Does this sound right for maintanence?

Options
charlireah
charlireah Posts: 100 Member
in Goal: Maintaining Weight
I gained a couple of lbs over the last 6 months-measurements haven't changed so I am hoping it is muscle as the only difference is now I go to the gym.

I eat 1600-1700 cals a day. I do weigh my food. My height is 5ft2 and I currently weigh 8st 1 (but normally weight 7st12)
I must admit my weekly average isn't always consistent-only by 50 cals or so (one week 1600 and the next week 1750 on average) will this affect my maintanence and am I eating the right amount for what I do?

Routine: two hours a week at the gym with a mix of weights, machines, cardio, abs, etc.
2.5 hours a week brisk walking and fortnightly I go swimming for 30 mins as well.

The reason I'm confused is because the scale has gone up but I have always eaten this amount of calories literally since I was 17! I am now 25. Any advice would be great

Replies

  • AnnPT77
    AnnPT77 Posts: 32,226 Member
    Options
    Two pounds over 6 months is like 40 calories a day. It'd be pretty easy for minor changes in daily activity to account for 40 calories a day, as just one possibility - things like moving your office closer to co-workers in the same building, kids growing up so playing with them less, no longer have a dog that needs a walk, . . . .
  • charlireah
    charlireah Posts: 100 Member
    Options
    AnnPT77 wrote: »
    Two pounds over 6 months is like 40 calories a day. It'd be pretty easy for minor changes in daily activity to account for 40 calories a day, as just one possibility - things like moving your office closer to co-workers in the same building, kids growing up so playing with them less, no longer have a dog that needs a walk, . . . .

    I have been exercising more in the last 6 months.
  • AnnPT77
    AnnPT77 Posts: 32,226 Member
    Options
    charlireah wrote: »
    AnnPT77 wrote: »
    Two pounds over 6 months is like 40 calories a day. It'd be pretty easy for minor changes in daily activity to account for 40 calories a day, as just one possibility - things like moving your office closer to co-workers in the same building, kids growing up so playing with them less, no longer have a dog that needs a walk, . . . .

    I have been exercising more in the last 6 months.

    I wasn't thinking exercise as much as I was thinking NEAT - the non-exercise activity makes up a much larger fraction of our daily calorie burn than intentional exercise, for most people, and it's surprising how little it takes to tip the balance.

    That may not be it in your case . . . but if it's true consistent gain, then eating less or increasing exercise (or NEAT) more is the answer. Personally, I've gained two pounds at times just from a couple of hyper-indulgent weekends (and I've held onto those pounds over a long-ish time, so I'm not talking about water weight. 1000 calories over maintenance on 4 separate days is a little over a pound, and it's pretty easy to do - for me, at least. YMMV.)

    Looking at it a different way, though: Has your extra exercise over the 6 months been enough to add some water weight? I tend to do weight training only in my off-season (I'm a rower, living in the North). Last time I went through this, I gained 2 pounds when I started lifting in Fall, and lost an otherwise-unexplained two pounds in Spring when I stopped.

    Two pounds is so little, it's going be hard to figure out. It could even be a combination of factors.
  • cwolfman13
    cwolfman13 Posts: 41,874 Member
    Options
    How are you determining these 2 mere pounds? Like did you just weigh in and compare to 6 months ago? Weight is going to fluctuate all over the place from day to day...it isn't a static number. 2 Lbs could be damn near anything.
  • RoxieDawn
    RoxieDawn Posts: 15,488 Member
    edited May 2017
    Options
    OP we change a lot through the year, we age a little more, perhaps we are moving just a little less, perhaps we are eating just a tad more or less than we might think we are...

    Also our TDEE is a moving target. It never gonna stay exact from 1 day, 1 week, 1 month. Our NEAT is huge in maintaining our weight.

    Also 2 pounds is such a low number that so many things can affect that, our hormones change/tom, dietary changes such as changing what we eat as in morere or less sodium or more or less carbs, perhaps we are not hydrating like we have been over the course of time, changes in exercise (increasing intensity, duration can cause water gain), we need more time to recover daily, our body changes as you stated from age 17 to 25..

    Many things to consider, and if you want to lose these two pounds put yourself in a slight deficit, monitor your calorie intake, rate of loss and also calorie burns and perhaps dial in your TDEE better.
  • Macy9336
    Macy9336 Posts: 694 Member
    Options
    It's probably two things:
    First, the body adapts to same exercise to become more efficient at doing it, so a run or walk or bike ride or swim that used to burn x calories now burns slightly fewer calories.

    Secondly, your metabolism slows down as you get older. You've been using your 17 yr old Calorie level for eight years. You're 25 now, so that's probably part of the equation.

    You should probably cut 50 cals a day from your BMR and change up your exercise....do something new.
  • beanz744
    beanz744 Posts: 221 Member
    edited May 2017
    Options
    if u like what u see in the mirror n clothes fit the same or better then it is more likely just weight weight fluctuation and/or muscle gain. i have not really lose any weight in the last month (sitting between 169 n 171) but my pants r getting looser n looser so i know i m still dropping fat n gaining a little muscle at the same time.

    aasuming that u never exercise before n theres resistance training involved with ur routine now then there will be 'beginners gain' with muscle even though u r only eating at 1600-1700.

    the scale doesnt always tell the whole story as long as u like what u see in the mirror

Categories