Tried to bulk but lost weight?

digidoomed

Hello. So every time I think I have this figured out, I get thrown for a loop. I recently went home for a break for a week and ended up staying another week due to circumstances. I decided to use the two weeks to try to bulk so I could build some more muscle since I was very stressed and didn't have the motivation to follow my normal 1300 cal a day schedule. Anyway, I don't know exactly how much calories I ate each day, but I was definitely eating more than I usually do. Fast forward to now when I return from my break and decided to weigh myself to see the damage. Somehow, I lost two pounds. I don't understand why sometimes it will be hard for me to lose weight eating 1300 cals a day but when I decide to let loose, I either lose or stay in the same spot. Should I be increasing my daily cals? Increasing? Not sure.

jemhh

Hard to tell without more info. It's possible you were carrying some water weight due to eating at 1300 for an extended period. Or you could have lost water weight due to less exercise. Or you could have been more active than normal. The possibilities are endless.

kimny72

Are you using a food scale?

We as human beings are generally awful at estimating our intake. Commit to logging accurately and consistently using a food scale to determine your portions for at least 4-6 weeks.

Also double check that the entries you are using in the database are correct. Many are user entered and wrong.

If you aren't losing on 1300 cals, and you aren't very short and sedentary, you are probably eating more than you think. Luckily, this is a really easy thing to fix!

sardelsa

Did you take a break from working out? Did you drink less/more water? It could be anything.

I would call it more a break than a bulk though.. gaining muscle takes a lot of time and consistency, definitely more than two weeks.

What are your stats and goals?

RoxieDawn

How you were handling calories up to and during the break? Were you in a deficit before this two weeks began? Did you weigh and log calories during this 2 weeks?

For myself reversing from a deficit I can still continue to lose a little weight when reaching maintenance, so unless you know for sure your maintenance number are you sure you were in a surplus? Maybe its more of a reverse diet/refeed you did and your body responded in that aspect.

Secondly, it would be very hard to see any results from 2 weeks you are describing. And gains, not muscle gains exclusively, it takes my body time to make a shift as in 2-3 weeks to see any measurable change in scale weight and even then I need about 4 weeks to see a trend.

Could any of this just a shift in water weight from dietary (less carbs/sodium), time of the month etc. etc.

Lastly, to answer your question in increasing cals, what are you goals now?