Gaining weight on 1200 cals

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kdrew11
kdrew11 Posts: 363 Member
in Goal: Gaining Weight and Body Building
I am strictly sticking to 1200 calories a day and trying to lose 8lbs I put on in Dec and Jan. In the first week I lost 3lbs and was really pleased. Since then I put on 2lbs and have then lost 1lb again but have consistently been putting on an eighth of a pound every day for the past 4 days. I'm 41 and used to be able to lose a lot more than this in the 1st 2 weeks. Now I'm dieting and putting on weight! Any ideas? TIA

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  • sijomial
    sijomial Posts: 19,811 Member
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    Giving your height and weight would help as would making your diary public as the answer could well be found in there.

    When was the "first week" as the dieting timeline isn't very clear?
    It's sounding like you are actually 2lbs down from your start weight in two weeks but can you confirm that?
  • L1zardQueen
    L1zardQueen Posts: 8,754 Member
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    Do you use a food scale to weigh everything you eat?
  • FitAgainBy55
    FitAgainBy55 Posts: 179 Member
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    L1zardQueen wrote: »
    Do you use a food scale to weigh everything you eat?

    I think this is a good question if someone is truly not losing weight over a period of several weeks but that isn't the case here.

  • ndj1979
    ndj1979 Posts: 29,139 Member
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    FitAgainBy55 wrote: »
    If I'm reading your loss correctly: -3 + 2 - 1 + 1/8 + 1/8 + 1/8 + 1/8 = -1.5

    So you are down 1.5 lbs in 2 weeks -- that is not gaining weight.

    Weight loss isn't linear and your weight fluctuates every day. You are doing fine and you ARE NOT gaining weight on 1200 calories per day. Also, don't worry about your age. I'm 13 years older than you and there are many others that have successfully lost weight in their 40s, 50s, 60s etc...

    You can't judge progress on a daily basis -- in fact you can't even judge it on a weekly basis. The chart below shows my individual daily weigh ins (the dots). The trend lines is the mathematical trend which helps show the average rate of weight loss. You can see there are times where my weight jumped up significantly for one or two days. You can also see a span of more than a week where it looks like I was "stuck". What did I do differently ? Nothing. I've done this before and I know weight loss isn't linear.

    Use a tool like trendweight.com below (there are others) to help see through the fluctuations. BTW, I sync my fitbit aria scale to trendweight.com so I never have to enter a single weigh in, it's all automatic.

    4chq8e0c9ah9.png

    This..

    You are losing weight as trend line is down.

    Weight loss is not linear...
  • kdrew11
    kdrew11 Posts: 363 Member
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    L1zardQueen wrote: »
    Do you use a food scale to weigh everything you eat?

    Yep everything. I'm really strict about it inc veg
  • Jthanmyfitnesspal
    Jthanmyfitnesspal Posts: 3,521 Member
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    Yep, there are several ways to lose weight, but most of us are trying to control our BF% (not just our water %). When you first start restricting calories (and salt and alcohol), you sometimes get a bit of a woosh of water weight, which does in real actual fact make you thinner, but losing fat is a pretty slow process, requiring a consistent deficit of ~500kcals per day to acheive a ~1lb/week loss.

    But, what's everyone's hurry? It sounds like it took you 2 months to gain the weight and it will take you just about the same amount of time to lose it.

    It helps to take up a new hobby to get your mind off the process. I recommend something other than cooking!
  • sijomial
    sijomial Posts: 19,811 Member
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    kdrew11 wrote: »
    L1zardQueen wrote: »
    Do you use a food scale to weigh everything you eat?

    Yep everything. I'm really strict about it inc veg

    You didn't answer the two questions from people asking if your weight has actually gone down since you started.
    It's pretty important when your title suggests you are gaining weight.
  • Beautyofdreams
    Beautyofdreams Posts: 1,009 Member
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    Have you recently started an exercise program or increased frequency, duration or intensity of current exercise program? Have you tracked your weight changes through 2 menstrual cycles to get an idea of hormonal fluctuations?
  • sgt1372
    sgt1372 Posts: 3,977 Member
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    If you are gaining wt, you are consuming more cals than you think you are and are NOT logging those cals accurately.
  • Sportertje354
    Sportertje354 Posts: 50 Member
    edited February 2021
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    What kind of weight are you trying to lose?

    I don't how know tall you are or anything, but to me 1200 sounds on the low side.

    If you try cutting too hard, you might be putting your body in 'survival' mode, meaning it's storing even though you are trying to lose, but there is not enough information to say what's going on: like what kind of excercises are you doing, what you are eating, and what kind of weight you are gaining like muscle or fat

    Usually when i want to change weight i think in months and years
  • kdrew11
    kdrew11 Posts: 363 Member
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    I'm 5'3" and in 1200 cals a day. I'll be honest though, I'm doing very little exercise at the moment with homeschooling and working from home. It's never been a problem before though. Never had a problem losing and with no exercise except for general day to day.
  • kdrew11
    kdrew11 Posts: 363 Member
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    Also the reason I'm in a bit more if a rush to lose that half a stone I gained in Dec / Jan is cos next week I'm getting an ajovy injection delivered for my migraines for the first time and lots of people say they have put loads and loads of weight on with it as it affects the pituitary gland. I'd like to start at my ideal weight and try my best to prevent gaining.
  • kdrew11
    kdrew11 Posts: 363 Member
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    Beautyofdreams wrote: »
    Have you recently started an exercise program or increased frequency, duration or intensity of current exercise program? Have you tracked your weight changes through 2 menstrual cycles to get an idea of hormonal fluctuations?

    No but I do think it's a hormonal thing. I always seem to lose straight after starting and then a week later have this problem in shifting or gaining for weeks. Definitely a lot worse than it used to be though. Wondering if perimenopausal.
  • wunderkindking
    wunderkindking Posts: 1,615 Member
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    My week REGULARLY Goes up for a week around my period, then drops. My weight also: bounces between two numbers - the same two numbers- for a good couple of weeks at a time and then drops all in one go. Then finds two new, lower, numbers to bounce between for a week or two. It's hormonal and water weight, mostly and related to cycle. It has nothing to do with fat loss. It certainly isn't fat gain. It isn't the result of calories and there's nothing you can do except not obsess over it.
  • happyness4me
    happyness4me Posts: 58 Member
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    wunderkindking wrote: »
    My week REGULARLY Goes up for a week around my period, then drops. My weight also: bounces between two numbers - the same two numbers- for a good couple of weeks at a time and then drops all in one go. Then finds two new, lower, numbers to bounce between for a week or two. It's hormonal and water weight, mostly and related to cycle. It has nothing to do with fat loss. It certainly isn't fat gain. It isn't the result of calories and there's nothing you can do except not obsess over it.

    This. I'm maintaining not losing but my weight fluctuates in a 3 pound range throughout the month depending on where I am in my cycle.
  • kdrew11
    kdrew11 Posts: 363 Member
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    Yeah mine does too and I wonder if it's that but also I only seem to get a week each month now where any weight comes off instead of 3 weeks like used to happen. I wonder if it's something to do with possible perimenopause.

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