in tears

So, i just weighed myself, and I now weigh 5 pounds more that what I used to weigh. I feel so terrible. i don't know what I could have done wrong. I am thoroughly disgusted with myself and the way my body looks.  How could I have let myself go like this? I mean, what was I thinking?

I just don't know how to fix it. I think that starting now, I obviously need to cut out lots and lots of calories, in order to lose what I gained, and then be on track to lose another 10. i am just so confused. Can somebody please help me??? Please!

Hey! 5 pounds is nothing! For all you know it could be water retention. You definitely don't need to cut out lots of calories, thats almost the worst thing you could do. You really shouldn't get too upset about it. The main thing is now you can get back on track. Make sure you eat enough calories from the right kind of foods and get enough exercise and those 5 pounds will be gone before you know it.

but how do i make sure i do it right? I am in college, so a lot of times my choices are to eat something that is quick (which usually means I am not eating healthy foods) or to not eat at all. I had been just going without if i didn't have time to eat anything healthy, but I am student teaching 25 4th graders, and that caught up to me really quickly. I try to eat mostly vegetables, and I work out a lot.

Im in college too... Ive learnt to make sure i have a bunch of healthy foods on hand all the time, because its so easy if you cant be bothered making anything good and just have noodles or something. I think you'd be better to eat than not eat at all though. Fruit, nuts and crackers are good snacks that you don't have to prepare.

If you want to do it right, you can't have the mindset of wanting to lose those 5 pounds immediately, or as quickly as possible, because before you know it you might have gained them all back and 5 more pounds. Just focus on eating right and don't worry about the scales for now!

Not to be harsh, but if you have time to work out, you have time to eat healthy.  Fruits and veggies take no time to prepare.  Neither does yogurt with granola, a bowl of healthy cereal with fat free milk, a cup of instant oatmeal, a turkey sandwich on wheat, etc...  I made the same mistake as you (found time to work out, but not to eat) and I ended up gaining back some of the weight that I had lost.  Then I got depressed about gaining back some weight so I ate a bunch of crap (because that is what I do when I get depressed) and then I gained more.  So I ended up putting on 10 lbs and now I get to lose it again.  Well, for the past 2 weeks I decided on a crash diet of 1200 calories a day and exercise.  Well, guess what?  I gained another 2 lbs.  So starting this past Monday I am back to just eating healthy (about 1800 cals a day with exercise) and taking my time losing the 12 lbs.  Bottom line is take your time and do it the right way or your 5 lb weight gain could spiral into a bigger weight gain.

I don't know what your stats are now, but I do remember you posting numerous times with similar problems.  The weight ticker in your profile shows a very low weight.  Is this still correct?  I had a look at your journal, and it apears that, yet again, you are undereating. 

At the risk of seeming harsh - people have posted information before about what happens when you undereat.  I'm not at all surprised you've had a weight gain.  I refer you back to this post and the nice responses you got.

I'm not unsympathetic, and I know how a weight gain can be upsetting.  But if you eat too little your body will store away every spare calorie you consume.  If you eat a little more it will store every single bit.  The only time you will lose weight is if you are literally starving and losing bone and muscle tissue.  At your low weight, you can't expect to lose more without damage.

You know, it's weird because I had the exact thing happen to me today. I weighed myself and there it was, 5 pounds that I had worked so hard to lose, back again. 

So I went to my room, had a huge fit, cried it out, and then decided I was NOT going to be beaten. I made a plan to starting eating more protein and less carbs, and to stop starving myself. I took my measurements and wrote a journal and I'll be back in a week to see if anything changed.

So even though we're in kind of the same place, I think all you need is a plan. And some encouragement. =] So if you want to be buddies or something we can do that. 

Don't worry, it happens to all of us. Just make sure you don't try to overcompensate for whatever made you gain in the first place. You'll only be setting yourself up for failure.
Remember, it's a new day!

God, if only I had stopped gaining weight at only 5 pounds! (instead I gained around 50...eeek!) It should be no problem at all. Just try to make healthier choices (and don't undereat) make the time to eat something healthier. Besides vegetables. Remember at every meal you need a balance of carbs, protein and fat..do NOT miss any of these. You are going to be fine.

EDIT: Hold it, Hold it...you are very low in weight. You do not even need to lose weight if anything you needed those 5 pounds! Unless you are like 4'11. You should get some help from a counselor to discuss your distorted body image.

In response to the last few posts...

First of all, I am NOT undereating. I have been trying to maintain my weight for a while now, and haven't been on here recently, so my ticker probably isn't very accurate. Staying where I was at 112 was fine. I was at a respectable bmi, and I looked fine. However, I have a small frame, and when I gain weight, it doesn't look very good on me, especially since I dance, and all my performance costumes are spandex. So being 112 was just fine, but jumping to 118 doesn't seem acceptable to me. Yes, I know that it is still in the healthy BMI range. However, my point is that I was trying to maintain, and I ended up gaining, and I don't know where i went wrong. that is my main issue. I was trying to eat balanced meals, and somewhere, I obviously messed up. that is my main concern. it has nothing to do with distorted body image, really. it is just trying to get back to where i was, or if nothing else, figure out what I am doing wrong before my little problem turns into a wildfire of weight gain. After all, prevention is the key, right?

OH NO NOT 5 POUNDS!

Calm down.

isn't my 5 pound weight gain just as important as someone elses 50 pounds? Weight gain is weigh gain.

Original Post by isusiubeste:

isn't my 5 pound weight gain just as important as someone elses 50 pounds? Weight gain is weigh gain.

No. :P You can gain 5 pounds in a day from too much sodium or something.

Just give it a week or two and you will probably be back to where you were.

Please don't be so hard on yourself.  You may have just gained water weight.  Don't struggle so much.  Let yourself realize that it is simply a matter of doing your best.  You can do it!