I was 166 almost one month ago. I got down to 160. Then for the past two weeks it crept up to 162 then 163... and this morning I was 167. What the heck is going on? I have been watching my calories (please see my FitDay). I have kept my calories to an average of 1400 for the past month. I even tried calorie-zig-zaggin. How can this all be water retnetion? Does water retention last this long? I'm really upset and getting very discouraged - I don't get it. I have never been able to lost more than 10 lbs in my life and keep it off. I thought this time would be different.

Can anyone help me... please?

You eat alot of processed food and you drink almost every day.All of which causes water retention.As long as you eat like that you will retain water.I don't see anywhere that you are even drinking water.You need 8glasses a day.Start by cutting out the processed food and eat cleaner.

Yeah I'd say too it's likely because your calorie intake is a bit irregular, not very consistent.

Alcohol can probably affect your body's way of processing as well. Remember, it's 'alcohol'. Plus it has a lot of calories.

I see a couple of days, just having a quick glance, you hardly eat anything at all, to compensate for having alcohol, then other days, you eat more foods.

I'm not sure which program you're on.. but one day I looked there and your fat g was 73 grams, and not high calories total. Thats a high percentage of fat calories. If you are on a low carb plan, of course then thats fine (so I can't really say that's the problem)

I'd say try to keep your alcohol down, and add more food that is not processed, stay away from sodium if at all possible, and eat 'real' food, not stuff in a box. If you're NOT following a low carb diet like atkins, south beach, reduce your fat g to 30 g or less a day, then you will see a difference, I think.

Your report shows you eat regular salad dressing too. If you pick up the low calorie, that will kill off a lot of cals/fat. Anything you can buy 'low calorie' version of, that will help also.

Also, they say that more frequent, smaller meals, speeds up your metabolism. Less frequent, larger meals will work differently in burning calories, and also may trigger the 'starvation' response.

Hope that helps.

I just wanted to add that you might want to use more custom foods, I find for lots of things what I am actually eating has more calories then what fit day says.

For example I see you had a begal and fit day says 195 calories. When I buy begals (according to the pacakge) they are AT LEAST 300 calories if not 350 or more.

Something like that can make you go WAY over calories. Also about the drinking, I very very very rarley drink, last weekend I had a few drinks and some pub food, the next day I was up 8 pounds. And I am still up a couple pounds. I drink 6 liters (192 oz of water a day) - I find that usually helps with any water I am holding onto.

Also - processed foods. I eat my share of them because I am lazy. But I try not to eat too many. I also watch my bread intake, if I want toast for breakfast then I try not to have a sandwitch for lunch - that sort of thing. Usually my dinners stay with calories but are not very healthy, I just make sure my eating is mostly healthy the rest of the day.

Sometimes the scale goes up sometimes it goes down, you eventually get used to it.

Thanks for the feedback thus far.

I drink at least 8 glases of water a day - I just don't log it in FitDay.

Everything was working fine prior to 2 weeks ago... I suppose I will cut out sodium completely and see what happens. I do have soy sauce pretty frequently since I eat a lot of sushi and Pho (which I put soy sauce into)

I also didn't know that alcohol makes you retain water. That sux!

What are all the processed foods? I assume you mean the tortilla chips and pretzels. I only have a handful a day, although that might be enough. I wonder what else I am eating that makes me retain water.

I will try not to eat anything that is processed for a week and see what happens. It will be hard for me since I am used to the "just add hot water" lifestyle.

Any more feedback/advice would be greatly appreciated. Thanks again to all of you.

You can never cut of sodium completey (I mean no idea what that would do to your body) but even water has sodium!

Soya Sauce is HORRIBLE HORRIBLE for sodium - like 1 teaspoon has like 700mg or something and an average person should have like 2000! It is crazy, I love sushi and I eat it (the scale usually goes up the next day) but I never use soya sauce anymore.

As for processed food... stuff out of a box, ready to eat meals. That sort of thing. I eat them, meh. I can't be perfect.

Mind you it's only been 3 weeks for me, HERE.. but I have lost weight in the past, as most of us have hehehe

Processed foods would be anything that is not raw and cooked by you. SO, that would include, anything in a box, like pre-made dinners (lean cuisine, etc they have a lot of sodium), and the deli meats have a horrendous amt of sodium too.

An idea.. what I do.. I buy some fresh chicken, cook 3 pieces at a time on the BBQ, then cut it up and put it in a container. I take it out and weigh it on my little scale for each time I want to eat it, and then i dont' have to buy deli meat for sandies. It's all ready to go each time I want some. I use mustard instead of mayo, but they do have 'no fat' mayo if you prefer that.

I eat oatmeal for brekkie, and a fruit. If you like you can add a bit of milk or yogurt, that would add some protein.

I ate a TON of food yesterday and it still came out to 1100 cals.. and I was full.

Yes, soy sauce is almost totally salt. It's probably one of the highest sodium items you can find. Look up "MSG" online and read up on it. It has many other names, but basically it's "salt".

I think you're all right on the money... I need to stop eating the out-of-the-box foods and stay the heck away from Deli cold-cuts. I have been eating both quite a bit in the last few weeks. I've also been having soy sauce with my food (sooooo salty) Did I mentioned that I had a pickle? (oops!) So, are you are telling me that this is just water retention? (i hope, i hope...) Although, I do know that it is impossible to gain 4lbs of "real" weight overnight. I want to be 160 again. That was realllllly nice.

I think I need to start eating tuna fish sandwiches again... that didn't make me retain water. I'm also going to do the chicken breast idea that Abbeycat suggested. That way I can eat that instead of the turkey and ham cold cuts that I use in sandwiches.

Why do they put so much darn salt in procesed foods?!?! How annoying. It sucks to be bloated and full of water all the time. I can almost feel it when I retain water.

Just a tip, you need to eat like you can eat for the rest of life. And let me tell you that you arent going to eat tuna and chicken for the rest of your life.

I eat out of the box food, and I lose weight. I don't gorge myself on it - but I eat it. I also eat deli cold cuts. I eat lots of stuff people say are a no-no but its how much of it you eat. Look at my fitday, you will see I dont eat clean but I try and keep somewhat healthy and my portions smaller.

Yup...alcohol = SUGAR! There is a big correlation between the sugar we consume and the salt we crave. I'm not really sure of the biology on it, but as I understand it, the salt constricts and the sugar expands things in our bodies. That's why bars always put out the salty snacks.

Processed (and pretty much "empty calories) =
white bread, white rice, salad dressing, snacks

High sodium =
Most asian foods, deli meats, snacks and one I hadn't even known before, is softened water! Think about it, what do they use to soften water? Salt. I had to stop drinking the water at work and bring my own. It helped A LOT!

Just to follow up on an earlier post. If you are gaining it may NOT be sodium, especially if you really aren't getting an accurate log of what you're eating. It could be that you don't have accurate calorie counts for a lot of foods (as Courtnie suggested). Also, if you don't weigh your foods you might not be accurate with your amounts. In other words, you may be eating a lot more food than you think and gaining more than water weight.

Not to take away from the other posts, as water retention is certainly a possibility, but it is not the only one. Part of why you're gaining may be that, well, you ARE gaining. It's hard to tell.

Also, what is your exercise like? Has that changed recently?

Finally, I know you didn't ask for specific feedback about your diet, but I don't know anybody who loses and keeps off a lot of weight drinking so much alcohol and eating so sporadically (they may exist, but I don't know them ). Looks like some days you only eat one meal? It's not just about calories in/calories out, but where those calories come from too. By drinking so many of your calories, you aren't able to get in a lot of nutrition, and that may hurt you in the long run.

I know you might not want to hear this, but are you really committed to making the changes you need to lose weight and keep it off? I know I wasn't for a long time... and it probably would have pissed me off to have some stranger on the internet say that. Nonetheless, I have to wonder. I hope I don't offend you, just get you to think about what you're doing and what you want to accomplish long term.

I have to say here...and I am TOTALLY not trying to be rude, or unsupportive at all, really I am not-but your Fitday and what I am reading in it is pretty BAD. I will give you a big hug-because you aren't going to like what I have to say about it...but you wanted advice, and you wanted to know why you are having problems.

In one day's plan you had approximately 1300 calories. Approximately 700 calories of that was ALCOHOL. Approximately 200 calories of that day was two different kinds of juices...which I am *assuming* were the mixers. Holy cow-900 calories a day in booze/mixer...and 400 calories of that day in FOOD.

You know, they say a calorie is a calorie is a calorie-but your body is beign STARVED. Literally.

You are eating a ton of processed foods-and most of the carbs/starches that you eat in your diet are WHITE REFINED carbs-pretzels, white bread, etc. and not whole grains. Your "fruit" servings tend to be juices that are mixed with alcohol. Everyone is saying that you take in a lot os sodium, which is totally true-but you are pretty much taking in a lot of "crap" in general-you are not eating a healthy diet at all.

A calorie is a calorie-but your body also has nutritional requirements-and you are NOT meeting them. If you think of your body as a machine-what you are doing to it is like trying to run a car on Kool-Aid instead of gasoline...or trying to run your television on corn syrup instead of electricity. Your body needs certain elements to run properly...and you are not giving it to your body. You may be eating a lower calorie diet-but your body is starving.

First of all-your body needs fiber. Fiber comes from fruit, vegetables, and WHOLE grains-not refined ones.

Secondly-your body needs protein to keep muscle, and to gain muscle. Without protein, your body when you lose weight is going to LOSE muscle because it isn't getting it. A bit of sushi or a few slices of processed cold cuts now and then isn't doing it. How about some lean chicken breast now and then? Some yogurt or cottage cheese?

Your body also needs the vitamins and properties in fruits and vegetables. Taking a multivitamin does not make up for not eating them-because there are properties such as antioxidants, phytochemicals, and fiber in them that taking a vitamin does not make up for.
We should be eating about 5 servings of fruits/veggies per day MINIMUM. Fruits and veggies reduce the risks of so many diseases and cancers-they really, really do. Every day.

Why the recent "low carb" phase over the past few years? Because so many people eat too many, and are addicted to, refined carbs. White bread, processed cereals, donuts, cookies, white rice...blah, blah, blah. Carbs in general are not bad for you-if you are eating healthy ones. Refined carbs are not good for you-and if you are consuming a lot of foods like pretzels, white bread, and so forth-you are basically eating empty calories.

Your diet needs a total revamping. It really, really does.

You are going to have to realize this-and either choose to do something about it, or not to. Eating low calorie does not automatically mean "healthy" and being skinny also does not mean "healthy" either. (I know a lot of skinny chicks who smoke, drink, don't exercise, and rarely eat...)

They may be skinny-but in 20 years I am going to look a heck of a lot younger because their lifestyle is going to take a toll on their looks and health.

You ever notice how some women can be in their 40's or early 50's and they look "rough", while other women are 65 and absolutely glowing and gorgeous? It isn't so much about just their weight...it is about how they took care of themselves.

My high school best friend is a prime example of this. I became healthy after we got out of school, got married and settled down, committed myself to exercise (even became a dancer and dance instructor!) and made a lifestyle of healthy habits.

She stayed single, spent a lot of the past 10 years in smoky bars (terrible for your skin!), smoked, drank heavily at times, ate a poor diet...and right now I look about 10 years younger than she does. Seriously. Everything from the condition to her skin and hair to our overall energy level.

Start taking better care of yourself...and you will start seeing better results.



Aphil

I think this type of feedback and comments was e-x-a-c-t-l-y what I needed. I appreciate this type of hinesty VERY MUCH and need to hear this type of advice if I'm going to succeed. So, for that, I THANK YOU VERY MUCH.

I too have noticed that I will eat 500 cals of processed food + carbs, and then make up for the entire rest of the day's calories with drinks and juices when I go out after work and meet up with friends. Even though the calories stay under the allowed number, it's still mostly empty calories rather than real-food calories.

I'm putting a stop to this. I am going to cut down on the number of drinks I have when I go out. I am going to also cut out the grapefruit and cranberry juices all together. Instead, I'll try that ever-so-famous low-card "bacardi + Diet Coke" even though i don't like rum. And with every drink that I have, I will drink 1 glass of water to accompnay it. That will keep me hydrated and slow me down with the drinks in general. I will try to lmit myself to just 2 or 3 drinks from now on... that in itself will be an accomplishment compared to the 6 or 7. SO, that should take care of the excessive empty-alcohol calories that I am consuming.

Now, as for the processed foods such as my instant-soups/-chow-mein/-rice -- I will only have these when I am in a bind and can't have real food. I think a lot of people like these types of meals for 2 main reasons- #1 Easy & simple #2 The calories are listed right on the box/package so it's very easy to know how many cals you ate with that meal. SO, that should take care of the excessive sodium intake that I am consuming.

All of your posts have insprired me to fix the things that I am doing wrong and to start being more healthy (not just try to be thinner). So, I just went down to our cafe and made myself a fabulous salad. Organic greens, baby corn, cucumbers, cherry tomatoes, organic yellow tomatoes, a couple slices of radish, a few green beans, a very light sprinkle of parmessan + blue cheese crumbles, just a few home-made croutons, and some slices of chicken on top with ranch dressing on the side.

I think this is the type of real-food you ladies were talkin' about, right?

Keep the suggestions coming! I really take this all to heart and I take action on all the great advice that you all give me. Thank you again. I greatly appreciate it!!!

You guys are the BEST.

Sotypical - what does this mean in your FitDay entries:

--------------------------------- ( 1 serving ) 0 0 0 0

Why do you enter that... is it water? A cigarette? ;-) what...?

Determind I dont like addmitting it but drinking used to be a daily thing for me... i have slowed WAY down and have started losing so i feel yea girl and as for the bacardi and diet coke thats what i drink if im gonna drink hard im actully a beer drinker myself..... so good luck to you i know that since i have stopped all the wine and fruit drinks i have started losing
so no worries you'll do it and from the looks of it you already are
has anyone else had a problem with the drinking and weight loss i'd just thought i'd ask and how did you change it if so