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I’m 52 female- walking 20,000 steps a day eating between 1200-1600 calories per day and I’m putting weight on🤷🏼‍♀️
I had 1300 calories yesterday and I’ve gained 4lb overnight.
If this was just a 1 off , ok but it’s not
Since October last year I’ve lost 1st 3lbs in total ( until this morning) but the last 2 months it’s literally been a graph of ups and downs or stagnant weight loss

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  • mlgdsantos
    mlgdsantos Posts: 14 Member
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    Hello waparker72, I can relate with you 100%
    I am exactly the same age as you... you know hormones at our age are a big contributor and we do not shed weight as quick as we did in our 20's or 30's.... but why are you really not shifting the weight? What else is happening in your life that makes the weight coming back? You are welcome to send me a private message or to friend me here... because I have no idea how to do that. Hope to hear from you :-)
  • AdahPotatah2024
    AdahPotatah2024 Posts: 1,032 Member
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    I'm thinking maybe women, as we age, retain water more easily and weight fluctuates more because of that... I remember in my 30s, I'd weigh myself one every few months and I'd be consistently 130 pounds give or take one or two. If I eat Chinese food or some other high sodium dinner, now, I'll weigh myself the next day and it's sometimes 3 or 4 pounds off. Within a day or 2, it's back to normal.
  • tomcustombuilder
    tomcustombuilder Posts: 1,648 Member
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    waparker72 wrote: »
    I’m 52 female- walking 20,000 steps a day eating between 1200-1600 calories per day and I’m putting weight on🤷🏼‍♀️
    I had 1300 calories yesterday and I’ve gained 4lb overnight.
    If this was just a 1 off , ok but it’s not
    Since October last year I’ve lost 1st 3lbs in total ( until this morning) but the last 2 months it’s literally been a graph of ups and downs or stagnant weight loss
    the day to day fluctuations are just water however the longer periods of no loss means you aren’t in a weekly calorie deficit. It sounds like you’re plenty active so look at your diet and your calorie counting and tracking accuracy.

  • cmriverside
    cmriverside Posts: 33,977 Member
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    ^^What they said. Fluctuations are normal.

    If in fact you are really gaining weight on an accurately accounted 1300 calories, see your doctor.
  • kshama2001
    kshama2001 Posts: 27,912 Member
    edited March 18
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    waparker72 wrote: »
    I’m 52 female- walking 20,000 steps a day eating between 1200-1600 calories per day and I’m putting weight on🤷🏼‍♀️
    I had 1300 calories yesterday and I’ve gained 4lb overnight.
    If this was just a 1 off , ok but it’s not
    Since October last year I’ve lost 1st 3lbs in total ( until this morning) but the last 2 months it’s literally been a graph of ups and downs or stagnant weight loss

    52 years old? Or 5'2"? Either way, do you have menstrual cycles? If so, where are you? Many women retain water at ovulation and premenstrually.

    However, being stagnant for two months is more than just your cycle. There are mistakes that people commonly make that cause them to not lose weight that we might be able to spot if you change your Diary Sharing settings to Public. In the app, go to Settings > Diary Setting > Diary Sharing > and check Public. Desktop: http://www.myfitnesspal.com/account/diary_settings
  • liwo81
    liwo81 Posts: 17 Member
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    I’m 62 and started this journey in September. I’ve lost 20# slowly and consistently by staying within the calorie limit as calculated by the app, ensuring I get atleast 30% protein, and really concentrating on getting enough water (72 oz is my minimum goal). I had foot surgery 6 weeks ago and have had to be pretty sedentary but I’ve still managed to lose a couple #s during this time. Prior to the surgery, I was walking 4-6 miles or biking 6-8 miles most days. I’ve had some small gains here and there but the loss has been slow and consistent. I’m post menopausal and do take synthetic thyroid. Losing has always been hard since I started gaining in my 30 and this program has been the slowest yet most consistent. Something
    else is to really be honest and consistent in tracking.
  • PAV8888
    PAV8888 Posts: 13,659 Member
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    Share some stats. Height, weight, goal range

    Daily weight ins? Weekly? Scale location? Type of floor? Bathroom habits daily/other?

    Are scale fluctuations normal? Yes.
    Can things appear to be stagnant when losing at 2 or 3 lbs a month? Yes.

    At 20k steps your activity unless you're actually accounting for it separately as it is envisioned that you are, if folded into the MFP settings would have you come in at above the MFP very active, top, setting.

    Based on that what is your expected daily deficit? Are you missing days/do not log? How often?

    You're at a pace of just under a lb a week. That's not actually slow depending on your current stats. And as you can see normal fluctuations can exceed your monthly loss rate.

    The thing to make sure is that you're within explainable fluctuations as opposed to needing medical attention

  • jjjsroach
    jjjsroach Posts: 31 Member
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    While we can't know for sure, you are likely eating more than you think....probably 1600-2000 calories per day. Tune up your food logging...get a food scale. If you truly cut calories back to 1300 with your activity level, you will lose weight. If you don't, as others have said, go see your doctor.