I gained weight this week even though I averaged 1200 calories a day. Why?

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  • Nice2BFitAgain
    Nice2BFitAgain Posts: 319 Member
    edited January 2016
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    Not crunches crunches crunches - please. Deadlift, overhead press, squat and bench press! You'll work your entire body AND your core http://www.bodybuilding.com/fun/core-strength-your-ultimate-guide-to-core-training.html

    But do take care of the eating plan immediately
  • JoshuaMcAllister
    JoshuaMcAllister Posts: 500 Member
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    I agree with everyone here, 1200 seems extremely low for a lad your size and age. Gaining abs isn't necessarily about having a tiny waste and low fat intake. I have an open food diary, have a look at my daily fat intake and you really will be shocked. I go from anywhere from 70 to 100g of fat a day depending on how much exercise I have done that day. Agree with the others don't just jump into eating 2000 from 1200kcal or you will start to put unwanted weight on. As for the extra calorie intake, I recommend cashews or almonds for snacking, throw some avocado in for breakfast to get some healthy natural fats. I'd avoid protein shakes until you begin heavy training, extra chicken breast wont harm you that is usually my go to food when I'm low on protein and have little fat left to spare.
    Also realise how difficult it is to sculpt abs, don't expect 2 months of sit ups and low calories then think suddenly you'll be showing them off on the beach. You need to build solid core strength before the muscles begin to build. Good cardio will help with that.
  • juggernaut1974
    juggernaut1974 Posts: 6,212 Member
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    BuddhaB0y wrote: »
    Abs don't just appear because you lose fat... Yes you do need under 6% body fat to show them, but everyone I know who has ever had abs that showed gave the same advice... Crunches crunches crunches.

    You have to go crazy on the ab workouts to develop them.

    No no no and no.
  • Zara11
    Zara11 Posts: 1,247 Member
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    I'm your height, close to your weight, and a girl. I'm losing a pound a week at 1500. EAT LOTS MORE. If you want abs, you gotta build them! Find a great bodybuilding group here, connect with the guys who have the physiques you want and get nutritional/exercise info from them.
  • RGv2
    RGv2 Posts: 5,789 Member
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    juggernaut1974 wrote: »
    BuddhaB0y wrote: »
    Abs don't just appear because you lose fat... Yes you do need under 6% body fat to show them, but everyone I know who has ever had abs that showed gave the same advice... Crunches crunches crunches.

    You have to go crazy on the ab workouts to develop them.

    No no no and no.

    x2.
  • BuddhaB0y
    BuddhaB0y Posts: 199 Member
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    Nice2BFitAgain wrote: »
    Not crunches crunches crunches - please. Deadlift, overhead press, squat and bench press! You'll work your entire body AND your core http://www.bodybuilding.com/fun/core-strength-your-ultimate-guide-to-core-training.html

    But do take care of the eating plan immediately

    I swear I need a freaking lawyer to read every damn comment before I post.

    I didn't mean ONLY do crunches..... I meant in addition to your whole body workout, which based on the ops comments and pic he is already doing, he needs to do much more ab workouts to bring them out.

  • juggernaut1974
    juggernaut1974 Posts: 6,212 Member
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    BuddhaB0y wrote: »
    Nice2BFitAgain wrote: »
    Not crunches crunches crunches - please. Deadlift, overhead press, squat and bench press! You'll work your entire body AND your core http://www.bodybuilding.com/fun/core-strength-your-ultimate-guide-to-core-training.html

    But do take care of the eating plan immediately

    I swear I need a freaking lawyer to read every damn comment before I post.

    I didn't mean ONLY do crunches..... I meant in addition to your whole body workout, which based on the ops comments and pic he is already doing, he needs to do much more ab workouts to bring them out.

    You don't need a lawyer...just better information.

    You don't NEED to be under 6% BF. That level is rarely reached, and usually only by competitors for a short time frame. That's just a completely ridiculous piece of advice.

    Crunches are actually not that useful (and most people do them incorrectly anyway). Do a couple sets a week, and that's plenty. There's far far more and better exercises (many listed already) for developing abdominal muscles.
  • BuddhaB0y
    BuddhaB0y Posts: 199 Member
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    juggernaut1974 wrote: »
    BuddhaB0y wrote: »
    Nice2BFitAgain wrote: »
    Not crunches crunches crunches - please. Deadlift, overhead press, squat and bench press! You'll work your entire body AND your core http://www.bodybuilding.com/fun/core-strength-your-ultimate-guide-to-core-training.html

    But do take care of the eating plan immediately

    I swear I need a freaking lawyer to read every damn comment before I post.

    I didn't mean ONLY do crunches..... I meant in addition to your whole body workout, which based on the ops comments and pic he is already doing, he needs to do much more ab workouts to bring them out.

    You don't need a lawyer...just better information.

    You don't NEED to be under 6% BF. That level is rarely reached, and usually only by competitors for a short time frame. That's just a completely ridiculous piece of advice.

    Crunches are actually not that useful (and most people do them incorrectly anyway). Do a couple sets a week, and that's plenty. There's far far more and better exercises (many listed already) for developing abdominal muscles.

    Did I say he should do crunches incorrectly? No! Am I responsible for making sure he knows how to do crunches correctly before recommending them? No!

    And my "crunches crunches crunches" comment was more to suggest he needs to focus on his abs with his workouts doing whatever exercises he can to isolate his abdominal muscles. Crunches, seated leg lifts, core exercises too.

    Anyway I am just passing on the info I was given from numerous people I met in the gym who had developed abs.

    To the OP, good luck I won't be responding to this post anymore.



  • RGv2
    RGv2 Posts: 5,789 Member
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    BuddhaB0y wrote: »
    juggernaut1974 wrote: »
    BuddhaB0y wrote: »
    Nice2BFitAgain wrote: »
    Not crunches crunches crunches - please. Deadlift, overhead press, squat and bench press! You'll work your entire body AND your core http://www.bodybuilding.com/fun/core-strength-your-ultimate-guide-to-core-training.html

    But do take care of the eating plan immediately

    I swear I need a freaking lawyer to read every damn comment before I post.

    I didn't mean ONLY do crunches..... I meant in addition to your whole body workout, which based on the ops comments and pic he is already doing, he needs to do much more ab workouts to bring them out.

    You don't need a lawyer...just better information.

    You don't NEED to be under 6% BF. That level is rarely reached, and usually only by competitors for a short time frame. That's just a completely ridiculous piece of advice.

    Crunches are actually not that useful (and most people do them incorrectly anyway). Do a couple sets a week, and that's plenty. There's far far more and better exercises (many listed already) for developing abdominal muscles.

    Did I say he should do crunches incorrectly? No! Am I responsible for making sure he knows how to do crunches correctly before recommending them? No!

    And my "crunches crunches crunches" comment was more to suggest he needs to focus on his abs with his workouts doing whatever exercises he can to isolate his abdominal muscles. Crunches, seated leg lifts, core exercises too.

    Anyway I am just passing on the info I was given from numerous people I met in the gym who had developed abs.

    To the OP, good luck I won't be responding to this post anymore.



    @juggernaut1974 said that crunches aren't that useful (and most people do them incorrectly anyway). This means even if done correctly, they're not that useful. Samething with leg lifts, they fire your hip flexors and do little to isolate the abdominal/core area.

    Isolated abdominal exercises are helpful for core strength, but absolutely not needed to be focused on for visible abs.
  • brb_2013
    brb_2013 Posts: 1,197 Member
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    I'd make sure you're seeing your food and weight loss in a healthy way, a few items mentioned make me wonder if you have disordered eating patterns. You're getting close to your goal, maybe instead of losing fat you should eat at a lesser deficit and exercise to get muscle definition.
  • Carlos_421
    Carlos_421 Posts: 5,132 Member
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    nlutece wrote: »
    My plan was to start serious weight training in February and going up to 2000 calories a day. Do you guys think it will help abs show to put on muscle though? I still have a decent layer of fat on my abs and it seems like I will need to lose at least 10lbs of fat before you see them.

    Also, if I up my calorie intake to 1500 now, any recommendations for what I should make up those calories with? Protein shakes? More chicken breast?

    Until you put on muscle there won't be any abs to show.
    At 5'8" and 140 lbs (I'm 5'8" and trying to get down to somewhere in the 150's) if you don't already have abs it's likely that you simply don't have enough core musculature to be seen. Abs have to be built just like pecs and biceps.

    Get a good solid progressive lifting program and start picking up heavy weight.
    Gradually increase your calories (count them accurately, weighing and logging everything) to somewhere right around or just above maintenance (probably around 2,500 for you). Get a gram of protein for every pound of body weight (140 grams for you) and about .4 grams of fat per pound.

    Focus on big compound lifts (squats, deadlifts, bench press, overhead press, pull ups, rows...). Don't worry about doing a trillion crunches or a bunch of ab specific workouts. Your abs will get a heavy workout from stabilizing your core during squats, deadlifts, etc. so just a couple ab specific moves per week is fine.

    Lastly, be patient.
  • Carlos_421
    Carlos_421 Posts: 5,132 Member
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    Oh, and read this.

    https://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/discussion/1161603/so-you-want-a-nice-stomach#latest
  • rileysowner
    rileysowner Posts: 8,243 Member
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    Nice2BFitAgain wrote: »
    Not crunches crunches crunches - please. Deadlift, overhead press, squat and bench press! You'll work your entire body AND your core http://www.bodybuilding.com/fun/core-strength-your-ultimate-guide-to-core-training.html

    But do take care of the eating plan immediately

    True that. Crunches are only asking for back problems. Deads, OHP, Squats will all work your core and more.
  • PAV8888
    PAV8888 Posts: 13,943 Member
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    Stop the insanity.

    At 5ft 8" and 140lbs, and at your age, not only are you already in the lower half of your normal weight range; but, with a modicum of intense exercise, which you have already indicated that you perform, your TDEE is likely well above 2500.

    Dude, I am your height, 166lbs, MORE than TWICE your age, 24% body fat by DXA scan (i.e. just about where you would expect based on BMI) and maintain my weight at about 2800 Cal. If I successfully average 2500, I lose!

    Even if we accept that you should lose weight, you should be doing it at no more than a 10%-20% deficit off of your TDEE to minimize lean mass lost.

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