Dieting but gaining weight

Okay I recently decided to get serious about losing weight and I have been dieting for a few weeks now.  I am consumming approx 1100-1300 calories per day.  I started the diet off at 5' 2" and 157 pounds and now Im up to 163 pounds.  Instead of losing weight I am gaining weight and I am very frustrated.  I havnt been cheating and as of a week ago I have been keeping a very detailed food journal with the calories for everything that I eat along with the fat count.  I admit that I havnt started an exercise program yet and I wanted to after the first 2 weeks of my diet but I am just so frustrated at the weight gain.  Since I havnt started an exercise program I know it isnt muscle gain.  I will start an exercise program tomorrow morning but I wanted to know is it even normal at all to gain 6 pounds when restricting your diet to 1100-1300 calories, i know im not exercising but its not like I sleep in bed all day or anything, im active I just dont do cardio or aerobics on a planned daily basis but I will......help!!!!  PS I had my thyroid checked a few years ago and they said its fine.......

[peekawho]

Can you post a typical days menu for us?

Are you counting every single bite you take?  By far the most common reason for weight gain while "dieting" is unaccounted for tastes, nibbles, and little bits of food here and there.   Some experts guess that on average we underestimate our caloric intake by as much as 500 calories a day!

MH has a great Food Diary available.  Can you add it?  

[Barb135]

Having your thyroid checked "a few years ago" is NOT valid for now, because thyroid levels can change pretty quickly sometimes....... I'd recommend that you have thyroid levels (TSH, Free T4, Free T3), along with insulin/blood sugar levels checked.  AND as long as you're at it, you might as well get checked for PCOS - all of these things can cause weight gain/inability to lose --------------- trust me, I gained 30 pounds in 3-4 months due to thyroid issues.......and had only been checked a few months prior and everything was "normal".  

AND being "fine" is the medical equivalent of being "normal" which means you fell within the lab's reference range, which may NOT be "normal" for you.  AND not all labs are using up to date reference ranges......... Insist on being checked again....

Aside from that - consider that maybe you aren't eating enough calories and your body is "storing" fat because it thinks there might not be enough food coming..  

And of course, you have to have a way to "use" what you eat, so if you aren't exercising, you won't be using all the calories that you eat...... "Formal" exercise is not necessarily required..............

Here's the deal:       1 pound = 3500 calories. Losing 1-2 pounds/week is reasonable, but in order to do that, you need to end up with a calorie deficit......

Let's just say you want to lose 1 pound/week.  That means you have to either eat or use (preferably both) 500 calories/day (3500 calories divided by 7).  

I don't know if you drink sodas?  Stop...... Candy bars, cookies, etc? Stop.......
Make small changes and eliminate one thing from your diet at a time and you will experience a very slow, but noticeable change...  Add exercise - 30 min walking/day or something else that you enjoy - the change will be even more noticeable.  

Follow Peekawho's advice and start the food diary - list everything you eat in a day's time - you might be surprised at the calories you are taking in.  And not that - but when you look at the fat content versus protein, fiber, etc - yep, you might be surprise....

BUT, first and foremost - make sure you get checked for the medical issues (thyroid, insulin resistance, PCOS, etc) because there is NOTHING more frustrating than to diet and exercise your heart out and NOT lose weight.      THAT was MY experience when I first started gaining weight and my doctor wouldn't *hear* me when I thought there was something else wrong......... Well, turns out HE was wrong, not me........

Good luck and keep posting to let us know how you are doing......also think about checking out the thyroid forum - there's great info there that might be helpful.  

[shev94]

I have the same problem of actually gaining weight rather than losing,I am very depressed over it,I know how it feel's to be disappointed when you weigh and the scale reads more than the last time. I started dieting and working out 2 and a half years now and about 6 months ago I plateaued so I decieded to cut my calories in half and exercise more but I gained half the weight back that i lost and that devastated me but I am not giving up so I took Barb135 advice and increased back my caloric intake and continue to work out,I work out 6 times a week and I don't eat white flour,potatoes,pasta,I use whole grains only and eat lots of fruits and vegeatables I don't drink sodas and I sweeten my coffee with one packet of splenda. I go off of my diet once for the month when my period is near and have a cadbury choclate bar-that's all the cheating I do. I keep food journals and went back to review what I was eating when I got started-now I am following this again in hopes of losing,I am not giving up,you don't ither. Hang in there.

[Barb135]

Well, I'm glad you are back to normal calories.  It's not good to cut your calories too much as that sends your body into "starvation mode" because it thinks there won't be enough food, so it hangs onto fat.  

You said you have a cadbury chocolate once a month --- well, good news is,  if you eat DARK chocolate, it's actually good for you and you don't have to limit to once a month, so long as you only eat small pieces.

Don't forget that you also need exercise along with cutting calories........Have you tried Stevia instead of spenda?  Stevia is a natural sweetener and actually better for you than splenda.  

Good luck and do stay with us so we can all take this journey together....

[shev94]

thankyou for your welcomed advice,I actually work out 4 to 6 times a week,my husband told me that I need to change my workout routine as my body has become accostomed to my routine so I am trying that as well as introducing more calories.My problem is i can't just have a small piece of choclate so i have a small bar once a month. Unfortunately where I live Stevia is not available yet but I will look out for it.Thanks again Barb the support is very much appreciated.

[Barb135]

Your husband is right --- your body will become accustomed to the same exercise day after day and it will no longer be a challenge.  

Stevia used to only be available in health food stores, but now even the grocery stores are beginning to carry it.  I'm not sure where you live, but it is becoming more prevalent, I think.  

[shev94]

For the past week I stopped using the eleptical glider,and bike and power walked for 45 mins. instead,I also did power areobics and free weights,my body is still sore and I feel like I have more energy,the only thing is I crave more carbs,I'm not sure but could this mean that my metabolism has reved up? I also did some research on Low Glycemic foods and that's how I've been eating before anyway but I am putting back more carbs but sticking strictly to whole grains,I hope this time next week when I weigh myself I see a drop on the scale,wish me luck I am trying so hard.Thanks again Barb!!

[Barb135]

Your body needs carbs for energy. Yes, you are doing well to stick to the whole grains.
I'll be interested to know how the changes work out for you?  

[shev94]

My update is extremely disappointing and devastating,I have gained even more weight,I am gaining as much as I was losing,every week 4 lbs and I am eating healthy and excercising religously. I am really depressed and I don't know what else to do because it's not for the lack of trying, I have whole grains 100% and I am so diciplined that I control my portions don't eat more than the palm of my hand.I have 1 slice of whole grain bread for the most in 1 day.The only thing I did was started having oatmeal for breakfast  and that too is controlled,I use skim milk and splenda that's the only differences and I eat mostly salad stuff,I watch everything and I am so cautious! This means so much to me,I gained back all of my confidence when I lost so much weight and now I am scared to go back to that.

[shev94]

Hi Barb, I am so happy to report that I've started losing weight again!!!! I have lost 4.6 lbs in in 2 and a half weeks and I have been sticking to my guns and did'nt throw in the towel and low and behold the scale went down for me,I was so happy I was jumping up and down at the health place I go to weigh,I'm sure people thought I was a mad woman but I am so thrilled I broke the awful plateau I hit. I just continued my resistance training and cardio and I changed my diet,I stopped eating all meats and have been eating fish and lots of fruits and veg also my hubby started baking breads with only whole wheat flour,oats and bran. Surprisingly I feel great too and don't miss the meats,I also don't feel as tired and my symtoms (symptoms) from being on coumadin and having lupus anticoagulant have subsided!!!I feel awesome and I am even more motivated to keep working at it!!!

[Barb135]

Well, I'm happy to hear that you once again began losing weight.  It sounds like you've made some really good changes.  If *I* lost 4.6 pounds, I'd be jumping for joy too.  

I'm not sure I'd stop all meats except fish though -- meats provide vitamins (specifically b12) and other things your body needs.  Make sure you add a good multi vitamin every day to insure that you get the nutrients you need.  

I'm so happy that have started moving forward --- errr "downward" --- once again.  I know how discouraging it is, to be working SO hard and not losing any weight.  

Keep up the good work and we'll be looking forward to your next update.  

[9481]

hi im new to this but someone please give me some adive on how to loss a bit of weight its my stomach i have the problem with my legs arms and face are fine a few people have recently asked me was i pregent lol its not even funny i no plenty of fruit and veg r suppose 2 be good for you has anybody herard of colon clenser it suppose to be good i just want a quick fix but no that not gonna happen thanks for looking xx

[Barb135]

You are right, there is no "quick fix".  You can't "spot reduce", but with moderate exercise and sensible eating, you should be able to strengthen and tone your muscles to help reduce the size of your stomach.

Yes, I'm familiar with colon cleanses and some people swear by them; however, I rather feel that if you eat properly and have good digestive function and elimination, you shouldn't need them.  

You might also want to check with your doctor -- I have a neighbor whose stomach got very large, while the rest of her body was "normal" and it turned out she had a large tumor.  I know that's relatively rare, but it's always advisable to check and rule out any possible medical issues.  

Also, if you are under a lot of stress, you could have excess cortisol, which can cause fat to accumulate in the stomach.  Again, you might want to check with your doctor.