My weight is going in the wrong direction.

jbpretty

I'll try to give you as much detail as possible.

I started at 142 pounds a week ago. I haven't been losing so I decided I'd up my calories. I was averaging about 1200 a day and this week I'm averaging 1600 a day. I started exercising Monday to Friday. Nothing crazy but enough to get my heart pumping and enough that I'm sore afterwards. I drink at least 8 glasses of water a day. I don't eat junk food. I do have the odd cookie but I don't go overboard. My clothes aren't tighter, infact I felt like I'd been losing weight so imagine my surprise (and disappointment) when I stepped on the scale today and it read 146 pounds. Up 4 pounds! I know better than to say I've lost fat and gained muscle, impossible. However, I am very discouraged. I'm 5'6" (36 years old) and I know I can make it to my goal weight. Actually I don't even know if I care about the number anymore, I more or less just have an image of what I'd like to look like. I'm close, but definitely not there yet.

Do you know what's going on? Can 400 calories a day make that much of a difference? I have a job that puts me on my feet for about 6.5 hours a day and the days I do not work, I try to do some walking. I've checked out the online calculators and they say my BMR is between 1600 and 1900. I don't know what I'm doing wrong. Any help is appreciated.

suziepoo1984

With increase in calories, there is usually an increase in weight which is mainly water. Have patience and observe the trend for a month. I am sure it will start going in the direction you want soon. Good job in increasing calories.

Stage14

Anytime you increase your calories, you body starts replenishing its glyco reserves. Increased exercise (if it's strength training) will also cause your muscles to retain more water. Both result in a weight gain. It doesn't mean you have added fat to your body, and it's temporary.

You said yourself you feel like you're losing and you are more concerned with how you look than the scale. So don't worry about. Have patience, you are on the right track and you will start seeing results.

jbpretty

Thanks ladies. I know the extra calories do not add up to four pounds. I'm also not sleeping the greatest so maybe that's contributing to the problem. It just doesn't make sense. So for those of you who have increased your calories, a gain is normal? What do you mean, glyco reserves? Sugar? Fat?

theoriginaljayne

I started exercising Monday to Friday. Nothing crazy but enough to get my heart pumping and enough that I'm sore afterwards

Many people notice an initial gain due to water retention when they begin exercising or increase exercise. It's normal and it's temporary.

Edit: combined with the (also temporary) gain from increasing calories, those four pounds a) aren't surprising and b) probably shouldn't be worried about. If they haven't come off in a couple of weeks, that's when you're allowed to be worried.

Davina_JH

You could cut back to 1300/ day for a week, 1400/day the next week, etc to get back up to 1600/day.
It will take your body a few weeks to adjust either way. Don't worry about it! Weight and weight loss will stabilize again soon if you're still at a deficit.

Stage14

Thanks ladies. I know the extra calories do not add up to four pounds. I'm also not sleeping the greatest so maybe that's contributing to the problem. It just doesn't make sense. So for those of you who have increased your calories, a gain is normal? What do you mean, glyco reserves? Sugar? Fat?

Yes, the gain is normal and it goes away pretty quickly once your body readjusts. Glycogen (sp?) is what your body uses for fuel. The reason new dieters tend to see a big loss the first week or two after cutting calories is because this (and the water it is stored in) is depleted first, meaning the bulk of the weight loss is water weight, not fat. As you continue to eat on a deficit, your body uses the fat and muscle to fuel activity, because the glyco reserve is gone. Whenever your body gets an increase in calories, it uses it to try and build these reserves back up, which results in a modest gain. This is the same reason why you might see the scale creep back up after going over your calorie goal several days in a row. You didn't eat the 3500 calories it takes to create a new pound of fat, but you did eat enough for your body to go "hey, I have a little bit extra fuel right now, so I'm going to store it in some water for when I need it again."

As long as your new calorie level is still less than your Total Daily Energy Expenditure, the body will use those reserves back up and then return to losing weight. It isn't a fat gain, and it is totally normal. Just keep doing what you're doing, and you should be fine.

Hildy_J

Hey,

You should be losing on 1600 (I assume you mean net?).... if you're comfortable opening your diary perhaps people could look into it a bit for you?

All the best

jbpretty

Okay, thanks for explaining the glycogen thing to me. I just found a tdee calculator online and it said my tdee was between 1710 and 1959 calories depending on my activity level. So even if I went with the lesser one, I'm still eating under. I read on here that to lose weight you should eat about 20% less your tdee? That's 1368 calories if I'm going with the lower number. Wow, there's still a lot for me to learn. I think I should stay off the scale for a bit.