When EMWL stops working - hormonal issues? Long
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Heybales clearly knows what he is talking about! I will put in my 2 cents... I burn about 4400 calories a week in exercise and I wasn't losing weight at 2300. It wasn't until I got my metabolism tested (3 times because I wanted to be sure it was right, and got he same result each tim) that I knew my RMR, TDEE, and what my calorie goal should really be...and then I started losing at about 2600. So I know this is not your situation, but, my point is, if you can, find a nutritionist to administer a hospital grade indirect calorimeter test to determine your RMR. For me, the online calculators were not anywhere near correct and my deficit was too big. IMO, weight loss is calculus, not arithmetic; the rules of arithmetic apply, but it is sometimes more complicated than addition and subtraction. Btw, when I started seeing my nutritionist, I thought it was my hormones too...0
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Thanks for the heads up. I will keep my endocrinology appointment and if they still don't find anything, I'll look into a nutritionist. I really am interested to see what I burn. I have a feeling the online calculators underestimate as well....there's no way I should be at 1550 to lose. But at least the scale is going in the right direction for a change. I'll keep this up until I hit a wall, then look into bumping my calories up again. Slowly, tho.
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Monday stats: 163.8 Gained almost a pound this past week.
My workouts were identical to the week before. I nailed the calorie count as I did the week before. The only difference that I could see - 3 mornings this past week, I did some construction work. Fitbit showed my step count as higher than usual on those 3 days.
So now what? I'm gaining weight at 1550. Lovely.0 -
Monday stats: 163.8 Gained almost a pound this past week.
My workouts were identical to the week before. I nailed the calorie count as I did the week before. The only difference that I could see - 3 mornings this past week, I did some construction work. Fitbit showed my step count as higher than usual on those 3 days.
So now what? I'm gaining weight at 1550. Lovely.
So lets back off the stress level.
0.8 lb gain in 7 days. If you are somehow thinking this is fat, then
0.8 x 3500 / 7 = 400 over TDEE
1550 eaten - 400 = 1150 observed TDEE
Really? So now your TDEE is 1150?
See, if there is any actual stress involved with that weight gain - you are actually going to cause yourself to gain more water weight, which is obviously all you did there in 1 week.
Sore from construction work? Not that soreness is only time you retain water in muscle for repair, but it's a sure indicator.
So you ate 1550, created an even bigger deficit than normal from potential-what-body-would-like TDEE because of extra work.
I hope you can imagine how that would be stressful on a body.
You clearly need to separate the expected water weight gains from the non-desired fat weight gains. And that's many times the benefit of a reset - get your mind straight as to what is important.
Keep up the good work, and keep going on up.0 -
No, I'm not saying my TDEE 1150. I know that's impossible, I still feel it should be around 2000. But I only did that construction work Mon-Wed. Wasn't sore from it at all. Wouldn't any DOMS have cleared up by Monday, 4 days later? And why the drastic change - a 3 lb loss one week and a 1 lb gain the following week with nearly identical circumstances? If it was extra stress due to the larger gap in intake vs output, wouldn't my weight loss have slowed down a bit - not go up on the scale?
So, if it is all water weight gain, what should I be bumping my calories up to - I'm still at 1550. 1650? 1800? Or just increase on days where I do more activity?0 -
No, I'm not saying my TDEE 1150. I know that's impossible, I still feel it should be around 2000. But I only did that construction work Mon-Wed. Wasn't sore from it at all. Wouldn't any DOMS have cleared up by Monday, 4 days later? And why the drastic change - a 3 lb loss one week and a 1 lb gain the following week with nearly identical circumstances? If it was extra stress due to the larger gap in intake vs output, wouldn't my weight loss have slowed down a bit - not go up on the scale?
So, if it is all water weight gain, what should I be bumping my calories up to - I'm still at 1550. 1650? 1800? Or just increase on days where I do more activity?
Weight loss isn't going to be linear by a long shot.
And as I already said, DOMS is a dead give away you are retaining water - but it is not required for the muscles to still be retaining water for repair. I've retained water from an unusual workout for 5 days, 7 days one time. Now, for me at those times it was also different enough I was sore as all get out, but yes to extended time.
You may not even be aware - your BMR literally changes through the month, if I recall a difference of 150-250 calories between high and low, men don't have that tweak to be aware of.
Hence the need for women to have a whole month of valid weigh-ins before anything can really be discerned from weight changes.
I don't recall if you were doing the 100 increase every week or two, or the 250 test.
1 lb in water weight is equal to 500 calories worth of carbs with attached water being stored in muscle.
I'm sure with your workouts your body has been itching to store more carbs for the cardio stuff.
Easily finally could have happened. Could have happened a little last week too - but you lost more water from other places for other reasons.
The fast up and downs doesn't make it easy to tell why or where - just the obvious fact it had to be water and can't be fat.
And unless you can get into a lab research study with all kinds of accurate physiological tests, you'll never find out.0 -
I was just doing the 250 test. So what's the fix to lose water weight? Other than simply stopping all workouts?0
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I was just doing the 250 test. So what's the fix to lose water weight? Other than simply stopping all workouts?
Drain some blood.
See, that's what has me concerned you are still mighty focused on weight, and not what the weight is and what a healthy body is - but a number on the scale that is meaningless in the scheme of things, especially in the range you are in.
Unless of course you do wear your scale on your back with current weight on it, with a sign saying what goal weight is, for all to see.
Or you are doing a weigh-in for something and want to be in lighter weight class? Arm wrestling?
Or is a time based goal? Always a mistake.
That is good beneficial desired water weight because of your selected workouts that demand improvement from the body by adding it.
To think you need to "fix" something means you still don't get this, I'm sorry if I'm reading your responses wrong, but you are saying all the right things for someone that doesn't get it yet.
Is the real issue weight, or is it actually fat where you don't want it, and you think less weight will remove just that fat that you want gone?
Is that why you desire so much exercise, because you equate exercise with fat loss somehow? or rather weight loss?0 -
I could care less if the scale says 140, 170 or 210. I have a closet full of clothes right now and only 3-4 things that fit. I own my own business, and most of these are my professional clothes. ALL of them are too tight and I don't have the budget to go out and buy everything I own again in a size or 2 larger. THAT'S my issue. Not wrestling, not time, but money and keeping my clients.
I *know* I'm healthy, and that's why I work out. I have genetics stacked against me. My dad had a heart attack at age 40, my mother and grandmother died young from heart disease brought on by hypothyroidism. I feel like I have all this going against me and it's my job as a mom to my kids to stay healthy and be there for them. I don't want them to go through what *I* did with my parents. So did I achieve my goal of being healthy? You bet. But do I have $5000 in the bank to replace designer clothes I purchased over the span of many, many years so I keep up my image with clients? Heck no.
Bottom line: I need to fit in my clothes again. I was doing fine for a good 5-6 YEARS, if not longer. Same diet, 1800-2000 cals a day, about an hour of working out. Maintained my size, maintained my health. All was good. Then BAM out of nowhere I start putting on weight. Clothes start getting tight. I get down to a few things that fit. Now I'm down to ONE pair of shorts and that's it - stuff that isn't tee shirts and workout gear, that is! I NEED to get back to where I was size-wise.
Now that that has been made clear, maybe I should rephrase my original question. Is there a solution to slowing down or reversing water weight gain? You've provided a lot of science with glycogen stores but not a lot of practical solutions that I can apply. Yes, I know my body is "doing what it needs to" and yes, I respect that. But like you said previously - something triggered this. WHAT, exactly? Because if something triggered this cycle I'm in, certainly I can undo what has been done and get back to my status quo?0 -
Now that that has been made clear, maybe I should rephrase my original question. Is there a solution to slowing down or reversing water weight gain? You've provided a lot of science with glycogen stores but not a lot of practical solutions that I can apply. Yes, I know my body is "doing what it needs to" and yes, I respect that. But like you said previously - something triggered this. WHAT, exactly? Because if something triggered this cycle I'm in, certainly I can undo what has been done and get back to my status quo?
Ok, good to know the motivation behind the intent, and the stress over the situation doesn't help either.
Not really any practical solutions could be given to a non-issue that needs no solution.
But there are things you can do.
Stop working out so hard for so long such that carbs are the main energy source.
Simple as that.
Do all your cardio in the Active Recovery HR zone, recently given the fad name "fat-burning" zone because that's what it happens to be.
Only carb sourced workouts is lifting, and that's brief intense stuff, so doesn't need to pack in more carbs.
www.calculatenow.biz/sport/heart.php?
As to what triggered it. I'm betting this, for whatever other reason you see stress.
http://www.bodyrecomposition.com/fat-loss/another-look-at-metabolic-damage.html#more-93130 -
Interesting. So, in other words, no matter what the trigger was initially, I really screwed up by going the direction that I did.
Going by your advice, and the article - my best bet to get my metabolism back up would be to get my calories up to maintenance (2000-2200) and ditch the cardio in favor of just weightlifting. And keep my sessions short, under an hour. And order a few pairs of stretchy pants.
Is that reasonable? Or did I miss something?0 -
If you still have time for cardio, just Recovery HR zone. Which many find so slow running they'd rather just walk.
But, you may also me surprised how fast you can get while keeping the HR low, because it trains the fat-burning system more.
I'll bet if you keep increasing slowly, you'll be surprised the weight gain doesn't keep happening, there's only so much to top off.
But more progressive heavy for you lifting with good decent rests to confirm it is heavy enough, will demand more energy used for repair. So your food eaten goes to that. Now more fat used for daily energy needs.
People have reported inches dropping even as weight went up.
Shoot, people have shown pictures of big difference in inches with weight exactly the same.0 -
That's exactly what I experienced when I first started lifting several years ago - I went up a good 15 lbs but dropped a clothing size. Which is also why I wasn't terribly concerned about the scale the past few years, since it was steadily increasing but my clothes fit fine as I was lifting. It's only been recently that the clothes have been getting tighter and tighter.
I will use a 30 min walk as a warmup for my lifting, or a short boxing drill that focuses more on technique than active cardio. I have a few that fit that bill, they don't get my heartrate that high. Also set MFP on 2000 cals. Will see what happens!
Thanks so much for all your advice, I really appreciate it. And if I'm up 20 lbs in the next few weeks, then I know there's something waaaaay wrong.0 -
Yes, as that link you read pointed out - cortisol constantly elevated can cause water to retain to 20 lbs, or more.
Might be time for blood test for that reading, and then trying to figure out why so elevated, constantly.0 -
Wooklemouse, I went through a similar problem , my thyroid tests came back normal , but I was becoming more and more hypothyroid and it took years before it actually showed up on blood labs. I stared treating my thyroid with iodoral (an iodine supplement) and started noticing more energy and weight loss. Since it runs in family I would research, Dr. Brownstein and his work with thyroid, according to him and a lot of others, you can be hypo thyroid and still have normal labs, there are a lot of variables.0
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Watching and waiting...0
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Just an update, saw the endocrinologist who told me it was normal aging weight gain. I said really? Most 40 yr old women gain 2 lbs a week while eating 1800 cals and exercising 10 hours a week? That would put me at 100+ lb weight gain in a year! This is "normal"? He shrugged and said "have a nice day" and left. NOT thrilled. So back to square one until I can get another referral for someone who isn't an idiot. I went back and reviewed what was going on when my weight gain started to increase rapidly. 3 things stood out - hubby got a new job (crazy work hours, 24 hour shifts every other day, leaving me to pick up all his chores at home), kids off for the summer (oldest is special needs and a handful), and increased my strength training from 3x a week to 5x a week. Lots of stress, lots of cortisol. I can't do much about #1, but kids go back to school in 2 weeks, and I can switch back to my "old" routine of cardio 5x a week and weights 3x a week. Things will be a lot less crazy around here so maybe I can relax a little.
The weight gain is slowing down at least. I've been at 2000 calories/day for the past 2 weeks now, dropped my exercise to 60-90 mins a day and have only gained 2 lbs. Hopefully the modified exercise schedule will help too.0 -
Wow, that is a pretty sad Dr. He probably wouldn't have been up to it, but I would have loved to have asked why exactly do we gain weight when we get older?
And why does that happen?
And am I indeed in that group of people?
I bet he would have been smart enough to see where the questions were going, but was dumb enough to assume up front, and too prideful to admit he jumped to a conclusion.
Good job finding likely cause. Make sure hubby understands you are blaming him, with slight side effect from kids. Perhaps you can get something out of it!0
