Anyone gained weight at the beginning??

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gen2026
gen2026 Posts: 5
in Introduce Yourself
I just started MFP on October 31..... I have logged every thing I have eaten or drinked and all exercise in that time. Although I had been using the treadmill on a regular basis several months ago, I had not been on the treadmill for months due to some health issues. Anyway, long story short, I have been within my calorie limit every day except one when I was 12 calories over....and some days a 100 under so it should wash out ...Right? Well, I had my corporate health screening this week and had actually gained .4 (almost 1/2) lb!! I was SO disappointed. I walked over 12 miles in the week before that screening.................... My son is getting married in May and I really want to be able to look nice in my dress and not feel like I have to shop in the tent department!

I am committed to getting this weight off and getting healthy...................... I just don't want to be gaining weight!!! Suggestions??
Thanks!
Gen

Replies

  • skingszoo
    skingszoo Posts: 412 Member
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    Without seeing your diary its hard to say. Are you drinking enough water? Are you eating enough? Is your sodium levels high?
  • CVALGAL
    CVALGAL Posts: 108 Member
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    I'm wondering, did you use the same scale you weighed yourself on when you first started? Was is the same time of day? Were you wearing the same basic thing? It doesn't seem like a big weight gain, could be muscle. Muscle weighs more than fat. Give it time, be patient with yourself. If you be consistent, you will see progress soon. Don't give up!
  • lilchino4af
    lilchino4af Posts: 1,292 Member
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    Without seeing your food diary, it's hard to tell what suggestions to make to help you figure out what to change. It could be that your body has gotten used to your workout and it's not as effective as it once was so maybe a change in workout routine will help. Also, if you're using MFP to determine how many calories you burn from exercise and are eating them back, you could be eating too much because the MFP calories burned could be more than what you're actually burning. Best way to know for sure is to get and use a Heart Rate Monitor that will be tailored exactly for you and can tell you exactly how many calories you're burning in a workout. Without seeing your food diary, that's all I can offer. Sorry :frown:

    EDIT: Time of day and a different scale can be part of it too. If you weighed in your clothes, that's additional pounds that you wouldn't have if you were to weigh in your birthday suit
  • JacksMom12
    JacksMom12 Posts: 1,044 Member
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    if you were weighed somewhere else, it could be the time of day (you can fluctuate 5 lbs during the course of the day) also, the clothes you were wearing too. I'd get on the scale tomorrow morning, naked, before eating or drinking anything, after using the bathroom...and see if that makes a difference. Then weigh once a week on the same day, under those same circumstances.
  • tracy287
    tracy287 Posts: 26
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    Try eating your meal having a protein and a carb together,(like oatmeal and piece of cheese, or eggs with wheat toast, make sure to get your heart rate up there as best you can. Try not to stress (I know that one is hard), as stress can actually cause the body to gain, I just recently learned that one. Lots of water, little tips that help me
  • MomOfECS
    MomOfECS Posts: 10
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    are you on any medications?
  • skingszoo
    skingszoo Posts: 412 Member
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    Oh and you said you got weighed at your screening. Did you get your before weight from the same place? ALWAYS weigh yourself on the same scale and same time of day.
  • mandylooo
    mandylooo Posts: 456 Member
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    if you were weighed somewhere else, it could be the time of day (you can fluctuate 5 lbs during the course of the day) also, the clothes you were wearing too. I'd get on the scale tomorrow morning, naked, before eating or drinking anything, after using the bathroom...and see if that makes a difference. Then weigh once a week on the same day, under those same circumstances.

    This, plus different sets of scales tend to give different readings. We have a digital one and an analogue one in the gym I use right next to each and one always gives a reading 3 - 4kg higher than the other.
  • lilchino4af
    lilchino4af Posts: 1,292 Member
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    It doesn't seem like a big weight gain, could be muscle. Muscle weighs more than fat.
    Actually, muscle weighs exactly the same as fat: 1 lb muscle = 1 lb fat. Volume wise, muscle is more dense and therefore takes us less space so while she could weigh the same, she could be smaller. Best way to tell progress in this area is to take measurements once a month and keep track of that progress.
  • MinnieInMaine
    MinnieInMaine Posts: 6,400 Member
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    I think it's water retention from the increased activity (your muscles retain water as part of the healing process). When I started out a couple years ago, I rejoined the gym at the same time and although I didn't gain, I didn't lose any weight either for the first couple of weeks. Once my body got used to the activity, my weight started dropping regularly.

    Also, I agree that if you're using either the calories burned that MFP gives you or the calorie burn your treadmill gives you, it maybe be overestimated. Without a good HRM with a chest strap (and even they're not 100%), it's hard to accurately calculate calorie burn. Try eating back half to 2/3rds of the calories instead. You can tweak the numbers as you add them so it won't mess up your net calories.

    Make sure you're drinking plenty of water and track your sodium. And above all, give it some time. Good luck!
  • taryn_perry
    taryn_perry Posts: 193 Member
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    I just started MFP on October 31..... I have logged every thing I have eaten or drinked and all exercise in that time. Although I had been using the treadmill on a regular basis several months ago, I had not been on the treadmill for months due to some health issues. Anyway, long story short, I have been within my calorie limit every day except one when I was 12 calories over....and some days a 100 under so it should wash out ...Right? Well, I had my corporate health screening this week and had actually gained .4 (almost 1/2) lb!! I was SO disappointed. I walked over 12 miles in the week before that screening.................... My son is getting married in May and I really want to be able to look nice in my dress and not feel like I have to shop in the tent department!

    I am committed to getting this weight off and getting healthy...................... I just don't want to be gaining weight!!! Suggestions??
    Thanks!
    Gen

    What types of foods are you eating? It's not really going to come down to how many miles you walk, although it does help, but more about what you eat and don't eat. That's 80% of any weight loss success! Truly.

    Focusing on eating clean, whole & fresh foods (think colorful vegetables, fruits, lean meats, eggs, raw nuts, etc), you'll be FAR better off, then just going for those "low calorie" "fat free" "reduced fat" options out there that seem to promise results.

    Here's a good reference guide on foods that can help you: http://bit.ly/EatforyourPhysique. Sticking in the top 2 tiers, you'll be golden!

    I hope this helps....-Taryn
  • _VoV
    _VoV Posts: 1,494 Member
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    I am also new to MFP, and have rated myself 'sedentary.' I would like to lose at least 1.5 lbs. a week, which means keeping to about 1200 calories a day. It's discouraging weighing myself everyday and seeing the upward fluctuations, but I can't seem to stop myself from going on the scale every day. Right now, I'm up 1/2 lb. from my last official Monday weigh in, and that stinks. From previous weight loss efforts, I know that the scale doesn't always register short term progress very well, but OVER A LONGER TIME, the downward weight trend will reward you. So, hang in there!
  • craizydaizy
    craizydaizy Posts: 27 Member
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    The first thing I thought was that maybe you are replacing fat with muscle. I also wondered if you were taking any medications because you had mentioned an illness. Some meds can hinder your weight-loss. The only thing I can say is keep at it. My weight was very slow to drop at first and it was discouraging for me when my bf was shedding pounds left and right. Then one day, I hopped on the scale and they had gone down! I learned to not judge how by my scale, but by how my body feels. Do I feel stronger? Do my clothes feel looser?Everyone is different and it takes time to get that metabolism going.
  • gen2026
    gen2026 Posts: 5
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    Thanks so much for all the quick replies. I do not own a pair of scales at home - so I was actually using a weight from a doctor's visit 2 weeks ago and comparing to the exam this week. So, yes, it could be the difference in scales - was dressed essentially the same..... but it was still discouraging.

    I am not using the MFP calories - using the calorie counter on my treadmill which I have no idea is accurate or not. I try to eat fresh veggies and whole grains as much as possible. Obviously my diet is not perfect or I would not be weighing 200+ lbs! But, I am trying!! My MFP says "if every day is like this one in 5 weeks you will weigh 196" or 192 or whatever.... Do ya'll find that to be accurate? I have a difficult time believing that I will drop that much weight that fast when currently I appear to be going the wrong way!

    I also rated myself sedentary and wanted to lose at least 1.5 lbs per week....... so I am in that 1200 calorie range as well. I plan to stick it out for the long haul - but just wondered about being off to a rocky start. Hopefully it will start heading south soon! :)
    Thanks so much for the help!
  • CamiXiomara
    CamiXiomara Posts: 114
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    Yes, I gained between 3-6 lbs in the beginning. My body was retaining water even though I drink water like there's no tomorrow. I did noticed that after the third week, things began to change. I was noticing the changes on the scale. It was great to see the pounds melt away. You just have to be patient. The body is adapting and getting used to the changes. Best of luck!
  • mistylynnfoster
    mistylynnfoster Posts: 14 Member
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    First, I have to ask you if you weighed yourself on the same scale on week one and week two... If not, that could explain it.

    Another tip: I actually only eat the number of calories that is set for me by MFP. Even though you "earn" more calories by working out, I usually don't eat those calories back. Sometimes, after really big workouts, I will eat back about 1/2 of the calories I burned, but never 100% of them. So I normally don't log my exercise until the end of the day before bedtime. This way, I am not tempted to try and stuff in the extra calories that I earned back by exercise. This is something you might consider trying.

    Hope this helps!
  • mistylynnfoster
    mistylynnfoster Posts: 14 Member
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    .
  • mistylynnfoster
    mistylynnfoster Posts: 14 Member
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    My MFP says "if every day is like this one in 5 weeks you will weigh 196" or 192 or whatever.... Do ya'll find that to be accurate? I have a difficult time believing that I will drop that much weight that fast when currently I appear to be going the wrong way!

    The estimation that you get after finishing your log for a day is only accurate based on NUMBERS alone. Meaning, if you burn the exact same amount of calories and eat the exact same amount of calories every day.... We all know that losing weight is simple in theory, but also very complicated in practice. Yes, it is calories in vs. calories out. However, we (especially women) have so many other factors playing into the process that the idea that you will always have the exact same numbers from day to day, weeks on end, is very, very unlikely.

    That being said, it does average out. You might lose .5 lbs. this week but then lose 2.5 lbs. next week. All that to say, it is an estimation, but if you stick with it, you will notice that you will normally lose the same amount of weight from month-to-month. I actually make short-term 8-week goals. I am trying to lose 2 lbs. per week, but that doesn't always happen. But if I lose 16 lbs. every 8 weeks, then that's okay for me. (And historically, since May, I have been able to do that.)
  • gen2026
    gen2026 Posts: 5
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    I would be estatic to lose ANY - two pounds a week would be awesome! Thanks!
  • jasmineheaven
    jasmineheaven Posts: 189
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    When did you weigh yourself? Your body is typically light in the morning when you awake versus weighing your self in the afternoon or at night.

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