Upped my calories...help?

ellend17

So two weeks ago i got back from a holiday where i ate anything i wanted, and had gained a pound (i got away lightly with that one considering we had dessert every night! but anyway...)

I decided to up my calories by 200 a week from 1400 to 1600 when i got back as i want to concentrate on building sustainable and healthy eating and exercise habits so that when i get to maintenance I can keep it up. According to MFP this gives me a 0.4 lb loss a week. I got the 1600 figure from doing TDEE calculators set to sedentary then taking a 10-15% cut. This then enables me to eat back exercise cals, which i feel more comfortable doing at the moment as i exercise as and when i can fit it in rather than a set amount each week.

So, last week, which was the first week of eating 1600 cals a day, i saw a loss of 0.6 lbs, which i put down to just getting back to eating right after indulging on holiday. Then i stepped on the scales this morning and got numerous readings, the lowest of which was 144.6 - a gain of 0.8 lbs since last week, and 1.2lbs on my pre-holiday weight.

Yes, I know this is a teeny tiny amount of weight but i'm just curious as to whether this is because of the calori increase, and if so, should i see an eventual loss in a couple of weeks when my body has been having this amount for maybe a month?

Also, I've been under the weather with hayfever this week (itchy eyes, bunged up nose, wheezy etc) so feel like exercise is a lot more effort that normal. Would this effect the benefits of exercise? Or am i just being a giant wimp?

Thanks in advance for taking the time to read my ramble, would appreciate opinions/advice! :flowerforyou:

Francl27

It's normal to gain some weight randomly. It's not linear. It doesn't mean it's not working. I usually gain a little bit or maintain for 3 weeks then lose 5 lbs in one week. Give it time.

ttippie2000

Your weight is 144.6 (plus or minus 1.5 lbs). So, the total range of your weight fluctuation is less than 1%. In fact, that's probably what you can gain by drinking a glass or two of water. I don't believe that is a large enough variation on which to base any assessment of your diet.

If you are feeling tired or worn out I would pay careful attention to that. Your body is telling you something, such as it needs rest. Sometimes a rest day is exactly what you need so you can go back and hit it hard at your full power the next day. Also, you don't have to rest completely. An active recovery activity like taking a walk might be what you need after a heavy day.

With respect to your diet, well, the only thing I know for certain is that I am not an expert on diet. Taking that data to a qualified nutritionist might be helpful. If it were me a few things I might watch for would be:

- Of the carbs that you are eating, can you tweak them to be less refined carbs & more whole grains and/or fruits & vegetables?
- Are you taking in enough protein?
- Are you take in enough good fats (olive oil, fish oil, flax seed oil) while limiting bad fats?
- Is your caloric intake sufficient to support your workout. (One thing I do know for certain is that running your body out of calories during a hard workout feels lousy.)

Cheers

ladynocturne

200 more calories a day, if you're eating lower calorie foods, is probably going to be close to another 200grams in your stomach. You will store extra waste in your bowels during the week.

You will also be consuming extra sodium naturally by eating more. You are probably just storing a little extra waste and water from upping your calories, it isn't possible to gain fat. Don't stress