I'm just gaining

Okay, so I've been working out dilligently for about a month, eating the correct amount of calories and trying really hard to cut out the bad stuff and replace it with good stuff, basically I try not to drink soda and if I do its Blue Sky, I don't eat fast food unless I have no other option (my lunch went bad because I couldn't eat it in time, I woke up late and forgot to grab it...etc.) Well I go to weigh in today, I've gained ANOTHER 8 pounds, I now weigh 189 lbs, and I'm only 5'7", I feel it in my joints. I hate this, I don't know what is wrong with me, I feel so good about working out and eating as healthy as I can (In college don't have the money to buy the good stuff) but I"m still gaining weight, I have bad genes I know, both my parents are overweight, my mother had a problem her whole life, my father didn't have a huge problem until my mom got pregnant with me, he used to be really skinny as a kid, like me.  I have a pattern, if I'm not happy in my life (I'm having relationship issues and school stress) I gain a TON of weight in a very short amount of time.  I would KILL to be 165 again, I was down to 140 just recently because of surgery and then it jumped up to 165 and looking at pictures from then I get depressed, what am I doing wrong?

Stress can cause weight gain so the first step is probably to chill out about the whole thing. Relax and make a plan.  Scales aren't 100% accurate so remember some weight gain can be a result of water weight and other factors.  Have you been recording what you've been eating/your exercises? That would be useful in determining any problem.

I am recording, and getting better at it its just hard because I don't know anyone who is trying to loose weight and working like me.

The first thing that I noticed about your post is that you don't assign any of the weight gain to yourself.  It's like there is stress, and then weight just happens.  There are genetics, and the weight happens.   No cause/effect beyond that.  There's a way in Spanish (I believe) that they say "The glass broke itself!" when what they mean is "I broke the glass."  I don't know your personal situation, but your post makes me think that you need to admit that it was you who broke the glass.  It's hard to hold yourself accountable for your success if you don't believe that the weight was brought on by the same things that you are trying to change.

On the plus side, if you've been working out and gaining, you've probably gained some good muscle in there, which will help the weight come off again.

When I started counting calories I found it pretty hard as well.  My advice is to go by what your body feels 50 percent of the time.  Whenever you are full, stop eating regardless of whether your calories are "correct" for the day.  Your body is a better judge of when you've had enough than this website can be, especially on a day when it's been hard to calculate the calories.  However, bodies can't be trusted all the time to tell you when you are hungry.  Boredom eating can do a pretty good impression of hunger.  So 50 percent.

Also - remember that gym equipment is hopeful in its calorie readouts.  A rule I heard a while back and stuck to is that whatever the machine says, your actual additional burn is probably only about 2/3rds of that amount.  Machines count your gross calories, aka every bit that goes out, including what you'd have used normally in that time.  So when you add your exercise to your daily burn, you are double-counting any time you spent working out.

Beyond that, coffee is not evil and soups are your friend.  Spinach and broccoli too.  For anything more specific, it'd help to know your age and whether there's been any previous damage to your metabolism.

Stress can be a huge factor...If you go to the gym and if they have classes try and take a yogo or pilates class...excersise and a stress reducer...you can also buy a dvd if you dont go to a gym...Also 8 pounds is quite alot if you are eating the correct amount of calories...are you measuring your food? I know being a college student money is low but if your able to join weight watchers or if maybe insuranec will cover it that is an awesome way to go as well...Youd be able to go to meeting with people who are losing weight and talk with the leaders who have a lot of knowledge as well. I have had a lot of luck with weight watchers and find that going to the meetings is the only thing that keeps me motivated. Hope you can figure it out! Good Luck!

I know that the reason I got up to 180lbs in the first place was my fault, I wasn't eating right I didn't exercise and I just didn't do anything.  I am 22 and I have Rhumatoid Arthritis and Depression.  I realize that my weight up to about a month ago is all my fault, I know what I was doing wrong and I'm working on changing that, what I don't like is that while I have started to change my diet and work out more and I'm gaining weight, which I wouldn't mind except I'm gaining inches as well and I'm jiggling more then before so I wonder what I am doing wrong.  If I am bored I usually knit or read a book, I do have a problem with food, the last two people I dated I let them get into my head with food, well more like, I used to stop eating when I was full not matter what, but I would usually have a lot left over, which isn't a bad thing!  But these two guys somehow made me feel guilty for not eating everything on my plate (my parents never made me do that, thank gods) and now if I don't eat everything I feel guilty, and I feel guilty even if I do eat everything and I feel sick on top of that, I"m trying to work out my food issues.

I don't like coffee except lattes I use spinach in my lunch sandwich and broccoli makes me sick.

I am not sure about previouse damadge to my metobolism, I had surgery about a year ago on my jaw, so I was on a particle free liquid diet for two weeks and my mouth got thrush so everything tasted horrible, eating cause so much pain and it didn't taste good so I didn't really eat much, for two weeks I only ate strained potatoe soup, ovaltine, and yogurt drinks, I lost a ton of weight but I think it messed up my metobolism because I barely ate anything, like maybe 16oz of ovaltine, 8oz of soup, and 5oz of yogurt a day, so the weight melted of, I went from 165 to 140 in two weeks, not healthy at all, so maybe that hurt my metobolism?  I can't think of anything else except I had Hashimoto's Thyroiditis about three years ago, which cause hypothriodism, I went on meds and then they cleared up on their own and while my blood tests say I am normal my doctor says I am slightly hypothyrid but not enough to need drugs.

I would like to say first off, my intitial post was whiney, I wrote it when I was at my lowest, my father had just told me that fat people can't get dates so I was down and wanted to blame other people.  I am taking a pilates class at the gym I can't do yoga because it puts too much stress on my joints, but yeah, I tried weight watchers and the whole point system just confused me way to much lol

It's o.k. to whine and vent from time to time. In fact, it's usually the first step in dusting ourselves off and re-evaluating where we are going wrong.

So, let's try for some perspective. It's a month and that's not a long time. You have rheumatoid arthritis and depression. That's a very tough jump off point so you will have to be patient with yourself.

Yes, some people have that fabulous initial weight loss in the first month that gives them the boost they need to get through subsequent plateaus. But some sit stubbornly at the same point for four to six weeks right out of the shoot. We're all different.

You are recording your food intake and your exercise and know how to use the eat meter and burn meter. Here are some time saving ways to go about entering things. If you eat some foods every day then make sure to tag them and then you can enter them more quickly. If your breakfasts and lunches or even just your snacks are always the same, then just enter the meal total as a lump sum.

It also sounds as if portion control will be critical for you because of issues with finishing your food now. Use small side plates and small bowls and banish big dinner plates for the next while -- it's true we can really trick ourselves that easily!

Some people are o.k. weighing themselves every day, others are not -- go with your instinct on what works for you, but weigh-ins every day can help you see the fluctuations so that you get a better sense of the trends. Many swear by it as a way to adjust their habits if they start to see it's going in the wrong direction.

Also, it may or may not have been 8 lbs -- 5-7 lbs of it could be water retention coming up to your period so you have to allow for some fluctuation no matter when you weigh in.

If you can weigh in everyday it can give you perspective -- however other people find it horrifying how much it can vary from one day to the next and also develop compulsions about weighing themselves, so don't do it if it won't work for you.

It's great you want to take some weight off of the joints and you will succeed. It might help to get a psychologist on board as a partner -- you've got a lot to work through beyond just food issues (as I said, RA is challenging to say the least) and getting those tips, tricks and techniques from a professional will likely get you some positive results sooner. 

Best of luck!

Have you had your thiroid checked out?  It seem odd to me that you are tracking your caleries and staying in the range and gaining. I don't think that is normal, unless you are forgetting to calculate some things. I have been surprised that I am over my calories many days. What I "think" I have eaten and have left calorie wise is always off from reality when I input it into this system. Also, if you are on a new anti-depressant than you could possibly gain some weight due to that.  Don't give up, you can do it.  Sorry your dad said that mean comment. I know pleanty of overweight people who have boyfriends. 1 in 3 people are overweight, so I don't think your dad is correct.

Well I did another weigh in today, I've gained two pounds since my last weight in, I weigh a grand total of 191 pounds, I didn't weight at the same time, I weighed in late in the day, I really need to get in the habbit and weighing myself at the beginning of the day when I don't have as much stuff in my gut and stomach. My depression is under control and I'm seeing my shrink to change my anti depressant because I researched that it can cause weight gain.  My RA is under control I've had it for 11 years so I know what I can and can't do.  I have seen a psychologist and she really doesn't think there is much she can do for, a nutritionist and personal trainer would be better for me but I can't afford either of them.

In regards to my thyroid, it is very barely underactive not enough to show up on tests but enough to change my basal body tempurature, I am on thyrod meds and have been for awhile now I still seem to be gaining weight.  One odd thing is that I have been taking a Vitamin D3 supplement for about 6 months now and I just got it tested and it is way way low like ten points too low, but I've been taking 2,000 IU a day, I just uped it to 4,000 IU a day, does anyone know if that would affect my weight?  My father trys to be nice, I know I need to loose weight, and he knows it too he just dosen't know how to put it so he's just really blunt about it, he's been that way my whole life.