Creeping weight gain
Replies
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psychod787 wrote: »LivingtheLeanDream wrote: »If you were truly eating 1700+300 cals a day with all that activity you would not be gaining.
Go back to the drawing board, track and log everything/use food scales etc - in other words tighten your logging again.
TDEE is Total Daily Energy Expenditure.
For a guy with your activity level you should be talking a TDEE of 2500+ cals - that's without knowing your height/age.
You are eating more than you think you are
(I'm petite 5ft 2/125lbs and maintain on 1900-2000 - and I'm not as active as you)
The only thing about tdee calculators are, they do not take into account dieting history, metabolic slow down, muscle adaptation. It sucks, but its true.
But ya gotta start somewhere. Find the number, track it for a month or so, and adjust based on results.7 -
rvmyerscmi wrote: »I already get dizzy and loose focus during the day, which sucks BTW. I've tried cutting down more, but then I start getting hand tremors and I just have to have something. When I was at my all-time low in the 130's I could barely function and I'm starting to feel that way again.
This would concern me. If you're getting dizzy at maintenance calories something's not right. How tall are you that you got down to 130? And why are you eating so little you're losing focus during the day?
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quiksylver296 wrote: »psychod787 wrote: »LivingtheLeanDream wrote: »If you were truly eating 1700+300 cals a day with all that activity you would not be gaining.
Go back to the drawing board, track and log everything/use food scales etc - in other words tighten your logging again.
TDEE is Total Daily Energy Expenditure.
For a guy with your activity level you should be talking a TDEE of 2500+ cals - that's without knowing your height/age.
You are eating more than you think you are
(I'm petite 5ft 2/125lbs and maintain on 1900-2000 - and I'm not as active as you)
The only thing about tdee calculators are, they do not take into account dieting history, metabolic slow down, muscle adaptation. It sucks, but its true.
But ya gotta start somewhere. Find the number, track it for a month or so, and adjust based on results.
true... soo true.... I guess we could go get a double water test done! lol BTW that picture, damn! You are my hero! You are buff!1 -
You mentioned a couple of times that you've increased exercise recently. You haven't answered my question about it which was trying to guage increase of activity vs potential reduction in NEAT.
In any case.
if you've increased exercise recently it absolutely is possible that you are showing water retention because of it.
If you're showing 5lbs up... is that a trend from an app or a once a month weigh in?
How often do you weigh?
5lbs is within normal variation especially with exercise increase in the mix.
The part where you're feeling the shakes/low energy etc. These are signs, to me, especially combined with you being a long term dieter, of adaptive thermogenesis, and yes, you probably ought to be looking at the re-feeds and diet breaks thread.
Your activity level comes in at above very active based on your description. We're talking an activity multiplier of 1.9+ x BMR. So well over 2500 Cal a day would be your expected expenditure.
The chances of you under-estimating your intake are very high. This does not mean that the warning signs of having the shakes or mental effects from under-eating get to be discounted because your intake is miscalculated. Your calories out are also under-estimated too, and no-where near as low as 2000.4 -
The only metric I have for activity, and if I’m being a slacker, is my Apple Watch. I have my Move goal at 500 and it used to be 4-5 in the afternoon before I would hit it. Now, I’m hitting it before noon. Today was at 7:30am. A few months ago my daily Move total ended up between 550 and 650. Now, it’s usually over 700 at the end of the day,
When I look at that, I suspect I’ve overestimated just how much additional exercise I’m really doing. Adding 100 or so Move points really isn’t that much. Maybe it’s just “winter weight” since it continues to be cold and miserable here (Illinois, USA). Once it gets warmer and I can walk more outside we’ll see if thing improve. “Continue to monitor” is probably the only thing to do for now.0 -
I highly doubt that you are eating 1,700 calories and gaining weight when your TDEE is 2,600 calories.
Eating out 95% of the time and trying to track calorie intake accurately is not a viable combo.5 -
rvmyerscmi wrote: »Changed the diary setting. I track components for most places, not menu items. The ones I do are simple enough that I can feel confident that I'm logging them accurately. Nothing I order is standard. I customize everything or supplement with my own items. I go to the same places all the time to the point that at many, I don't even have to order. They know me and I just say, "the usual" and they know what to bring out.
Is there a reason that tightening up your logging is the thing you don't want to address? Much easier to fix an eating issue than an exercise issue.
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There's a few reasons I don't want to change my logging system. First is because it's been successful for years. I have standardized my meals and curated things to be workable for me. I've been doing this for nearly 5 years, every day, no breaks. I've developed this system over a long time. It would take two pages to outline my entire system. Believe me, my friends mock me for it. However, most of them have stopped using MFP a long time ago. I guess I don't use MFP in a "traditional" fashion. I call my system "mindful eating". It's my way of keeping portions sensible and watching that things don't "creep up". It's also a way to look up new things to see how they might fit in. I just did one of these today. My veggie bowls lack crunchiness. I got to thinking, "maybe adding water chestnuts to them would be a nice addition". MFP allowed me to look up water chestnuts, get a sense for what they do calorically and nutritionally, and determine how much I might want to add. This was very helpful and an example of how I use the app.
Secondly, if you're approaching things from a scientific perspective, you don't change two variables at the same time. Food has been consistent for years, weight has been consistent for years. The only change is increased intensity in my workouts. That's why the creeping weight gain was surprising.
More on that later . . .
Finally, It's philosophical as well. There's more to all this than just "logging". We're getting off-topic but MFP is kinda lousy for maintenance. The crazy "You gained one pound this week" reminders and to some extent even the daily numbers at the top of the log really aren't helpful to one's mindset. It would be nice if there was a way to set it up for weekly totals, not daily totals. The daily counts lead to worrying about eating a cookie because "well, that wrecked my day". It also leads to this goofy concept of a "Cheat day" . WTH is that?!?!? "Cheating", by definition, would be altering things outside of the rules to your benefit. In this case, the only way to cheat would be to go in to the app and adjust the numbers so things counted for less than they were. I see a lot of people quit because the daily pressure is psychologically damaging to achieving their long term goals. Consistency over time is the important thing, not what you ate on any given day. Be on a lifestyle change mission, not a "diet" mission, people! Friends who knew me back when I was pushing 300 pounds ask me all the time, "Hey, I want to lose 20 pounds, how do I do it? The first thing I as them is, "Why?" Does losing 19 make you a failure? What happens when you hit 20? Are you "done"? I preach lifestyle, not "diet". Ye gads, I hate that word!
Ok, rant off.
On to some better news regarding weight gain. This morning's weigh-in I was down over 3 pounds. Still at the high end of my normal range but within it so it's good to see the drop. It also matches a weight from last October so, over an extended time, I may still be consistent. The winter doldrums may indeed be playing a part. Since I have upped my workouts I would hope that I do gain some muscle and that might eventually influence my weight as well. I could believe I gained a pound or so of muscle since upping my workouts, I wasn't believing 4-5 pounds. Time will tell. I'm a lot more content with my "continue to monitor" plan today after the weigh-in.
Plus, even us long-termer's can freak out once in a while. Thanks for everyone's input!
Remember, it's a journey, not a destination!!8 -
I am in the same boat as you (although I only had to lose 40 pounds). For me, it's exercise. If I don't walk an hour a day I gain weight. It does not matter what I eat. It happens every winter when there's too much ice to walk to work. Started walking again and the weight came off. Good luck.4
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Could it be age related? We slow down as we age.6
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I am in the same boat as you (although I only had to lose 40 pounds). For me, it's exercise. If I don't walk an hour a day I gain weight. It does not matter what I eat. It happens every winter when there's too much ice to walk to work. Started walking again and the weight came off. Good luck.
There is some research that shows exercise helps control hunger and metabolismljopurcell wrote: »Could it be age related? We slow down as we age.
Usually from lean mass loss. That's what I read.0 -
Illuminating!!!!0
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First, I hope to be a rigid maintainer like you when I get to goal weight.
Last, There's lots of good advice above, but one missing that guys our age should consider. Do you get annual physical and make sure all the tests are normal? Any family history of anything these tests may not catch. Maybe get and endocrinologist and check the testosterone.2 -
Yep. And I just had a CBC about a month ago. Other than my frustratingly low RBC, everything is normal.0
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