Followed calories but gained

ShaunnaCullen

Feeling discouraged that I gained this week even though I followed the calorie reccomdations. I wasnt perfect (thats never the goal) but I was expecting at least .5lb loss. Instead I got a .8lb gain 🤦🏼‍♀️. Words of encouragment would be appreciated! I’m thinking it’s mostly water retention (this is only my second week on MFP).

unicorngems

Am I correct in thinking you were looking a 5LB loss in a week? If so that's very high!

ShaunnaCullen

@unicorngems .5 is half a pound 😊

QueenofCaffeine4Life

@ShaunnaCullen I totally understand your frustration! Been there too. But it does get better. Are you drinking enough water (un-caloric fluids)? I tend to hold water really bad. So just curious.

ceiswyn

Firstly, if you lost a lot last week, much of it may have been water and regaining some of that would mask fat loss this week.
Secondly, weight loss is non-linear. Weight goes up and down with hormones, sodium, sugar, exercise, and lots of other things. If you're only weighing once a week, and it happens to be on a 'high' day, you get an inaccurate picture of what's going on.
Thirdly, how are you measuring your calorie intake? Are you using a food scale for all solids, and remembering to include cooking oils, drinks, fruits and vegetables? If not, you may be eating more than you think.

Don't get discouraged; try to understand what's happening, so you can account for it in future

ShaunnaCullen

@QueenofCaffeine4Life definitely not drinking enough liquids in general. I’ll focus on that this upcoming week. Thank you for your encouragement!

unicorngems

Ahhh I see my mistake.

I see it this way which has helped put things into perspective a bit for me.

- I will not let the digit on a scale effect my happiness
- Check your clothing, usually this is more accurate
- Muscle weighs more than fat, the scale may increase and decrease but it's the way your body looks in the mirror which is the real tell tale sign.
- If you want to weigh in, the same time each day is preferable and the same scale.
- Once in a while its a good idea to do a body fat measurement, again you can find a machine for this. Your'll be able to see on a particular week for example if your muscle mass has increased and your fat has decreased.

I weighed in yesterday and was myself really disappointed too as I was in my calorie goals everyday and the scale was the same! I then had a fat/muscle reading at the gym to see my fat had dropped and muscle increased. Which made sense as I has been working out regularly 4 days a week!

Understand that the scale is just a mass weight (water, muscle, fat) and as we exercise and diet this will fluctuate from time to time. Don't be disheartened

cheryldumais

Keep in mind if you have added any exercise it could also cause a water gain. Someone mentioned that you had a loss the week before so I agree some of that may have been water if it was a big drop so when your water level recalibrates. Often times people lose weight very quickly in the first week or two of a diet. Very often a large portion of the initial weight loss is water due to the change in diet. As time goes by the body adjusts to the new regime and the water comes back. If they continue to diet they think they aren’t losing anything when in actual fact they are now losing fat pounds. If you are one of those folks who had a big drop at the beginning of your program this is likely the case and you are still losing. Don’t quit.

ShaunnaCullen

@unicorngems thank you for your suggestions! I’d like to do a body fat reading at some point when I’m in a better headspace. I’m taking things slow this time around 😊

unicorngems

@ShaunnaCullen Your very welcome.

If you are exercising too then I'd definitely recommend it

Kathryn247

You don't need a body scan, and you aren't gaining muscle in any significant amount while you're in a deficit.
You need a food scale if you aren't using one already, and patience. This is a lifelong marathon, not a 2-week sprint.

ShaunnaCullen

@Kathryn247 Love that flow chart! Its been less than three weeks so maybe I just need to calm down lol

steveko89

I've been weighing daily and trending for a little over two years and highly prefer it to weekly weighing. There's too much variability in point-to-point scale weights to be highly reliable. If nothing else it demonstrates how much the scale can swing due to hydration, fluid retention, etc.

I recognize it's not necessarily an easy proposition for everyone depending on one's relationship with the scale, though I have felt that removing the event-based nature of appointment weigh-ins in favor of routine data collection, to be mentally freeing, removing the figurative weight of the scale being the adjudicator of success or failure.

J72FIT

Weight loss is not linear. Fluctuations are normal. Do you use a food scale?

RovP6

You might find this helpfull too https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7EnY3Ya_soU

NovusDies

http://physiqonomics.com/the-weird-and-highly-annoying-world-of-scale-weight-and-fluctuations/

cmriverside

I agree with everyone, but I also wanted to add:

The numbers you get (for calories and rate of loss) are an Estimate. Myfitnesspal and any other calculator on the internet or from a doctor are Estimates. The only way to dial in your own calories for weight loss is to log food and exercise for a couple months and then and ONLY then make changes to your plan.

The calculators are Guesses. They are not perfect. Especially if you chose a half pound per week rate. That gives you a very small deficit (if any) and can easily be absorbed by poor logging, cheat days, forgetting to log, using bad food entries in the database, not using a food scale, poor estimates on exercise calories - and on it goes.

Log food. Log exercise. Eat a little more (not a lot more) on exercise days. Be consistent for 4-6 weeks and see how it goes. At the end of this experiment you can make changes.

In the meantime focus on using the database correctly (with a food scale, since your deficit is so small)

https://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/discussion/1234699/logging-accurately-step-by-step-guide/p1

unicorngems

Kathryn247 wrote: »

You don't need a body scan, and you aren't gaining muscle in any significant amount while you're in a deficit.'

I guess this depends on the individual....as I have.

cheryldumais

cmriverside wrote: »

I agree with everyone, but I also wanted to add:

The numbers you get (for calories and rate of loss) are an Estimate. Myfitnesspal and any other calculator on the internet or from a doctor are Estimates. The only way to dial in your own calories for weight loss is to log food and exercise for a couple months and then and ONLY then make changes to your plan.

The calculators are Guesses. They are not perfect. Especially if you chose a half pound per week rate. That gives you a very small deficit (if any) and can easily be absorbed by poor logging, cheat days, forgetting to log, using bad food entries in the database, not using a food scale, poor estimates on exercise calories - and on it goes.

Log food. Log exercise. Eat a little more (not a lot more) on exercise days. Be consistent for 4-6 weeks and see how it goes. At the end of this experiment you can make changes.

In the meantime focus on using the database correctly (with a food scale, since your deficit is so small)

https://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/discussion/1234699/logging-accurately-step-by-step-guide/p1

I have to second this because it is so rarely said. Everyone is so different. I maintain around 1350 - 1400. I know that's shocking but that's my body. I don't have alot of muscle and I walk for exercise. Others my age and height can eat alot more. That's just the luck of the draw. But hey, when the zombie apocolypse comes I'll last longer, lol.

AnnPT77

unicorngems wrote: »

Kathryn247 wrote: »

You don't need a body scan, and you aren't gaining muscle in any significant amount while you're in a deficit.'

I guess this depends on the individual....as I have.

Still, a lot more people think they've gained muscle in a deficit, than have actually done any significant amount of it, usually believing it based on strength increases and appearance improvements. Those can happen via neuromuscular adaptation, and some muscle pump, even without increased mass.

For a woman, a quarter pound of muscle mass gain in a week would be a really good result, under ideal conditions (which include relative youth, careful compliance with a well-designed strength program, good nutrition including adequate protein, and a calorie surplus).

On the flip side, a quarter pound of fat loss per week would be about the slowest observable rate, and it would show up with clarity only after several weeks, as normal water fluctuations would easily obscure it in the short run.

Conclusion: No reasonable rate of fat loss will be outpaced by any realistic rate of muscle gain, when in a calorie deficit.

On top of that, the bioimpedance electrical devices (scales, handhelds) have a multi-percentage-point expected error rate, even the expensive gym ones. There's no telling a week-to-week change in muscle mass, which will be tiny, with that kind of device. Long run overall trends . . . maybe. If careful to maintain consistent conditions, especially hydration.

Sure, some people in some circumstances can gain muscle mass in a calorie deficit. Just not quickly.

And all of that's totally irrelevant to OP, in week 2 on MFP.

OP, your most recent post is perfect: At 2 weeks in, stay calm, and watch the trend longer. You're probably experiencing normal water weight fluctuations. Hang in there!