I have gained

Hello to all! I gained 7lbs in the past 2 weeks. I have been drinking atleast 64 oz of water and 20+ other non caffinated beverages.... diet consists of... pure protein shake each morning 35 grams protein 3 net carbs 1/2 cup cottage cheese 1/4 cup pineapple Lunchable meal for lunch 20 grams protein 20 carbs chicken, shrimp or beef 3 oz 1/4 cup of veggie snack varies SF cheese cake, sf pudding, sf popcicles can you see anything different than what you are doing? or am I eating way to much food? HELP Nealy rny 11/10/03 266/161/135

Are you exercising? Your eating plan seems close to mine- minus the protein drink- and I work out 1 hour every day with a mix of 40min circuit training, sit-ups for 5 minutes, and stationary bike for 15 min. I lose about 10-12 lbs each month with this plan. Maybe just get moving if you're not exercising? You know what they say, the "honeymoon" is now over and now the real world is here. Best wishes! Celeste 303/172/143goal

The foods you are eating sound right. So let's go down my check list (that I use any time I gain for no apparent reason)... 1. Drink more water...yeah, even if you're already floating away....you might be retaining for no good reason...so drink more. 2. Eat more (OR) less calories. Some times our bodies get used to our intake and learn to function on say 800 calories...so a week or two of eating less (OR) more (some times adding some more good calories works better than cutting calories). So try both for a week and see what happens, which works best. 3. Review the fat grams in your food. Remember that good fats (like in peanuts/peanut butter) isn't the same as bad fats (like in whole milk cheeses or junk food). So if you're eating 30 good fat grams, no worries...but if you're 30 grams of fat (which is a high number in...I get around 15 a day total) are like 10 good and 20 bad...time to make some adjustments. 4. Review your workout. Again, our bodies adjust to the rountine. So change things around. Increase the incline on the treadmill or do things in a different order or add something new. 5. Review CARBS! I am NOT for low-carb diets...too often people regain on these dietary habits the second they start eating more carbs. BUT!! On the same note...the more active you are, the more carbs your body needs (Carbs is fast burning energy...and doesn't hang on to us like the slower burning fat energy). BUT also! In general, you need carbs. Good carbs like in whole grain breads/crackers, carbs in milk or cheese...these are good for you. So try adding more carbs (say 10 per 10 minutes of exercise additional) or if your not working out still increase the carbs a bit, add like 20 a day. Try it. If it doesn't work, try decreasing (remembering to increase carbs when you are going to be working out) Ok. How that helps! -110lbs and 10 from goal

Those lunchables are loaded with soduim. You may be retaining water. Watch your salt intake.

I agree with the last poster, Fox 5 news did a story on how bad those oscar mayer lunchables are - there's more sodium and nitrates in them than any person should have in a week. Try cutting out the processed stuff. It's normal to go up and down in a month though. I gain a couple of pounds sometimes as I'm getting ready to have my period. try filling in a blank calendar of your body and how you feel and what you do every day - it really helped me see my body's cycle. I even mark on this calendar (which is kept in a drawer by the way) when I take an asprin or if I have cramps. I started it because I was getting severe migraines. The food we eat really affects us differently as our estrogen levels rise and fall. So much for my lecture... good luck - you've got some great advice here, something is bound to work.