Frustration with weight gain

R

rcsaros

Cathlete
Hi Everyone,

I am hoping to get some ideas/suggestions.
I am on Weight Watchers (WW) and last year lost 35 pounds on the program to get to goal. I stayed and even got well under goal which was great. Ever since the new year I can't seem to get back into it and have put on 6.5 pounds. If I went to WW and weighed in I would have to start paying again since I am over goal.

I don't understand what is happening as WW doesn't seem to be working anymore. I am weighing my food, counting it out if needed and sticking with the point range. Weekends I am a bit more open but do have those weekly points I can use so I don't totally kill what I have done during the week.

My exercise has been consistent, and went back to what I did last year when I was losing. My exercise looks like this:

M - morning treadmill (45 min); evenings kettlebell
T - morning spinning (45-50 min); evenings yoga
We - morning treadmill; evenings kettlebell
Th - morning spinning; evening yoga
F - morning treadmill
Sat/Sun - kickboxing, kettlebells, yoga (depends on my mood usually one day workout and the next is rest/yoga)

I am thinking about changing up the exercise but am enjoying what I am doing at the moment.

Eating is basically the same during the week:

M-F - breakfast is apple/fruit with 1 whole egg and 3 egg whites (3 points)
M-F - Lunch is cottage cheese, crackers (right now wheat thins, I have had TLC crackers)
(6 points) Lunches can vary but mostly this is it, if we go out it usually is on Fridays and I get a grilled chicken salad or now that lent is upon us it will be an egg white omelet with lots of veggies.
M-F - Snack is either cashews (5 points), or almonds mixed with craisins (6 points)
M-F - dinner is protein (3-5 ounces) and salad (8-10 points)
Sat/Sun is a bit more lax as I like to enjoy my weekends.
If I get hungry, I do have other little healthy snacks if I do get hungry and they are usually 2 points. I do make sure I use up all the points for the day which is 26.

doesn't sound like much and I have checked with myfitnesspal.com to check on calories and each day is around 1250-1300 calories.

So I am trying to figure out what is going wrong this time vs last time.
Anyone have this happen to them or should I try something new.

Thanks for any suggestions,
Rhonda
 
Hi Rhonda-

These are things that worked for me, so YMMV. :)

Are you eating all of your weekly points and APS? I have found when I am weight loss mode, I have to scale back on eating either weekly points or APs. Conversely, if you are not, try eating them. I am always playing around with my points to keep my body guessing.

Have you tried shaking up when you eat your points? I am thinking of something like using more points for breakfast and fewer for lunch and dinner.

Also, what are you eating on the weekends? For myself, I have found being lax at the weekends results in a stall or a very small loss for that week. I track at the weekend and have a splurge meal on Friday or Saturday.

I also have to change up my workouts to keep my body guessing. Do you have an HRM, so you can calculate your APs? You're lighter now, so you may not be burning as many calories as you did when you were losing weight.

It's kind of pain in the butt, but outside of staying within your points, I also feel like I need to experiment constantly to prevent my body from getting to comfortable with any sort of routine.

I hope this made sense and helped you somewhat.
 
Rhonda,

sounds like you are being diligent. But what I would do is one or all of the following:

-cut out the healthy snacks that you mentioned when you get hungry
-cut out the nuts you mentioned of cashew and almonds.
-cut out any laxity you are giving yourself on weekends.

Last year I hit a tough plateau that I just could not break through when I was doing all the same things that had allowed me to lose 18 pounds. But desperate times call for desperate measures:D so I amped up my diligence, broke through the plateau and have lost 9 more pounds since then (with 5 more to go).

This is just all my opinion based on personal experience. Sorry for your frustration...been there, done that!

Best wishes.
 
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Try switching to herbal tea for those times when a nibble appeals to you. I have found that if I work through those between meal desires to eat, I lose.
 
My two cents

rcsaros said:
Hi Everyone,

I am hoping to get some ideas/suggestions.
I am on Weight Watchers (WW) and last year lost 35 pounds on the program to get to goal. I stayed and even got well under goal which was great. Ever since the new year I can't seem to get back into it and have put on 6.5 pounds. If I went to WW and weighed in I would have to start paying again since I am over goal.

I don't understand what is happening as WW doesn't seem to be working anymore. I am weighing my food, counting it out if needed and sticking with the point range. Weekends I am a bit more open but do have those weekly points I can use so I don't totally kill what I have done during the week.

My exercise has been consistent, and went back to what I did last year when I was losing. My exercise looks like this:

M - morning treadmill (45 min); evenings kettlebell
T - morning spinning (45-50 min); evenings yoga
We - morning treadmill; evenings kettlebell
Th - morning spinning; evening yoga
F - morning treadmill
Sat/Sun - kickboxing, kettlebells, yoga (depends on my mood usually one day workout and the next is rest/yoga)

I am thinking about changing up the exercise but am enjoying what I am doing at the moment.

Eating is basically the same during the week:

M-F - breakfast is apple/fruit with 1 whole egg and 3 egg whites (3 points)
M-F - Lunch is cottage cheese, crackers (right now wheat thins, I have had TLC crackers)
(6 points) Lunches can vary but mostly this is it, if we go out it usually is on Fridays and I get a grilled chicken salad or now that lent is upon us it will be an egg white omelet with lots of veggies.
M-F - Snack is either cashews (5 points), or almonds mixed with craisins (6 points)
M-F - dinner is protein (3-5 ounces) and salad (8-10 points)
Sat/Sun is a bit more lax as I like to enjoy my weekends.
If I get hungry, I do have other little healthy snacks if I do get hungry and they are usually 2 points. I do make sure I use up all the points for the day which is 26.

doesn't sound like much and I have checked with myfitnesspal.com to check on calories and each day is around 1250-1300 calories.

So I am trying to figure out what is going wrong this time vs last time.
Anyone have this happen to them or should I try something new.

Thanks for any suggestions,
Rhonda
Click to expand...
My take on your situation coming from my YEARS of trying everything to get my weight under control:

1) I think you're exercising too much. You may be setting yourself up for burn-out. Maybe consider exercising once a day, six days a week.
2) Most often it's more about eating too much if you're gaining weight. Are you counting points on your more lax weekend days? Maybe cut back to allowing yourself to be lax only one weekend day per week.
3) How is your eating differing from when you initially lost weight on WW?
 
cakebaker said:
My take on your situation coming from my YEARS of trying everything to get my weight under control:

1) I think you're exercising too much. You may be setting yourself up for burn-out. Maybe consider exercising once a day, six days a week.
2) Most often it's more about eating too much if you're gaining weight. Are you counting points on your more lax weekend days? Maybe cut back to allowing yourself to be lax only one weekend day per week.
3) How is your eating differing from when you initially lost weight on WW?
Click to expand...

I totally agree with cakebaker, I didn't notice before how much you are exercising! Last year I had an intense exercise schedule too, and this was when I couldn't break my plateau. Then, to top it all off, because I was exercising too much I managed to seriously injure myself and ended up having to be immobile for 2 MONTHS!

I would totally back off your exercise schedule to 4 times per week max for a bit IMHO.
 
tralaiven said:
I totally agree with cakebaker, I didn't notice before how much you are exercising! Last year I had an intense exercise schedule too, and this was when I couldn't break my plateau. Then, to top it all off, because I was exercising too much I managed to seriously injure myself and ended up having to be immobile for 2 MONTHS!

I would totally back off your exercise schedule to 4 times per week max for a bit IMHO.
Click to expand...

funny that you and cakebaker both mention this. I was just thinking about this when I was writing it down in my message. I think back to the times I lost weight and one time was doing body for life where you only did strength three times a week and did HIIT (no more than 20-30 minutes) three times a week. In 12 weeks I lost 10 pounds but the eating went along with it and hubby was doing this with me so it helped.

Last year when I lost weight I was doubling my workouts (as above) and it worked.

so I am also thinking about doing one of the leg blast rotations that is listed since this is my problem area. I was looking at fitnessfreaks sept 08 rotation and Cathe's february rotation. They both look good. I want to still do yoga so am thinking about taking away the evening workouts and doing yoga 2-3 days a week instead in the evenings while doing one of the leg blast rotations.

TRSTACIE - I don't stick with any rotation for long. I am lucky to get a month in so I am constantly changing up.

I did talk to my leader after the meeting today and she said it is harder to maintain because your trying to find the perfect combination. I just don't want to get to where I was.

EPCOT CHICK - Thanks. I eat the points allowed for the day but don't dip into the APS as I figure those are extra. I do keep track on the weekends, maybe not as best as I should but I try to do the best. I eat a lot of the extra weekly points.
 
I shouldn't be commenting on this post since I don't know anything about WW or point systems. You do have a fair amount of cardio in your schedule, love the kettlebells , but I would add in weight lifting and cut out two of the cardio sessions in lieu. I see you have started on STS :) which is perfect!
 
Hi.

Follow WWer here. :)

I am currently in maintenance mode and have been for several months but my advice to you if you are looking to lose is, as previously stated by other posters, back off on the exercise!

I started on WW while doing an STS rotation which had me exercising 60-90 mins per day on average/6 days per week between weights and cardio. I lost weight doing this but when STS ended and I changed my routine to what was basically high intensity circuits of 30 mins or less the weight started coming off much easier!

Try it! If it doesn't work, atleast you will know and you can move on to trying something else. It's definitely worth a shot! :)

ETA: In addition, I don't know your physical stats (ie height/weight) but your calorie intake seems low...you might want to try bumping your points back up to 29 per day and see if that helps as well. Just a thought!
 
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I am not currently on WW, but I was on it a few years ago and lost quite a bit of weight.

First off, I would agree with others who mentioned cutting back on your exercise a bit. I know that even now when I take a rest week, my weight always drops by a pound or two.

Also, when I was on WW, I used to use The Wendie Plan to break through plateaus. It's just a method of staggering days when you eat a lot with days when you don't to keep your metabolism guessing. I could never do it long-term because you had to be really exact, 40 points one day, 20 the next. Also, this is years ago, and I know the system has changed. If I did it for even a couple weeks though, I could usually get the needle moving in the right direction again.

Good luck!
 
Keep us posted

Hopefully some of these suggestions will work for you! If one of them does, would you please let us know what did work? It's good to have ideas for what helped you since at some point we might be in the same boat as you are in right now.

Good luck!
 
Hi there,

I am not a health/fitness expert (obviously) but speaking from my own personal experiences with weight fluctuation/plateaus, I concur with what everyone here is suggesting (so I won't repeat it). It's basically all trial and error.

Here are some Cathe links I found to be helpful:
Cathe Friedrich - 5 Reasons Why Your Workout Isn’t Working
Cathe Friedrich - Weight Loss Plateau: What to Do When You Stop Losing Weight
Cathe Friedrich - Top Reasons Why Your Weight Loss Has Stopped


BTW, Have you thought of doing the LIS rotation? This one really kicked my butt into overdrive! I was looking for something to really shape my hips/thighs/butt, since nothing was giving me the results I wanted. In 2 months I dropped 2 pant sizes and inches from my LB. My core also became stronger. I also dropped a few lbs in the process which I never intended (BONUS!). I can't say enough positive things about LIS. But of course, everyone is different and responds differently.

Good luck! I'm sure you will find what works for ya!

Natasha
 
Have you had your thyroid checked? I know a few women that had this happen and it turned out to be an under-active thyroid.
 
I agree with all said here!

I'd try eating at 29 points instead of 26 and doubling checking your weekend laxity times to make sure you arent overdoing it.

Your exercise mentions the treadmill for 45 minutes....are you walking, jogging, both? Maybe changing that up altogether, ie. one day do a total body weights routine (omit the kettlebell workout for that day), and another treadmill day change your routine up...if you're walking, try doing running sprints for one minute every 5 minutes, or increase the incline etc etc.

Good luck!!
 
I gave this more thought last night and decided to go with one day cardio (probably kickboxing) and one day (Wieder program which is 30-40 minute body weight routines) weights/body weight routine. 2-3 evenings I will do yoga. Hoping this change will help. I know the rotation I listed before is what helped me lose the weight so I figured if I went back maybe that would help.

I was thinking about trying and going back to the 29 points to see if that made a difference.

Had the thyroid checked a few years back and it came back normal.

FitMommy - what type of workouts were you using for the circuits?

Natasha - I was doing the LIS rotation and it seemed as if my lower body was getting bigger. Then again I probably wasn't watching my eating quite as well. May have to look at it again.

Thanks everyone, very helpful suggestions and I know what works for one person doesn't mean it will work for me.

Rhonda
 
Hi Rhonda,

Another suggestion, are you a fan of rotations? Personally, I had a hard time following them in the past. Now that I have tried a few, I found that they make a HUGE difference in seeing results, breaking through plateau's, shedding stubborn lbs, and adding variety into your routine. What I love about rotations is that is forces you to do w/o's that you might have not necessarily done on your own. It breaks you out of your comfort zone. So if you love step but shy away from kickboxing, your rotation might have you do more kickboxing (like in this month's Feb rotation. I am doing more kickboxing then I would have done on my own). For some reason, rotations push me to work smarter not harder (but I still give the workouts my 100% best). Sometimes it's the little things that add up to results. Have you tried Tabata? Like hiit but more intense in a shorter period. I heard that 1X/week is enough to spark your metabolism.

Here is the link for rotations of you want:
http://cathe.com/forum/f100/rotations-2009-2011-a-288031/

Every single one from 2009-2011 (excluding LIS)

Good luck!

Natasha
 
Your calories are too low for the amount of exercise you're doing. Either cut back on the exercise or eat enough to fuel your workouts. Low calorie diets work very well initially because it's a shock to the body, but in the long term, they set you up for failure. If you've been eating only 1250-1300 cal, your body has adjusted to that calorie level and has made adjustments (lowered metabolism) to prevent burning more calories than that in order to survive. Once your metabolism sets to that low calorie level, it makes it very hard to lose more weight and very easy to gain weight. I would suggest you gradually increase your calories to maintenance level and stay there for a while to reset your metabolism to run at a higher caloric intake, then when you attempt weight loss again, try not to create such a huge deficit (calories burned - caloric intake). You mentioned you used My Fitness Pal, but if you log in your calories burned during exercise into MFP, I'm sure it'll have you eating more than you've been eating. As active as you are, eating too few calories, causes your body to conserve energy in order to have enough energy to carry out the basic daily functions that keep you alive. I know it sounds scary to eat more, but many who have lost weight on low cal diets with frequent exercise and have hit a plateau, find that an increase in calories get them back to losing weight. Creating a deficit of more than 500-700 calories per day can cause your weight loss to eventually come to a screeching halt no matter how much more you exercise. I use MFP and it works for me. If you continue to use MFP, I suggest you set your calories to lose 1 lb/wk and eat the amout of calories it suggests (you eat more depending on the amount of calories burned during exercise). The amount of exercise you're doing should allow you to be able to eat more and still lose weight which works better in the long run because your metabolism doesn't drop while losing weight making it easier to maintain once you've reached your goal. I really hope this helps and I hope everything works out well for you.
 
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