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Okay, I've been McDougalling since last Monday. I'm feeling fantastic, been eating full meals with fruit or peanut butter on rice cakes as a snack.

When I look in the mirror, I think I look thinner. I even feel thinner to me....

Yet.... YET...when I got on the scale, I was up like 3 pounds.

I think this may be my crappy eating habits catching up to me.

Before I started McDougalling, I was literally eating out the vending machine at work. I started a new job in September, and I have been working crazy hours with usually no lunch. Before when I got home, I would eat whatever junk I could find. Or I ordered pizza.

Yes, I haven't exercised really at all either. I was doing good before I started working later hours. Today I went for the first walk in forever.

So, could my weight gain kind of be the result of my previous eating habits? Or am I just fooling myself?

Last week a few mornings, I ate these greasy hash brown potatoes. But I can't imagine that would make me gain 3 pounds.

I think I may switch to just doing recipes from the maximum weightloss program with no cheating what so ever. Having a few spoonfuls of peanutbutter last week was my idea of cheating.

Any thoughts? I don't want the scale to derail me. Maybe I just need to exercise more and get my butt to Curves.

I sometimes gain a pound or two after eating strictly for a few days, I don't know why it happens, either, but then I'll check the scale a couple days later and the weight has come off. I do know that those little extra bites of high-fat or higher calorie foods do add up. I know you mentioned peanut butter, and when I eat that, I take the tiniest bit out of the jar with a knife, it's probably about a teaspoon. It's super-easy to eat too much of it, so that might be one of your problems.

I wouldn't worry too much about it, the weight loss will happen! This sounds kind of icky and embarrassing but sometimes I'll weigh myself after having had a large bowel movement and I lost a pound or two! So it could be a anything.

Yeah, it must be the junk. I normally don't eat that much peanut butter, but I was going a little nutsy (har har) with it last week.

I'll start rereading the books again and rewatching the DVDs. Actually I'd love to rip the audios from the DVDs and listen on my iPod at work.

I won't focus on the number, but how I feel. I just need to stay motivated and stay on plan.

It's oatmeal all the way for me regarding breakfast now. The only thing I do have a problem with is mixing salads versus starches. I'll have to read more. I just think salads are SO boring, so I usually make a bean, rice, corn, or pasta salad that have plenty of veggies in them. But then I think there's too much starchy stuff in there.

Any thougths?

You would have had to eat an extra 10, 500 calories to put on 3 pounds, and that's just impossible unless you've been going completely mad. TOM, sodium intake, hydration, bowel movements, even time of day you weigh yourself can all affect weight. Just wait and see what happens next week. That being said, try journalling everything you eat. You may find you are having a few more slips than you think.

I agree with the other posts - peanut butter matters (and isn't really McD except on a very rare treat occasion) and that it's probably water weight.

But here's another tip. Measure yourself and keep a log, journal, notebook, whatever. Measure a bunch of body parts - waist, hips, abdomen, upper arm, thigh. Measure again monthly. I don't know why, but sometimes when the scale is slow to move, the inches drop and vice versa. If I didn't keep track of both, I might feel more discouraged than I do.

They are only boring if you MAKE them that way.

I start with chopped Romaine on which I top sliced carrots, cucumber (one whole cucumber!), red pepper, chopped snap peas, and every non-starchy vegetable in the house. I don't even use dressings anymore because the flavors of the fresh vegetables are so sweet and crunchy.

In order to teach your mouth to enjoy these foods, you need to eat clean (ungreasy) foods for at least 6 weeks. No cheating!

Your tastes will actually adapt to the new flavors.
Also, get hungry. Allow yourself to get hungry between meals and you will enjoy your foods more.

Guess what? I got on the scale and I'm down the three pounds. I haven't done anything different other than not eating those greasy hashbrowns and peanut butter. So, it must have been "that time of the month" and other things.

Also, when I used to be about 20 pounds thinner (years ago), I used to eat salad for lunch all the time with no dressing. And it was a vegan salad, too. Though I never ate mixed greens then. I ate iceberg.

What is a non-bitter or non-astringent tasting type of greens? That's why I use dressing these days. I'd eat all the salad fixings all the time minus the greens. But bleh. I know they are good for you, but I can't stand the taste.

Thanks for your thoughtful responses. I'm so glad I found this forum.

Yay! So glad it turned out to be just one of those things. That's why I weigh myself every day, so I know there is no possibility I could have gone astray that much when my weight fluctuates wildly.

Wrt the salad greens, my kids like romaine or butter lettuce because it seems the least bitter. You could always grate some carrot over it for added sweetness, add some mushrooms for earthiness.