I've had it!

2mango98
2mango98 Posts: 1
edited November 10 in Motivation and Support
So I've been watching what I eat for the past two weeks. I normally stay within 1200 to 1500 cals a day and I exercise at least 30 minutes a day yet I've been gaining weight. It's incredibly frustrating and I don't know what I'm doing wrong. Anyone have any advice?

Replies

  • lizard053
    lizard053 Posts: 2,344 Member
    Two weeks? Give it more time. This is not an instant process!

    Things to help you out, drink more water. It helps flush your excess water weight out. I drink 100+ ounces a day, and it has done wonders for me. Eat more high fiber foods and high protein foods earlier in the day. It will keep you full longer, and less likely to binge on something you shouldn't. Be 100% honest with yourself. Track every single crumb you eat, every drop you drink. You may have some calories hiding in your diet that you weren't aware of. If you are eating "diet" foods, that are prepackaged, you may be getting too much sodium, causing you to retain water.

    Hope this helps!
  • kittyraccoon7
    kittyraccoon7 Posts: 94 Member
    don't give up yet!!!

    I like what the person above me said! it's all true!!

    If you keep up with this for at least a month and STILL don't see results, I suggest you talk to the doctor to ensure there's no thyroid problems or anything in your body that may be keeping you from losing...
  • kittyraccoon7
    kittyraccoon7 Posts: 94 Member
    *bump for more encouragement for O.P.*
  • lmalaschak
    lmalaschak Posts: 346 Member
    If you are doing any weight-training type stuff, sometimes your muscles will swell and retain water, making the scale go up for a little while before going back down. Also....if you are female, it could be that during certain parts of the month you won't be able to lose weight and other parts you'll lose much more easily. Just a thought.
  • lindawayne11
    lindawayne11 Posts: 62 Member
    That is about how I started out too. But now I've been into this since Jan 1 and I'm loosing around 1.5 to 2 lbs a week. I think it's just your body adjusting to the change. I bet you will start to see results soon.
  • Silverstar46
    Silverstar46 Posts: 187 Member
    Make sure you are watching your salt content, the weight you've been putting on is probably water weight since you have been sticking to your diet.

    Sodium makes us retain water. Also, if you have been exercising for the first time in awhile, our bodies hold more water for the muscles to use during our exercises.

    YOU CAN DO THIS! But you really need to remember that this is not a marathon where you have to get there as fast as you can. How long did it take you to get overweight? Probably longer than two weeks that's for sure! It's going to take awhile to get smaller, but you can do it.

    Plus, you're eating healthier now - that means your whole body is going to say THANK YOU by lowering your blood pressure, cholesterol, you'll have more energy so you will feel great and when you feel great you LOOK great.
  • MaryHarbin
    MaryHarbin Posts: 3
    If you have just started working out it might mean you are gaining muscle. And muscle weighs more than fat. So just continue and eventually you may not weigh less but you will look wonderful
  • msjones2831
    msjones2831 Posts: 126 Member
    Don't give up, a healthy life is worth the fight. If you want specific advice, make you diary public. Don't give up!
  • MB_Positif
    MB_Positif Posts: 8,897 Member
    What kind of foods are you eating and what kind of exercise are you doing? You also might be underestimating the amount of food you are eating, thus eating more or less than what you think. Not sure how else to help you without more information/public diary, etc.
  • elizabethdear95
    elizabethdear95 Posts: 68
    If you have just started working out it might mean you are gaining muscle. And muscle weighs more than fat. So just continue and eventually you may not weigh less but you will look wonderful

    People. Nobody "GAINS" muscle after two weeks. Why does nobody realize this? It takes a a LONG time to gain muscle.
  • MB_Positif
    MB_Positif Posts: 8,897 Member
    If you have just started working out it might mean you are gaining muscle. And muscle weighs more than fat. So just continue and eventually you may not weigh less but you will look wonderful

    People. Nobody "GAINS" muscle after two weeks. Why does nobody realize this? It takes a a LONG time to gain muscle.

    Yes, this also, I was going to quote it, but I hit reply instead of quote and just went with what I was going to write.
  • ironanimal
    ironanimal Posts: 5,922 Member
    Two weeks? Relax!

    This takes time, and if your metabolism is screwed it will take time to adjust. Open your diary and people will be able to help you more.
  • jenniebean1680
    jenniebean1680 Posts: 350 Member
    If you have just started working out it might mean you are gaining muscle. And muscle weighs more than fat. So just continue and eventually you may not weigh less but you will look wonderful

    People. Nobody "GAINS" muscle after two weeks. Why does nobody realize this? It takes a a LONG time to gain muscle.

    Thank you. But doing any weight-bearing activity can cause soreness which means your muscles are probably holding water as they work to repair themselves. This is a wonderful, healthy process but it can cause frustration in the scale.

    I'd say take your measurements now, keep doing what you're doing, and measure again in a month. Keep weighing if you want, but if the measurements come down that tells you you are doing it exactly right, because you're losing fat but preserving muscle. Losing muscle slows your metabolism, and you don't have to be 'starving yourself' for this to happen.

    Drink your water and be sure you're eating to your net. MFP still factors in a deficit even when you eat more due to exercise, so hitting your net every day should have you losing soon! Good luck!!!
  • moniqueb39
    moniqueb39 Posts: 30 Member
    I agreewith the first poster. Make sure you give your self more time and work out more. 30 mins may not be enough everybody is different.
  • FireTigerSoul
    FireTigerSoul Posts: 268 Member
    Don't worry about it...it took me nearly three weeks for the excess water weight to come off. That's probably all it is...water from working out your muscles. :)
  • aconcreteguy1
    aconcreteguy1 Posts: 8 Member
    if ur working out it could b that muscle is gained and fat is lossed! keep up the good work you will c the diff soon!
  • letmebeda1_wechange
    letmebeda1_wechange Posts: 480 Member
    don't give up on yourself. you have to do this, this is not a choice unless you want to continue being over weight and miserable. not being able to feel good and how about if you give up and down the line you find yourself tooo unhealthy, you will look back and say wow I should of, no no no. there is no time for I should of here.
    be willing to believe in yourself, be willing to succeed. We were born to succeed, not give up. i'm not going to repeat what everyone said but all those beautiful advises are true. we are here for you, now can you please be here for yourself??? you hang in there just like we all have hung in there and lil by lil you will start feeling the difference and seeing the difference. think about this very carefully, this is serious stuff. ♥♥♥
  • Gypsyvb
    Gypsyvb Posts: 5 Member
    In addition to the post about water and hidden calories..... pay attention to the percentages of fat in your calories. I also added sugar and fiber to my charts to make sure I am getting enough fiber, and not to much sugar. If your a small person then 1500 calories may be to many ..... but don't give up. Also don't remember if you mentioned your weight or how much your trying to loose, the less you have to loose the harder it gets to make it go away. My first 20 pounds was a snap and haven't lost but 3 pounds since then ( additional month and a half ) . I just figure it took me 30 years to get here might take me at least a year to
    reverse the damage. Good Luck.
  • MarincicS
    MarincicS Posts: 265 Member
    Two weeks? Give it more time. This is not an instant process!

    Things to help you out, drink more water. It helps flush your excess water weight out. I drink 100+ ounces a day, and it has done wonders for me. Eat more high fiber foods and high protein foods earlier in the day. It will keep you full longer, and less likely to binge on something you shouldn't. Be 100% honest with yourself. Track every single crumb you eat, every drop you drink. You may have some calories hiding in your diet that you weren't aware of. If you are eating "diet" foods, that are prepackaged, you may be getting too much sodium, causing you to retain water.

    Hope this helps!

    I put a tablespoon of olive oil in the pan when i grill chicken. I didn't even think about that when i was keeping a paper food journal. Now that i am using MFP, i log it and guess what? Over 100 calories!!! This is the level you have to go to really have a picture of where your calories are. And any packaged/processed food have tons of hidden tricks and traps! Use the bar-code reader if you can to scan all packaged foods to get more complete information. When you start to see it, it is easier to let go too.

    But in any case, 2 weeks is no time at all. And remember muscle weighs less than fat - even if it takes less space. My personal trainer said when starting to work out, it is common to gain a bit before you start losing.
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