I gained quicker than I lost

ericpiccione

I spent three months trying to lose weight, I ended up losing around 15 pounds and within the past month or so I gained it all back. I was at lose 1 pound per week when I hit my goal. Then I set it to maintain and I was hitting my calorie mark every day. Even though I may not have been eating the best foods over these past few weeks I was under the impression that if you hit the same amount of calories you burn no weight will be gained.

seska422

There was likely some glycogen replenishment to account for some of that weight.

Yes, if calories in = calories out, you won't gain fat. Water weight is variable. Zeroing in on your maintenance calories takes experimentation. If you are gaining over time then you are consuming more than your body is burning.

MichelleWithMoxie

That's why it's a moving target, and you should weigh weekly still while in maintenance to adjust cals as necessary to stay within your maintenance range.

Francl27

If you're really not eating more than you burn, it's probably mostly water weight.

But yeah, I laugh when people say 'you didn't gain the weight in 3 months, you won't lose it in 3 months', because I'm quite sure I could gain a LOT of weight in 3 months.

Mycophilia

Francl27 wrote: »

If you're really not eating more than you burn, it's probably mostly water weight.

But yeah, I laugh when people say 'you didn't gain the weight in 3 months, you won't lose it in 3 months', because I'm quite sure I could gain a LOT of weight in 3 months.

I spent close to 18 months losing 41kg, but I really screwed up my bulk afterwards as I gained 18kg in 3 months. OOPS.

trigden1991

Your weight will have increased initially due to glycogen replenishment, water retention and food "in transit". However if your weight has continued to increase then you are eating too much and are gaining fat. Did you adjust your maintenance calories to account for metabolic slow down from dieting? Lyle McDonald recommends somewhere between 5-15% depending on how long and how severe your diet has been.

ferd_ttp5

trigden1991 wrote: »

Your weight will have increased initially due to glycogen replenishment, water retention and food "in transit". However if your weight has continued to increase then you are eating too much and are gaining fat. Did you adjust your maintenance calories to account for metabolic slow down from dieting? Lyle McDonald recommends somewhere between 5-15% depending on how long and how severe your diet has been.

Yes, I agree with this science above. Ways to fasten normal our metabolism is to eat more protein, do strength training if possible and exercise regularly 3-4 times is recommended regular exercise per week. Good luck

spiriteagle99

One of the reasons it's recommended to slow down the rate of loss toward the end is so you can figure out what your actual maintenance needs are. The standard for your age and weight may not apply. By experimentation you should be able to figure out how many calories you actually need vs. the number that MFP gives you.

Most people regain weight after losing it because they become a lot less careful about measuring, weighing, etc. Many don't do that at all, they just estimate. A lot of people also cut their exercise once the weight is lost. So they are eating more than they think and exercising less. That doesn't work.

The good news for you is you know what you need to do to lose it, and since at least part of that weight gain is probably water, it should come off fairly quickly.