Real Life Diet Questions Answered

Why have I put on weight in my first week?

Hi. This is my first week and am really motivated to do well. I feel this is my lifestyle change rather than a diet. First day was a bad one but I have been sooo good for the rest of the week and am gutted to find that when I weighed myself this morning I have put on 2lb!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! What am I doing wrong? Would appreciate any advice.... Thanks Venessa

Our expert says...

Hi Venessa,

I like the way you are approaching this and you certainly sound motivated to succeed.   It is a really good idea to think of these dietary changes as a lifestyle change rather than a short-term diet.  This way you are much more likely to stick to your new ways of eating and much less likely to put the weight back on.

So that was the good news.  The bad news is that you have had a disappointing result at the end of your first week.  But please don’t despair just yet, as it really is early days.

There could be a number of factors influencing this weight gain.  Firstly, a woman’s weight does tend to fluctuate during her monthly cycle, so that could be a factor which will even itself out over a number of weeks. 

Also, I wonder if you are weighing everything, rather than estimating portion sizes.  We always tend to overestimate portion sizes and it really is advisable to weigh everything in the early days to ensure your diet diary is correct.  Another easy mistake to make is to overlook snacks, drinks, nibbles and other people’s food that you share (because you only had a couple of crisps, for example).  But these calories really do add up quite quickly and so it is important to record absolutely everything you eat and drink every day.

The main thing is to keep going, as you will get the results you want if you do.  For some people, the weight does tend to stick for the first few weeks and then suddenly starts to come off.  So, keep positive and keep going is my advice!  Good luck.