I am somehow gaining weight on a calorie deficit..
Replies
-
So basically you have lost about 15 lbs in a month and a half? Like you said, you lost a lot (some of it water) right off the bat, and now that's leveling out a bit and masking the ongoing fat loss. No biggie... give it time. In actuality, your weight loss has been a little too aggressive. Accurately logging your food is important, as others have pointed out, but I seriously doubt you are overeating based on what you have described and you are certainly not overeating to the point of a 10,000+ calorie surplus over a few days, which is what it would take to have gained 3 lbs of fat.
Edited to add: I was just using those numbers as an example.9 -
OP, I noticed that you are in disbelief that your meal could possibly exceed 1,200 calories. Let's say it's exactly as you say:
8 oz grilled chicken ~374 calories
1/2 cup boiled long grain white rice ~100 calories
1 cup canned black beans ~227 calories
That's a total dinner of just about 700 calories, which is not bad.
I'm going to pretend that my boyfriend just cooked this, which is a normal dinner for me. Double that rice, because you eyeballed it and it's probably closer to a normal human serving size of 1 cup. Add a tablespoon of extra virgin olive oil to sauteed the chicken in. Add a half-cup of chicken stock to the rice and a half tablespoon of butter because no one likes super bland food.
Congrats, you just added 332 calories to your dinner and it's 1,032 calories. That's how easy it is to mismeasure.
That being said - I don't think you've gained ten pounds in a week. That's ridiculous and outside the realm of possibility. Sometimes the idea of weight loss gets overwhelming, just take a chill pill. The MFP community has your back 16 -
Just remember OP, that when it comes to troubleshooting, the first answer to your thread title should be something you accept first: You are not somehow gaining weight fat while in a deficit. See what I did there? That part is more important than simply semantics. It should help you reset what you are looking for, why time matters, and how to ensure that you are actually in a deficit. Meaning that food scale accuracy, understanding fluctuations and how the overall process works, and yes, the differentiation between weight and fat is important.2
-
stanmann571 wrote: »awesometin wrote: »
3. Started April 24, 2018 till now.
And it's been less than 1 month.
Trust the process, give the process time to work.
Sorry, I did the timewarp back to May 12th.
Ok, so it's been 6 weeks. My bad. and you're 8 lbs down.
Right on track.
Still probably want to tighten up your logging.
If you've been outside in the last couple weeks, that could have resulted in up to 5-6 extra lbs of water weight.
Yeah, Sunburn/Heat exposure can have that large of an impact, and for up to a week or more.10 -
awesometin wrote: »Thanks everyone for the input! Now to answer some of the questions but without quoting.
My scale is just in the bathroom with hardwood floors.
Thanks for the link to food scales. But it sounds like your suggesting I am taking in much more calories than I am. Let's say I am. I have two shakes throughout the week daily. Breakfast and lunch. 150 each. That is 300 calories. I know this because it's on the label and barcode scanner. My daily allowed intake is 1540 now.
Are the shakes powder mix or bottled?
Weigh a scoop of the powder. It can be off by as much as 50%. Now you're at 225 per shake or almost 500 for the two of them.
And that's if you're not "heaping" the scoop. a little heap can add another 20% or so. Now you're at 300 per shake
10 -
stanmann571 wrote: »awesometin wrote: »Thanks everyone for the input! Now to answer some of the questions but without quoting.
My scale is just in the bathroom with hardwood floors.
Thanks for the link to food scales. But it sounds like your suggesting I am taking in much more calories than I am. Let's say I am. I have two shakes throughout the week daily. Breakfast and lunch. 150 each. That is 300 calories. I know this because it's on the label and barcode scanner. My daily allowed intake is 1540 now.
Are the shakes powder mix or bottled?
Weigh a scoop of the powder. It can be off by as much as 50%. Now you're at 225 per shake or almost 500 for the two of them.
I'm sure you have too, but I've actually done this at home with the scoop that comes with my protein powder and found it to be true. It holds about twice as much as the label would lead one to expect.9 -
janejellyroll wrote: »stanmann571 wrote: »awesometin wrote: »Thanks everyone for the input! Now to answer some of the questions but without quoting.
My scale is just in the bathroom with hardwood floors.
Thanks for the link to food scales. But it sounds like your suggesting I am taking in much more calories than I am. Let's say I am. I have two shakes throughout the week daily. Breakfast and lunch. 150 each. That is 300 calories. I know this because it's on the label and barcode scanner. My daily allowed intake is 1540 now.
Are the shakes powder mix or bottled?
Weigh a scoop of the powder. It can be off by as much as 50%. Now you're at 225 per shake or almost 500 for the two of them.
I'm sure you have too, but I've actually done this at home with the scoop that comes with my protein powder and found it to be true. It holds about twice as much as the label would lead one to expect.
It was one of the reasons I switched away from shakes for a while.0 -
Wow so much information here and at work so excuse the delays.
As far as the chicken question..it's just boiled. I went boring lol. Boiled and nothing else added. From the water, it is shredded and served. I sometimes put pico on it (1 teaspoon) just for flavor but that is it.
I am a nazi when it comes to logging..(can I say that???). I have logged eating just two chips from a bag of chips. It's not the logging. I understand how important logging is.8 oz grilled chicken ~374 calories
1/2 cup boiled long grain white rice ~100 calories
1 cup canned black beans ~227 calories
That's a total dinner of just about 700 calories, which is not bad.
I never said grilled, it's boiled.
I don't do a cup of black beans. I do half a cup.
I measure after it is cooked.
I do not eat back my calories from exercise. Usually scared to. At the end of every night, I put on a weight vest and play this boxing VR game and usually sweat a good bit, drink water and watch some tv before going to bed.
Maybe I just need to wait it out. I know I can't be overeating. I am living off shakes lol.5 -
awesometin wrote: »Wow so much information here and at work so excuse the delays.
It's a forum, don't worry about instant response. The thread will be here for you later. And we're on your side!
5 -
I'm very cautious to say this, but you may need to eat more. At least weigh and make sure you are hitting 1500 calories daily. With all your activity, you should probably be eating way more than 1500 calories per day. You have to fuel your body and you sound like you are not. (I am not saying "starvation mode" cuz that's not a thing, but adaptive thermogenesis is.)
I'm 43 years old, female, lift heavy 5 days a week, and can lose easily on 1800 calories per day. My TDEE is ~2700 calories per day.11 -
My shakes are not powder ones. I drink the protein ones that come bottled already. Some days it's Slimfast and other days it's premier.1
-
quiksylver296 wrote: »I'm very cautious to say this, but you may need to eat more. At least weigh and make sure you are hitting 1500 calories daily. With all your activity, you should probably be eating way more than 1500 calories per day. You have to fuel your body and you sound like you are not. (I am not saying "starvation mode" cuz that's not a thing, but adaptive thermogenesis is.)
I'm 43 years old, female, lift heavy 5 days a week, and can lose easily on 1800 calories per day. My TDEE is ~2700 calories per day.
Eating more just makes me feel guilty. I feel bad enough when I eat up to my calories on the weekend. You are lifting though and so your body is burning more calories. I am not so I don't think I can compare.0 -
awesometin wrote: »quiksylver296 wrote: »I'm very cautious to say this, but you may need to eat more. At least weigh and make sure you are hitting 1500 calories daily. With all your activity, you should probably be eating way more than 1500 calories per day. You have to fuel your body and you sound like you are not. (I am not saying "starvation mode" cuz that's not a thing, but adaptive thermogenesis is.)
I'm 43 years old, female, lift heavy 5 days a week, and can lose easily on 1800 calories per day. My TDEE is ~2700 calories per day.
Eating more just makes me feel guilty. I feel bad enough when I eat up to my calories on the weekend. You are lifting though and so your body is burning more calories. I am not so I don't think I can compare.
You still have to fuel your body and your activity.
Which is one of the reasons it's good to weigh everything. You may be closer to the 1500 than you think you are.4 -
It's probably been said already (didn't bother reading the entire thread) but, if you are gaining weight, you are NOT in a calorie deficit.
You just need to accept CICO to understand that and the solution is simply to eat less and/or exercise more.
6 -
It's probably been said already (didn't bother reading the entire thread) but, if you are gaining weight, you are NOT in a calorie deficit.
You just need to accept CICO to understand that and the solution is simply to eat less and/or exercise more.
So below 1500 (some days just drink 3 shakes and it's about 500 calories) but still not in a calorie deficit? Hmm ok.1 -
Take a day to weigh everything you eat and compare it to your eye-balled days. It can't hurt (you'll be out money for the food scale, but it has other uses).4
-
OP, you've already gotten lots of great info. I just wanted to add...
Your diet sounds kind of miserable to me, but is that the way YOU like to eat? Because if you lose weight eating like this, what are you going to do to maintain? It can be really helpful to find a way to eat that will keep you at the right calorie level for the rest of your life that you enjoy. So many people struggle through restrictive diets and then gain it all back because they still don't really know how to eat normally.
I hear a lot of guilt and frustration in your posts about food. You need to work on that. Food is fuel, and it can be a pleasure. There is no reason to feel guilty about eating yummy food. There is no reason to feel guilty for eating an appropriate number of calories.
For most of us, the food scale made dieting so much easier. No guessing, no wondering, no rounding. Just good accurate data.
Double check the entries that you are using in the database are correct. Note that the info for cooked chicken and raw chicken are different, so use the entry that matches the state you weighed it in. Even when you scan food, it isn't taking the info off the item, it's finding a similar entry in the database, and it isn't always right.
It's not a race, and weight loss isn't linear. If you are set to lose 2 lbs per week, that's too aggressive for your stats. Take a deep breath, take some times to let all this info marinate in your brain, and good luck!24 -
Take a day to weigh everything you eat and compare it to your eye-balled days. It can't hurt (you'll be out money for the food scale, but it has other uses).
I'll take that advice. from the sounds of it the weight change happens and shouldn't worry too much as long as I am still in a deficit. Not going to take the advice of eating much less than I already am. Seems like I would just end up binging eventually.1 -
OP, you've already gotten lots of great info. I just wanted to add...
Your diet sounds kind of miserable to me, but is that the way YOU like to eat? Because if you lose weight eating like this, what are you going to do to maintain? It can be really helpful to find a way to eat that will keep you at the right calorie level for the rest of your life that you enjoy. So many people struggle through restrictive diets and then gain it all back because they still don't really know how to eat normally.
I hear a lot of guilt and frustration in your posts about food. You need to work on that. Food is fuel, and it can be a pleasure. There is no reason to feel guilty about eating yummy food. There is no reason to feel guilty for eating an appropriate number of calories.
For most of us, the food scale made dieting so much easier. No guessing, no wondering, no rounding. Just good accurate data.
Double check the entries that you are using in the database are correct. Note that the info for cooked chicken and raw chicken are different, so use the entry that matches the state you weighed it in. Even when you scan food, it isn't taking the info off the item, it's finding a similar entry in the database, and it isn't always right.
It's not a race, and weight loss isn't linear. If you are set to lose 2 lbs per week, that's too aggressive for your stats. Take a deep breath, take some times to let all this info marinate in your brain, and good luck!
Thanks for all the info! So far everyone in here helped. Except the "too long didn't read, eat less" post lol.1 -
awesometin wrote: »It's probably been said already (didn't bother reading the entire thread) but, if you are gaining weight, you are NOT in a calorie deficit.
You just need to accept CICO to understand that and the solution is simply to eat less and/or exercise more.
So below 1500 (some days just drink 3 shakes and it's about 500 calories) but still not in a calorie deficit? Hmm ok.
Are you worried about the cortisol from putting so much stress on your body contributing to higher water weight fluctuations? 500 calories some days combined with guilt over reaching 1500 calories is a big red flag.8 -
awesometin wrote: »
Thanks for all the info! So far everyone in here helped. Except the "too long didn't read, eat less" post lol.
I may have missed a post, but I didn't see anyone tell you to eat less. What the posters saying that you are not in a deficit mean is that you are likely eating more than you think you are because you are not weighing your food. So you think you are eating 1500 calories, but you are actually eating more than that. Try weighing everything that goes in your mouth for a few week, then reassess.
4 -
diannethegeek wrote: »awesometin wrote: »It's probably been said already (didn't bother reading the entire thread) but, if you are gaining weight, you are NOT in a calorie deficit.
You just need to accept CICO to understand that and the solution is simply to eat less and/or exercise more.
So below 1500 (some days just drink 3 shakes and it's about 500 calories) but still not in a calorie deficit? Hmm ok.
Are you worried about the cortisol from putting so much stress on your body contributing to higher water weight fluctuations? 500 calories some days combined with guilt over reaching 1500 calories is a big red flag.
cortisol? The steroid? Sorry not understanding this post much. I somedays just don't feel like eating is all. Or by the time I am really hungry the day has gone by and it's already like 11pm and don't want to eat and sleep for fear of gaining.0 -
OP, you've already gotten lots of great info. I just wanted to add...
Your diet sounds kind of miserable to me, but is that the way YOU like to eat? Because if you lose weight eating like this, what are you going to do to maintain? It can be really helpful to find a way to eat that will keep you at the right calorie level for the rest of your life that you enjoy. So many people struggle through restrictive diets and then gain it all back because they still don't really know how to eat normally.
I hear a lot of guilt and frustration in your posts about food. You need to work on that. Food is fuel, and it can be a pleasure. There is no reason to feel guilty about eating yummy food. There is no reason to feel guilty for eating an appropriate number of calories.
For most of us, the food scale made dieting so much easier. No guessing, no wondering, no rounding. Just good accurate data.
Double check the entries that you are using in the database are correct. Note that the info for cooked chicken and raw chicken are different, so use the entry that matches the state you weighed it in. Even when you scan food, it isn't taking the info off the item, it's finding a similar entry in the database, and it isn't always right.
It's not a race, and weight loss isn't linear. If you are set to lose 2 lbs per week, that's too aggressive for your stats. Take a deep breath, take some times to let all this info marinate in your brain, and good luck!
It seems like every day that I am actively posting here (which is not as much as many others), I can always find a post from @kimny72 where I can say this:
She is right. She is always right. I would echo the parts above that I made bold, but agree with every word. Relax and trust the process. The process works. The only time it appears not to is when people are not actually doing it.10 -
awesometin wrote: »diannethegeek wrote: »awesometin wrote: »It's probably been said already (didn't bother reading the entire thread) but, if you are gaining weight, you are NOT in a calorie deficit.
You just need to accept CICO to understand that and the solution is simply to eat less and/or exercise more.
So below 1500 (some days just drink 3 shakes and it's about 500 calories) but still not in a calorie deficit? Hmm ok.
Are you worried about the cortisol from putting so much stress on your body contributing to higher water weight fluctuations? 500 calories some days combined with guilt over reaching 1500 calories is a big red flag.
cortisol? The steroid? Sorry not understanding this post much. I somedays just don't feel like eating is all. Or by the time I am really hungry the day has gone by and it's already like 11pm and don't want to eat and sleep for fear of gaining.
If you're under your calories, hungry, and afraid to eat, that doesn't sound like fun.
Eating and sleeping doesn't cause weight gain. Your body uses energy all night, even when you're sleeping. As long as it doesn't give you heartburn or make it harder for you to sleep, you don't have to be afraid of eating before bed.6 -
janejellyroll wrote: »awesometin wrote: »diannethegeek wrote: »awesometin wrote: »It's probably been said already (didn't bother reading the entire thread) but, if you are gaining weight, you are NOT in a calorie deficit.
You just need to accept CICO to understand that and the solution is simply to eat less and/or exercise more.
So below 1500 (some days just drink 3 shakes and it's about 500 calories) but still not in a calorie deficit? Hmm ok.
Are you worried about the cortisol from putting so much stress on your body contributing to higher water weight fluctuations? 500 calories some days combined with guilt over reaching 1500 calories is a big red flag.
cortisol? The steroid? Sorry not understanding this post much. I somedays just don't feel like eating is all. Or by the time I am really hungry the day has gone by and it's already like 11pm and don't want to eat and sleep for fear of gaining.
If you're under your calories, hungry, and afraid to eat, that doesn't sound like fun.
Eating and sleeping doesn't cause weight gain. Your body uses energy all night, even when you're sleeping. As long as it doesn't give you heartburn or make it harder for you to sleep, you don't have to be afraid of eating before bed.
I have been lied to my whole life! LOL I was already told growing up eating before going to bed can make you fat so I always avoided.5 -
do you eat this every single day?
And to reiterate what others have said already, guessing or using cups to measure is unreliable so get a food scale - you won't regret it.1 -
awesometin wrote: »janejellyroll wrote: »awesometin wrote: »diannethegeek wrote: »awesometin wrote: »It's probably been said already (didn't bother reading the entire thread) but, if you are gaining weight, you are NOT in a calorie deficit.
You just need to accept CICO to understand that and the solution is simply to eat less and/or exercise more.
So below 1500 (some days just drink 3 shakes and it's about 500 calories) but still not in a calorie deficit? Hmm ok.
Are you worried about the cortisol from putting so much stress on your body contributing to higher water weight fluctuations? 500 calories some days combined with guilt over reaching 1500 calories is a big red flag.
cortisol? The steroid? Sorry not understanding this post much. I somedays just don't feel like eating is all. Or by the time I am really hungry the day has gone by and it's already like 11pm and don't want to eat and sleep for fear of gaining.
If you're under your calories, hungry, and afraid to eat, that doesn't sound like fun.
Eating and sleeping doesn't cause weight gain. Your body uses energy all night, even when you're sleeping. As long as it doesn't give you heartburn or make it harder for you to sleep, you don't have to be afraid of eating before bed.
I have been lied to my whole life! LOL I was already told growing up eating before going to bed can make you fat so I always avoided.
It's a total myth! Eat before bed, live your best life!
Sometimes people say to avoid eating before bed because a lot of what people eat at night is unplanned and in addition to the food they already ate. But if it's within your calorie goals, don't worry about it.5 -
LivingtheLeanDream wrote: »do you eat this every single day?
And to reiterate what others have said already, guessing or using cups to measure is unreliable so get a food scale - you won't regret it.
I do eat that just about daily. Always have several meals already made. I am aware of all the post that I need to now get a food scale. But I am eating the same thing practically every day. My last meal of day is not 1200+ so I must not be going over.
Also someone asked,
I only drink water and my shake. Not fruit shake. Mostly slimfast style shakes. Replacement meals. No soda or anything like that.
Well..I had one beer this weekend lol4 -
Thanks for the help all. I will weigh myself in a couple of weeks and see how it goes. I will try to be less miserable on my food but hard to when you let yourself go -.- used to weigh 135 when I was 18. Now 28 and I have a "dad body" lol. Please don't take offense if you're a dad and are fit. It was a joke..that joke didn't go well a while ago with one of my friends.2
-
Oh ok I was thinking how could someone eat the same thing day in day out without sickening themselves of it.
It is hard to believe your meal could be 1200. What about the shakes - are you mixing them with milk? Adding anything else to them? Do they come in pre measured sachets?0
Categories
- All Categories
- 1.4M Health, Wellness and Goals
- 393.4K Introduce Yourself
- 43.8K Getting Started
- 260.2K Health and Weight Loss
- 175.9K Food and Nutrition
- 47.4K Recipes
- 232.5K Fitness and Exercise
- 426 Sleep, Mindfulness and Overall Wellness
- 6.5K Goal: Maintaining Weight
- 8.5K Goal: Gaining Weight and Body Building
- 153K Motivation and Support
- 8K Challenges
- 1.3K Debate Club
- 96.3K Chit-Chat
- 2.5K Fun and Games
- 3.7K MyFitnessPal Information
- 24 News and Announcements
- 1.1K Feature Suggestions and Ideas
- 2.6K MyFitnessPal Tech Support Questions