fuel. A calorie is a measure of energy. Your body stores excess energy as fat and uses stored fat for energy when dietary energy is less than what's needed.

ht7wj576my wrote: »

Unfortunately any carbs we do take in will be turned to fat storage (specifically beige fat which is horrible for long term overall health), if it’s not used for energy while digesting. So eating any carbs or fats early on in the day and avoiding them in the afternoon helps your body to use them for your energy throughout the day, then at night they will have already been digested and your body can turn to using fat storage for its metabolic operations.

Um... No. Your body is constantly storing fat and using stored fat throughout the day and night.

these people need to stop watching all of these “experts” on you tube. There are a few good ones but overall there is just so much misinformation being spread.

yirara · May 30

To get back to the topic of water weight: I wrote above that I gained 2kg from starting strength training again. Water. The day before yesterday I went to pee an awful lot, and yesterday my weight was pretty much down again. Yesterday I did strength training again, and today I'm up 1kg again. It's normal.

j_bark · May 30

OP, you got this. Just keep with in. Results will come, it just take time. Bodies be stubborn when change is around, but it will come.

Mlis1234 · June 3

I feel this, and am in a similar boat (seeing progress, then this past week nothing). Read the comments for help, some of the things I'm telling myself:
1. Focus on what you can control - am I happy with my food choices? Did I get my steps? Drink water? Meditate? Get adequate sleep - Great (I give myself checkmarks for things I track). Unfortunately you don't control how your body responds to the lifestyle choices your making (so hard!).
2. Have non-scale goals - the dress I'm going to wear to a wedding next month I can now safely say I will wear the dress without shapewear! I'm looking for some other non-scale goals that could be more short term- I have longer term goals (i.e. gaining flexibility, seeing progress in yoga class, keeping up with my daughter for one of our more challenging hikes) - but having something non-scale that I'm achieving helps the mental process.

I'm going to keep looking for advice though!

HOW???

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