Upped my calories, gaining weight?

stonel94

So I know this sounds at first like a stupid question, but basically I upped my calories from 1600 to 1800 which according to every calculator is under what maitence should be, most of those say at least 2000 and others where you add in activity level say all the way up to like 2800 so I figured 1800 should be good where I could really focus on recomping my body not like losing weight, so I could start to see some more muscle especially in my stomach/ab area. But it's been about a week and I feel like I am bigger....I do not weigh myself so I can't verify this but like I wear a HRM for my workouts and always try to still stay under a little bit on calories in case it's wrong, and i log very carefully portion size and try to do the exact brand and everything so I don't think I'm eating more than 1800 however I have been eating "better' foods often going over on vitamins and fiber, and it's 40/30/30 carb, fat, protein and I've been staying with that very well. so..I just don't know if I should be worried or not, I don't want to gain weight I want to reduce body fat percentage which could include gaining weight in the form of muscle but getting overall smaller...
So I know it can take a while for the body to get used to it, but what do you think is going on?

ahmadfahmy

So I know this sounds at first like a stupid question, but basically I upped my calories from 1600 to 1800 which according to every calculator is under what maitence should be, most of those say at least 2000 and others where you add in activity level say all the way up to like 2800 so I figured 1800 should be good where I could really focus on recomping my body not like losing weight, so I could start to see some more muscle especially in my stomach/ab area. But it's been about a week and I feel like I am bigger....I do not weigh myself so I can't verify this but like I wear a HRM for my workouts and always try to still stay under a little bit on calories in case it's wrong, and i log very carefully portion size and try to do the exact brand and everything so I don't think I'm eating more than 1800 however I have been eating "better' foods often going over on vitamins and fiber, and it's 40/30/30 carb, fat, protein and I've been staying with that very well. so..I just don't know if I should be worried or not, I don't want to gain weight I want to reduce body fat percentage which could include gaining weight in the form of muscle but getting overall smaller...
So I know it can take a while for the body to get used to it, but what do you think is going on?

body weight fluctuates a lot..a better way to monitor progress is to measure your body fat % every week.

stonel94

I don't have a way to measure my bf%

lina011

measurements and the way clothes fit. The mind can play nasty tricks especially when it comes to weight.

helpfit101

Weigh yourself! You don't know how much you weigh. Weigh yourself and put it in the website. There's this reports page where you can draw yourself a neat graph of your weight over time. Also eating differently for 3-4 days probably won't influence your weight right away. Buy a scale.

Then if you see weird stuff and you have the figures then come back and ask something.

SideSteel

So I know it can take a while for the body to get used to it, but what do you think is going on?

What I think is going on is that you are not providing yourself with a remotely reliable method of tracking changes in body weight or body composition and because of this you're not likely to be able to make any reasonable assessment as to what is going on.

Weigh yourself.

toutmonpossible

You should weigh yourself at least once a week. How else are you going to tell whether you're eating the right amount?

Buy a digital scale that provides a body fat estimate. it won't be 100% accurate, but will give you a reasonably good idea, especially if you weigh yourself under the same conditions every time.

calibriintx

I don't have a way to measure my bf%

Buy a fitness measuring tape. It's like $5, tops. Or go buy a fabric measuring tape from the grocery store where they have household items and sewing stuff. Maybe $2. Then start measuring your waist, hips, thighs, etc. and keep track. There are body fat calculators online that you can use. Not as accurate as calipers, which are only about $5 for cheapies, but you need to start doing something to measure your progress. And buy a scale. I have a nice digital glass scale for $15 at Costco.

toutmonpossible

measurements and the way clothes fit. The mind can play nasty tricks especially when it comes to weight.

The measurements of clothes differ from garment to garment and from brand to brand. Clothes also stretch or shrink. A scale is a much better method of tracking one's weight. It can have a body composition function, or one can use calipers or a tape measure to estimate body fat percentage.

ngyoung

I don't have a way to measure my bf%

Buy a fitness measuring tape. It's like $5, tops. Or go buy a fabric measuring tape from the grocery store where they have household items and sewing stuff. Maybe $2. Then start measuring your waist, hips, thighs, etc. and keep track. There are body fat calculators online that you can use. Not as accurate as calipers, which are only about $5 for cheapies, but you need to start doing something to measure your progress. And buy a scale. I have a nice digital glass scale for $15 at Costco.

This^ if you aren't going to weigh yourself you should measure yourself. Also you can get some idea if your gaining muscle by how much you improve on your workouts, more weight, reps, duration, etc. I would still urge to weigh in once a week though regardless.

stonel94

Weigh yourself! You don't know how much you weigh. Weigh yourself and put it in the website. There's this reports page where you can draw yourself a neat graph of your weight over time. Also eating differently for 3-4 days probably won't influence your weight right away. Buy a scale.

Then if you see weird stuff and you have the figures then come back and ask something.

I will not weigh myself because I will obsess over it and it won't be healthy. And weight isn't the best way to tell if you're healthy and stuff, all the scales I have ever owned (many brands from cheap to expensive) have fluctated so much even if you just step off and step back on, we don't have a flat surface to weigh on (old house weird shapes and stuff) I will go by measurements, I want to go and get it done professionally.