what about when eating healthy causes you to gain weight?

Question

so two weeks ago i decided i was going to take the healthy approach to weight loss and eat healthy. well im not overweight. i'm 5'3" and when i started this little experiment i weighed about 102. but it's a body image thing. and so i was like "instead of eating small servings of junk i'm going to eat healthy servings of nutritious food". it's been two weeks and i've gained 5 lbs. so does this proof that i was too thin before? or am i just not doing it right? i think i'm going to start exercising...

Answer 1

First off, good job on starting on a healthy diet! Hopefully, it's something you'll stick with.

The thing to remember is that any food, no matter how good it is for you, can cause you to gain weight if you get too much of it. The key is to eat just enough per meal to where you don't have an excess of calories. This excess is what turns into fat. This is one reason why having 5-6 smaller portioned meals per day is generally considered better for you than three larger meals only.

Things to be careful about: larger portions, eating a lot before going to bed, high fat or processed foods, "diet" or "lite" foods that claim to be healthy are often substituting one bad thing for another, food that seem obviously healthy but aren't, etc. For example, one would think going to the salad bar is a healthy choice, but many things at restaurant salad bars are terrible for you, such as high fat dressings and cottage cheese, iceberg lettuce, high fat cheeses, buttered veggies, etc.

The key is to be somewhat strategic about your diet. Know what you're eating by reading labels and looking up nutrition information on restaurants. Err on the side of caution when it comes to eating out. Stick to whole food that you prepare yourself, and stay away from the processed, starchy, fatty or sugary foods.

Answer 2

Did you increase the size of your portions? That will do it--plus if you're not exercising, you're taking in more calories than you're expending.

This week's issue of Newsweek (has the picture of the brain on it) has a section in the back about eating nutritiously. I was surprised that you could eat 1 1/4 cups Cheerios with 1/2 cup skim milk as opposed to 1/4 cup granola with 1/4 cup 1% milk--and both have the same amount of calories (150). Obviously with the Cheerios you're going to stay full longer and not succumb to snacking or a larger portion at lunch. People sometimes think that because a food item is touted as "healthy" that it's better than junk food. Sometimes it actually has more calories because of hidden additives or the way it's processed.

No matter how much you weigh (102 does sound a little thin) you need to exercise regardless.

Answer 3

you have to find calorie/fitness calculator on the net, enter all your stats and it will tell you how many calories a day you need to maintain your weight.
8 glasses of water a day
5-8 servings of fruits and veggies a day
portion control - 5-6small meals a day instead of 3 big ones
cardio 4-6 times a week for 30-50min, light weight training

Answer 4

Too thin before. The last case of scurvy was be some fat guy in England who suffered from malnutrition even though He ate all day (sodas, Cheetos and candy).

Answer 5

Avoid eating while rading listening songs and watching tv at your home or keep by kepping your hands busy

Answer 6

make like a fish and swim at a leisurely pace for 17 minutes

Answer 7

nurse a hangover sleep in for an hour and 53 minutes

Answer 8

opt for self checkout wait in line for 7 minutes ring yourself up for another 10 bag your own grub and load up the car

Answer 9

slather on lip balm 765 times

Answer 10

use a vegetable bean dip such as hummus instead of ranch dressing or a fatty cream based dip