WHY AM I GAINING WEIGHT?!

arianamzai

Hey everyone. So last week I began strength training for the first time and was eating about 800-1000 net calories...I know that's totally awful but I don't do it on purpose.

So I did some research and found out I'm not eating enough...for the last two days I've increased my caloric intake to about 1100-1200 and I started gaining weight. It's all good/healthy food so I don't understand it. :-(
Will I continue to gain weight or is my body just adjusting itself and recovering from being in starvation mode for so long?? And if that's the case, when can I expect to start losing again? I'm not really sure how much I should be eating.

By the way, i'm 19, 5'10, trying to lose 100 lbs.

Thank you for the clarification.

Phoenix_Warrior

If you're tracking your intake, how could you not purposefully only eat a net of 800-1000? Your body isnt in starvation mode. I was foolish when I started and wasnt netting above 1200 for about a month. I lost 3 lbs a week that month. It wasn't healthy, but I still lost. The only reason, barring medical issues, that you are not losing and are now gaining is because you are eating more than you think. How accurate is your logging? Your diary is closed, so I can only base anything on assumptions. Do you weigh and measure your food? Start a new exercise routine along with your upping of calories?

chandanista

You increased your calories 2 days ago. Give your body a week or more to adjust to the new intake.

cookiealbright

You are not in starvation mode. You are gaining because you are eating more.

Mokey41

Your body will replenish some glycogen stores if you've been under eating but with 100 lbs to lose you are not in starvation mode even if there were such a thing.

You have to weigh and measure all your food and log it faithfully. Every single bite! Cream in coffee, candy stolen off a co workers desk, nibble as you cook, everything. It's not physically possible to eat 1,200 calories a day with 100 lbs to lose and be gaining weight.

ladymiseryali

Um, if that's you in your current pic, you DO NOT need to lose 100 lbs......And there's no way to unintentionally net that low if you're logging. I pre-log all my food and then as the day progresses, I adjust to make sure I'm netting 1200 AT THE LEAST.

You're gaining for three reasons. Either you're overeating, over-estimating caloric burn, OR you're retaining water.

erickirb

The weight gain was most likely increased glycogen in your muscle from increasing calories (glycogen retains water), and from working out. If the program was new or you increased intensity then the muscles retain water to protect themselves and to aid in recovery.

SkinnyFatAlbert

...for the last two days I've increased my caloric intake to about 1100-1200 and I started gaining weight.

It's only been two days. Doubt you've gained any fat. Probably just water or literally the weight of the extra food you're eating. Give it a few weeks and see if your weight trends up or down overall.

honeysprinkles

The weight gain was most likely increased glycogen in your muscle from increasing calories (glycogen retains water), and from working out. If the program was new or you increased intensity then the muscles retain water to protect themselves and to aid in recovery.

this. ignore the people who say you aren't losing because you're eating more than you think. even if that was the case, at 1200 you should have plenty of room for error before you'd be even close to eating enough to gain weight. Also, day to day fluctuations are extremely normal and your weight can be influenced by a lot of factors temporarily. Stick to it for a month, then see how you're doing. Take measurements also!

firstsip

Would you be willing to open your diary? Normally I'd say, "Probably water weight." Working out + undereating can cause retention. Upping calories can cause retention. A small amount of time with a gain sounds like, again, water weight.

However, *every* other post you've written on MFP has expressed issues with tracking food and/or "binge eating junk food." Are you being 100% accurate in your logging?

honeysprinkles

You are not in starvation mode. You are gaining because you are eating more.

wrong. nobody gains weight at 1100-1200 calories. unless they have actually really damaged their metabolism...which I don't think any of us on here know enough to say with any confidence whether she has or not.

Mr_Knight

...for the last two days I've increased my caloric intake to about 1100-1200 and I started gaining weight. It's all good/healthy food so I don't understand it....By the way, i'm 19, 5'10, trying to lose 100 lbs.

If you are 100 pounds overweight, you would be losing on 1200 calories per day. If you aren't losing, then you're eating more than you think.

Holly_Roman_Empire

You are not in starvation mode. You are gaining because you are eating more.

wrong. nobody gains weight at 1100-1200 calories. unless they have actually really damaged their metabolism...which I don't think any of us on here know enough to say with any confidence whether she has or not.

It's been two days, and the gain is likely from the additional food in her stomach. That's not to say she's putting on fat from eating too many calories. I don't think anyone is saying that.

SLLRunner

You are not in starvation mode. You are gaining because you are eating more.

This. It's so important to use the food scale and measuring cups and to log everything accurately.

honeysprinkles

You are not in starvation mode. You are gaining because you are eating more.

wrong. nobody gains weight at 1100-1200 calories. unless they have actually really damaged their metabolism...which I don't think any of us on here know enough to say with any confidence whether she has or not.

It's been two days, and the gain is likely from the additional food in her stomach. That's not to say she's putting on fat from eating too many calories. I don't think anyone is saying that.

well how much does everyone think an extra 2-300 calories really weighs?? lol
not enough to show up on a scale would be my guess.

SLLRunner

You are not in starvation mode. You are gaining because you are eating more.

wrong. nobody gains weight at 1100-1200 calories. unless they have actually really damaged their metabolism...which I don't think any of us on here know enough to say with any confidence whether she has or not.

I think the point is inaccurate logging, probably over estimating calories burned and underestimating food intake. Therefore, she must be eating more than what she believes she is eating.

honeysprinkles

...for the last two days I've increased my caloric intake to about 1100-1200 and I started gaining weight. It's all good/healthy food so I don't understand it....By the way, i'm 19, 5'10, trying to lose 100 lbs.

If you are 100 pounds overweight, you would be losing on 1200 calories per day. If you aren't losing, then you're eating more than you think.

sorry to be commenting so much lol, but I also thought I should point out that wanting to lose 100 lbs isn't necessarily the same thing as being 100 pounds overweight (by bmi standards). It could be, but her goal could also be in the lower end of the healthy range, in which case she probably isn't 100 pounds past the bmi marker for "overweight" and judging by her picture, I'd say that's most likely the case!

SLLRunner

Op, if you open your diary we might be able to give more concrete advice.

Phoenix_Warrior

You are not in starvation mode. You are gaining because you are eating more.

wrong. nobody gains weight at 1100-1200 calories. unless they have actually really damaged their metabolism...which I don't think any of us on here know enough to say with any confidence whether she has or not.

It's been two days, and the gain is likely from the additional food in her stomach. That's not to say she's putting on fat from eating too many calories. I don't think anyone is saying that.

well how much does everyone think an extra 2-300 calories really weighs?? lol
not enough to show up on a scale would be my guess.

depending on her accuracy it could be more. We dont know. We have to trust she's logging 100% and all info is accurate. Even so, I can tell you in two days I could be 2-5 lbs heavier depending on the time, what I ate, if I hadn't POOPED.

honeysprinkles

You are not in starvation mode. You are gaining because you are eating more.

wrong. nobody gains weight at 1100-1200 calories. unless they have actually really damaged their metabolism...which I don't think any of us on here know enough to say with any confidence whether she has or not.

I think the point is inaccurate logging, probably over estimating calories burned and underestimating food intake. Therefore, she must be eating more than what she believes she is eating.

I think it's much more likely from her new workout, water retention after starting a new workout plan (especially weight training) is extremely common. I'm just not sure why everyone jumps to "you're eating too much/more than you think" after only 2 days and a gain. If she really is barely eating 1200 calories, that's the last thing people should be saying.

If she says the same thing a month from now, then maybe that would be my first thought, but not after only 2 days.

honeysprinkles

You are not in starvation mode. You are gaining because you are eating more.

wrong. nobody gains weight at 1100-1200 calories. unless they have actually really damaged their metabolism...which I don't think any of us on here know enough to say with any confidence whether she has or not.

It's been two days, and the gain is likely from the additional food in her stomach. That's not to say she's putting on fat from eating too many calories. I don't think anyone is saying that.

well how much does everyone think an extra 2-300 calories really weighs?? lol
not enough to show up on a scale would be my guess.

depending on her accuracy it could be more. We dont know. We have to trust she's logging 100% and all info is accurate. Even so, I can tell you in two days I could be 2-5 lbs heavier depending on the time, what I ate, if I hadn't POOPED.

exactly, it's normal to fluctuate on a day to day basis. in my original post, I told her it's a better idea to see how she's doing a month from now, both with the scale and with measurements.

ironanimal

Glycogen/water

elainecroft

Weight loss is not linear - especially with weight training, you will see gains sometimes as your body adjusts, and then you might see a bunch of weight come off, and then gain a bit back, etc. You have to give it time - at least a week or two. Aim for long term trends, not a day at a time because it will drive you crazy.

Holly_Roman_Empire

You are not in starvation mode. You are gaining because you are eating more.

wrong. nobody gains weight at 1100-1200 calories. unless they have actually really damaged their metabolism...which I don't think any of us on here know enough to say with any confidence whether she has or not.

It's been two days, and the gain is likely from the additional food in her stomach. That's not to say she's putting on fat from eating too many calories. I don't think anyone is saying that.

well how much does everyone think an extra 2-300 calories really weighs?? lol
not enough to show up on a scale would be my guess.

2-300 calories of cucumbers is a lot of cucumbers! But yeah, I agree with everyone else that says a 2 pound difference in 2 days could be anything. My weight can vary 3 pounds from the beginning to the end of the day.

Hellbent_Heidi

You are not in starvation mode. You are gaining because you are eating more.

Unlikely...

You're most likely showing a 'gain' on the scale because you started strength training just a week ago. Muscles retain water to repair themselves. Stop weighing yourself everyday (if it freaks out out and you jump to conclusions). Give these changes a little time to start to work in your favor on the scale....

Phoenix_Warrior

Also, after reading through a post from Friday, OP. You need to get a handle on binges. Perhaps you could try TDEE -20%, rather than this mindset that you have to eat next to nothing to lose weight. It would give you more freedom in you need to still enjoy things you like without derailing your efforts. Losing weight doesn't have to be miserable. Find a method that's sustainable long term ans commit 100%. You will get there. Be patient. And for your sanity, weigh once a week, same time. I always weigh morning with no clothes, once a week.

arianamzai

...for the last two days I've increased my caloric intake to about 1100-1200 and I started gaining weight. It's all good/healthy food so I don't understand it....By the way, i'm 19, 5'10, trying to lose 100 lbs.

If you are 100 pounds overweight, you would be losing on 1200 calories per day. If you aren't losing, then you're eating more than you think.

sorry to be commenting so much lol, but I also thought I should point out that wanting to lose 100 lbs isn't necessarily the same thing as being 100 pounds overweight (by bmi standards). It could be, but her goal could also be in the lower end of the healthy range, in which case she probably isn't 100 pounds past the bmi marker for "overweight" and judging by her picture, I'd say that's most likely the case!

I'm not 100 pounds overweight...you're right, I just want to be on the lower side of what's recommended for my height. I don't look overweight in my photo because the weight is distributed pretty evenly throughout my body because i'm tall

arianamzai

Hey everyone. So last week I began strength training for the first time and was eating about 800-1000 net calories...I know that's totally awful but I don't do it on purpose.

So I did some research and found out I'm not eating enough...for the last two days I've increased my caloric intake to about 1100-1200 and I started gaining weight. It's all good/healthy food so I don't understand it. :-(
Will I continue to gain weight or is my body just adjusting itself and recovering from being in starvation mode for so long?? And if that's the case, when can I expect to start losing again? I'm not really sure how much I should be eating.

By the way, i'm 19, 5'10, trying to lose 100 lbs.

Thank you for the clarification.

Thanks for all the replies, I really appreciate it. I'll clear some things up: a) I am 100% honest with my food intake and measure everything...you can take a look at my journal if you'd like because i opened it. b) i usually check MFP at the end of my day so I notice my caloric intake too late into the night..i've changed that since the past two days though c) i don't look overweight in my photo because i'm tall and my weight is distributed pretty well; also i want to be lower on the recommended weight for my height

i think as most of you said i need to take a week or two to let my body adjust, so i'll stop weighing myself until next monday

SezxyStef

Thanks for all the replies, I really appreciate it. I'll clear some things up: a) I am 100% honest with my food intake and measure everything...you can take a look at my journal if you'd like because i opened it. b) i usually check MFP at the end of my day so I notice my caloric intake too late into the night..i've changed that since the past two days though c) i don't look overweight in my photo because i'm tall and my weight is distributed pretty well; also i want to be lower on the recommended weight for my height

i think as most of you said i need to take a week or two to let my body adjust, so i'll stop weighing myself until next monday

k but weighing and measuring are two different things...

Buy a kitchen scale for your food...you will be surprised at the difference between 1/2 c of pineapple and lets say 25g....

As for your goals...remember the scale really means nothing...I am 5 ft 7 and currently weigh 164lbs but in my profile pic the dress is a size small....and people think I weigh 130....esp if you are lifting...you will see inches go and the weight not move (and no that is not because of muscle gains)....you will lose fat and your muscles will retain water for repair.

ETA: I lift 3x a week (Mon/Wed/Fri)and have found that the only day I can weigh myself and get an accuate read is on a Monday morning 2.5 days after my last lift and prior to starting the new weeks lifting, otherwise I either see weight gain or the scale not moving...

michaelsontag

I am going to make an assumption that some others are not. I am going to assume you are NOT an idiot, but rather an intelligent woman, who knows what she is doing...

My guess is that you are finally eating the calories your body is needing to start building the muscle your body wants to build because (as you said) you have been doing strength training. Follow what some of the others have said. Follow for a week and see how the equation balances.

erickirb

I am going to make an assumption that some others are not. I am going to assume you are NOT an idiot, but rather an intelligent woman, who knows what she is doing...

My guess is that you are finally eating the calories your body is needing to start building the muscle your body wants to build because (as you said) you have been doing strength training. Follow what some of the others have said. Follow for a week and see how the equation balances.

No way in He!! is she building any measurable amount of muscle in 2 days in a caloric deficit. Takes a caloric surplus and weeks or months to build 2 lbs of muscle.