Gaining Weight?!?!?!?!

[kyenkasey]

Okay, I have done this before so I am not new to this. I know what to eat so I typically don't make mistakes. HELP! I have no idea what is going on right now. I am gaining weight. I am wondering if it is because I did nutrisystem for a week then switched to atkins, if maybe my system is all messed up??? I have no idea but the scale is going up and not down. I am drinking my water, my carb intake is right around 15 give or take 1 or 2, and I walk every evening. I don't use sauces and I am very aware of hidden sugars and carbs. Does anyone have any idea what might be going on? Oh, I did quit smoking a little over a month ago, but I can't imagine that would make me gain weight??? Thanks so much! Have a great day!

[kylie]

First - how much to you need to lose? How tall are you? Start weight, etc...this would be helpful info for us to know. And actually, the quitting smoking COULD be impacting your weight loss. Nicotine is a stimulant and impacts your metabolism in multiple ways - so removing that could lower your metabolism for a period of time. Your body WILL adjust but it will take a little while. It can never hurt, either, to post a day or three worth of menus in the "review my menu" section - sometimes others can pinpoint something. Are you using www.fitday.com or anything similar to track your food intake?

[kyenkasey]

Thanks for the response. I want to loose 20-25 pounds, I am 36 and I am 5'11". I now weigh 184 pounds. As far as eating, my menu is very simple. For breakfast 2-3 eggs (boiled or fried in butter) with left over meat (pork tenderloin, b-b-qued (no sauce) tri-tip, fish or chicken breast). Lunch is a small salad (typically greens only, again with left over meat (not processed meats). Dinner is a small salad or other veggie with chicken or meat (depending on what we are having). The only variation would been on the weekends, we have bacon/sausage and eggs for breakfast (not maple cured). I drink 1 diet coke a day and the rest is water or crystal light. If I need a snack it is a piece of cheese or dill pickle, but I usually don't eat a snack. The first time I did atkins, I learned early on to avoid snacks because I made bad choices (bags of sunflower seeds or protien bars). We walk every night after dinner so I just don't get what is going on with my weight.

[kylie]

I didn't ask this before - how long have you been doing this so far? How much have you seen the scale move up? Fluctuations due to water retention are very normal and the scale might not be telling you the whole story...because you are not at all far from a "healthy weight" at your current weight, it might seem like a slower process compared to someone that needs to lose a lot. Your body may just hang on a little tighter before it adjusts to your new WOE and lets go of the extra pounds.

So, your menu looks OK - though without the exact measurements and not knowing how far into this WOE you are, it's hard to say if you are getting enough veggies. Are you still doing induction level carbs?

[kyenkasey]

I've been doing this two weeks so far. The week prior I tried NutriSystem YUCK! Now, I have gained 4.5 pounds. I was wondering if maybe switching from eating the crappy NutriSystem for that week put my system into shock and when I went to atkins I began to gain? Just a thought. Yes, I am doing the induction carb level (usually around 15), do you think I should go lower?

[kylie]

No, I wouldn't go lower just yet. Do you know the calories per day you were getting on nutrisystem and then what you are averaging now? It may well be your body is taking some time to get used to such an extreme switch. Is your walking new? TOM? How much water do you drink? I am trying to think of everything. Really, you would expect that you would have lost somewhere in the neighborhood of 1 to 3 pounds or so during induction...and you gained 4.5 - did you weigh during the two weeks? Or just at the end? OK, I've asked a lot of questions and haven't given any answers. I know you must be frustrated!

[kyenkasey]

I don't know the actual caloric intake on nutrisystem but I would say around 1000 because one of the lunches is 140 and the dinner is 250. That does not include breakfast and all the veggies and snacks you are supposed to eat as well. I also do know that ONE of the meals is in excess of 20 carbs alone. I've always loved to walk, so walking is not new for me, and no mother nature is not due to visit just yet. As far as the scale, I weigh myself every day. I know that is not a good thing, but I just have to do it. It would appear that the scale would be going down (like a pound) and the next day it would be up two. There is nothing medically wrong, as I have had a full physical and blood work within the last few months, so that is out.

[kylie]

I think I am stumped...unless it is really an adjustment from nutrisystem...1000 calories a day is below what any sane program recommends even for those that are severly overweight...Hey, wait, you know - that could be something too...if you are eating very low calorie still - you could be so low that your body is hanging on to everything you give it...Do you use fitday? I am curious now about your fat/protein/carb percentages. Any chance you aren't getting enough fat and getting too much protein? If my fat is too low (below 65%) or if my calories fall below my BMR for too many days in a row, I don't lose anything and I retain water like crazy. That combo of things might be something for you to look into. And then there is always the smoking cessation. By the way, did you quit cold turkey? I have set a quit date this month...I am scared to death.

[kyenkasey]

So tell me what a typical day of eating is for you. Maybe I should change a few things here and there and see how it goes. What do I have to loose? Or should I say GAIN! As far as smoking, I finished my pack and threw it in the trash (couldn't throw it away with any in it!) and that was it. I used www.mytimetoquit.com and there were some really good tips on there. I have quit before for years at a time, but you know that hardest thing for me about quiting is that I like to smoke. I was a very respectful smoker, never in the house always washed up afterward, always chewed gum, most people did not even know I smoked (including our 10 year old). Honestly, what really gets me though is that I continually tell myself it was MY decision just like buying another pack is MY decision and it really seems to help until the craving passes, which as time goes by gets easier.

[kylie]

Now I still have about 37 pounds to lose and I have moved into OWL...but a typical day for me is something like this

breakfast: 2 sausage patties w/ a fried egg and a couple slices of tomato
lunch: tuna or chicken or egg salad made with mayo, celery or radishes served over mixed greens with a couple of tomato wedges OR a hamburger steak with fried turnips, 1/2 cup of cottage cheese
dinner: steak/chicken/shrimp on the grill with a tossed salad of greens, radishes, egg, tomatoes, bacon crumbles, cheese, celery, nuts, scallions, etc.
sides of broccoli/cauliflower or squash or green beans and pumpkin (prepared like a custard or mousse)
snacks: Some days I don't snack at all, some days, I snack twice! But it will often be an ounce of nuts or cream cheese and celery or cr. cheese & pepperoni or raw jicama
I drink, on average, 100 oz. of water, a cup of green tea, sometimes a cup of decaf ( I love hot beverages when it's cold)
If I don't eat any nuts and my meats are leaner during the day, my calories usually hover in the 1200-1300 range, but I don't usually lose as well at that level, so I have been making an effort to keep the calories at or above about 1600 - the scale seems to move more if they are closer to 1800...but that's just anecdotal really it could be other variables causing that to happen.

Smoking: What you said about that CHOICE - that's EXACTLY the way I deal with the "giving up" the sugars/carbs/crap food...and that is what makes that easy for me on any given day - not that I "can't" have something but rather that I "choose" not too- duh! I should apply that to the cigarettes and go from there. My "quit date" is the 21st...set for a variety of reasons, but I am set on it. I have never tried it that way before - you know giving myself a date certain to quit - I will check out the website you posted. Thanks for that.

Keep us posted on your progress...I hope that you can get this working for you soon!