My first two weeks. (10 pounds lost and 6 gained back.)

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ModernRock
ModernRock Posts: 372 Member
in Introduce Yourself
I'm 35 years old and the weight has been creeping up over the past few years. I spend a lot of time behind a desk at work, and a few hours in the car each day. At home I'm on my feet a lot trying to keep up with two young kids and many DIY home renovation projects. I'm about 73.5 inches tall and weighed 246 when I started MFP two weeks ago.

Most of my height comes from a long torso as opposed to long legs, so I seem to have a frame that can carry a lot of weight, and in a proportionate way. (In contrast to guys that look thin everywhere except for a big round belly.) Combined with broad square shoulders and a fair amount of muscle that I seem to be able to maintain without much effort, and nobody ever guesses I weigh more than about 220. In high school I was the same height, weighed 190 with a 32 pant size, and was so thin people asked if I was ill. In the ensuing college years I worked out a lot, stayed active, and actually had to develop a habit of eating 2800+ calories a day to fuel the furnace. Nowadays I don't need that much fuel but I still have a habit of eating it.As a result, my pant size has crept up from a 32 to a 38, and I'm running out of holes on my belt!

My problem isn't junk food and I don't have a history of failed diets. I simply need to eat fewer calories of the good food I'm already used to eating to get my weight down to a healthier level, as well as better reflect my current level of activity.

I hadn't tracked my calories in years, so I signed up to MFP a few weeks ago and realized I was at 2800 calories by 8pm and still hadn't had my usual "second dinner". I thought I could simply stop eating after 8pm, but MFP's math showed me that wouldn't be enough to actually lose some weight.

My plan is actually NOT to start exercising right away. Why? I need to develop a better sense of eating a sensible number of calories for when I'm at my goal weight. I could exercise without changing my eating habits much, but I'll be back in the same boat whenever life gets in the way of regular exercise. Once I feel like I'm I've developed a better habit, I'll focus more on putting exercise back into the equation.

How is it going so far?

I started out at 246 on Nov 17th and entered my activity level as sedentary. My maintenance weight calorie goal is about 2600 calories. MFP gave me a 2lb a week calorie goal of just over 1600, which is a 1000 calorie daily deficit. I tracked everything and ate between 1600-1800 calories a day during the first week and was 10 pounds lighter on Thanksgiving day. I could see the difference in my pants and I comfortably went down a notch on my belt. It was unusual to go to bed not feeling full, but the rest of the day I spread the calories throughout the day so I didn't feel like I was starving myself.

The long Thanksgiving weekend (at 3 different houses plus leftovers) came and went, and I didn't bother tracking calories, and I'm back up to 242. That is a 6 pound gain in 5 days. I'm a bit surprised at how much my weight fluctuates (in either direction) since theoretically it "should have" taken an average of 6200 calories a day to gain that much back in 5 days.

I've gained my weight very gradually over the years, so I wasn't used to such a swing. My metabolism is probably totally out of whack at this point. Since it might not be healthy (or sustainable) to lose so much in such a short time period, I have recalculated my goal to 1.5 pounds a week. I can now eat just over 1800 calories a day. I'm looking forward to reaching my first goal of 220 by the end of January.

Replies

  • trinfran
    trinfran Posts: 28 Member
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    I had a similar incident. .I really dont think it is "true weight" Maybe its fluid retention..
  • jennajava
    jennajava Posts: 2,176 Member
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    You can't gain that much fat in two weeks. Could be fluid retention, like above mentioned, or even constipation.
  • MB_Positif
    MB_Positif Posts: 8,897 Member
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    I am at work, but totally wat to read all of this later. My situation sounds similar to yours. I didn't deal with the same losing then gaining situation as you, but my home sounds a lot like yours. Add me as a friend if you'd like. Stick with this. You will see results!
  • Kayers713
    Kayers713 Posts: 10 Member
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    Not to discourage you, but I read somewhere that the average American consumes nearly 14,000 calories on Thanksgiving day. So that could have increased it.

    Congratulations on the 4 pound net loss though! Look on the positive side and continue to eat healthy.
  • raelynne629
    raelynne629 Posts: 24 Member
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    If you're used to eating 2800 calories a day, I would start a little slower and maybe go for 1/2 a pound a week and drop your calories gradually or else your body might think it's starving and hold on to the weight. Like you said you didn't gain it overnight so you won't lose it overnight.
  • kekl
    kekl Posts: 382 Member
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    It's fluid retention, trust me!

    When your body takes in lots of carbohydrates it has to retain water when it's in your system. I've heard before that for every lbs of carbs in your system, your body has to store 10 lbs of water with it - pretty sure it can't be much - but that is important to remember.

    Also, sodium will cause you to retain water. I know that when I eat mexican or chinese food, the scale will tell me I gained 7-8lbs overnight, despite staying in my calorie range.

    Keep up the good work! Scales can be tricky... trust how your clothes fit and how you look in the mirror first!
  • ogottwald
    ogottwald Posts: 60 Member
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    I can really relate. I have a difficult time fitting it all in my schedule. I'm going to try running with my oldest daughter to start and I'm looking at using http://www.c25k.com/. I'm 37 at 220 and want to get down to 180. Friend me if you like since we have similar goals. I've struggled with a really busy office schedule with kids and getting to shape. As far as weight gain after the holiday I'm not weighing myself for a couple weeks because I know that the food / calorie count is much higher then I would typically consume. Stick with the MFP plan and things will improve!

    My blog is http://csflabtoiron.blogspot.com/
  • H_Factor
    H_Factor Posts: 1,722 Member
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    you didn't "gain" 6 pounds in a week. the extra sodium you ate helped your body retain more water. drink lots of water this week, lay off processed foods and sodium, and the water weight will go away. I told the same thing to my not-really-overweight sister who complained about "gaining" 6.5 pounds after the Turkey Day weekend....and today, 3.5 of those "gained pounds" have disappeared just by her getting back on track and her body giving up the water gain.

    In related news, keep in mind that most of the 10 pounds you lost in week 1 was water weight...which is why it was easy to gain 6 of them back when your eating habits (and sodium consumption) changed. no one loses 10 pounds of fat in a week or gains 6 pounds of fat in a week.....or, at a minimum, it would be EXTREMELY DIFFICULT to accomplish either task.

    anyway, sounds like you have a good action plan eating 1600-1800 calories a day. I didn't exercise during the first 3 months of my journey and had no problem losing weight. I started learning how to eat better...something which I have improved upon after those first 3 months....and I set a good foundation for success on my journey.

    as far as going to bed hungry, part of that is your body adjusting to eating fewer calories. one thing you can do that will help is to make sure you eat lean protein throughout the day, including your last meal. protein takes longer to digest, so it helps keep you fuller longer. also, when you eat carbs, aim for carbs with a lower glycemic index value. They take longer to digest and don't create an insulin spike. Its the insulin spike that triggers cravings and feelings of hunger.
  • rileysowner
    rileysowner Posts: 8,239 Member
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    While it is conceivably possible to gain that sort of weight in fat in 5 days, it is not that likely. It would take eating 21000 calories over your maintenance calories through that stretch which if you are eating 1600 to lose 2 pounds per week would mean eating a total of 34000 calories and having them all be absorbed by your body. That is highly unlikely. It is much more likely you put some fat on but also are retaining water as most Thanksgiving food is pretty high in sodium and to handle sodium your body holds onto water. I would drink lots of water (half your bodyweight in pound gives the number of ounces of water you should drink in a day, maybe a bit more since you have all this sodium to get rid of) and after the many trips to the washroom that precipitates, you will have gotten rid of that water weight in several days.

    Congrats on the weight loss, Remember this is not a one day thing it is something where when you fall down you just get back up and keep going.
  • Qatsi
    Qatsi Posts: 2,191 Member
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    I would agree with the other posters that a lot of day-to-day fluctuation is due to fluid retention. It's always frustrating to see the scale notch upward, and it's too easy to give up when you're not getting the results you want. Been there, done that.

    The weight loss battle is measured in weeks and months, not days. The important thing is to accept that setbacks will occur from time to time, and to keep focused on the end goal.
  • turtletrails
    turtletrails Posts: 1 Member
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    Everyone loses weight differently. Some people have a smaller consistent number weekly and other lose big and then gain back some. I'm in the latter even if I eat the same week to week. The important thing is that you are down over the long run. You are doing a great job so just keep it up and in a month from now see the weight difference :)
  • EuphonyChloeH
    EuphonyChloeH Posts: 107 Member
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    From what little I know, it does sound like fluid retention. Ever watch The Biggest Loser and notice that the very first week they lose the most weight, and then come second week they're shocked that they didn't lose as much? Your body is adjusting to the changes you are making, and now that the first two weeks are over I'm sure you'll see steady results.
  • thebigbige
    thebigbige Posts: 109 Member
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    It sounds like you have fluid retention. In the first two weeks you basically started flushing bad stuff out of you, but your body hasn't fixed itself yet. A great way to keep calories is to switch from pops to teas/coffees, they are also better for you depending on what you have been drinking in the past, and zero calories.

    I had a similar situation to what you had. I lost 14 pounds the first week I started, and that was with a mear decision to not eat fast food. Since then I lost another four pounds, which I'm happy for. I started this thing a couple of weeks ago too. Writing down what you eat is great, and also as you lose the weight, your body starts to adjust itself to your new lifestyle.
  • maserati185
    maserati185 Posts: 263 Member
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    I commend you for putting your focus on how you are eating first. I used to think I had to exercise every day to lose weight. Strangely, though, when I was just exercising, it was hardly moving the scales. And as soon as I stopped, the weight was back and then some. It felt hopeless. Changed how I was eating though and wah-lah, started seeing some scale movement! Oh happy day. :)
  • ModernRock
    ModernRock Posts: 372 Member
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    Thanks for all of the supportive messages. I knew that I couldn't have gained/lost so much fat in such a little amount of time. It is still wild to see the scale move that much. As I wrote in my original post, I've never really tried specifically to limit my calories specifically to lose weight. The only other time I've counted calories was to make sure I was getting enough, especially calories from protein when I was very active and lifting weights regularly in my 20s.

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