Increased cals from 1200 to 1500 and have gained significantly every day since

purple4sure05

Hey guys, really stressed at the moment and not sure what to do. I've been eating 1200 calories gross for 3 months. I work out for over an hour 6 days a week running two and a half miles, walking quickly at an incline, and strength training. I'm 5'6 and around 131 pounds.

I decided I needed to increase my calories and start slowing down my weight loss as I transition to maintenance, so I went up to 1500 after a "cheat" meal which was all logged and left me around 1500 cals net. So nothing too crazy.

The day after my cheat meal I was 59.3 kg (1 kg is 2.2 pounds)
The next day 59.7
Then 59.8
Then 59.8
Then 60
Now today I'm in at 60.4?!

I need to add that my weight never fluctuates like this. I've seen it go up a maximum of .2 kg ever.

Yes I weigh every single thing I eat on a scale. Including oil. My diet has stayed almost identical with an addition of a couple wafer cookies and popcorn or a small portion of spring rolls.

This is 1500 gross as well which means 1200 net at the most with exercise cals.

What am I doing wrong I want to just go back to 1200 before I ruin all my hard work. I was losing 1.5 to 2.2 pounds a week before and now I've gained every day for almost a week.

cheryldumais

Just a thought here but could it be partially increased waste in your system? You are likely eating more quantity and unless you are using the restroom more often that would definately increase what is in your digestive system. The next thought is water due to increased intake - just your body reacting to it? You haven't really gained a substantial amount but I understand that the 60 vs 59 seems like a huge jump. I would give it some time and just wait to see if your body settles.

TavistockToad

I don't think that's significant weight gain, but normal fluctuations and gain from increasing your calories/carbs.

cwolfman13

That's not significant weight gain. You're eating more, so you're going to have more inherent waste in your system. You're also replenishing glycogen and holding onto more water. Nobody with your stats and workout routine is gaining weight (fat) on a measly 1500 calories.

solieco1

I go up and down 2-3 lbs pretty routinely. A trend app like Libra (Android) or Happy Scale (IOS) will keep you sane. It can be any number of things but highly unlikely to be real gain at this point.

Maxxitt

If you were losing .5 to 1 kg a WEEK, then you were eating at a deficit of 3500 to 7500 calories a WEEK. Upping your calories 1500 in a week from that amount of deficit will merely slow your rate of loss over time. Gaining a few pounds scale weight in this scenario has nothing to do with fat.

TavistockToad

Just for comparrison, I am 5ft5 and 133lbs and I maintain on net 2100 cals.

You're not gaining fat on 1500 calories.

purple4sure05

cheryldumais wrote: »

Just a thought here but could it be partially increased waste in your system? You are likely eating more quantity and unless you are using the restroom more often that would definately increase what is in your digestive system. The next thought is water due to increased intake - just your body reacting to it? You haven't really gained a substantial amount but I understand that the 60 vs 59 seems like a huge jump. I would give it some time and just wait to see if your body settles.

I really hope it's just waste. I just feel like the extra food has been so light. I'm trying to not overreact but in the last three months my weight has never gone up more than .2 at a time so after 5 days of this I'm starting to worry. I'll try to ignore it a few more days but it's hard! Haha.

purple4sure05

TavistockToad wrote: »

I don't think that's significant weight gain, but normal fluctuations and gain from increasing your calories/carbs.

I've just checked and my carbs are about 50g higher a day from 150 to 200. Is that enough to retain water? I didnt feel like it was much since I wasnt loadung up on bread or pasta, didnt really consider it.

TavistockToad

purple4sure05 wrote: »

TavistockToad wrote: »

I don't think that's significant weight gain, but normal fluctuations and gain from increasing your calories/carbs.

I've just checked and my carbs are about 50g higher a day from 150 to 200. Is that enough to retain water? I didnt feel like it was much since I wasnt loadung up on bread or pasta, didnt really consider it.

The scales say yes :laugh:

cwolfman13

purple4sure05 wrote: »

TavistockToad wrote: »

I don't think that's significant weight gain, but normal fluctuations and gain from increasing your calories/carbs.

I've just checked and my carbs are about 50g higher a day from 150 to 200. Is that enough to retain water? I didnt feel like it was much since I wasnt loadung up on bread or pasta, didnt really consider it.

Every gram of carbohydrate holds about 3-4 grams of water.

AnnPT77

I'd predict you'll lose at the 1500, too, if you hang in there (partly the math above, partly experience being near your height/weight, less active athletically, and several decades older).

Transitioning to higher calories can involve some roller-coaster scale weights; you could see even bigger weirdness if you hit your menstrual cycle fluctuations just wrong if you're premenopausal (fluctuations that could've been masked a bit by your very fast loss rate before this); and your cheat day may've introduced some extra carb/salt water weight craziness into the picture just to make things more confusing (even without going over goal).

Take a deep breath, don't do anything dramatic, hang in there for a few weeks. Odds are excellent that you'll be just fine.

emilysusana

My weight always goes up when I increase my daily average. It’s temporary. You’re still losing fat.

csplatt

That’s two pounds, right? I wouldn’t call that significant! I actually tried to lose a few lb under my goal because I knew that would happen on maintenance. Mathematically, it cannot be fat.

purple4sure05

csplatt wrote: »

That’s two pounds, right? I wouldn’t call that significant! I actually tried to lose a few lb under my goal because I knew that would happen on maintenance. Mathematically, it cannot be fat.

Yeah I more so meant its significant for me because my weight doesn't fluctuate as much as most people. I haven't experienced much water weight gain after high carb meals or heavy workouts with sore muscles, TOM, etc. I understand though. I can see it's common and things are different for me now with the extra 300 calories. It makes sense that my weight might go up. 5 days in a row though really threw me for a loop haha.

Thanks for the tips though everyone! I feel a little better now despite the woos for just asking questions and taking feedback 😅

NovusDies

purple4sure05 wrote: »

csplatt wrote: »

That’s two pounds, right? I wouldn’t call that significant! I actually tried to lose a few lb under my goal because I knew that would happen on maintenance. Mathematically, it cannot be fat.

Yeah I more so meant its significant for me because my weight doesn't fluctuate as much as most people. I haven't experienced much water weight gain after high carb meals or heavy workouts with sore muscles, TOM, etc. I understand though. I can see it's common and things are different for me now with the extra 300 calories. It makes sense that my weight might go up. 5 days in a row though really threw me for a loop haha.

Thanks for the tips though everyone! I feel a little better now despite the woos for just asking questions and taking feedback 😅

You barely experienced weight fluctuations? I am sure that is cheating!!

I am glad you got your answer even if you cost you a few woos.

purple4sure05

NovusDies wrote: »

You barely experienced weight fluctuations? I am sure that is cheating!!

I am glad you got your answer even if you cost you a few woos.

Maybe I'm just lucky! Before I lost weight my scale was always 157.8 to 158.3 pounds when I decided to check, and my food intake varied a LOT back then. During my weightloss the last three months it would go down .1 or .2 kg per day (new country), sometimes stay the same, and only ever went up by .1 and then back down immediately the next day. It always correlated with leg day at the gym. Only went up by .2 one time in three months haha.

12noe12

Also bear in mind that if you're gaining muscle, the scale will show a weight gain even if you're actually "losing" weight. I mean to say, you may be losing fat and gaining muscle, you'll be leaner, but the scale won't show it, it will actually show more Kg but you'll be losing fat anyway.

You should also be monitoring body fat % and the sort, and not only weight. That way you can really know if you're "gaining weight" or if you're gaining in muscle.

By the way, as everyone is saying, if you're taking in 1500 kcal per day there's no way you're gaining weight. Not fat weight anyway. Most probably it's just water or waste, or, as I said above, lean tissue (muscle), so the kilograms would be higher but you'll actually be "slimmer".

12noe12

Remember that for a given volume, the same volume of muscle weighs more than the same volume of fat.

NovusDies

purple4sure05 wrote: »

NovusDies wrote: »

You barely experienced weight fluctuations? I am sure that is cheating!!

I am glad you got your answer even if you cost you a few woos.

Maybe I'm just lucky! Before I lost weight my scale was always 157.8 to 158.3 pounds when I decided to check, and my food intake varied a LOT back then. During my weightloss the last three months it would go down .1 or .2 kg per day (new country), sometimes stay the same, and only ever went up by .1 and then back down immediately the next day. It always correlated with leg day at the gym. Only went up by .2 one time in three months haha.

I will hate you forever now.

But really weight fluctuations are no big deal once you tell yourself they are no big deal and watch enough of them go by. I don't love that they happen but I care a lot less now than when I started. It also helps to keep the math in your head of 3500 calories to gain or lose a pound of fat to know some of them are impossible fat-wise.

Cahgetsfit

12noe12 wrote: »

Also bear in mind that if you're gaining muscle, the scale will show a weight gain even if you're actually "losing" weight. I mean to say, you may be losing fat and gaining muscle, you'll be leaner, but the scale won't show it, it will actually show more Kg but you'll be losing fat anyway.

You should also be monitoring body fat % and the sort, and not only weight. That way you can really know if you're "gaining weight" or if you're gaining in muscle.

By the way, as everyone is saying, if you're taking in 1500 kcal per day there's no way you're gaining weight. Not fat weight anyway. Most probably it's just water or waste, or, as I said above, lean tissue (muscle) , so the kilograms would be higher but you'll actually be "slimmer".

If someone could give me the recipe for gaining 1kg of muscle in 5 days, and it didn't involve HGH or other PEDs, i'd love them forever.

Just saying...

Takes YEARS of eating at a surplus for females to gain significant muscle without turning to the juice.

So OP - most likely the water from the carbs.

And it's not a significant gain, as others above have said, but I know how you feel because scales suck!!