Why am I gaining weight with reverse dieiting??

Jay9201
Jay9201 Posts: 119 Member
edited November 21 in Health and Weight Loss
I need some help fitnesspal fam, I'm gaining weight with reverse dieting! Quick history of me. I'm 25, 5'4 female and I went from 98kg to 81kg in two years on a low carb diet. I didn't eat more than 50g of carbs . I have a history of yo yo dieting so my metabolism is basically shot now.

I was recommended to do reverse dieting and I'm using intermittent fasting to help I'm doing 16/8 11am -7pm and for the first time I'm not dizzy or hungry all the time. But I gained 3lbs! My mind is going into overdrive to cut back on calories. What do I do?

This is how I eat now with reverse dieting :
B- cinnamon porridge with black coffee
L-grilled chicken(alternating with fish/steak) with broccoli, cauliflower and baby carrots and some grapes
S- an apple with some protein peanut butter currently using the Whole earth ones
D- sweet potato fries or rice and protein(alternating between chicken/ fish / steak)

Workout 4x a week
Monday- Abs and legs
Tuesday- arms back and chest
Thursday - HIIT running with circuits
Friday- Cross ramp(inclined elliptical trainer )

Before reverse dieting I used to eat around 900-1,100 and my performance in the gym was affected I'm now eating 1,300-1,400. My TDEE is 2129 so I should be eating around 1,500. But I gained weight!

How do I repair my metabolism without gaining weight? Any advice is much appreciated! X
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Replies

  • Jay9201
    Jay9201 Posts: 119 Member
    Ok that's a relief ! I hope it is water weight. It's hard to break out of that dieting mind and eating healthy. I'm trying to fight against cutting back on calories again.
  • Graelwyn75
    Graelwyn75 Posts: 4,404 Member
    Ignore the scale for now and just allow your body to adjust. It is inevitable that you will see temporary gain, but you need to keep reminding yourself that unless you are eating 3500 calories over your maintenance, those extra pounds are not going to be fat, but rather water, food still in your digestive system and just your body adapting.
  • VintageFeline
    VintageFeline Posts: 6,771 Member
    Yep, all as above. Particularly if you are switching from low carb, you will naturally see a scale spike. Add on natural fluctuations and just more food in your system and you have ample explanation for 3lbs.
  • Jay9201
    Jay9201 Posts: 119 Member
    Thank you all for your insight on this. It is super hard switching from low carbs to eating without cutting food groups. Thanks again! X
  • Jay9201
    Jay9201 Posts: 119 Member
    Lol calm down guys. I will just have to be consistent with eating 1,300 calories and continue with my workouts and hope I lose the weight.
  • Holly_981
    Holly_981 Posts: 286 Member
    Holly_981 wrote: »
    ndj1979 wrote: »
    Holly_981 wrote: »
    Well surely that feels better than losing weight. When replacing fat with muscle, it's easy to get discouraged but don't let it get you down

    You can't replace fat with muscle...

    Well if she's losing body fat and gaining muscle, how would you word that?

    I'd call it overly optimistic. You don't gain 3lbs of muscle in a couple of weeks as a female even with a perfect lifting program and an excess of calories.

    And if you're "only" losing a few kilos in 12 weeks then you are most certainly not reverse dieting and are in fact probably eating far too little to have such big losses.

    Firstly I'm not here for an argument. Second, she never stated any time frames of the weight gain. Thirdly, I began my reverse diet AFTER my 12 week program ending (4 weeks ago). And the "only" part was me trying to emphasise that weight doesn't always matter when you can lose so much in measurements.
  • Jay9201
    Jay9201 Posts: 119 Member
    Please don't go into an arguments and I've been on the reverse diet for 5 days now with the intermittent fasting (I know ONLY a week) I just stepped on the scale to see if intermittent fasting was working or not. I've taken everything on guys consistency and eating at a calorie deficit is the key :)
  • Jay9201
    Jay9201 Posts: 119 Member
    @livingcleanlivingclean yes I used to measure everything and count the carbs from packages. So unhealthy as I was on the verge of an eating disorder. Worse thing I broke down in the gym as I was hungry but I couldn't figure what to eat and for once I'm eating and enjoying it.

    I think because I've been on reverse dieting for a week it may just be water retention.
  • Jay9201
    Jay9201 Posts: 119 Member
    @deannalfisher I don't want to cut back on carbs otherwise I'm back in the same place do I just stay consistent with how much I'm eating now?
  • deannalfisher
    deannalfisher Posts: 5,600 Member
    Jay9201 wrote: »
    @deannalfisher I don't want to cut back on carbs otherwise I'm back in the same place do I just stay consistent with how much I'm eating now?

    I'm not telling you to cut carbs...at all...I'm saying that when you increase your carbs, there will be an increase in weight because they add additional water weight...that will go away as your body readjusts (FWIW, I do 300+g of carbs most days of the week)
  • Verdenal
    Verdenal Posts: 625 Member
    edited August 2017
    Jay9201 wrote: »
    I need some help fitnesspal fam, I'm gaining weight with reverse dieting!

    I don't know what you mean by "reverse dieting," but with IF you still have to eat only an amount that creates a deficit. I assume you're eating too much for your needs. You should measure and log everything you eat.
  • Jay9201
    Jay9201 Posts: 119 Member
    @livingcleanlivingclean I don't have any medical conditions when I went to the Dr I was referred to the weight loss clinic who put me on meds that made me ill and just said I have a broken metabolism and to cut carbs. I do weigh everything lol that's what I said tracked and weighed every item that why I was on the verge of an eating disorder. That 17kg took me two years to lose it was a very slow weight loss and apparently I should have shed more in two years.

    @deannalfisher I'm going to be consistent and see what happens
  • Jay9201
    Jay9201 Posts: 119 Member
    @Verdenal thank you I can't eat 8 meals that's quite a lot I'm struggling with 3 meals and a snack but I just wanted to know is my weight gain due to me adding carbs into my die again with reverse dieting. Majority have said yes :)
  • mburgess458
    mburgess458 Posts: 480 Member
    Verdenal wrote: »
    Jay9201 wrote: »
    I need some help fitnesspal fam, I'm gaining weight with reverse dieting!

    I don't know what you mean by "reverse dieting," but with IF you still have to eat only an amount that creates a deficit. I assume you're eating too much for your needs. You should measure and log everything you eat.

    "Reverse dieting" is a big thing in the body building community... sort of bro science that you can slowly increase the calories you eat and get your body to burn more in response. So you might be at maintenance at 1,500 calories but want to eat more. Reverse dieting says you can increase calories very slowly (increase CI) and force/encourage/trick your body into increasing your CO so that you keep maintaining... so the goal is to in the end be at maintenance at >1,500 calories.

    You have to be super anal on calories in since the increase in calories is so tiny. Like if you eat 1,500 a day at maintenance start eating 1,545 a day (3% increase) for several weeks, then 1,590 a day for several weeks, etc.

    I'm not saying it works or doesn't work, that's just my understanding of it. Sounds like bro science to me but some people swear by it. I've never tried.
  • Jay9201
    Jay9201 Posts: 119 Member
    @Verdenal reverse dieting is when you up your calories bringing your metabolism out of the low calorie set point it was at. IF is so good I'm hardly hungry and I'm more accountable however I feel eating 3 meals and a snack is too much. I'm still at a calorie deficit as my TDEE is 2129 and I'm meant to be eating 1,500 I'm eating 1,300 max now.
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