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Old 05-13-2012, 12:09 AM   #1  
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Default Gained weight while TRYING to lose weight

2 months ago I was 222, now I weight myself and I was 238.

The kicker is, I have been dieting, stopped drinking soda, eating salad one meal a day, exercising etc.

I know the body works weird and I remember one time I was working out 4 days a week and watching what I eat and losing EXACTLY 1 lb a month. I started crying after 4 months.

So please help encourage me, I know this is a long up/down road and I need to keep going.
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Old 05-13-2012, 12:17 AM   #2  
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Welcome to the board, BBK125.

I suggest you make a list of everything you eat for a week, including the portion size, and figure out how many calories you're consuming every day. If you're truly eating less than your body needs for energy, you should be losing weight. This principle applies to all of us, whether we have faster or slower metabolisms. If you've been honest about your eating plan and you're gaining weight for no apparent reason, I suggest you see a doctor.

Good luck and keep us posted.

F.
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Old 05-13-2012, 09:31 AM   #3  
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I was going to suggest the same thing as Freelance. Maybe, although you're eating healthier, you're still overshooting your calories. Weigh and measure everything. Invest in a good food scale. Write everything down. There are lots of free weight loss web sites where you just pick your food and it calculates the calories for you. Easy! Fit Day, Fat Secret, Livestrong.....

I've had so many people tell me not to "diet". Just eat healthier. I wish it were that easy. Maybe it works for some people, but for me. I have to really watch my daily calorie intake. I stop doing that, and I gain or stay the same. As tiring as it is, I weigh, I measure, and I record everything I eat, every day, and I keep track of my exercise.

If that doesn't work, then see your doctor. There could be some medical reason for the slow loss.

Last edited by twinieten; 05-13-2012 at 09:32 AM.
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Old 05-13-2012, 10:43 AM   #4  
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Quote:
Originally Posted by BlackBarbieKiss125 View Post
2 months ago I was 222, now I weight myself and I was 238.

The kicker is, I have been dieting, stopped drinking soda, eating salad one meal a day, exercising etc.

I know the body works weird and I remember one time I was working out 4 days a week and watching what I eat and losing EXACTLY 1 lb a month. I started crying after 4 months.

So please help encourage me, I know this is a long up/down road and I need to keep going.

When I started weight loss "this time" I also only was losing 1 lb a month, and when I complained about my slow loss and how I "should be able to lose at least 2 lbs a week like a normal person," my doctor read me the riot act. He said that "normal" wasn't losing 2 lbs a week. Normal was losing nothing at all. Normal was maybe losing for a few weeks and then gaining it all back and then some. So that even my one pound a week (even at nearly 400 lbs) wasn't normal, it was extraordinary. He argued that weight loss fails largely because while we're succeeding, we see it as failure because we don't know what normal weight loss really is, so when we see it, we label it failure.

Weight loss is like a marathon - we see the 5,000 people ahead of us and conclude we must be nearly in last place, only because we don't see the 20,000 people behind us (or all the people on the sidelines who didn't even get into the race at all).

As to your gaining, I would also recommend a food counting method, whether it be "straight" calorie counting or something like Weight Watchers points or a food exchange system (Personally, I love exchange plans because they help insure a balanced diet and control and count both carbs and calories. I follow a low-carb exchange plan based on one I found on frugalabundance.com)

If you don't use a counting method, it is very easy to think and feel as though you're eating much less, when you're actually eating more. Just as an example, many salads are actually higher in calorie than a Big Mac and fries, and some very healthy foods are very easy to overeat (for me fruit and grains are a perfect example. I have to be very careful with both, because I can eat several hundred calories as a snack or meal and still feel hungry).

I also would recommend getting a check up with bloodwork to diagnose or rule out health issues such as metabolic issues. I have including insulin resistance/borderline diabetes and mild thyroid issues. My thyroid hormone levels are low enough for my doctor to say I have low thyroid levels, but not low enough for him to feel comfortable prescribing medication. I also have autoimmune issues that require periodic courses of prednisone, which makes weight loss harder because the prednisone not only causes water retention and slows metabolism, it also triggers severe hunger (which I call "rabid hunger").

None of this prevents me from losing weight and getting healthier, but it does tend to slow down the process. My weight loss has increased to about 2 to 3 lbs per month, but my overall average is still only a little more than 1 lb a month, and I still managed to lose 105 lbs (though it's taken me about seven years to do so).

In the past I always gave up because I watched the clock, and was always disappointed with my "time." I felt like a failure if I couldn't lose at least 2 lbs a week every week. I cringe when I think of how many times I gave up when the weight loss slowed to less than 2 lbs a week, but faster than I'm losing now. If I had just realized that I was succeeding wildly, not failing miserably I wouldn't have given up so easily.

We've been taught to expect what most people can't and don't acheive, and yet we see it as failure, because we've been taught that "normal" is losing more than 1 lb a month, when even losing 5 lbs a year is an acheivement that most people who try to do it, will not accomplish. So who really is the success story, the person who loses 1 lb a month and keeps at it, or the person who loses up to 10 lbs a week, but quits and gains it all back when the weight loss slows to less than 2 lbs a week?

We need to start recognizing success when we see it, and we need to not be so hard on ourselves for making mistakes.

You will find what works for you, just by "staying in the game" and continuing to experiment.
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Old 05-13-2012, 12:42 PM   #5  
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Some really good advice.

Bottom line when it comes to weight loss .... eating "healthy" or "clean" is over rated primarily because those terms have no meaning or context.

Calories dictate fat loss or gain.
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Old 05-13-2012, 01:44 PM   #6  
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From my own personal experience, if I just try to eat "healthy" (whatever that means to me at the time) I tend to eat MORE because in some corner of my mind that means I can have it unlimited. I don't always count calories, but I do it off and on to make sure I'm on track and to remind me exactly what a portion size looks like and how much XXXX amount of calories feels like. I certainly lose a little more on the weeks I keep close count of calories. It's definitely worth doing, at least to get you on track.

I'm sorry you are frustrated and discouraged, I've definitely been there. Just keep going! You will get there!!!
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Old 05-13-2012, 02:56 PM   #7  
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I can gain weight eating healthy foods and exercising. The only way I have been able to lose and keep it off is to count calories. Ill probably always have to watch my calories. Count your calories for a few days, write down every single bite and weigh it...see just how many calories you've really been eating. Every once in a while I won't add my calories up till the end of the day and I'm always suprised at how many calories I ended up eating! I like to put it in my diary right away so I make sure not to go over my calories the rest of the day.
You CAN do this.
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Old 05-13-2012, 03:14 PM   #8  
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I have more weight issues in the summer when I have an enormous Veggie basket from my CSA. Healthy food can still be too much food. And salad can be a night mare. Give me a cheeseburger, I'll do better.

Bottom line is while you can gain water weight with introducing exercise and shifting macronutrients around, 16lbs is outside that spectrum. Something is way off in what you are doing. Even if long term calorie counting isnt your thing, you need to get a solid handle on what you are eating now.

Last edited by ennay; 05-13-2012 at 03:17 PM.
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Old 05-13-2012, 03:37 PM   #9  
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If your doing all the exercise you say you are, you will gain muscle tone which can counter act weight loss or fat loss.

The main reason for adding fat is sugar... be it from sugar products or carbohydrates which turn in to sugar. The easy way to reduce sugar is to limit the carbs, so look at what your eating and replace the carbs with high protein foods.

You could be eating carbs to get energy for your exercise, but that only works if you have time to work out 3 to 5 times a week, it's not really a sustainable option for the majority of people. By reducing the carbs you can actually reduce your exercise too as you don't have the sugar to burn off before you get to the fat.
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Old 05-13-2012, 04:14 PM   #10  
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It does sound like either counting calories or measuring portions is something you might want to try to get a handle on what's going on. I know I can gain weight on 100% healthy foods, because my appetite can be way out of whack with what my body needs.
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Old 05-13-2012, 06:02 PM   #11  
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Thank you all, especially Kaplods.

I think you guys are right, something is off, and I need to re assess, start again and start counting EVERYTHING that goes into my mouth.

I have been drinking wine/liquor a few days a week and that probably counters my 4 day a week 1 hour a day workouts.

Also, during the last 2 weeks I have not been working just staying home all day watching TV or movies. I am sure that also has something to do with it.

I will keep trying, but it can be disheartening when you feel like the RESET button is being pressed on you repeatedly.

I am also going to seek out some counseling related to weight and emotions.

Again thank you all for your support, I will post again when I reach ticker 225 and I will not give up this time.
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Old 05-13-2012, 06:04 PM   #12  
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Also, I have been eating late at night, and sleeping at like 4 or 5 am in the morning. My sleep is about 5 hours right now,
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Old 05-15-2012, 08:53 AM   #13  
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Again thank you all for your support, I will post again when I reach ticker 225 and I will not give up this time.
Go go go!! You can do it! Don't wait to 225!
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Old 05-15-2012, 09:16 AM   #14  
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Quote:
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I have been drinking wine/liquor a few days a week and that probably counters my 4 day a week 1 hour a day workouts.
Quote:
Originally Posted by BlackBarbieKiss125 View Post
Also, I have been eating late at night, and sleeping at like 4 or 5 am in the morning. My sleep is about 5 hours right now,
In My personal experience, these two things completely hinder my weight loss. I would definitely cut out the alcohol. I also stop eating at least 2 hours before bed.

Hope this helps... Good luck on your journey... we all look forward to seeing your progress.
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Old 05-15-2012, 09:27 AM   #15  
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Originally Posted by collingwood View Post
If your doing all the exercise you say you are, you will gain muscle tone which can counter act weight loss or fat loss.

The main reason for adding fat is sugar... be it from sugar products or carbohydrates which turn in to sugar. The easy way to reduce sugar is to limit the carbs, so look at what your eating and replace the carbs with high protein foods.

You could be eating carbs to get energy for your exercise, but that only works if you have time to work out 3 to 5 times a week, it's not really a sustainable option for the majority of people. By reducing the carbs you can actually reduce your exercise too as you don't have the sugar to burn off before you get to the fat.
Sorry to be a jerk but... ignore all of that ^.
Horrible advice.

First of all, yes, you can gain a bit of WEIGHT from muscle, but 16 pounds isn't physically possible unless you are on steroids. The most experienced and highly trained professional female athletes and fitness competitors following PERFECT diets and workout routines can at best add 10-15 pounds of muscle in a year, and even that is nearly unheard of. I promise you that's not why you've gained weight.

Sugar is NOT the reason you gain fat, excess calories are, regardless of the source. You don't need to cut all sugar out of your life in order to lose fat, just eat less of it, and less of everything else too! Again, it isn't until you reach low body fat levels that you need to start thinking about any sort of drastic macronutrient manipulation to continue to lose fat.

Losing weight/fat is not rocket science... really. You need to get a good handle on exactly how much you are eating (calories) and adjust from there.
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