Do you gain when you go to maintenance?

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  • WinoGelato
    WinoGelato Posts: 13,454 Member
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    sijomial wrote: »
    Until you start to think much longer term - at least a month, you will stay in a state of anxiety and stress.

    Simply don't react to changes under a pound or you will never be happy. A pound is a decent sized glass of water!

    Ok but I've actually gained more than a pound, and I'm gaining every week now.

    Again, totally within the normal fluctuations for women... My weight fluctuates 2 lbs from Thurs - Monday every single week.
  • cwolfman13
    cwolfman13 Posts: 41,865 Member
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    For the past week, I've been eating 1600-1800, mostly at the upper end, and so far I've gained .8 pounds. I run 2.3 miles 5 days a week, and 4.6 the other 2 days. I'm 5'9, female and 132 pounds. Wondering if this means I'm gaining or if it's like adjusting to more calories as I was previously eating 1400-1600. It seems odd that I would actually gain on 1800 but maybe that is possible. Also I've been eating more carbs. I don't really count macros I just weigh food and count calories. Per day, I eat mostly whole foods, protein at every meal (5-8 servings), a few servings of fruit and I've increased my fat to 2-4 servings a day, 2-3 carbs per day in addition to fruit. For dessert a lot of times I will have greek yogurt, fruit or the low cal arctic ice ice cream. Thoughts?

    When you go to maintenance you will put on some weight due to glycogen replenishment and water...if you were lower carb and now you're eating more carbs you will see a bigger jump than someone who wasn't doing low carb. You also have to account for more inherent waste in your system.

    Most people also up their calories slowly over a few weeks to let their bodies adjust.
  • Plutodreams
    Plutodreams Posts: 67 Member
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    cwolfman13 wrote: »
    For the past week, I've been eating 1600-1800, mostly at the upper end, and so far I've gained .8 pounds. I run 2.3 miles 5 days a week, and 4.6 the other 2 days. I'm 5'9, female and 132 pounds. Wondering if this means I'm gaining or if it's like adjusting to more calories as I was previously eating 1400-1600. It seems odd that I would actually gain on 1800 but maybe that is possible. Also I've been eating more carbs. I don't really count macros I just weigh food and count calories. Per day, I eat mostly whole foods, protein at every meal (5-8 servings), a few servings of fruit and I've increased my fat to 2-4 servings a day, 2-3 carbs per day in addition to fruit. For dessert a lot of times I will have greek yogurt, fruit or the low cal arctic ice ice cream. Thoughts?

    When you go to maintenance you will put on some weight due to glycogen replenishment and water...if you were lower carb and now you're eating more carbs you will see a bigger jump than someone who wasn't doing low carb. You also have to account for more inherent waste in your system.

    Most people also up their calories slowly over a few weeks to let their bodies adjust.

    How much weight? Wouldn't it come on all at once, and not creep up the way mine is?
  • Plutodreams
    Plutodreams Posts: 67 Member
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    WinoGelato wrote: »
    sijomial wrote: »
    Until you start to think much longer term - at least a month, you will stay in a state of anxiety and stress.

    Simply don't react to changes under a pound or you will never be happy. A pound is a decent sized glass of water!

    Ok but I've actually gained more than a pound, and I'm gaining every week now.

    Again, totally within the normal fluctuations for women... My weight fluctuates 2 lbs from Thurs - Monday every single week.

    But my weight really isn't fluctuating... It's just consistently increasing. If I lost .8 pounds 2 weeks in a row, most people would say I'm losing, I know I would?
  • cwolfman13
    cwolfman13 Posts: 41,865 Member
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    cwolfman13 wrote: »
    For the past week, I've been eating 1600-1800, mostly at the upper end, and so far I've gained .8 pounds. I run 2.3 miles 5 days a week, and 4.6 the other 2 days. I'm 5'9, female and 132 pounds. Wondering if this means I'm gaining or if it's like adjusting to more calories as I was previously eating 1400-1600. It seems odd that I would actually gain on 1800 but maybe that is possible. Also I've been eating more carbs. I don't really count macros I just weigh food and count calories. Per day, I eat mostly whole foods, protein at every meal (5-8 servings), a few servings of fruit and I've increased my fat to 2-4 servings a day, 2-3 carbs per day in addition to fruit. For dessert a lot of times I will have greek yogurt, fruit or the low cal arctic ice ice cream. Thoughts?

    When you go to maintenance you will put on some weight due to glycogen replenishment and water...if you were lower carb and now you're eating more carbs you will see a bigger jump than someone who wasn't doing low carb. You also have to account for more inherent waste in your system.

    Most people also up their calories slowly over a few weeks to let their bodies adjust.

    How much weight? Wouldn't it come on all at once, and not creep up the way mine is?

    I would think it would be variable depending on the individual. I put on about 5 Lbs when I went to maintenance...I don't remember if it was gradual or not...it was almost 3.5 years ago...but I went to maintenance at 178 and hold maintenance at 183 on average +/- fluctuations.
  • Plutodreams
    Plutodreams Posts: 67 Member
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    I can appreciate that to others I for some reason seem ridiculous but I am genuinely, seriously concerned and depressed at the prospect of 1300ish maintenance calorie levels. The only way I can know is to eat at that level and see if I lose or maintain. Because I sure as heck am not finding out the other way, I'm completely tired of seeing the scale go up. :(

    I thank you all for not attacking me and being kind and reasonable.
  • WinoGelato
    WinoGelato Posts: 13,454 Member
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    WinoGelato wrote: »
    sijomial wrote: »
    Until you start to think much longer term - at least a month, you will stay in a state of anxiety and stress.

    Simply don't react to changes under a pound or you will never be happy. A pound is a decent sized glass of water!

    Ok but I've actually gained more than a pound, and I'm gaining every week now.

    Again, totally within the normal fluctuations for women... My weight fluctuates 2 lbs from Thurs - Monday every single week.

    But my weight really isn't fluctuating... It's just consistently increasing. If I lost .8 pounds 2 weeks in a row, most people would say I'm losing, I know I would?

    You seem determined to believe that this is a sign of imminent weight gain and want to go back to reducing your calories again, no matter how many comments you've gotten in this thread that it is normal to see some weight gain shifting into maintenance especially if you had previously been eating reduced carbs. If that is what you really want to do, then go ahead and drop your calories down, but as I've pointed out repeatedly in this thread, you are already at the lower end of the healthy weight range for your height. There is no reason to believe that an active individual who is 5'9 and 132 lbs would gain weight at 1800 cals/day if you are logging accurately.
  • Plutodreams
    Plutodreams Posts: 67 Member
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    cwolfman13 wrote: »
    cwolfman13 wrote: »
    For the past week, I've been eating 1600-1800, mostly at the upper end, and so far I've gained .8 pounds. I run 2.3 miles 5 days a week, and 4.6 the other 2 days. I'm 5'9, female and 132 pounds. Wondering if this means I'm gaining or if it's like adjusting to more calories as I was previously eating 1400-1600. It seems odd that I would actually gain on 1800 but maybe that is possible. Also I've been eating more carbs. I don't really count macros I just weigh food and count calories. Per day, I eat mostly whole foods, protein at every meal (5-8 servings), a few servings of fruit and I've increased my fat to 2-4 servings a day, 2-3 carbs per day in addition to fruit. For dessert a lot of times I will have greek yogurt, fruit or the low cal arctic ice ice cream. Thoughts?

    When you go to maintenance you will put on some weight due to glycogen replenishment and water...if you were lower carb and now you're eating more carbs you will see a bigger jump than someone who wasn't doing low carb. You also have to account for more inherent waste in your system.

    Most people also up their calories slowly over a few weeks to let their bodies adjust.

    How much weight? Wouldn't it come on all at once, and not creep up the way mine is?

    I would think it would be variable depending on the individual. I put on about 5 Lbs when I went to maintenance...I don't remember if it was gradual or not...it was almost 3.5 years ago...but I went to maintenance at 178 and hold maintenance at 183 on average +/- fluctuations.

    That's actually comforting. I think you're the first person who has told me that in this thread.
  • sijomial
    sijomial Posts: 19,809 Member
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    sijomial wrote: »
    Until you start to think much longer term - at least a month, you will stay in a state of anxiety and stress.

    Simply don't react to changes under a pound or you will never be happy. A pound is a decent sized glass of water!

    Ok but I've actually gained more than a pound, and I'm gaining every week now.

    Again - Too small a change to confirm anything. Too short a time period to confirm a trend.

    Talking of period.... It's not an uncommon recommendation for women to compare their weight for the same week in their cycle month on month to exclude hormonal swings.

    BTW - no I don't think you are ridiculous but I do think you need to try to treat information just as data and not in emotional terms of failure or success (I know, easier said than done!). It really does get easier but you need to give it time.
  • Plutodreams
    Plutodreams Posts: 67 Member
    edited September 2016
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    WinoGelato wrote: »
    WinoGelato wrote: »
    sijomial wrote: »
    Until you start to think much longer term - at least a month, you will stay in a state of anxiety and stress.

    Simply don't react to changes under a pound or you will never be happy. A pound is a decent sized glass of water!

    Ok but I've actually gained more than a pound, and I'm gaining every week now.

    Again, totally within the normal fluctuations for women... My weight fluctuates 2 lbs from Thurs - Monday every single week.

    But my weight really isn't fluctuating... It's just consistently increasing. If I lost .8 pounds 2 weeks in a row, most people would say I'm losing, I know I would?

    You seem determined to believe that this is a sign of imminent weight gain and want to go back to reducing your calories again, no matter how many comments you've gotten in this thread that it is normal to see some weight gain shifting into maintenance especially if you had previously been eating reduced carbs. If that is what you really want to do, then go ahead and drop your calories down, but as I've pointed out repeatedly in this thread, you are already at the lower end of the healthy weight range for your height. There is no reason to believe that an active individual who is 5'9 and 132 lbs would gain weight at 1800 cals/day if you are logging accurately.

    I can understand what you are saying here. I want to tell you I really appreciate your input and so am sorry if I am frustrating. I'm not trying to defy people's sound advice, but at the same time I have my own emotional/confused/questioning perspective which I am making no effort to hide... I don't really want to be much thinner but I do want to find out the truth, without destroying my efforts. I am just trying to figure it out.

    I also agree 1800 would seem reasonable for my size. But I do think it's possible I have a super slow metabolism.

    At any rate thanks for your advice throughout this thread. I hope you know it is heard and appreciated.
  • Plutodreams
    Plutodreams Posts: 67 Member
    edited September 2016
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    sijomial wrote: »
    sijomial wrote: »
    Until you start to think much longer term - at least a month, you will stay in a state of anxiety and stress.

    Simply don't react to changes under a pound or you will never be happy. A pound is a decent sized glass of water!

    Ok but I've actually gained more than a pound, and I'm gaining every week now.

    Again - Too small a change to confirm anything. Too short a time period to confirm a trend.

    Talking of period.... It's not an uncommon recommendation for women to compare their weight for the same week in their cycle month on month to exclude hormonal swings.

    BTW - no I don't think you are ridiculous but I do think you need to try to treat information just as data and not in emotional terms of failure or success (I know, easier said than done!). It really does get easier but you need to give it time.

    Thank you again for your encouragement and voice of reason. How did you get so smart? Definitely easier said than done but the attitude you've described is my ultimate goal. I think getting my head right will be more challenging than getting my body right. Or maybe the two are interdependent.


    Also my cycle is like 40 days late at this point so you could be right about that.
  • WinoGelato
    WinoGelato Posts: 13,454 Member
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    Well I really didn't want to post this because honestly it is embarrassing, but I think anyone who tried to enlighten me here deserves this... I feel so dumb. I decided to step on scale today (so 2 days in a row, which I try not to do) and it was all gone...so it has to be water. I don't think I could lose 1.8 pounds of fat overnight, unless some aliens snuck in my house and gave me lipo while I was asleep. Anyway, lesson learned. I think I need to try to track a trend or something, maybe weigh daily idk. WinoGelato, I am sorry, you were right.

    Well I'm always happy to be right but especially when it means good news for other people! I know it's hard to not freak out at these changes but weight loss and especially maintaining is about knowing that there are going to be fluctuations that are not necessarily a sign of imminent doom...I think the trendweight app would be a good thing for you.

    Enjoy the extra calories!
  • Plutodreams
    Plutodreams Posts: 67 Member
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    WinoGelato wrote: »
    Well I really didn't want to post this because honestly it is embarrassing, but I think anyone who tried to enlighten me here deserves this... I feel so dumb. I decided to step on scale today (so 2 days in a row, which I try not to do) and it was all gone...so it has to be water. I don't think I could lose 1.8 pounds of fat overnight, unless some aliens snuck in my house and gave me lipo while I was asleep. Anyway, lesson learned. I think I need to try to track a trend or something, maybe weigh daily idk. WinoGelato, I am sorry, you were right.

    Well I'm always happy to be right but especially when it means good news for other people! I know it's hard to not freak out at these changes but weight loss and especially maintaining is about knowing that there are going to be fluctuations that are not necessarily a sign of imminent doom...I think the trendweight app would be a good thing for you.

    Enjoy the extra calories!

    Thank you I will!!! Gonna check out trendweight :)
  • ahoy_m8
    ahoy_m8 Posts: 3,053 Member
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    OP, I was going to jump on here to ask if you were trending your weight or treating each data point independently. Also, if your menstrual cycle is pretty consistent at a certain # of days +/-1 or 2, you can also take a rolling average of #days. Looking at an average over the whole cycle corrects for the variations your body specifically has. If it is 40 days late with some regularity, that might not work so well. The point is, though, it takes more than a couple weeks to figure out what's going on.... often a month or two!

    So glad what you are doing is working. Keep it up!
  • Plutodreams
    Plutodreams Posts: 67 Member
    edited September 2016
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    ahoy_m8 wrote: »
    OP, I was going to jump on here to ask if you were trending your weight or treating each data point independently. Also, if your menstrual cycle is pretty consistent at a certain # of days +/-1 or 2, you can also take a rolling average of #days. Looking at an average over the whole cycle corrects for the variations your body specifically has. If it is 40 days late with some regularity, that might not work so well. The point is, though, it takes more than a couple weeks to figure out what's going on.... often a month or two!

    So glad what you are doing is working. Keep it up!

    That has become all too clear to me. I wish there were some way that people (I say women particularly because I think our weight fluctuates more and we get indoctrinated with more crap about weight) could just really understand this better... the number on the scale can be so crazy convincing. I think your suggestion is that way, but I just wish people could avoid the all too common crazyness that hopefully, eventually leads to that way. I don't know what I'm saying! Anyway I am going to make it my number one mission to get a good reasonable understanding of this and get over the b.s. It's going to take a lot of work. I swear if I ever have a daughter I will do everything I can to make sure she goes as long as possible without even knowing what the word "diet" even means.

    Thanks everyone.
  • leejoyce31
    leejoyce31 Posts: 794 Member
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    Well I really didn't want to post this because honestly it is embarrassing, but I think anyone who tried to enlighten me here deserves this... I feel so dumb. I decided to step on scale today (so 2 days in a row, which I try not to do) and it was all gone...so it has to be water. I don't think I could lose 1.8 pounds of fat overnight, unless some aliens snuck in my house and gave me lipo while I was asleep. Anyway, lesson learned. I think I need to try to track a trend or something, maybe weigh daily idk. WinoGelato, I am sorry, you were right.

    So how long did it take you for the water weight to drop? About 10 days? That happens to me too. I overate on Saturday and I am still up 3 pounds. I know I didn't gain that much. It will take me over a week to come back down. A lot of people drop back within a few days, but never me. It can be frustrating to wait, but I know that it will eventually drop back. I just want you to know there is no need to be embarrassed. The scale can mess with your head.
  • Plutodreams
    Plutodreams Posts: 67 Member
    edited September 2016
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    leejoyce31 wrote: »
    Well I really didn't want to post this because honestly it is embarrassing, but I think anyone who tried to enlighten me here deserves this... I feel so dumb. I decided to step on scale today (so 2 days in a row, which I try not to do) and it was all gone...so it has to be water. I don't think I could lose 1.8 pounds of fat overnight, unless some aliens snuck in my house and gave me lipo while I was asleep. Anyway, lesson learned. I think I need to try to track a trend or something, maybe weigh daily idk. WinoGelato, I am sorry, you were right.

    So how long did it take you for the water weight to drop? About 10 days? That happens to me too. I overate on Saturday and I am still up 3 pounds. I know I didn't gain that much. It will take me over a week to come back down. A lot of people drop back within a few days, but never me. It can be frustrating to wait, but I know that it will eventually drop back. I just want you to know there is no need to be embarrassed. The scale can mess with your head.

    Thank you for saying that! Well a week before Monday I was 132, then Monday I was 132.8. I decided to not wait another week and weigh in again Tuesday it was 131. Yesterday 132. Today 131.6. Sunday I had hiked so that might explain the increase? It seems like this is just normal fluctuations. Monday I ate at 1400 so I was *emptier* of food weight and this is probably why Tuesday I had dropped nearly 2 lbs overnight.

    I totally (obviously) get why it bugs you, but just know it is not real!! Try to. I promise it will pass. You already know....in no possible universe could one day of overeating make you gain 3 lbs. I doubt you could gain even 1/4 pound...just to gain 1/4 lb you'd have to eat nearly 900 OVER maintenance. And even if you did that, it would be utterly unnoticeable, a piece of cake (or lack thereof) to lose!

    The scale is so weird. Why do we place such importance on it? I am a Libra maybe that's why? Lol probably not though can't blame zodiac sign here. Just my general humaness.

    At the moment trying to figure out whether I'll be saner weighing once a week or everyday. I had been doing it once a week but since my little "revelation" been experimenting with the daily thing and trying to realize success is more about a number range than an exact number. Isn't that how life is in general?
  • leejoyce31
    leejoyce31 Posts: 794 Member
    edited September 2016
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    leejoyce31 wrote: »
    Well I really didn't want to post this because honestly it is embarrassing, but I think anyone who tried to enlighten me here deserves this... I feel so dumb. I decided to step on scale today (so 2 days in a row, which I try not to do) and it was all gone...so it has to be water. I don't think I could lose 1.8 pounds of fat overnight, unless some aliens snuck in my house and gave me lipo while I was asleep. Anyway, lesson learned. I think I need to try to track a trend or something, maybe weigh daily idk. WinoGelato, I am sorry, you were right.

    So how long did it take you for the water weight to drop? About 10 days? That happens to me too. I overate on Saturday and I am still up 3 pounds. I know I didn't gain that much. It will take me over a week to come back down. A lot of people drop back within a few days, but never me. It can be frustrating to wait, but I know that it will eventually drop back. I just want you to know there is no need to be embarrassed. The scale can mess with your head.

    Thank you for saying that! Well a week before Monday I was 132, then Monday I was 132.8. I decided to not wait another week and weigh in again Tuesday it was 131. Yesterday 132. Today 131.6. Sunday I had hiked so that might explain the increase? It seems like this is just normal fluctuations. Monday I ate at 1400 so I was *emptier* of food weight and this is probably why Tuesday I had dropped nearly 2 lbs overnight.

    I totally (obviously) get why it bugs you, but just know it is not real!! Try to. I promise it will pass. You already know....in no possible universe could one day of overeating make you gain 3 lbs. I doubt you could gain even 1/4 pound...just to gain 1/4 lb you'd have to eat nearly 900 OVER maintenance. And even if you did that, it would be utterly unnoticeable, a piece of cake (or lack thereof) to lose!

    The scale is so weird. Why do we place such importance on it? I am a Libra maybe that's why? Lol probably not though can't blame zodiac sign here. Just my general humaness.

    At the moment trying to figure out whether I'll be saner weighing once a week or everyday. I had been doing it once a week but since my little "revelation" been experimenting with the daily thing and trying to realize success is more about a number range than an exact number. Isn't that how life is in general?

    Yes I trend my weight. It really helps with daily weighing. I'm really glad you lost the excess water. Knowledge is power. Knowing that I couldn't gain that much helps me not to go nuts while waiting for the weight to drop. Good luck on your journey. :smile:
  • theGarinator
    theGarinator Posts: 58 Member
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    Glad there are so many posts on this issue. I've been on this MFP cycle for about 5 weeks now. I am an endomorph with very heavy bone and musculature, but I simply hate my weight, cause I was binge eating/purging after I lost my job and marriage. I'm a well controlled Type 2 Diabetic and 63yrs old.
    Good news is, is that I lost ten lbs after the first 3 weeks. Which sounds normal. I fitness cycle hard with a very big bridge (The Harbour Bridge in Montreal) to cross I burn 700-800C, I started kettlebell cardio where I burn ~450C for a half hour work out, and I run/walk intervals for about an hour. I swap out routines every other day, sometimes I take a day or two off. Now, I see I've put on 12 lbs, but my clothes are fitting looser. MFP guide is 1600 calories/day and I have cut way way back on carbs. My understanding is that you need to do strength/cardio with weights to burn that fat. That is why I started the kettlebell cardio routine, ~ 1/2hr, hoping that will help. Someone made an interesting comment about water and glycogen contributing to the weight gain, not adipose tissue. That was interesting. Anyway, I'm not going to change. If anyone has an explanation or word of support/encouragement it would be gratefully welcomed. Great success and thanks for all these posts...!! :)