[marthamc]

Hi all, I'm new here and after browsing for a while realized I already had a question.

I'm just over 300 (was up to 331 a couple years ago) and recently started on treatment for anemia and sleep apnea. My metabolism has changed and I'm gaining weight, and I'm really confused about why.

Most web calculators say that for a completely inactive lifestyle I need 2600-2700 calories to maintain my weight. However, because of exercise and activity I figure I'm NOT completely inactive. The thing is I gain weight. I'm recording my foods on FitDay, I'm taking in 2200-2400 per day, and while that is probably not much weight loss, it shouldn't be weight gain, should it?

I could use some ideas on this. Maybe I'm approaching calories from the wrong angle.

[RN BSN 2009]

Are you well versed on portion sizes? I have many friends that inaccurately calculate portion sizes, for example they believe the steak they are eating is 5 oz when it's really 12-13 oz.

[RealCdn]

There are a lot of variables. Calculators are a rough guess, not always accurate. Consider the following:

- are you sure that you're eating 2200-2400 calories per day?

This one can be easy to get wrong. Do you weigh and/or measure everything? Today I took a medium apple (which my calorie program says is 81 cals), but I weighed it. It was 101 calories instead. That doesn't sound like a lot, but if you're off on everything it could add to extra calories. Often packaged items will read 1/2 cup (30g) but when you weigh 1/2 cup it's way more than 30g.

- what type of exercise are you doing?

Any exercise that taxes your muscles (and if you've been inactive and are suddenly active, this could be any of them) causes you to retain water. I lift weights and almost always see a 1-2 pound gain the next day. It goes away on the 2nd day though, usually with more weight.

- are you consistent with your water/liquid intake?

It sounds odd, but if you don't drink enough water your body tends to hold on to what it has for dear life. So make sure you drink plenty, adding more on the days when you sweat it out.

- where in your menstrual cycle are you?

You can see weird swings around your period. I think others are different, but in my case (most months) I can pretty much pick the day it will start. A few days prior I'll gain 2 - 4 pounds, then drop them overnight.

- sodium intake?

I don't often see much difference, and I don't track it, but I know some people retain a lot of water after a particularly salty meal.


So, how long have you been tracking your food intake, and how much weight are we talking about? I'm not sure about medications that might affect your weight, but they might as well.

Oh, and

[weight woes]

just read your note, thanks for the info. that and your statistics are showing you are doing a wonderful job, keep up the good work

[RealCdn]

Thanks, but these last few weeks I've struggled. I changed my plan around a little (using someone else's at the moment) and I think a little more structure is what I need.

I meant to add for the original poster that everyone finds that they lose at a different level. When I stick to it I still lose quite well on 2000 - 2300 (based on exercise levels). Others at my weight might find that they don't. For years I thought I had a slow metabolism, but I think I've found that I don't. How active you are, without exercise, can make a huge difference in how your body works. My 'never stop' 80-yr old mother is about 125 lbs, eats 1800-2000 calories a day... plus candy. I call her the poster child for NEAT.

http://mayoresearch.mayo.edu/mayo/re..._lab/about.cfm <--- NEAT, an explanation.

[Haley8203]

whoa i never thought to check weights of things ive always just measured!

[kaplods]

I've found that calorie estimators greatly overestimate calorie requirements, the higher the weight. The higher your weight, the more efficient your body sometimes becomes - also the more diets you are on, the lower your metabolism becomes as well.

I have found that I can maintain and even gain on calorie amounts that are so low, I won't even state them here, because someone will accuse me of lying (I've had folks do it to my face, even doctors). I don't care what those folks say or think, I know what my body was doing - and with my science background - I wouldn't have believed anyone saying it either, until I found it happening to me.

For me, I've found that where the calories come from matters. For example, on 1800 calories of anything, I do lose weight, but very unpredictably and slowly, unless those 1800 calories are mostly lower carb. I'm also less hungry on lower carb, so it feels like I'm eating more (and yet losing more - win/win). When the calories are from high carb sources, I have a terrible time getting weight off, even when I'm counting EVERYTHING meticulously and know I'm not eating off plan. However, eating high carb also makes it harder to stay on plan, which is a different issue, but just as important to weight loss.

[RealCdn]

Haleygirl82 - it's something I've become more aware of the longer I'm at this. I think as a society we're too used to larger portion sizes being normal. I've noticed that lately I can't buy a 2oz whole wheat roll (they're all closer to 3) and I know I used to be able to. I found the link I was looking for, which deals with two very specific items (oatmeal and peanut butter), but it is quite interesting.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JVjWPclrWVY

kaplods - I know a woman from another board that has gluten reactions, so I do know that what you eat does matter a lot for some (but not most).

[marthamc]

Hmm, those are good points.

I am pretty good at measuring and I rarely estimate. I cook for myself and know how many cups or oz went into the food. Pre-packaged foods get measured by oz on a scale or cups/ounces. Also I'll take the nutrition info directly from the box (I eat at least one frozen diet dinner a day).

I do love the starches, though, specifically potatoes. I've been trying to eat more protein since I discovered so many of my calories come from potatoes, rice, or pasta carbs. Maybe it's still not enough.

And yes, my TOM really affects my weight. I gain up to 15 lbs during that TOM. I count myself lucky, I used to gain up to 25 lbs.

[Jacquie668]

I always found the calorie advice and such from weight loss sites too high for me personally. I'm kind of in the mode of "eat when my body tells me to" and there are some days I just don't eat a lot. I'm always drinking water though.

When I'm getting close to TOM I always gain about 5-10 pounds of water and then I actually feel hunger. I crave carbs and other things during that time and I know I'm packing in the calories one or two days before.

I don't measure or fuss over things, but I do look at the food I eat and the portion size. In my diet I need larger portions, usually, because I'm primarily eating raw food. If I'm eating something with a lot of carbs I always need smaller portions and to be honest, carbs fill you up anyhow, so you don't need much. The more I merge into raw foodism, the more I'm finding myself eating.

I agree that portion sizes are way to large and that is the "norm." The other night we ordered pasta and such and the amount of pasta that came for one person shocked me. I ate about a cup of pasta and there was enough for at least 5 more people. lol. That to me is amazing.

Medication can affect your weight, even antibiotics. You can retain water or just not feel hunger. When I was on an antibiotic and steroids for a skin flare up back in 2006, I actually lost weight because I wasn't hungry and thus I wasn't eating really. Once I got off of the meds I started eating again and gained that weight back.

[bargoo]

I find that is very important to log EVERYTHING I eat, when I fail to do this I find I am eating many more calories than I need. This and measuring everything is what works best for me.

[dgramie]

I have to log every bite that i take or else I end up eating to many empty calories. I have found for me a calorie isnt just a calorie! If I eat bad carbs then i end up not losing. FOr me I have to eat way less than the calculators say I could lose on. I think you should just experiement and see what works for you. You could also check with your medical dr and see how many calories they recommend for you.