First week of maintainence - gained weight.

Jubee13

Last week was my first week of maintainence. I went from 1,200 calories per day to 1,300 per day (I don't eat back exercise calories). There were three days I ate under 1,300, but not one day over. When I weighed this morning, I was shocked to see that I had gained 1/2 a pound! My plan was to eat 1,400 per day this week, but now I don't know if I should. I wouldn't think adding 100 calories would have cause the water weight gain some people have when they first start maintainence. I need advise! Should I stay at 1,300 or increase my calories as planned?

Capt_Apollo

weight loss isn't linear, and neither is maintaining your weight. there are a lot of factors in regards to your weight, such as sodium, exercise, etc etc.

personally, i found that at a 1/2 pound a week loss, regular exercise, and eating back my exercise calories, i maintained my weight pretty steadily.

i wouldn't sweat half a pound too much though.

yesimpson

1/2lb is well within the range of normal daily fluctuations. Could be anything. A week is not long enough to determine whether you have gained weight. Why does it matter if you gain a little water weight when you return to a maintenance intake? Nobody will notice a pound.

MarziPanda95

People who are successful at maintaining weight generally know that their weight will fluctuate a lot. And yes, 100 extra calories could certainly cause 1/2 a pound of water weight. Successful maintainers maintain at a range of weight. So my goal weight is 140lbs. As long as my weight stays within 5lbs of that, I will consider it maintaining. You won't say exactly at your goal weight all the time. Good luck

VitaSh

You literally can't gain fat in a few days, especially with such little calorie change albeit a higher one. That's water weight. Carbs hold more water so eating a little more carbs one day will increase your weight. Eating less or more sodium will make your weight go up and down. It is normal to fluctuate from like 1 to 3 lb. I woke up this morning 130 lb, ate my 1/2 cup whole oats and a cup of coffee with some protein powder and "gained" 3 lbs. And I did not freak out lol.

Debbjones

I wouldn't sweat 1/2 pound... I have been on maintenance for two years and weigh myself often. Because I weigh 105 pounds I have seen my weight fluctuate four pounds between morning and night simply based on the amount of fluid I drink and the density of the food I consume. This is not actual body weight because my body has not had the time to digest and process the food.

Because I eat a steady diet of similar or same food, heavy in vegetables, I have maintained my average weight with a fluctuation of +/- 4 pounds for two years... I would not worry, just give your body time to adjust to your maintenance plan.

Jubee13

Thank you all for the advice. I'm still not sure if I should stay at 1,300 this next week or increase to 1,400 per day as I had planned. I have done this before and maintained on far more than 1,300 calories per day!

jennifer_417

I'm given to understand that when you first go to maintenance, you will gain a bit, because your body is replacing its glycogen stores, which become depleted during the weight loss process. I've read that you should lose a bit past your actual maintenance weight.

LivingtheLeanDream

Its early days! keep eating your 100 cals more for at least another week and then see...you'll find your weight will stabilise.

This link is my maintenance findings after 4 months >>
http://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/discussion/10069411/maintenance-findings-4-months-on#latest

LivingtheLeanDream

Jubee13 wrote: »

Thank you all for the advice. I'm still not sure if I should stay at 1,300 this next week or increase to 1,400 per day as I had planned. I have done this before and maintained on far more than 1,300 calories per day!

Stay at 1300 another week, slow and steady is best with maintenance.
You should have a goal range within +/-3 lbs e.g, that 1/2lb could be for any number of reasons other than actual gain - sodium/hormones etc etc

sijomial

If you are going to react to every half pound change maintenance will be a miserable experience.
If you maintained before on "far more than 1,300 calories" before then stick to your plan.

ana3067

water weight
/thread.

Jubee13

I know I didn't gain 1/2 pound of fat, but I thought the scale would be down so it was a little disappointing.
It's just hard to be patient and add calories gradually, but I know it's for the best.
On the bright side, I feel great at the weight I am, and I'm thrilled to be here. Now I just need to STAY here!

mccindy72

Maintenance is forever. Your weight will fluctuate forever. As much as 1-4 pounds in a day. Don't look for the scale to be down, that's what you were looking for when you were losing. Now you're looking for a range to stay within for maintaining.

cwolfman13

Body weight isn't static...it fluctuates. Also, when you increase your intake to maintenance you will inherently have more waste in your system...you will also top off your glycogen stores and retain more fluids in general. None of that has anything to do with fat, but it shows up on the scale.

My weight generally fluctuates 3-5 Lbs throughout any given week...it looks like a wave...but my average over a longer period of time is 188...so that is what I consider my weight to be at the moment. During any given week I can drop to 185 or get up to around 192 but I'm usually 186 - 189.

kampshoff

I recently switched to maintenance, and "gained" almost 5 pounds over a few days, then lost 3, etc. I'm trying to find what range around my goal weight makes sense, and I'm going to remain patient with myself while I do that.

higgins8283801

You're going to bounce between numbers. It's actually normal.

My weight at maintenance was 116. I bounce between that and 122 often. I wouldn't worry about it.

SLLRunner

Jubee13 wrote: »

Last week was my first week of maintainence. I went from 1,200 calories per day to 1,300 per day (I don't eat back exercise calories). There were three days I ate under 1,300, but not one day over. When I weighed this morning, I was shocked to see that I had gained 1/2 a pound! My plan was to eat 1,400 per day this week, but now I don't know if I should. I wouldn't think adding 100 calories would have cause the water weight gain some people have when they first start maintainence. I need advise! Should I stay at 1,300 or increase my calories as planned?

Perfectly natural. The best thing you can do is not get caught up in natural weight fluctuations.