5'6" moderately active, weight gain on 1700 calories?

mollie600
mollie600 Posts: 7
in Motivation and Support
Hi everyone! This is my first post in mfp after being an off-and- on member for a couple of years! I have been logging my calories for about 2 months now but only started logging them on mfp about 1 week ago... But the calories I have eaten and the exercise I have done have remained the same no matter where or how I was counting them!

Anyway, recently I have had no success with weightloss!
I am a 5'6" 18 year old and weigh about 142 lbs (65 kg). I exercise at least six days a week for at least an hour, usually I do zumba for my cardio and on weights days, I lift for 45- 60 mins and go on the exercise bike for half an hour...

I am a student though, so besides walking 15 mins either way from the train to uni and back, I am quite sedentary during the day.

I would like to weigh 130lbs but right now I am just not losing ANY weight! I rarely ever eat junk food and a typical day for me looks like this:
Breakfast: 50g muesli with 100g non fat greek yoghurt
Snack: apple
Lunch: tuna sandwich with tomato and cucumber
Snack: banana
Dinner: whatever my family is having (but I exercise portion control and still count calories for that)

I just don't understand why I am seeming to gain weight!?

Replies

  • snazzyjazzy21
    snazzyjazzy21 Posts: 1,298 Member
    I can fluctuate 5lbs easily if I don't keep my water intake up. How much do you usually drink?
  • mollie600
    mollie600 Posts: 7
    I have gained about 3 kg (roughly 7 pounds) there were some slip ups along the way but not enough for that much gain!
    I usually drink between 1.8- 2.5 L per day :)
  • ericdcruz118
    ericdcruz118 Posts: 14 Member
    Hi !! I checked your diary and it seems that you're consuming a lot of carbs.. that's most likely the reason why you're gaining weight instead of losing it. to lose weight you have to cut the carbs a lot below 50g would be ideal.. and just take in a lot of protein.. also ease up on sodium.. hope this helps
  • LaxRunLift
    LaxRunLift Posts: 8 Member
    to lose weight you have to cut the carbs a lot below 50g would be ideal..

    Not to be argumentative but that's false. With some people it can help to reduce carbs, but it's almost never necessary, especially with those above a certain body fat % threshold.
  • mollie600
    mollie600 Posts: 7
    I am actually studying nutrition and trying to stick to the recommended serves of carbohydrates per day 4-5 for someone my age... But also because if I don't eat carbs I get grumpy and I would rather lose weight slowly than be grumpy :( but I always thought, while eating less carbs may make you lose weight faster, they wouldn't make you gain weight if you are eating a deficit?
  • LaxRunLift
    LaxRunLift Posts: 8 Member
    If you just started working out within the past week or two, you may be holding onto water weight, which will drop eventually. You could try focusing on your measurements instead of your weight for a more accurate depiction of fat loss. At the very least, you'll feel better :smile:
  • mollie600
    mollie600 Posts: 7
    Thanks bring on the cha :) I will definitely start to do this instead of weighing myself!
    I have actually been exercising consistently for about a year now so it isnt new to my body, but i've never lifted free weights before so i guess this could cause some water retention!
  • guessrs
    guessrs Posts: 358 Member
    You are doing everything right. I recently went from 145 to 137. I tried everything to get to 137, the only thing that worked was cutting my calories and portions. My body responds when I eat less. I picked my foods meticulously, low cal, low fat, low sugar and very filling: porridge, fruits, veggies, grilled chicken etc. After two weeks of that I was happily back to what you are eating above and maintaining 137. Sometimes it's also just time of the month. I seem to lose in chunks of 5 pounds once a month. I also think once we get to lower weight, it gets harder to lose.
  • mollie600
    mollie600 Posts: 7
    You might have something there with TOM guessrs! I am due in 3 days so hopefully I'll see the losses in another week or so! Until then I guess I should keep going strong as always!
    So are you suggesting to eat lower calories for a couple of weeks and then up the calories again? That seems like a good idea :)

    I agree- I fluctuate between 23.7-24% body fat at the moment, so I guess it is a matter of the "small things" adding up!

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