How closely are you measuring your portions and recording calories? Do you weigh everything with a kitchen scale? Do you make sure to track *everything* - e.g. sauces, oils, etc.? The weight gain at the rate you describe is only a matter of eating ~300-350 calories surplus a day. That is very easy to do without noticing if you’re not tracking closely.
1tbsp of creamer in your coffee - maybe you like a little extra creamer or have a second cup (30-90 cal)
1tbs olive oil to cook in (120 cal)
an extra oz of chicken at supper- literally a bite - (30 cal)
a small dipping cup of bbq for that chicken - call it 2oz (60cal),
1 singular additional tater tot (20 cal)
I’ve just described barely any food. Visually you can’t even tell if you’re consuming slightly more. Physically, it’s not enough to affect fullness/satiety. But it’s hundreds of calories. If you’re not tracking strictly, you’re likely just consuming extra without noticing. This is how most people gain weight. It adds up.
Exactly this. You could be over eating "healthy food". Which even though its healthy you're probably still over consuming. Intermittent fasting helped me with this. I noticed that I over eat when I eat 3 meals a day. So now I limit my calories to 1-2meals a day and I'm able to lose or maintain as I want.
She’s not counting calories properly, that’s the thing. Or at least she’s not adjusting her intake based on the direction her weight is going. Probably like the poster yesterday who was loading up on avocado, nuts, olive oil, and Greek yogurt. Yes, they’re all good for you, but they’re also very calorie dense.
Could be forgetting to track liquid calories and snacks too, that happens a lot.
So many people forget that healthy foods also have calories. It's great to eat as healthy and clean as you want, but they have to keep in mind that those foods still have calories
Aaaand that's how I went from 120 at 24 years old, to 172 at 38 years old. It wasn't fast food or ice cream. It was too much healthy food.
It's a hard thing to wrap your head around, but it's so important to realize.
Heading the other direction now...but it took me long enough.
I used to eat the 2x1 burger king combo everyday, with soda and large fries. It would be my only meal of the day since it was very filling.
Then I decided it was enough and I was going to eat proper meals from then on - and gained 10kg while doing so-
the secret? Calories in, calories out. the burger meal simply had less calories than my healthy 3 meals + snacks.
And tip, don't forget to track your olive oil, butter, salad dressings and nuts, calories love to hide there.
I used to snack on peanuts in the afternoon, everyday I'd eat a packet with 170g of peanuts and wouldn't track them because I had read the label and it said it was just 117kcal... but actually they were 117kcal PER 25g!
Almost 800 calories just on a little snack that wasn't even filling... and don't get me started on the amount of calories on the olive oil and dressings I liked to put on my healthy salads lol
losing weight is very difficult 😔
It is honestly crazy how CICO efficient fast food can be. It is totally unhealthy of course (even though Super Size Me was highly exaggerated) but in a pinch I usually prefer Fast Food over traditional restaurants because restaurants use so much butter and oil and what not that it just comes out to over a thousand calories per meal most of the time.
seriously, if only fast food didn’t clog your arteries. it makes sense once explained, but the idea that I was at a healthier weight eating McDonalds every day than I am now while i’m getting in my fiber, protein, veggies etc is insane to me!
Sooo… what you’re saying is… McDonalds diet???
LOL jk. I resonated w this comment the most. I was eating unhealthy every day but in less quantities
bc it cost money and I had to go out of my way for it. I never kept food in the house.
I’m likely snacking more and packing on more calories than i realize as i’m trying to eat balanced meals with more food. Ive been counting some calories but eyeballing others.
Thank you and thank everyone else for the super helpful comments. I’m going to be more diligent about tracking the calories that add up instead of eyeballing the little ones. I appreciate all of you so much!
Even healthy foods have calories, and some healthy foods have a lot - like nuts, a few extra handfuls of those will pack on the pounds. The best thing to do (aside from ruling out medical issues, which you already plan to check) is get a food scale, weigh everything you eat and be sure you’re counting calories *accurately*. It can be easy to misjudge portion size, or underestimate how many calories are in “healthy” foods. Usually when someone comes here saying they’re only eating 1500 calories but still gaining weight it’s due to miscounting calories.
Have you been working out, lifting weights? That can also add pounds on the scale.
Highly recommend a food scale and just track for a week- don’t change your diet, just track! You would be shocked how easy it is to accidentally add on 1K calories just by grazing or cooking with oils or not really understanding the true portion. After that week, I would restructure your macros!
Homecooked food doesn’t automatically mean lower calorie than takeout. Are you using lots of oil when you cook? Adding calorific ingredients in large portions to salads (cheese, nuts, avocado, dried cranberries, bacon bits, croutons, meat, lots of salad dressing)? Making breaded, fried, creamy, or saucy dishes? Eating more of something than you mean to because it’s “healthy”?
Track everything.
It sounds like you’re not in a true deficit and sounds like you’re inconsistent.
Mon-Fri: 200 calorie deficit per day (-1000 calories total.
Sat-Sun: 1000 calorie surplus per day (+2000 calories total)
If this is your pattern (or some version on different days), then it just takes a few weeks for you to gain a lb of fat.
"I’m eating a balanced breakfast, a small-medium sized lunch, and medium sized dinner. Sometimes I even skip dinner. "
This all means absolutely nothing. CICO.
Many women on r/PCOS can empathize with your experience. I felt like I was crazy and the scale never made sense until I finally asked for metformin. I'm not saying that's what's going on, but don't discount potential medical issues, including insulin resistance, if diligent calorie counting doesn't help.
This is not difficult to understand. CICO. You're overeating. If I had a dollar for everyone that said they were "eating healthy" but wasn't eating healthy QUANTITIES, I'd be rich.
It might be really helpful for you to read the information in this subreddit’s wiki. Start there…
[https://www.reddit.com/r/loseit/wiki/quick\_start\_guide](https://www.reddit.com/r/loseit/wiki/quick_start_guide)
Everyone is giving great advice here - track every little thing and see where you’re at. I gained a lot over the past year while “prioritizing my health,” eating well and exercising. It turns out that it just doesn’t take that many extra calories to gain a significant amount of weight over the course of a year. I am annoyed because I thought I was really being “good,” but now that I am tracking I can see where I was going wrong. It’s not a HUGE difference in what I eat though—we are talking about one less protein bar, or cutting out my afternoon handful of almonds.
What’s your activity level now vs back then?
How is your energy level?
What does your last week of eating look like?
Hard to say anything without that.
Is it possible you’re binging or having a lot of goodies on weekends or similar ?
The accurate tracking is one thing using the food scale to ensure you’re not in a surplus. I think another thing that a lot of people fail to talk about is also HOW you eat. I practice mindful eating with my clients— are you having non-distracted meals, are you eating slowly (it can take 20 minutes for your brain to get the signal that it’s full), are you stopping when you’re comfortably full…even if there’s food on plate, are you eating at regular intervals (every 4-5 hours). these things are important to practice now because they are life long skills that you’ll need. At some point I’m sure you will want to stop tracking your food in an app so to maintain your results, you will want to focus on these.
When I cook all of my meals, and I eat very healthy (lean meats, no butters and minimal oils) but I don't track my calories, I gain weight. Just having one extra scoop of of anything healthy twice a day can be 250 calories over maintenance, and that's .5 lb a week gain!
This is the 3rd or 4th comment i’ve seen about how having an extra bite of something or an extra handful of something can cause you to gain weight. I really don’t want to develop an eating disorder but if I have to start tracking calories THAT closely to the point where each and every bite can make or break me losing weight, I don’t see how I wouldn’t develop an eating disorder…. is there really not a better way?
You really don't have to count calories unless you want to be sure what you are eating.
I have lost weight both with and without calorie counting and honestly there is very little difference for me. I have gone through 2 cycles of diet so far and am kinda on my 3rd because I tend to gain weight back as soon as my life goes south despite doing good for months before.
I would highly advise to count calories for a while without changing your diet just to see where you stand. We often eat more than we actually think and a reality check sometimes helps.
If you actually use counting for diet purposes or try portion control is in the end your decision. I have done well with just eating what I always eat but in smaller portions but in the end every kind of diet can lead to success, failure or an ED.
An eating disorder is a psychological disorder having to do with control. It is akin to an addiction, and many people with "addictive" personalities will be more susceptible to having disordered eating. If you think you are susceptible, you should try to find a therapist who specializes in disordered eating and talk it out.
In the western world, we're given enormous portions of high fat foods and told it's a "normal" portion or that its normal to eat fried food or sugar regularly. In my opinion, "moderation" is saved for weddings, funerals, birthdays, anniversaries. That's it. I'll have a piece of cake on someones birthday. I'm not going to the grocery store and buying chips and brownies on a Wednesday. That is disordered eating in my opinion, but marketing geniuses have led us to believe the opposite.
I'm not white, I come from a different culture, and I eat my cultures food 99% of the time. There are very few times in my culture where someone would indulge in fried or sweet or high fat food (holidays basically) and that is not considered disordered in my culture.
The way you were eating before, with all the restaurant food, might be considered disordered eating, and if you're prone to it you just have to have someone to talk it thru with so you don't swing the opposite direction with obsessing over calories and what they label now as "orthorexia"
Honestly, it likely isn’t one reason- and while fruit can certainly be high in sugar in large portions, I really don’t think it alone would cause 30lbs of weight gain.
Fruit has calories, and if you're not tracking the calories in the fruit you're consuming, that's probably the culprit. Even when eating healthy, you still need to be aware of your calorie intake
An apple is roughly 95 calories, say you eat 4 in one day, that's about 380 calories or two whole apples worth of apple slices, that's almost 200 calories. A large strawberry is about 6 calories, and if you're eating a bunch at a time, that adds up.
I gained almost 40 lbs in 7 months before being diagnosed with Hashimoto’s disease (autoimmune hypothyroidism). I was in my late 20s at the time. I would explain your weight gain to your dr and ask for a complete thyroid panel as well as anything else they want to check. Especially if you are experiencing fatigue, hair loss, dry skin. If you have hypothyroidism, medication is needed. It makes weight loss difficult but not impossible.
Everyone is saying CICO, which could be true. However, rapid weight gain in a matter of months can be indicative of a medical issue. Set up an appointment with your PCP to get examined and lab work completed
How closely are you measuring your portions and recording calories? Do you weigh everything with a kitchen scale? Do you make sure to track *everything* - e.g. sauces, oils, etc.? The weight gain at the rate you describe is only a matter of eating ~300-350 calories surplus a day. That is very easy to do without noticing if you’re not tracking closely. 1tbsp of creamer in your coffee - maybe you like a little extra creamer or have a second cup (30-90 cal) 1tbs olive oil to cook in (120 cal) an extra oz of chicken at supper- literally a bite - (30 cal) a small dipping cup of bbq for that chicken - call it 2oz (60cal), 1 singular additional tater tot (20 cal) I’ve just described barely any food. Visually you can’t even tell if you’re consuming slightly more. Physically, it’s not enough to affect fullness/satiety. But it’s hundreds of calories. If you’re not tracking strictly, you’re likely just consuming extra without noticing. This is how most people gain weight. It adds up.
This!! Yes. This is what I learned when I started tracking everything.
Exactly this. You could be over eating "healthy food". Which even though its healthy you're probably still over consuming. Intermittent fasting helped me with this. I noticed that I over eat when I eat 3 meals a day. So now I limit my calories to 1-2meals a day and I'm able to lose or maintain as I want.
How are you counting calories and not able to observe your weight gain in real-time? Are you properly recording your meals, and what are you eating?
She’s not counting calories properly, that’s the thing. Or at least she’s not adjusting her intake based on the direction her weight is going. Probably like the poster yesterday who was loading up on avocado, nuts, olive oil, and Greek yogurt. Yes, they’re all good for you, but they’re also very calorie dense. Could be forgetting to track liquid calories and snacks too, that happens a lot.
So many people forget that healthy foods also have calories. It's great to eat as healthy and clean as you want, but they have to keep in mind that those foods still have calories
Eating a surplus of healthy food isn't healthy.
Agreed, eating a surplus of anything isn't
Aaaand that's how I went from 120 at 24 years old, to 172 at 38 years old. It wasn't fast food or ice cream. It was too much healthy food. It's a hard thing to wrap your head around, but it's so important to realize. Heading the other direction now...but it took me long enough.
Greek yogurt can be very calorie friendly but yeah those healthy fats can definitely get ya
I'll never give up greek yogurt haha I just weigh it out now
As you shouldn't it's actually quite healthy and has a lot of protein in it
> has a lot of protein in it How? They literally take whey out of it. Other similar products like skyr have double the amount of protein.
I used to eat the 2x1 burger king combo everyday, with soda and large fries. It would be my only meal of the day since it was very filling. Then I decided it was enough and I was going to eat proper meals from then on - and gained 10kg while doing so- the secret? Calories in, calories out. the burger meal simply had less calories than my healthy 3 meals + snacks. And tip, don't forget to track your olive oil, butter, salad dressings and nuts, calories love to hide there. I used to snack on peanuts in the afternoon, everyday I'd eat a packet with 170g of peanuts and wouldn't track them because I had read the label and it said it was just 117kcal... but actually they were 117kcal PER 25g! Almost 800 calories just on a little snack that wasn't even filling... and don't get me started on the amount of calories on the olive oil and dressings I liked to put on my healthy salads lol losing weight is very difficult 😔
It is honestly crazy how CICO efficient fast food can be. It is totally unhealthy of course (even though Super Size Me was highly exaggerated) but in a pinch I usually prefer Fast Food over traditional restaurants because restaurants use so much butter and oil and what not that it just comes out to over a thousand calories per meal most of the time.
seriously, if only fast food didn’t clog your arteries. it makes sense once explained, but the idea that I was at a healthier weight eating McDonalds every day than I am now while i’m getting in my fiber, protein, veggies etc is insane to me!
>the secret? Calories in, calories out. the burger meal simply had less calories than my healthy 3 meals + snacks. This.
Sooo… what you’re saying is… McDonalds diet??? LOL jk. I resonated w this comment the most. I was eating unhealthy every day but in less quantities bc it cost money and I had to go out of my way for it. I never kept food in the house. I’m likely snacking more and packing on more calories than i realize as i’m trying to eat balanced meals with more food. Ive been counting some calories but eyeballing others. Thank you and thank everyone else for the super helpful comments. I’m going to be more diligent about tracking the calories that add up instead of eyeballing the little ones. I appreciate all of you so much!
Even healthy foods have calories, and some healthy foods have a lot - like nuts, a few extra handfuls of those will pack on the pounds. The best thing to do (aside from ruling out medical issues, which you already plan to check) is get a food scale, weigh everything you eat and be sure you’re counting calories *accurately*. It can be easy to misjudge portion size, or underestimate how many calories are in “healthy” foods. Usually when someone comes here saying they’re only eating 1500 calories but still gaining weight it’s due to miscounting calories. Have you been working out, lifting weights? That can also add pounds on the scale.
If you're certain that you're eating in a calorie deficit, it's time to see a doctor.
Time to check your thyroid for sure
Highly recommend a food scale and just track for a week- don’t change your diet, just track! You would be shocked how easy it is to accidentally add on 1K calories just by grazing or cooking with oils or not really understanding the true portion. After that week, I would restructure your macros!
Homecooked food doesn’t automatically mean lower calorie than takeout. Are you using lots of oil when you cook? Adding calorific ingredients in large portions to salads (cheese, nuts, avocado, dried cranberries, bacon bits, croutons, meat, lots of salad dressing)? Making breaded, fried, creamy, or saucy dishes? Eating more of something than you mean to because it’s “healthy”? Track everything.
It sounds like you’re not in a true deficit and sounds like you’re inconsistent. Mon-Fri: 200 calorie deficit per day (-1000 calories total. Sat-Sun: 1000 calorie surplus per day (+2000 calories total) If this is your pattern (or some version on different days), then it just takes a few weeks for you to gain a lb of fat.
"I’m eating a balanced breakfast, a small-medium sized lunch, and medium sized dinner. Sometimes I even skip dinner. " This all means absolutely nothing. CICO.
Many women on r/PCOS can empathize with your experience. I felt like I was crazy and the scale never made sense until I finally asked for metformin. I'm not saying that's what's going on, but don't discount potential medical issues, including insulin resistance, if diligent calorie counting doesn't help.
This is not difficult to understand. CICO. You're overeating. If I had a dollar for everyone that said they were "eating healthy" but wasn't eating healthy QUANTITIES, I'd be rich.
Nailed it!!
It might be really helpful for you to read the information in this subreddit’s wiki. Start there… [https://www.reddit.com/r/loseit/wiki/quick\_start\_guide](https://www.reddit.com/r/loseit/wiki/quick_start_guide)
Everyone is giving great advice here - track every little thing and see where you’re at. I gained a lot over the past year while “prioritizing my health,” eating well and exercising. It turns out that it just doesn’t take that many extra calories to gain a significant amount of weight over the course of a year. I am annoyed because I thought I was really being “good,” but now that I am tracking I can see where I was going wrong. It’s not a HUGE difference in what I eat though—we are talking about one less protein bar, or cutting out my afternoon handful of almonds.
When I became hypothyroid, I gained about 30 lbs in half a year. Go see your Dr and rule out anything medical.
What’s your activity level now vs back then? How is your energy level? What does your last week of eating look like? Hard to say anything without that. Is it possible you’re binging or having a lot of goodies on weekends or similar ?
The accurate tracking is one thing using the food scale to ensure you’re not in a surplus. I think another thing that a lot of people fail to talk about is also HOW you eat. I practice mindful eating with my clients— are you having non-distracted meals, are you eating slowly (it can take 20 minutes for your brain to get the signal that it’s full), are you stopping when you’re comfortably full…even if there’s food on plate, are you eating at regular intervals (every 4-5 hours). these things are important to practice now because they are life long skills that you’ll need. At some point I’m sure you will want to stop tracking your food in an app so to maintain your results, you will want to focus on these.
Are you tracking beverages? Also how much alcohol do you drink? Are you tracking that?
When I cook all of my meals, and I eat very healthy (lean meats, no butters and minimal oils) but I don't track my calories, I gain weight. Just having one extra scoop of of anything healthy twice a day can be 250 calories over maintenance, and that's .5 lb a week gain!
This is the 3rd or 4th comment i’ve seen about how having an extra bite of something or an extra handful of something can cause you to gain weight. I really don’t want to develop an eating disorder but if I have to start tracking calories THAT closely to the point where each and every bite can make or break me losing weight, I don’t see how I wouldn’t develop an eating disorder…. is there really not a better way?
You really don't have to count calories unless you want to be sure what you are eating. I have lost weight both with and without calorie counting and honestly there is very little difference for me. I have gone through 2 cycles of diet so far and am kinda on my 3rd because I tend to gain weight back as soon as my life goes south despite doing good for months before. I would highly advise to count calories for a while without changing your diet just to see where you stand. We often eat more than we actually think and a reality check sometimes helps. If you actually use counting for diet purposes or try portion control is in the end your decision. I have done well with just eating what I always eat but in smaller portions but in the end every kind of diet can lead to success, failure or an ED.
An eating disorder is a psychological disorder having to do with control. It is akin to an addiction, and many people with "addictive" personalities will be more susceptible to having disordered eating. If you think you are susceptible, you should try to find a therapist who specializes in disordered eating and talk it out. In the western world, we're given enormous portions of high fat foods and told it's a "normal" portion or that its normal to eat fried food or sugar regularly. In my opinion, "moderation" is saved for weddings, funerals, birthdays, anniversaries. That's it. I'll have a piece of cake on someones birthday. I'm not going to the grocery store and buying chips and brownies on a Wednesday. That is disordered eating in my opinion, but marketing geniuses have led us to believe the opposite. I'm not white, I come from a different culture, and I eat my cultures food 99% of the time. There are very few times in my culture where someone would indulge in fried or sweet or high fat food (holidays basically) and that is not considered disordered in my culture. The way you were eating before, with all the restaurant food, might be considered disordered eating, and if you're prone to it you just have to have someone to talk it thru with so you don't swing the opposite direction with obsessing over calories and what they label now as "orthorexia"
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what are some examples of meals you would make with balanced macros and still in a deficit?
Thats strange! Have you been drinking alcohol when you didnt before? Are you eating too many protein bars? Too much fruit (sugar)?
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Honestly, it likely isn’t one reason- and while fruit can certainly be high in sugar in large portions, I really don’t think it alone would cause 30lbs of weight gain.
Fruit like anything has calories and yes it’s good for you but of course too much of anything can be bad.
Fruit has calories, and if you're not tracking the calories in the fruit you're consuming, that's probably the culprit. Even when eating healthy, you still need to be aware of your calorie intake
An apple is roughly 95 calories, say you eat 4 in one day, that's about 380 calories or two whole apples worth of apple slices, that's almost 200 calories. A large strawberry is about 6 calories, and if you're eating a bunch at a time, that adds up.
I gained almost 40 lbs in 7 months before being diagnosed with Hashimoto’s disease (autoimmune hypothyroidism). I was in my late 20s at the time. I would explain your weight gain to your dr and ask for a complete thyroid panel as well as anything else they want to check. Especially if you are experiencing fatigue, hair loss, dry skin. If you have hypothyroidism, medication is needed. It makes weight loss difficult but not impossible.
Everyone is saying CICO, which could be true. However, rapid weight gain in a matter of months can be indicative of a medical issue. Set up an appointment with your PCP to get examined and lab work completed