Upped my calories and not losing, but gaining????!
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You must be Canadian this gif just screams Canada...
TL;DR version
As for the OP her issue was she listened to people telling her to up her calories because she wasn't losing logging 1200 calories...
As I said earlier...eat more to lose more weight is the new starvation mode here in the forums.
OP was unhappy that she is now "logging" 1800 calories and gaining weight..
there were a few that told her to get a kitchen scale and she agreed that is what she needed to do...
and to be frank that should have been the end of it...log accurately with a kitchen scale and correct entries and be at a reasonable deficet means weight loss...but then this magical snowflake appeared to defend
logging 1200
not losing
upped logged calories
lost weight
defies science.
Did you look at her diary at all? She was NETTING 1200 on most days, which meant she was eating closer to 2100 calories on long workouts. Then she switched to NETTING 1800 calories and GAINED weight. As I posted earlier, if she 'upped' her calories to eating a flat 1800 calories without eating back her exercise calories then she would actually be LOWERING her calories. No science defied. It's simple math.0 -
"You are not special. You are not a beautiful and unique snowflake. You're the same decaying organic matter as everything else."
I'm just surprised on one went there yet. But really, I agree with this post:I've come to the conclusion no matter what you do on here, It's wrong. You eat less everyone tells you to eat more. You eat more everyone tells you your eating to much. High reps low weight they say high weights low reps. Do high weight low reps then your suppose to be doing low weights high reps. It sucks.
Just do what works for you. If you were losing at 1,200 and you weren't hungry, tired or weak then do it. Just listen to your body. Give it more when you need more. As long as your eating the right foods, getting enough water, sleep and some exercise your golden.
I was having the same problem, eating 1200 calories a day and exercising 5 to 6 days a week and not loosing. I got both types of advice, you are not accurately logging and eating too much, and you are eating too little and you are going into starvation mode. I have since bought a food scale and heart rate monitor and have calculated my TDEE and macros. I am going to try that route for a while and see how it goes.
I have to disagree with what you quoted...
A lot of us asked questions first...like do you weigh your food, are you logging everything you eat? where do you get your burns before we give advice...
Yes some just jump and say eat more or eat less but not all.
The fact you bought a food scale and a HRM and can now log accurately (if you choose the correct database entries) etc you should be fine.0 -
You must be Canadian this gif just screams Canada...
TL;DR version
As for the OP her issue was she listened to people telling her to up her calories because she wasn't losing logging 1200 calories...
As I said earlier...eat more to lose more weight is the new starvation mode here in the forums.
OP was unhappy that she is now "logging" 1800 calories and gaining weight..
there were a few that told her to get a kitchen scale and she agreed that is what she needed to do...
and to be frank that should have been the end of it...log accurately with a kitchen scale and correct entries and be at a reasonable deficet means weight loss...but then this magical snowflake appeared to defend
logging 1200
not losing
upped logged calories
lost weight
defies science.
Did you look at her diary at all? She was NETTING 1200 on most days, which meant she was eating closer to 2100 calories on long workouts. Then she switched to NETTING 1800 calories and GAINED weight. As I posted earlier, if she 'upped' her calories to eating a flat 1800 calories without eating back her exercise calories then she would actually be LOWERING her calories. No science defied. It's simple math.
Ah you jump on me for no reason...
Yes I looked at her diary...I wasn't speaking of the OP defying science she proves the science...her original post was that she wasn't losing on 1200...she was told to up her calories to lose...she upped her calories and gained...science proven.
My advice to the OP was to get a kitchen scale...weigh her solids and log accurately with the scale and correct entries and to eat at a reasonable deficet to lose weight...
My comment about defies science was about the people who believe that if you are logging 1200 and not losing logging more will help you lose weight...notice i said logging as most are eating more than they think
My original post to the OP.you didn't take "everyones" advice I would never give that advice...if you aren't losing at 1200 how could you lose at 1830?
Here is my advice...
you are probably eating more than you think.
http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/872212-you-re-probably-eating-more-than-you-think
http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/1080242-a-guide-to-get-you-started-on-your-path-to-sexypants
you don't use a kitchen scale for solids...without that you are eating more than you think.
Yes to lose weight you need to be in a deficet and the only way to know that is weigh your food...a serving of cereal says 3/4c or 110g...guess what 3/4 of a cup is more than 110g...and when you spoon potatoes on your plate how do you know it's 3oz or 4oz...
Get a kitchen scale...weigh all your solids and measure with cups/spoons liquids...
As for exercise the database is on the high side...eat back 50-75% of your burned calories.
leave you loss goal at 1/2lb because you don't have much to lose.
If you are gaining and not doing new exercise (which would be water weight) you are not in a deficet.0 -
Just curious, I haven't read all the pages, but, has anyone actually figured out what the maintenance calories for the OP actually are? (However, I'm sure the TL;DR version is something like this:
Person A:"OP you don't need to eat more you need to eat less to lose!!"
Person B: "How do you know?? She can eat more and lose!!!"
Person A:"That's stupid!"
Random Person (first post):"OH yeah?? Well, you're a doo doo head!"
Person A:"Oh yeah??? Well I'm rubber and you're glue and what you say bounces off of me and sticks to you!!!!"
Theoretically, if the OP's maintenance calories are say, 2000 cals a day, and she is eating 1200 cals a day, and then at some point, UPS her calories to 1800...isn't she still UNDER her maintenance calories and therefore, by magic and wizardry, she will still lose weight, even though she upped her calories...or at least that's what math and science and stuff says....but seriously...who can actually trust math and science????
Accurately measuring calorie intake (by weighing and measuring portions, not just eyeballing them), and accurately measuring calorie output (as best as possible, and being consistent with whatever method you decide to use) and burning more calories than you take in *usually results in weight loss.
*Special Snowflakes are exempt from real world data and therefore, this information does not apply
Throwing out numbers like 1200 and 1830 really don't mean much to those of us who don't have the full picture.
Oh yeah...before I forget, obligatory gif insertion in 3...2...1...
You must be Canadian this gif just screams Canada...
TL;DR version
As for the OP her issue was she listened to people telling her to up her calories because she wasn't losing logging 1200 calories...
As I said earlier...eat more to lose more weight is the new starvation mode here in the forums.
OP was unhappy that she is now "logging" 1800 calories and gaining weight..
there were a few that told her to get a kitchen scale and she agreed that is what she needed to do...
and to be frank that should have been the end of it...log accurately with a kitchen scale and correct entries and be at a reasonable deficet means weight loss...but then this magical snowflake appeared to defend
logging 1200
not losing
upped logged calories
lost weight
defies science.
I honestly have no idea why I did it, but I did. I looked over a good portion of the OP's diary...bottom line, ain't nobody done loggin' no 1200 calories.
There was zero consistency in that diary. 941 one day, 1864 the next, 1453 the other (these number have been pulled out of thin air and do not actually represent real and factual data from the OP's diary. Actual numbers have been replaced by made up number to protect the innocent).
Best I could tell, and I'm going on very, very little sleep for the past few days so I'm probably wrong and currently rambling on and on about things I should not even comment on, however, I feel compelled for some reason, I don't know, it might be the coffee and sugar I've been cramming down my gullet to get through this work day, or, it might be that I currently have no idea what I'm doing...
but...
I digress.
Can you up your calories and still lose weight, even though you were eat "1200" calories before? Probably not, because you weren't only eating 1200 calories before.
Can you stall out eating 1200 accurately measure calories, and actually measure exercise? Yes. Can you up your calories, gain a little weight in the beginning, (because let's face it, you did just add calories) and give your body time to adjust to the change before swing back down into the weight loss mode? Yes. Seems counter productive I know, but I've seen it happen, it's happened to me, it's just about being patient, and giving the body time to adjust...eating at a deficit....it's just a smaller deficit and you would be losing less per week...but...you would still be losing.
I hope at least part of any of this made sense.0 -
Gaining weight may reflect water storage or inflammation (or de novo lipogenesis - fat gain). Weight does not necessarily mean you're gaining fat. That being said, I'd invite you to consider how many carbohydrates you're eating. As long as you have glucose in your blood, you won't burn fat.
Your base metabolic rate will dictate how much food you need, but if your liver is never initializing fat metabolism because of excess carbohydrates (or protein consumption), you won't burn fat.
Actually, your body is burning a combination of protein, glucose and fat at all times. It's the ratios that change depending on diet and exercise.0 -
You are going over your sugars !!!!!!!Okay I have taken everyone's advice, and upped my calories from 1,200 to 1,830. (I went from lose 2lbs per week to .5lbs per week: current weight 128, goal weight 120. I am 5'2" and my body fat % is 21). However I have been doing cardio and weight training, and of course upped my calories, and now I am gaining weight. I eat healthy and write down everything on MFP and measure it out. I check the scale daily (every morning when I get up), and it goes up a pound a day. Is this normal?? I'm trying to lose weight but if I am upping my calories, does that mean my weight will increase and then drop suddenly??? And I know in order to lose weight I need to be in a deficit, but how do I know if I'm still in that deficit?? If I'm supposed to be eating 1,830, and I burn 500 calories, and eat 2,330 yet net 1,830 (to reach my goal weight), does that mean I am in my deficit??? Or should I be Netting less than 1,830 to be in a deficit????
But my sugars are healthy fruits! and I have been going over in protein too, is that bad??0 -
You are going over your sugars !!!!!!!Okay I have taken everyone's advice, and upped my calories from 1,200 to 1,830. (I went from lose 2lbs per week to .5lbs per week: current weight 128, goal weight 120. I am 5'2" and my body fat % is 21). However I have been doing cardio and weight training, and of course upped my calories, and now I am gaining weight. I eat healthy and write down everything on MFP and measure it out. I check the scale daily (every morning when I get up), and it goes up a pound a day. Is this normal?? I'm trying to lose weight but if I am upping my calories, does that mean my weight will increase and then drop suddenly??? And I know in order to lose weight I need to be in a deficit, but how do I know if I'm still in that deficit?? If I'm supposed to be eating 1,830, and I burn 500 calories, and eat 2,330 yet net 1,830 (to reach my goal weight), does that mean I am in my deficit??? Or should I be Netting less than 1,830 to be in a deficit????
But my sugars are healthy fruits! and I have been going over in protein too, is that bad??
Are your goals the MFP default goals? In that case, I wouldn't worry about going over in protein. Actually I wouldn't worry about it anyway. I changed my goals and my protein intake goal is now about twice MFP's goal (they set it around 15% which is very low). think of it as a minimum not a maximum.
As for sugar, I also track carbs (I track all my macros, protein, fat and carbs). Sugar would be included in the carbs. So as long as I am near my carb goal, I am not worried.
Unless you have a medical problem I don't see the need to track sugar, especially if you track your macros. If you really want to, the goal for sugar here is based on the added sugar recommendation. Problem is, MFP doesn't distinguish between added sugar and sugar in foods like fruit.0 -
You are going over your sugars !!!!!!!Okay I have taken everyone's advice, and upped my calories from 1,200 to 1,830. (I went from lose 2lbs per week to .5lbs per week: current weight 128, goal weight 120. I am 5'2" and my body fat % is 21). However I have been doing cardio and weight training, and of course upped my calories, and now I am gaining weight. I eat healthy and write down everything on MFP and measure it out. I check the scale daily (every morning when I get up), and it goes up a pound a day. Is this normal?? I'm trying to lose weight but if I am upping my calories, does that mean my weight will increase and then drop suddenly??? And I know in order to lose weight I need to be in a deficit, but how do I know if I'm still in that deficit?? If I'm supposed to be eating 1,830, and I burn 500 calories, and eat 2,330 yet net 1,830 (to reach my goal weight), does that mean I am in my deficit??? Or should I be Netting less than 1,830 to be in a deficit????
But my sugars are healthy fruits! and I have been going over in protein too, is that bad??
don't worry about sugars unless you are a diabetic...as for protien treat those numbers as a minimum...protien is good it helps you feel fuller longer...and helps in the repair of your muscles...I eat min of 120g...0 -
You are going over your sugars !!!!!!!Okay I have taken everyone's advice, and upped my calories from 1,200 to 1,830. (I went from lose 2lbs per week to .5lbs per week: current weight 128, goal weight 120. I am 5'2" and my body fat % is 21). However I have been doing cardio and weight training, and of course upped my calories, and now I am gaining weight. I eat healthy and write down everything on MFP and measure it out. I check the scale daily (every morning when I get up), and it goes up a pound a day. Is this normal?? I'm trying to lose weight but if I am upping my calories, does that mean my weight will increase and then drop suddenly??? And I know in order to lose weight I need to be in a deficit, but how do I know if I'm still in that deficit?? If I'm supposed to be eating 1,830, and I burn 500 calories, and eat 2,330 yet net 1,830 (to reach my goal weight), does that mean I am in my deficit??? Or should I be Netting less than 1,830 to be in a deficit????
But my sugars are healthy fruits! and I have been going over in protein too, is that bad??
Are your goals the MFP default goals? In that case, I wouldn't worry about going over in protein. Actually I wouldn't worry about it anyway. I changed my goals and my protein intake goal is now about twice MFP's goal (they set it around 15% which is very low). think of it as a minimum not a maximum.
As for sugar, I also track carbs (I track all my macros, protein, fat and carbs). Sugar would be included in the carbs. So as long as I am near my carb goal, I am not worried.
Unless you have a medical problem I don't see the need to track sugar, especially if you track your macros. If you really want to, the goal for sugar here is based on the added sugar recommendation. Problem is, MFP doesn't distinguish between added sugar and sugar in foods like fruit.
Yeah MFP tells me I have like 288 carbs I can eat, and 88g of protein and not a lot of sugar. All of my sugar comes from fruit, I eat clean. and if i ate unhealthy, i would still log it! I usually don't though and I steer clear of desserts (i just don't crave it). my goals are the default MFP goals. I am definitely going to get a food scale and watch more carefully with what i eat!0 -
You are going over your sugars !!!!!!!Okay I have taken everyone's advice, and upped my calories from 1,200 to 1,830. (I went from lose 2lbs per week to .5lbs per week: current weight 128, goal weight 120. I am 5'2" and my body fat % is 21). However I have been doing cardio and weight training, and of course upped my calories, and now I am gaining weight. I eat healthy and write down everything on MFP and measure it out. I check the scale daily (every morning when I get up), and it goes up a pound a day. Is this normal?? I'm trying to lose weight but if I am upping my calories, does that mean my weight will increase and then drop suddenly??? And I know in order to lose weight I need to be in a deficit, but how do I know if I'm still in that deficit?? If I'm supposed to be eating 1,830, and I burn 500 calories, and eat 2,330 yet net 1,830 (to reach my goal weight), does that mean I am in my deficit??? Or should I be Netting less than 1,830 to be in a deficit????
But my sugars are healthy fruits! and I have been going over in protein too, is that bad??
Are your goals the MFP default goals? In that case, I wouldn't worry about going over in protein. Actually I wouldn't worry about it anyway. I changed my goals and my protein intake goal is now about twice MFP's goal (they set it around 15% which is very low). think of it as a minimum not a maximum.
As for sugar, I also track carbs (I track all my macros, protein, fat and carbs). Sugar would be included in the carbs. So as long as I am near my carb goal, I am not worried.
Unless you have a medical problem I don't see the need to track sugar, especially if you track your macros. If you really want to, the goal for sugar here is based on the added sugar recommendation. Problem is, MFP doesn't distinguish between added sugar and sugar in foods like fruit.
Yeah MFP tells me I have like 288 carbs I can eat, and 88g of protein and not a lot of sugar. All of my sugar comes from fruit, I eat clean. and if i ate unhealthy, i would still log it! I usually don't though and I steer clear of desserts (i just don't crave it). my goals are the default MFP goals. I am definitely going to get a food scale and watch more carefully with what i eat!
Sounds like a good plan.
The Guide to Sexypants link posted a few times (its on page 1) has a good suggestion on setting your macro goals if you are interested in changing them. I have mine at 40/30/30.0 -
The 1800 sounds correct, its the fact that you are eating your exercise calories back, if you are going based on TDEE then its already calculated in the 1800.0
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But my sugars are healthy fruits! and I have been going over in protein too, is that bad??
The only "problem" with sugar is that it often comes packaged in empty calories. Sugar from fruit is awesome. Don't worry about it.0 -
But my sugars are healthy fruits! and I have been going over in protein too, is that bad??
The only "problem" with sugar is that it often comes packaged in empty calories. Sugar from fruit is awesome. Don't worry about it.
"empty calories" is just another name for "carbs"...
...and that's one of the macros and also bring some calories into the equation.
TL;DR - There are no truly empty calories.0 -
Mmm, I love the smell of dumpster fire in the morning!
OP! Can you lose on more than 1200? Probably. Can you lose at 1800? Probably. But who the hell knows, what with you not accurately logging your food. Your 1200 may have been 1800 and your 1800 might be 2600.
Eating more to weigh less: IS NOT about eating more than your TDEE or whatever. It's about going from some low number to a higher number in hopes that energy and adherence will benefit. I went from sub 1200 to around 1800 (goal is 1870 these days) and have lost 'more' at the higher number, but not because I'm some kinda special snowflake (I wish), but because at 1200 I was sluggish, unhappy, and couldn't give my all to..well anything, plus I'd break my diet often to pig out because I was starving. Now I'm full of energy, have no issue sticking to my goal, and keep a high activity level/higher TDEE.
Ate more, weigh less, no science was harmed. Adherence is maintained, mental health is maintained, weight loss is easy. That's not to say I didn't lose at a lower number. I lost. I lost fast, like a champ. And then ate it all back in cupcakes (also like a champ)
OP, scale. Split the difference, eat around 1500. See how it goes for a month, report back. Easy.
:drinker: Great explaination of what the "eat more" is actually about!0 -
Let me tell you a story, in november I was was gaining weight I happened to sit next to a personal trainer on the train i told her why would i be gaining weight? she said do you eat bread and i said she said that will make you gain weightl. Carbs will make you gain weight and fat free things are replaced with sugar and have carbs. Try keeping your carbs under 100
You are going over your sugars !!!!!!!Okay I have taken everyone's advice, and upped my calories from 1,200 to 1,830. (I went from lose 2lbs per week to .5lbs per week: current weight 128, goal weight 120. I am 5'2" and my body fat % is 21). However I have been doing cardio and weight training, and of course upped my calories, and now I am gaining weight. I eat healthy and write down everything on MFP and measure it out. I check the scale daily (every morning when I get up), and it goes up a pound a day. Is this normal?? I'm trying to lose weight but if I am upping my calories, does that mean my weight will increase and then drop suddenly??? And I know in order to lose weight I need to be in a deficit, but how do I know if I'm still in that deficit?? If I'm supposed to be eating 1,830, and I burn 500 calories, and eat 2,330 yet net 1,830 (to reach my goal weight), does that mean I am in my deficit??? Or should I be Netting less than 1,830 to be in a deficit????
But my sugars are healthy fruits! and I have been going over in protein too, is that bad??
Are your goals the MFP default goals? In that case, I wouldn't worry about going over in protein. Actually I wouldn't worry about it anyway. I changed my goals and my protein intake goal is now about twice MFP's goal (they set it around 15% which is very low). think of it as a minimum not a maximum.
As for sugar, I also track carbs (I track all my macros, protein, fat and carbs). Sugar would be included in the carbs. So as long as I am near my carb goal, I am not worried.
Unless you have a medical problem I don't see the need to track sugar, especially if you track your macros. If you really want to, the goal for sugar here is based on the added sugar recommendation. Problem is, MFP doesn't distinguish between added sugar and sugar in foods like fruit.
Yeah MFP tells me I have like 288 carbs I can eat, and 88g of protein and not a lot of sugar. All of my sugar comes from fruit, I eat clean. and if i ate unhealthy, i would still log it! I usually don't though and I steer clear of desserts (i just don't crave it). my goals are the default MFP goals. I am definitely going to get a food scale and watch more carefully with what i eat!0 -
As for you I don't believe you were logging accurately...even the MFP users who have been here for years notice that sometimes their choices in entries is wrong, or they losen their logging or forgot to log...
I don't need to research simple math I learned it in grade 1....calories in <calories out =weight loss....calories in>calories out= weight gain, calories in=calories out=maintiance.
Okay this is going nowhere. I can assure you I was logging accurately, as I said, I have (and had at the time) a foodscale and a HRM. And when I upped my calories, I didn't change the way I logged or what I was eating. So, that wasn't the case.
And do you really think with her being as active as she's saying that her maintenance level is 1,200 calories? Seems pretty unrealistic to me, science be d*mned.
Bottom line is this, everyone is different, and what works for one doesn't work for another. Maybe she shouldn't have upped her calories, maybe she should have. However, I will say this much, when making any change to diet and/or exercise you need to give it time to see what happens and give the body time to adjust.
When you upped your calories did you up your activity? Or the intensity?
Sometimes people feel sluggish in large deficits, and don't realize that they are underperforming in all their movements, including their NEAT.
They then up their calories, feel better, and perform better. Overall they're burning more calories.
Instead of attributing the loss to more energy being burned, thanks to more energy being available, they think "oh I ate more calories, and the extra food made me lose weight".
No. Extra calories don't make you lose more weight than less calories. They, however, can make you more energized and thus potentially improve your overall energy expenditure.0 -
Let me tell you a story, in november I was was gaining weight I happened to sit next to a personal trainer on the train i told her why would i be gaining weight? she said do you eat bread and i said she said that will make you gain weightl. Carbs will make you gain weight and fat free things are replaced with sugar and have carbs. Try keeping your carbs under 100
Pure garbage.
Higher carb levels can make you retain a little bit of extra water but a higher carb intake without a higher caloric intake will NOT make you gain weight.
This is why you can't trust a PT for nutritional information. Most of them aren't certified or even educated at all on the subject.0
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