I put away the scale last Thursday after my weekly weigh-in because I can get a bit obsessive throughout the week. I told myself I could check myself Monday morning (I only weigh "officially" first thing in the morning, no clothes). So I did, and of course I expected some positive news. But I'd gained!!! About a pound up.

I count calories and also have been getting back into running as well as walking and some toning exercises. I'm 22, have about 60-something pounds to lose, and ate an average of 1600 calories/day this week. I did have one off-plan meal when a friend was in town in which I consumed all but about 400 of my daily calories in one sitting, and I felt horrible afterward (physically, not emotionally). But even with that, I ate about 2000 calories that day.

I've been wanting to eat on the higher end of what I can get away with so that I can decrease my calories more easily when I lose weight, but after this week it looks like I may have to drop to an average of 1400/day and see if that helps. This was only my second week!!! I should be dropping like crazy! Anyway, just had to share.

Hang in there! It's frustrating. I've been dieting for about as long as you, and I've gained 2 lbs! I haven't changed my eating habits for the worse, though. I'm confused and frustrated.

I'm not sure why this happened to you, sorry but good for you for pushing forward!

I'm sorry-- I wasn't trying to make this reply about me, but I was kind of relieved to see someone else was dealing with a similar struggle.

We can do this!

hang in there. there are lots of things that can make the scale jump. sodium is a big one, and another is hormones. keep traking your calories and exercise and water, and make sure you're getting enough fiber. maybe try tweaking things here and there to see if you notice a difference. you can do this, just keep at it. congrats on moving forward even though you're not feeling great.

before you try dropping your cals more, i would try being ridiculously anal about calorie tracking and accountabiilty.
do you have a digital food scale? You can get them pretty cheap from walmart. Stop using measuring cups/teaspoons, and eyeballing portions (if you are now) and start weighng everything that goes into your mouth to the GRAM. COunt splenda packets (4 cals A PIECE), I cant believe its not butter sprays (about 10 cals per 17 squits, PAM sprays as well....1 second is about 2 cals..... pieces of gum, you get the drift. This seems overly obsessive (and it IS) but all those little cals add up to hundreds over the day, ESPECIALLY if you are using cups and spoons to measure, and not weighing food!
Ive used this example a million times, but ill do it agaiin.... if you eat peanut butter, and use a tablespoon to measure it, the nutrition says 1 serving equals 2 tablespoons, which equals approx 180 calories... but is also says 1 serving equals 28 grams..... or 1 tablesppon of peanut butter equals 14 grams. If you scoop peanut butter into a table sppon, and even leveling it off, it weighs WAY MORE than 14 grams..... in fact closer to 22.... and most of us *heap* it a little more. My point is, what you think is 180 cals of peanut butter could easily EASILY be pushing 250 or 300....same deal with Oatmeal, and cottage cheese-- even apples.
Anyway, 1600 cals might be what you need to lose weight, but if you are ACTUALLY getting in 1900 a day (which is very possible, without even knwoing it) than that might be putting you in caloric maintenance, which equals no fat loss....
Of course, something else to consider is to increase your daily caloric burn (not necessarily through exercise) but through increasing your NEAT (non-exercise activity) This is where you can make HUGE increases in your daily burn... parking further away and walking, standing and pacing while you are on the phone, cooking/preparing meals, etc..... You can (and should) spend your hour or 30 minutes a day exercising, and burning 200-400 cals per session, but you could easily triple that burn just by being more active during the day! Spending an hour prepping food and cooking at night can burn an extra couple hundred cals a day, as opposed to the 14 cals you burn just popping something frozen in the microwave. It seriously makes a big difference
Its just a shame to work so hard and be so dilligent, and not see the results because of an unknown technicality

I know it's frustrating, but as skygirl said, sodium and hormones can really affect fluid retention, which in turn affects weight. Even though the off plan meal met the calorie requirements, food prepared in restaurants tends to have a lot of sodium in it. In the past, one thing I've found which helps with that is drinking a lot of water and eating fruit/veggies with a high water content.

Also, if you're pre-menstrual, that can make a difference. When I was losing regularly (I'm restarting after inactivity), I'd find I wouldn't lose at all or even gain a pound or two the week before my period. But once it was over, the extra pound or so would be gone and it would take friends with it!

You have the right idea about hanging in there and working through it.

Wow, MK, you are a fount of knowledge! I never knew that about the peanut butter. I did know the stuff about the NEAT, though, as I wear a Bodybugg that tracks my caloric burn, and sometimes I can burn 2,400 calories on days when I don't formally exercise, but I am active all day - running around the house, doing housework, going to places like the library and Wal-Mart, etc. Other days, I kick my butt in the gym for an hour and a half and don't do anything else in the day but sit behind my computer, and I only burn 2,200 on those days. So, NEAT DEFINITELY adds up.

Anyhow, back to the original question. I am having the same problem on my first week back to dieting. I actually gained a half pound. But, my calories were not perfect, so it was my own fault. The problem was that I tracked the calories AFTER I ate them, then said - uh oh! I went over! Just about every day was like that.

So, my strategy this week is to track calories BEFORE I eat them. That should make the difference and keep me better on plan. That might be a good strategy for you, too, Spoonsock, if you find yourself veering off plan.

We can do this!

I am also quite obsessive with the scale. As much as we dont want to gain though, it happens. I would drop the calories a little bit and keep your self control in check when eating out (I've been slipping up in that department since my mother has been here). You'll lose it. Use this to motivate you to do better this week

I agree with making sure you are spot on with your calculations and I would also suggest having a little patience and waiting it out a few weeks as you work your plan 100% then tweak as necessary.

Good luck

I also agree with using a food scale. You might be surprised at what the accuracy shows with serving sizes. I use my scale and measuring cups everyday.

First I absolutly agree, a food scale is a MUST.

Second, when I first started running I would gain after longer runs and runs where I really pushed myself, probably water retention and what not. I also stopped losing for a little bit after I started strength training. Just hang tight.