Why am I gaining?

Question
I have put on 30 pounds in the last year and I dedicate it to graduating. I use to be 135 pounds and now i'm 165 standing at 5"2. I recenting began exercising again doing 30 min of cardio and weight lifting. some mornings I wake up 3 pounds more after excercising but why? I haven't really lost weight since working out and am becoming discouraged. If I eat ice cream or chinese my body is guaranteed an extra pound that week even if I worked out. I know I need to eat right and exercise but what kind of fat burning food should I eat? Also, can fat free food and diet pop be harmful for the body. I drink slimfast every morning and have been doing so for 5 years, what is your opinion on slim fast? Does it really help?  Also, I need to drink more water but does the pitcher filters really work? I would appreciate your help!

Answer
Hi Bekah,

Thank you for writing.

First, I do not recommend weighing yourself so often. You can gain or lose up to 5 pounds everyday. The ice cream you ate last night is not going to effect your weight the next morning, it is cumulative over time. How long did it take for you to gain 30 pounds? I am sure it wasn't over a few weeks! It will take some time to lose it again. Of course at the same time if you are really serious about losing weight you should probably can the ice cream, at least for awhile anyway.

Studies do show that people who use diet products, specifically diet pop, tend to gain more weight then those who do not. When you consume food or drink your body expects calories, when they don't come you will eat or drink more until your body is satisfied. Many of these products are also laden with artificial sweeteners and other unnecessary ingredients. If you like pop try plain seltzer water with fresh fruit like berries or citrus and then sweeten it with stevia. Stevia is an herb which you should be able to find at your local health food store. Stevia is 200-300 times as sweet as sugar without the unwanted effects.

I would suggest avoiding the Slimfast as a meal replacement. Your body needs real food. If you want to use the Slimfast or other meal-replacement type drink make sure it is low in sugar, less than 15 grams and use it as a snack with fruit, vegetables or a handful of nuts. There are much better choices out there than Slimfast but it won't hurt you if you like it, just don't use it as a meal.

As for water, filter pitchers do work. You can spend a lot of money on filtering water using different systems. Counter top pitchers like Brita are fine as they remove the major contaminates from your water. Distilled water is also good, especially Smart Water brand as they add essential minerals. Distilled is the purest form of water, reverse osmosis is also very good.

You should be eating a low-glycemic diet. Go on-line and order Dare To Lose by Dr. Shari Lieberman. This book is very good, it outlines low-glycemic eating and talks about stress and weight gain as well. Another good book is The Glucose Revolution. You can also find small pocket guides which rate the glycemic index or load of common foods to help you make your choices.

It is difficult to address your exact needs in this format however you should probably look to lose about 20 pounds over the next 3 months. If you hit this mark you can work on more then. Keep exercising, focus on resistance/weight training as lean mass (muscle) efficiently burns calories. Assuming you are around 25 years old you could lose 20 pounds with heavy activity (exercise, walking, sports, hiking, biking...) while eating 1700 to 2000 calories.

I hope this is a start for you. If you would like more info please contact me through my web-site www.marketamerica.com/alkalinenutrition (bottom of page, contact me).

Thank you,
Dan Haley, CNC

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