[tricon7]

Before I moan about my new weight gain (and it's coming), I will say that I start going to the gym this week regularly (2x/wk) and biking even more at home (beyond just 30 minutes a day). But after a week of hard dieting (1600 calories a day, give or take) and steady biking almost every day, I've managed to gain 1.5 pounds. I've become Draconian recently on calorie-counting, over-counting to be safe and avoiding things that I don't know the calorie count for, and I still gained. And this over a multi-week period. Incredible. I will say that I'm astounded at the means it's taking me to lose a single solitary pound now. I'm not looking forward to what my maintenance calories will be the rest of my life once I reach my goal.

I don't mind losing a measly pound a week, but to work hard and gain 1.5 pounds a week? I weigh now what I weighed a month ago. I clearly can't go less calorie-wise, as I'd be salivating all day long like a mad dog, so I'm planning on more exercise, though I don't have the time for it. I don't intend to be on a Forever Diet, as I'm going to get discouraged enough soon to just go to Krispy Kreme and pig out.

[Lovely]

Keep in mind that the scale really does not show WHAT those pounds are made up of.

You could be losing fat, and holding onto water or there could be a heavy bit of food going through your system.

Looks like you're less than 10 pounds away from your goal weight, so it might be time to start taking measurements frequently.

Even if we do everything perfectly, there are going to be times when the scale doesn't show that progress.

[runningfromfat]

Before you blame your metabolism maybe think about the following:

1. Is it your TOM? You can definitely have a water weight gain from that.

2. Did you eat a lot of salty food? Again, water retention can cause that.

3. Did you make sure to weigh-in first thing in the morning, after peeing, while naked?

4. Did you weigh-in the day after a really hard workout? Sometimes that can also cause water retention.

If you're creating a calorie deficit you have to lose weight eventually but an upward fluctuation (especially of just 1.5lbs) could be a number of different things. It looks like you've already lost some weight... how long have you been at this? Have you been doing 1600 calories the entire time?

[Rana]

Lastly, have you been checked out medically for thyroid issues, PCOS, prediabetes, stuff like that?

Because as a PCOS suffer myself, my weight loss is incredibly slooooooow. But it happens. Sometimes. Either way, because I have that diagnosis, I try not to beat myself up for not losing weight quickly. I know it will come off, just very very very very very very slowly....

[sontaikle]

Originally Posted by tricon7

avoiding things that I don't know the calorie count for,

This rings alarm bells for me, depending on what you're eating. Are you eating a lot of processed food because it's easier to grab the calorie counts? If so, that can contribute to water weight, depending on the amount of sodium in the food you're eating.

If not, ignore my advice as the other posters have already given you a wealth of information

[lin43]

I can't add much to the already good advice you've gotten. But I will say that resorting to Krispy Kreme will only make matters MUCH worse----logically you know this. I would focus on maintaining consistent behaviors rather than the scale. I know it will be hard but try staying away from the scale for a month & focus on consistent diet & exercise behaviors. If you're eating right & getting more activity YOU WILL LOSE. Focusing on the scale will just frustrate you & drive you to desperate measures (krispy kreme)

[sumire]

Originally Posted by tricon7

I don't intend to be on a Forever Diet, as I'm going to get discouraged enough soon to just go to Krispy Kreme and pig out.

"If this foot doesn't stop tingling in a few minutes, I am just going to SHOOT IT! That'll fix the problem!"

As you know by now after your so-far successful weight loss (go you!), this is a patience game. Two weeks is nothing. Wait a month or two. If you're still gaining or maintaining (and nothing lost off measurements / no change in pics, etc), then tweak your plan. (And in regards to your recent thread coupled with the fact that you've upped your exercise, I suggest you watch any uncounted nibbles. Our bodies have a way of tricking us into getting those calories, one way or another...)

[christine123]

FYI - the OP is a man, so I am sure it's not TOM or PCOS..

[mkroyer]

[QUOTE=sumire;3992657. Our bodies have a way of tricking us into getting those calories, one way or another...)[/QUOTE]

^^^^^^^^
Our bodies will always find the feed, so to speak... it doesnt matter if our MIND thinks we are getting X amount of cals, and deserve to lose X pounds..... Our bodies truly know, and theres no way around that except to be as dilligent as possible with our counting


how long have you been dieting?
Perhaps its time for a maintenance break/training break
generally, men dont have QUITE the same huge hormonal water fluctuations as females experience, but im quite sure your 1.5 lbs is water weight....... dont sweat it....

as i think i said before, the laws of thermodynamics are the same for everyone.... absolute. Cals in v cals out = loss, maint or gain

Id go through your food with a fine toothed comb. Id be willing to bet there lieas the problem (youre eating more than you think you are)

[ennay]

Yesterday you admitted to grazing, late night eating and middle of the night eating. I'm not usually a fan of record down to the penny but I think you have to be realistic.

And what do you mean you arent on a forever diet? If you can not live with what you are doing right now, then you need to change something.

What ARE you eating? Give us a rundown of a day.

Meanwhile you JUST joined a gym. Are you at all sore? Increasing exercise increases retained water.

[Rana]

Ok, it won't be PCOS, but it can still be a thyroid issue....

But I agree, a description of what he's eating can probably help....

[mimi86]

1.5 lbs is nothing, I go up and down by 2 lbs depending on the time of day! How much water are you drinking daily? It could just be water weight (which comes from not drinking enough water)!

[goob]

Don't worry too much about it if you're eating right and exercising. When I first started dieting i was losing weight like crazy, but once I added in the exercising I started to gain weight. It only last for a couple of weeks then the weight eventually falls off. Don't give up.

[carter]

When you start an intense exercise routine - or step up a lighter one - there is always a period of adjustment that can last a couple of weeks.

During that adjustment period your body will hold onto fluid like mad - it is needed to help repair your muscles after the additional strain. You'll also naturally be hungrier for a while until you get used to the higher level of activity.

Eventually this all equilibrates and you'll start losing again.

So trust your plan, grit through a few frustrating weeks on the scale. It's a tough adjustment, but you can get through it and you'll eventually see the rewards.

Also you are close to your goal weight, which means losses will be slower, smaller, and more likely to be masked by this sort of fluctuation. It sucks, but really - giving up isn't going to solve the problem. Only patience, time, and stick-to-it-iveness will.

[tricon7]

I had my first real workout yesterday at the gym, and it felt great. I was going to bike there, also, but I was so worn out after the weightlifting that there was no chance of that happening. I didn't really sweat a lot; I was just exhausted when I was done. I ate a high-protein burrito before bed to make sure my muscles got their nutrients before I hit the sack, too.

Surprise, surprise - this morning when I stepped on the scales, I was at a new low: 183.5 lbs. (boy, this last pound was a bugger to lose). It marks 30 lbs. lost since I started my diet in November. I also lost a teensie-weensie bit on my waist, and it bumped me down into the next "inch mark" that I was looking forward to. (I must say that when I saw the numbers 1-8-3 on the scale, I wanted to run and get my camera to save the big moment so I could savor it before I jump up again in weight).

I might mention that I had suspected as much, but I found two staple food items that I had been overcounting calories on. Yesterday, after my wife did some re-counting, the burritos I had been eating were 50 calories over what we thought they were (she had miscalculated somewhere). And I had been treating myself on York Peppermint Patties, which are 140 calories. But this week I had bought a pack of bite-size patties at Walmart and just figured that three of them were also 140 calories. Wrong. They're 180 for three, so I had been overcounting there by 40 calories, too. And as I was eating up to three burritos a day and two PPs a day, I was going over as much as 230 calories daily. Pretty significant, eh?