Looking for recomp but confused about IIFYM numbers and eating back excercise

Dreysander

Should I go immidiately to that or should I gradually increase to that? Will increasing my cals make me gain fat at first? Also is IIFYM's calculator not working for anyone else at the moment?

erickirb

Dreysander wrote: »

Should I go immidiately to that or should I gradually increase to that? Will increasing my cals make me gain fat at first?

If you jump right up to that number you may gain water weight, if you are glycogen depleted, or due to more food in your GI system, you wont gain fat as it is below your maintenance. So that said you can increase slowly or jump right up to it. If you like slowly add 100 cals this week, and another the following, etc.

Dreysander

I've been going up 100 cals a week so far. Last week I went from 1200 - 1300 to 1300 - 1400 and I gained 2 pounds. Now I have the urge to freak out and drop it back down to 1200 to be honest.

cwolfman13

the IIFYM website is a TDEE calculator for which you would include exercise in your activity level...if you're going to just put yourself sedentary despite your activity and eat calories back you might as well just use MFP.

Dreysander wrote: »

I've been going up 100 cals a week so far. Last week I went from 1200 - 1300 to 1300 - 1400 and I gained 2 pounds. Now I have the urge to freak out and drop it back down to 1200 to be honest.

you have to remember that the scale is going to reflect more than fat...you gain a little weight when you increase calories because you hold on to more water and you also have more inherent waste in your system due to eating more food.

do the math...you're nowhere close to maintenance at 1400 calories, thus you cannot put on fat.

xcalygrl

Dreysander wrote: »

I've been going up 100 cals a week so far. Last week I went from 1200 - 1300 to 1300 - 1400 and I gained 2 pounds. Now I have the urge to freak out and drop it back down to 1200 to be honest.

Don't freak out. Cwolfman is correct!

When you increase your calories you take in extra food and extra sodium. Extra carbs and extra food will cause your glycogen stores to replenish, which will cause a bump in the scale. Glycogen likes to bond to water, so you store glycogen and water (which is reflected on the scale). Also, sodium causes your body to hold onto water to rehydrate yourself. Also, all that extra food has to go somewhere. Until you expel it, it sits in your digestive track, which can also show a bump on the scale.

Dreysander

Why didn't I join this forum before? Lol you guys are good for the sanity.

mirrim52

Remember, a lb of fat is approx. 3500 calories. To gain a lb of fat, you will need to eat 3500 calories OVER your maintenance level. You gained 2 lbs last week. If that was fat, it would have required an extra 7000 calories or so. Did you eat 1000 calories over maintenance every day last week? Highly unlikely . So it isn't fat.

Generally, quick jumps up and down are water weight. Fat gain is relatively slow and insidious. Water weight and extra food in your system is when your scale jumps 3 lbs in a day. Fat gain is when your monthly AVERAGE weight starts creeping back up.

ericGold15

mirrim52 wrote: »

Remember, a lb of fat is approx. 3500 calories. To gain a lb of fat, you will need to eat 3500 calories OVER your maintenance level. You gained 2 lbs last week. If that was fat, it would have required an extra 7000 calories or so. Did you eat 1000 calories over maintenance every day last week? Highly unlikely . So it isn't fat.

Generally, quick jumps up and down are water weight. Fat gain is relatively slow and insidious. Water weight and extra food in your system is when your scale jumps 3 lbs in a day. Fat gain is when your monthly AVERAGE weight starts creeping back up.

Exactly