Okay, I have been dieting since June 1st. I weighed the past tuesday (the 8th) and had lost 10 pounds! I was so excited. I had been exercising for at least 30 mins with exercise videos that definitely get my heart rate up. I've also tried to keep my calories under 1400-1500. I had one slip-up day on Tuesday, where I ate a small bowl of ice cream and an extra piece of pizza over my calories (okay...maybe 2 pieces over..). For curiousity, I stepped on the scale this morning (even though I felt really bloated...WHY did I do this?!) and, WHAT?! I not only gained back the 10 I lost, but gained another 5? How did this happen?! I have drank so much water this week, like 15 cups a day, and have exercised EVERY DAY without stopping. I am so discouraged now...and all I want to do is cry and eat a cupcake. I have tried so hard, I don't understand how this could have happened.
For anybody that may be wondering what my typical day is like, here is my meal plan:
Breakfast:
Omelet (1 egg, 2 egg whites) with 1 piece of deli ham (20 cals), green peppers, onions, and a little 2% milk cheddar cheese
Lunch:
Lean Cuisine meal that ranges between 250-320 calories
A whole bag of Steamfresh veggies
Snack:
Fruit or yogurt
Dinner:
6-7 oz of chicken OR steak OR pork chop
veggies
Snack:
Fruit or 1/2 cup of ice cream or Nature Valley granola bar
I also try to drink AT LEAST 10-12 cups of water a day, and I have exercised every single day since I started this diet for at least 30 mins. I have tried cycling, cardio, aerobics, weight lifting, ab workouts, and dancing workout videos. What am I doing wrong? =(
Most of the weight gain you are seeing is probably not real (water retention caused by sodium). Exercise also sometimes causes temporarily weight gain from water rention (swelling associated with muscle repair).
Please continue what you are doing! Knowing the reasons for weight gain and recognizing the difference between water weight gain and fat gain is very important. The water weight will come off with time, you are losing fat however!
I'd recommend using a tape measure in addition to the scale to give you a more accurate picture of the changes taking place to your body.
1) That first ten pounds was not ten pounds of fat. It may well have been 5 lbs of fat (which is HUGE--think of 5 pounds of butter) and 5 lbs of water.
2) Now you have regained the water you "lost" and are retaining some more because of the sodium in the pizza. This is NORMAL FLUCTUATION.
3) Figure out why you ate that extra pizza + ice cream and make sure it doesn't happen again. If it was poor planning--you were caught out hungry and there was nothing to eat--plan better. If you were starving and it looked delicious, eat more healthy things next time: extra carrots, not pizza! If you were sad, or happy, or felt like it was the friendly thing to do, start finding other ways to deal with those emotions.
Another question is - did you weigh in at the same time of day, on the same scale, wearing the same clothing? Are you anywhere near your time of the month? How much do you trust your scale?
Thank you all so much for the advise and encouragement! The reason I ate the extra stuff was because it was family night and I was being sociable with everyone, even though I KNEW I needed to hold the limit at 2 pieces of pizza. I am really bad to eat emotionally too, it's my safety blanket at times. I just love food, I guess =/
Eclipse, yes, I weighed on the same scale, same clothing (..er, lack therof), and it was about the same time of day (I weighed Tuesday at 10am; this morning I weighed around 8:50am). Although, I just realized that it is that dreaded time of the month. Could this have attributed some, or a lot?
TOM can definitely make a difference and it will probably take several months of data before you understand the difference it makes in your body. Some of us lose weight all except one week a month. Some of us lose weight only one week a month in one big swoop. And, even when I got that figured out for myself, it changed!
BTW, you have a fair amount of sodium in your typical day with the ham and the Lean Cuisine. That may be part of why pizza threw you over the top. You might want to play around with alternatives if this continues to be a problem.
This is a very long journey. If you don't intend to put the weight back on after you lose it, it's a lifetime long journey. What happens in the first two weeks is not particularly relevant. For most of that journey, you're not going to have anything near 5 or 10 pound weight swings in a week -- it will be much less dramatic like half a pound or a pound or two in a week. Be patient and consistent and you'll get where you want to be.
Thank you all so much for the advise and encouragement! The reason I ate the extra stuff was because it was family night and I was being sociable with everyone, even though I KNEW I needed to hold the limit at 2 pieces of pizza. I am really bad to eat emotionally too, it's my safety blanket at times. I just love food, I guess =/
For me, learning that I don't have to eat when other people do was a huge step in learning to take control of my weight. It really is possible to just not eat, as long as you aren't hungry (that's where the planning comes in). I try to just not explain: I don't mention that I am not eating, I don't comment on other people's food or nibble off their plate, I just order coffee if I am out, and if I am offered food at a gathering, I just say "No, thanks. I may get some in a minute". If pushed for an explanation, the truth is best (though keep it very brief), but if you aren't comfortable telling the truth, have a lie prepared: "I had a huge lunch", or "X and I are going to dinner later and I want to be hungry" or, my favorite, "I ate something earlier and it didn't agree with me. I think I better be careful"--NO ONE wants to risk or discuss explosive gas or diarrhea, after all.
Once you start losing weight people get it without an explanation, and they are actually pretty impressed. But one of my main excuses for not dieting was that I didn't want to give up my "lifestyle"--eating with friends and family--and it's been very liberating to learn that I don't have to.
OMG gardenerjoy...you mentioning the sodium reminds me of something. Last night, I had about 4 pickle spears as a snack because I was kind of disappointed with what I had for dinner. There's another one. I agree that I need to watch the sodium, my sister is always saying that I need to pay closer attention to that. Thank you for the advice! The only thing I can do is try harder and not give up!
Matt H, thank you for helping! I am still getting used to this healthy lifestyle, soon enough I will understand my body and how it responds to things..hopefully!
"I ate something earlier and it didn't agree with me. I think I better be careful"--NO ONE wants to risk or discuss explosive gas or diarrhea, after all.
This tickled me =)
I have to say, that is one my biggest obstacles. I loooove going out to eat and eating with family and friends. And I especially love eating all of my favorite foods with them. Thank you so much for your words of encouragement and advice. I will take it all to heart! I guess this is going to take time. As much I want this change to happen, it's not going to happen overnight--as much as I wish it did!
"I ate something earlier and it didn't agree with me. I think I better be careful"--NO ONE wants to risk or discuss explosive gas or diarrhea, after all.
This tickled me =)
I have to say, that is one my biggest obstacles. I loooove going out to eat and eating with family and friends. And I especially love eating all of my favorite foods with them. Thank you so much for your words of encouragement and advice. I will take it all to heart! I guess this is going to take time. As much I want this change to happen, it's not going to happen overnight--as much as I wish it did!
Try just not eating ONCE and I think you will be shocked at how much fun you still have. It sounds like SUCH a foreign concept, but it turns out the food isn't as essential an ingredient as you think it is.
If not eating isn't an option on family night bring something else to eat. We ordered in pizza last night and had a houseful of folks. I knew if I had one piece of pizza I'd have 5 even though I think most delivery pizza isn't all that great. But pizza is one of those foods that "one more" is so easy to do, and then over-do. So I had a huge salad with my favorite tuna (packed in olive oil so even drained it is not low fat or low calorie at all) on top. I wasn't tempted by the pizza because I was having something I enjoy much more and I still was hanging out and having a good time. When you're only getting 1500 calories a day they had better be ones you really enjoy!
Ok, personally, I think it's really not right, given what you've told us, to have a 15 pound increase. I'm usually with everyone else on crying water weight, different factors, etc. But 15 pounds?! Seems unlikely to me. And the only thing I saw that gave me pause was the amount of water you drink.
Shocked? Yeah, it is possible to drink too much water. It's uncommon, but possible. I know I've heard that 8 glasses a day isn't actually needed for most people. Setting that aside, you're still drinking almost twice as much! But this is one of those rules that are so ingrained in our society, that no one wants to believe anything remotely contrary. But drinking too much water can lead to over-stressed kidneys and a swollen cardiovascular system. It might be something worth looking up. The article I really appreciated was called "Why Drinking Too Much Water Is Dangerous" but there are more sources.
I would say if you continue to have gains for no reason, it's time to see a doctor. Just to be safe.
You would have to drink 3-4 gallons of water a day MINIMUM before you need to worry about water intoxication, so I certainly wouldn't worry about that. It does sound like you are remembering bit by bit what it could be though.
I know at my time of the month, I "gain" five only to lose it within 3-4 days. Pickles are my biggest love but not before weigh-in day, the salt absorbs the water and your weight reflects that as well.
May I suggest journaling everything you eat. And I do mean everything. Every bite, nibble, chew, sip... I think you would be amazed at how much more you eat than you remember. Also, when you have to write it down, you tend not to bite it.
OP...don't be freaked out about the water factor...the daily water I drink is anywhere from an average of 100oz up to half of my weight in ounces. On a bad day I get in about 72oz. With exercising & wiping out sodium...it's needed. You're doing good.
Give it some time...you didn't gain it all overnight. What would trip me up on your food plan, although it might work for some, is the portion of your meat, processed food, sodium & carbs (including the veggies..the whole bag?)..and the amounts of sugar you're taking in. Unused carbs (bad or good carbs...a carb is a carb) will turn to sugar & then to fat...remember this. That sugar in the granola bar..ice cream..yogurt, etc....the same. Just a suggestion for what it's worth, I'd seriously re-arrange the eating plan a bit & replace it with healthier options. I do not believe this is solely a TOM issue.
WTH?! GAINED weight?! Help!
