Not only not losing I'm gaining

[dragonspeak]

I began Fitbit in June. I had lost nearly 10 lbs. I was at 9 lbs and so close to that 10, I increased my steps and calorie deficit from 500 to 750 to make that last pound go down sooner. My calorie deficit on my fitbit said I had passed 6000 deficit calories and so I could hardly wait to weigh in.

Instead of losing the last .5 pound, I had gained two pounds. So I was more careful the next day, and was sure it was just water retention and I would drop back to having lost 10 lbs. I weighed the next day and I not only didn't drop two pounds, but I had gained an additional three. The next two days, I didn't weigh and while watching my deficits closely, I was certain I would have dropped more, but instead, when I weighed this morning, I had gained another five pounds. Therefore I am back to my June weight.

The math of this is crazy. At 3500 calories a pound, I would have had to have eaten 7000 calories over my 1773 for one day or nearly 9,000 calories in one day, The next day would mean 10,500 calories over or a total of nearly 12,000 calories in one day. Then 17,500 calories OVER my daily alottment or nearly 20,000 calories in one day!

I can't even figure out a way to achieve these ridiculous numbers and yet, the scale says I have gained all 10 lbs that I had lost back. 

I don't eat processed foods. For lunch and dinners, I have fish mostly, or steak or chicken breast with greens and potatoes. A protein shake in the morning with fruits (apples or frozen berries). I make salad dressings from scratch with quality olive oils. I eat carbs but not disproportionately and rarely pasta.  My meals are balanced and not unhealthy. I use butter, mustard, mayo and ketchup, but not 20,000 calories worth. I have a glass of Merlot at night.

I use MyFitnessPal to record my daily food and  write down every thing I eat, including chewing sugarless gum. I write down my recipes and include spices so that every calorie is registered. 

I measured my heart rate while exercising and for a 62 year old, 102 is a good exercise rate. 

What am I doing wrong? How is it possible? It makes no sense. 

Anyone had a similar experience and found a solution? 

Thanks for your ideas in advance..

Lynne

[dragonspeak]

@Jaems

My goal has been to lose 1/2 pound a week  

I gained the weight rapidly when I was put on steroids for treatment. 😞 

I am no longer able to exercise like I used to do (run 3 miles a day; 20 min. flexing and strengthening). 😞

But I am not under illusions it will drop off easily. I just wasn't expecting it to jump back up without a reason--I hadn't over eaten. I hadn't not exercised. In fact, I was doing better: eating less and exercising more. So I was stymied. 

Thanks for your input.

[dragonspeak]

@Shinzer

Thanks for your support. 

I did a measurement but after I started losing. So you may be right. 

My fitbit band requires me to go a little tighter by one opening, so that makes some sense that I have lost inches. 🙂

Thanks again,

[dragonspeak]

@JennyBell

Thanks Jenny, 

I am going to follow up on their websites. 

Great ideas.

Lynne

[dragonspeak]

@iMike

That is probably very true, but I can't afford it right now. It makes sense. Great idea.

Thanks for your input.

[dragonspeak]

@Gadget2068

Very interesting. I hadn't thought of it being allergy related. 

I am very allergic to many air-carried things. But I could very well be allergic to a food. Kinda goes along with what @iMike said.

And I can do the trial and error method--even if it takes forever--of dropping one item a week and seeing if there is a change. I don't have to have a doctor's visit or labs to tell me if I am. It won't cost me anything to test it. 

Thanks! Great idea.

[Jaems]

I totally get it.  All the best.

[lilliput22]

I am so with you on this I have been using my fit bit for two weeks and have followed the callories to the tee, yet I have not lost any weight?????. My husband joined the fit bit diet with me on Monday and has already lost 4LB. We have both eaten the same food, just smaller portions for me to fit my callories. I just do not understand how this can be right.

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@dragonspeak wrote:

I began Fitbit in June. I had lost nearly 10 lbs. I was at 9 lbs and so close to that 10, I increased my steps and calorie deficit from 500 to 750 to make that last pound go down sooner. My calorie deficit on my fitbit said I had passed 6000 deficit calories and so I could hardly wait to weigh in.

Instead of losing the last .5 pound, I had gained two pounds. So I was more careful the next day, and was sure it was just water retention and I would drop back to having lost 10 lbs. I weighed the next day and I not only didn't drop two pounds, but I had gained an additional three. The next two days, I didn't weigh and while watching my deficits closely, I was certain I would have dropped more, but instead, when I weighed this morning, I had gained another five pounds. Therefore I am back to my June weight.

The math of this is crazy. At 3500 calories a pound, I would have had to have eaten 7000 calories over my 1773 for one day or nearly 9,000 calories in one day, The next day would mean 10,500 calories over or a total of nearly 12,000 calories in one day. Then 17,500 calories OVER my daily alottment or nearly 20,000 calories in one day!

I can't even figure out a way to achieve these ridiculous numbers and yet, the scale says I have gained all 10 lbs that I had lost back. 

I don't eat processed foods. For lunch and dinners, I have fish mostly, or steak or chicken breast with greens and potatoes. A protein shake in the morning with fruits (apples or frozen berries). I make salad dressings from scratch with quality olive oils. I eat carbs but not disproportionately and rarely pasta.  My meals are balanced and not unhealthy. I use butter, mustard, mayo and ketchup, but not 20,000 calories worth. I have a glass of Merlot at night.

I use MyFitnessPal to record my daily food and  write down every thing I eat, including chewing sugarless gum. I write down my recipes and include spices so that every calorie is registered. 

I measured my heart rate while exercising and for a 62 year old, 102 is a good exercise rate. 

What am I doing wrong? How is it possible? It makes no sense. 

Anyone had a similar experience and found a solution? 

Thanks for your ideas in advance..

Lynne

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[mysterious]

Do you actually hold fluid retention? When it's a full moon we gain weight.. fluid doesn't get away as easily.. and when there's no moon (new moon) we are normally at our thinnest during a month. I laughed when someone told me that.. but I found it to be a factor as well. You didn't say much about what you drink during the day?  However, I have a girlfriend who was given a berry shake recipe to control Blood Pressure. Well, her blood pressure went through the roof.. I said well berries are good for you (fresh) however, they are also high in sugars.. so when we keep starving ourselves in order to keep the calories low and then have protein shakes with berries and apple.. the body goes on overload.. try berries with just water (no protein) also when you put the apple in, put the whole apple in (including skin and roughage) minus the seeds.  

It's better to have the protein shakes without adding any other foods. Hope that helps you.

[birdiefu]

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@dragonspeak wrote:

I gained the weight rapidly when I was put on steroids for treatment. 😞 

But I am not under illusions it will drop off easily. I just wasn't expecting it to jump back up without a reason--

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Steroids are notorious for packing on water weight like crazy and are likely the issue in your situation.

[dragonspeak]

@lilliput22

It is so frustrating. There has to be a good scientific explanation for it. Keep the faith, we'll muddle through, somehow.

[dragonspeak]

@mysterious

I don't know. It's something to watch, though. Thanks for sharing.

[dragonspeak]

@birdiefu

You're right. The steroids contributed their worst and I ballooned. 😞 But I am not on them anymore and I have to return to a healthy weight. Thanks for your understanding and support.

[KatH]

As someone with autoimmune thyroid disease, I suggest you check your thyroid levels. Just to make sure...

[birdiefu]

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@dragonspeak wrote:

@birdiefu

You're right. The steroids contributed their worst and I ballooned. 😞 But I am not on them anymore and I have to return to a healthy weight. Thanks for your understanding and support.

---

How long have you been off them? Have you had a hormonal panel done after you were off? Honestly I would investigate further with your doc considering age and medication, epseically as it seems like you caloric tracking and knowledge of your intake/outake is pretty accurate.

[dragonspeak]

Found this insightful article on gaining/losing weight.

http://www.ontheregimen.com/2014/02/09/what-those-scale-weight-fluctuations-really-mean/

This really makes sense. 

@birdiefu 

I have been off them more than a year, but wasn't able to do much activity because of severe pain. So it will be slow going. 😞  Your idea is sound, though. Good thinking.

@KatH

You are so right. I had an aunt plagued with thyroid issues. My most recent checkup showed healthy thyroid numbers, which meant I couldn't use thyroid as an excuse for my weight issues (bummer) but which was actually great because it meant I don't have those issues. Thanks for your insights.

[SunsetRunner]

Looking at my own tracker my weight will vary up to ten pounds throughout a week or even just a few days(I weigh near 200 so scale it to your weight, when I was near 300 I could gain and drop 13-14 lb's throughout a week). Factors that contribute to this are time of day when weight is measured, the last time I pooped, when I worked out, and hydration. Take a 5 day weight average for more consistent results and weigh yourself the same time each day. Also eating similar meals day to day and getting your fiber will help. 

Just as an example last week after a vigorous workout I was 192. then 3 days later on sunday during a party weekend I shot up to 202. If I had only taken those two measurements I would have thought that I gained 10 lb's of fat from a single day of binging and felt super depressed(obviously you can't gain 10 lb's of fat in a single day). Now two days later I am at 196 which is about half a pound lower than I was the day before my last workout.

[Nicole01]

You need to burn more calories then you take in period.

You gain weight by eating too much foods. The only way you'd be able to eat an endless amounts if you were on a 100% raw food diet and eating mostly vegetables. You will feel amazing if you do this and keep it up.

I personally like to keep my calories under 2,000 in a day regardless of how much I exercise during the day. when I do eat over 2,000 calories is when I gain weight.

The Fitbit is AMAZING!!!! I love keeping track of my steps! I've lost 15 pounds in a month just by walking a minimum of 10,000 steps in a day. I've increased to 15,000 steps a day 6 days a week.

I was quite inactive before the Fitbit. I had a very serious neck injury that has put a limit of what I can do physically. I'm so grateful I can walk and use the Fitbit! The weight I previously gained this last year will melt off if I keep this up, which I fully intend to. I seriously watch what I eat. I'll replace 2 meals with a protein shake using my nutribullet. I use mostly ice, then blueberries, milk and a protein power(either whey or herbalife). I've 100% cut out any snacks and eat a small healthy dinner. This works for me, especially eating under 2,000 calories in a day. I'm not hungry at all, the protein shakes are filling. If I'm out of the protein, I'll eat a serving of rolled oats or quinoa. When I ate 100% raw foods for months, I was very thin. I wasn't exercising then due to the neck injury and the pain that goes with it. Winter came and having all raw foods in the house was impossible without poor quality produce. I love green juice too. I have 2 very nice juicers.

In all seriousness, you can easily lose and keep the weight off by eating less and exercising. It's much easier to put on weight then to lose it.

Good luck to you 😊

[Raviv]

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@Nicole01 wrote:
I personally like to keep my calories under 2,000 in a day regardless of how much I exercise during the day. when I do eat over 2,000 calories is when I gain weight.

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For the average person, that will probably work.  But it's assuming you're not exercising more than a little or trying to build muscle while also burning a decent amount of calories.

For me, just having a busy work day and then going to the gym is going to burn 3,000 calories or more, and a 1,000 calorie deficit (or more) is probably going to be too much at this weight, which is a 25-30 pound surplus.  I also need to make sure I get enough protein so I can build up muscle or it's pointless for me to even bother working out.  So for me, it's a delicate balance between getting enough to fuel my running and lifting, while still keeping it low enough that there's a small deficit.  And all the while making sure my protein and quality fats are high enough.

[Nicole01]

I do speed walk 4-5 miles 6 days a week and I bike 5-10 miles on top of that about 4-5 days a week. I do exercise quite a bit. If I didn't have that neck injury, I'd be running a minimum of 36 miles a week along with biking and lap swimming. I've always had to eat 2,000 calories or under to stay thin regardless of how much I exercise. Plus it does make a difference of what I eat too. I don't eat anything high in fat, I haven't had fried foods in 30 years and I do my best to stay away from sugar and junk food. If I don't, I gain weight. I do eat a high protein diet. Losing weight is not a fun process. I have to say putting it on is much easier then losing it. I've had a lifetime of up and down weight. I'm more of a runner and triathlon type of person then one to lift weights. I'm just getting back on track after resting for several years from breaking my neck. Being inactive and not exercising is a disaster for gaining weight.

I honestly don't think there's one really set way that works for a big group of people. I think it's very individual and the best way to lose and keep weight down is try different ways.

I also keep track of what I eat when losing weight on myfitnesspal. Right now I'm aiming to lose weight. Buying the Fitbit has really helped a great deal! I've upped my exercise outside and I'm moving around a lot more through out the day.

Good luck. I really hope you find out what works for you.