Why you gain weight if you eat more than your cut
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michellekicks
Posts: 3,624 Member
This is a re-post because with this new forum section for maintaining weight, I thought I'd like to share what I've come to learn. This has been posted in the main forums as well as in the Eat More to Weigh Less group:
http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/993576-why-you-gain-weight-if-you-eat-more-than-your-cut
ORIGINAL POST:
I answered someone in another topic and it was suggested to me that I give my response its own thread. It seems this is new information for a lot of people and it could potentially relieve a lot of anxiety about weight gain when increasing calories. So for anyone who thinks, "But 1700 calories IS my maintenance amount!" Or, "I must just have a really slow metabolism because when I go over 1200 I gain." ... this post is for you.
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The reason most people think they have to eat so little to maintain their weight is because our bodies naturally store glycogen and water in our muscles. This is the body's ready energy. When you eat at a caloric deficit, the glycogen stores (and the water molecules they must bind to in the cells) are shed first. That's why you get a big loss the first week of any diet. You just depleted your glycogen stores and now the body has no choice but to resort to fat in a continued caloric deficit.
So you keep up your deficit and your body is burning both glucose from the food you're eating and fat from your body (and some lean mass because you're in a deficit and that will just happen anyway) and you finally get to a weight you like. So you increase your calories to stop losing...
Or, you just decide to ditch the caloric deficit for a weekend of eating without discretion...
Or Christmas rolls around or you go on vacation and you eat to satisfaction and maybe a touch more...
... and you find you almost instantly put on 5 lbs.
All that has happened is your body has restored its glycogen stores and the water that glycogen must be stored with. In fact, trained endurance athletes will deliberately store extra glycogen by carb-loading before major events in order to have more energy for sustained effort. The body will, under perfect conditions, store this energy for use. It's part of being human.
So suppose you want to maintain your weight at 125 lbs. You diet down to 125 and then think, "Awesome! I will diligently increase my calories to maintenance." So you were eating 1700 calories/day to lose and you increase to 2000 calories daily... and after 1 week you've put on 1.5 lbs... so you cut back down to 1800 and your weight stays the same but now you're at 126.5... but you want to be 125lbs, so now you're just pissed off. So you go back down to 1500 calories for a week and you get back down to 125lbs. Then you increase by only 100 calories/day for a week and your weight stays the same... so you do it again... and you stay the same. You think, "Yay! I'm maintaining!"... And any time you eat over 1800 calories daily you start to gain again.
Why?
Because your body just wants 5 lbs of glycogen stores. The solution? Cut down to 5 lbs under your target weight and then eat at maintenance. Your body will rebound up to a healthy non-glycogen-depleted state and you'll be able to maintain relatively effortlessly and eat more food.
http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/993576-why-you-gain-weight-if-you-eat-more-than-your-cut
ORIGINAL POST:
I answered someone in another topic and it was suggested to me that I give my response its own thread. It seems this is new information for a lot of people and it could potentially relieve a lot of anxiety about weight gain when increasing calories. So for anyone who thinks, "But 1700 calories IS my maintenance amount!" Or, "I must just have a really slow metabolism because when I go over 1200 I gain." ... this post is for you.
*********************
The reason most people think they have to eat so little to maintain their weight is because our bodies naturally store glycogen and water in our muscles. This is the body's ready energy. When you eat at a caloric deficit, the glycogen stores (and the water molecules they must bind to in the cells) are shed first. That's why you get a big loss the first week of any diet. You just depleted your glycogen stores and now the body has no choice but to resort to fat in a continued caloric deficit.
So you keep up your deficit and your body is burning both glucose from the food you're eating and fat from your body (and some lean mass because you're in a deficit and that will just happen anyway) and you finally get to a weight you like. So you increase your calories to stop losing...
Or, you just decide to ditch the caloric deficit for a weekend of eating without discretion...
Or Christmas rolls around or you go on vacation and you eat to satisfaction and maybe a touch more...
... and you find you almost instantly put on 5 lbs.
All that has happened is your body has restored its glycogen stores and the water that glycogen must be stored with. In fact, trained endurance athletes will deliberately store extra glycogen by carb-loading before major events in order to have more energy for sustained effort. The body will, under perfect conditions, store this energy for use. It's part of being human.
So suppose you want to maintain your weight at 125 lbs. You diet down to 125 and then think, "Awesome! I will diligently increase my calories to maintenance." So you were eating 1700 calories/day to lose and you increase to 2000 calories daily... and after 1 week you've put on 1.5 lbs... so you cut back down to 1800 and your weight stays the same but now you're at 126.5... but you want to be 125lbs, so now you're just pissed off. So you go back down to 1500 calories for a week and you get back down to 125lbs. Then you increase by only 100 calories/day for a week and your weight stays the same... so you do it again... and you stay the same. You think, "Yay! I'm maintaining!"... And any time you eat over 1800 calories daily you start to gain again.
Why?
Because your body just wants 5 lbs of glycogen stores. The solution? Cut down to 5 lbs under your target weight and then eat at maintenance. Your body will rebound up to a healthy non-glycogen-depleted state and you'll be able to maintain relatively effortlessly and eat more food.
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Replies
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Very nicely said. I think it also needs to be said that you need to keep your exercise consistent while maintaining. Can't just bounce around caloric intake and stop exercising. Many people get to maintenance and stop, or ease back on their workouts. It's all one big picture.0
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Nicely explained. I knew after going through 2 previous post-baby weight losses that I needed to go a few pounds past my target because of a bounce back, but I didn't know why. thanks for the post.0
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This might be just me but I've experienced this every time I've decided to let lose a a little (holidays etc) and it's so frustrating. All the weight that instantly reappears seems to go straight onto my belly which is usually relatively flat. I think it actually appears worse when I'm slimmer than when I was a bit bigger. It really gets me down only being able to have a flat stomach if I don't ever eat too much. I am guessing if I lost 5lbs the same thing would probably happen but I don't know and I don't really want to lose any more weight.
I guess my question is if glycogen and corresponding water weight is distributed differently than fat weigh?
If it's not then I guess I just need to lose that 5lbs of fat from my belly to make room for the water?0 -
Very nicely said. I think it also needs to be said that you need to keep your exercise consistent while maintaining. Can't just bounce around caloric intake and stop exercising. Many people get to maintenance and stop, or ease back on their workouts. It's all one big picture.
Guilty of this! That's why I'm back! Glad I ran across this thread so when I do get back down I will be able to maintain properly and not skyrocket back up!0 -
Thanks for re-posting this!0
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Loved this post first time I read it.
I agree that keeping on with regular exercise is key to maintaining health, fitness, and a good body.0 -
I have been searching for this post! Thanks mrsbigmack:-)0
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who cares about weight gain??? its the quality of your bod...not the false scale0
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Bump for later. Thanks!!0
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in to read later0
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So suppose you want to maintain your weight at 125 lbs. You diet down to 125 and then think, "Awesome! I will diligently increase my calories to maintenance." So you were eating 1700 calories/day to lose and you increase to 2000 calories daily... and after 1 week you've put on 1.5 lbs... so you cut back down to 1800 and your weight stays the same but now you're at 126.5... but you want to be 125lbs, so now you're just pissed off. So you go back down to 1500 calories for a week and you get back down to 125lbs. Then you increase by only 100 calories/day for a week and your weight stays the same... so you do it again... and you stay the same. You think, "Yay! I'm maintaining!"... And any time you eat over 1800 calories daily you start to gain again.
Why?
Because your body just wants 5 lbs of glycogen stores. The solution? Cut down to 5 lbs under your target weight and then eat at maintenance. Your body will rebound up to a healthy non-glycogen-depleted state and you'll be able to maintain relatively effortlessly and eat more food.
Such silly advice, it'd be better to tell people to ignore the scale vs giving advice how to stay at a certain weight after reversing up to maintenance0 -
So suppose you want to maintain your weight at 125 lbs. You diet down to 125 and then think, "Awesome! I will diligently increase my calories to maintenance." So you were eating 1700 calories/day to lose and you increase to 2000 calories daily... and after 1 week you've put on 1.5 lbs... so you cut back down to 1800 and your weight stays the same but now you're at 126.5... but you want to be 125lbs, so now you're just pissed off. So you go back down to 1500 calories for a week and you get back down to 125lbs. Then you increase by only 100 calories/day for a week and your weight stays the same... so you do it again... and you stay the same. You think, "Yay! I'm maintaining!"... And any time you eat over 1800 calories daily you start to gain again.
Why?
Because your body just wants 5 lbs of glycogen stores. The solution? Cut down to 5 lbs under your target weight and then eat at maintenance. Your body will rebound up to a healthy non-glycogen-depleted state and you'll be able to maintain relatively effortlessly and eat more food.
Such silly advice, it'd be better to tell people to ignore the scale vs giving advice how to stay at a certain weight after reversing up to maintenance0 -
Ah-ha!! THANK YOU!!! :flowerforyou:0
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Such silly advice, it'd be better to tell people to ignore the scale vs giving advice how to stay at a certain weight after reversing up to maintenance
For the majority of MFP users this is not silly advice, it's exactly what they are looking for. Telling some people to ignore the scale is pointless because they are only interested in getting to a certain weight (even if that means skinny fat) Just because that doesn't apply to you doesn't give you the right to dismiss it entirely. Notice nearly everyone before you thanked the OP for the post?
*Thanks OP0 -
Such silly advice, it'd be better to tell people to ignore the scale vs giving advice how to stay at a certain weight after reversing up to maintenance
For the majority of MFP users this is not silly advice, it's exactly what they are looking for. Telling some people to ignore the scale is pointless because they are only interested in getting to a certain weight (even if that means skinny fat) Just because that doesn't apply to you doesn't give you the right to dismiss it entirely. Notice nearly everyone before you thanked the OP for the post?
*Thanks OP
If advice is further going to perpetuate that the scale number is the be all end all, then yes it silly advice.0 -
Sure in a perfect world we would all ignore the scale. But given that I know there are countless people who are not ignoring the scale, I wanted to she's light on the reasons why these small gains are happening. Maybe once those who are maintaining using scale values to gauge their success feel confident that their weight is indeed stable, then they will feel more comfortable with the knowledge that they've found the correct caloric intake for them.0
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I
you. 0 -
Nothing to add except that when I first saw the thread title I had some lint in my eye and I thought the title was "Why you gain weight if you eat more than your cat" and all I could think was "WTF???"0
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Sure in a perfect world we would all ignore the scale. But given that I know there are countless people who are not ignoring the scale, I wanted to she's light on the reasons why these small gains are happening. Maybe once those who are maintaining using scale values to gauge their success feel confident that their weight is indeed stable, then they will feel more comfortable with the knowledge that they've found the correct caloric intake for them.
So where does the 5lb figure come from? Thin air? Esp for people who already have unrealistic goal weights, now you're telling them to cut even further so they can maintain their goal weight after moving to maintenance. Just going to create a whole mess of neurotic idiots focused on scale weight. ZOMG i'm up 5.3lbs, that must mean I gained .3lbs of fat, better cut cals and take it off!0
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