how can you gain weight on 1200 calories a day!!

judipatootie

Ok, Im frustrated! Things started off great. i lost 3 lbs last week. I was eating my 1200 (sometimes a little less) a day. Then i went camping. Hiked a total of 6 hours over rough terrain carrying enough equipment for two days and two dogs. i didnt eat any differently than i had been. and i come back from 2 days in the wilderness almost two lbs heavier? What gives? I work out regularily at the gym (cardio and weights) and i am just not seeing the scale drop the numbers as it should be. It makes me feel like saying screw this and going to Mcdonalds for a flurry! I know muscle weighs more than fat, but i doubt i could gain 2 lbs of muscle in two days.

oksanatkachuk

Not enough time. It takes from week to 2 to realise true results. 2 days difference in not informative.

Might be water, gas, stool, muscle. How's ur clothes fitting?

KLangleydoula

Hi! Sometimes if your calorie intake is too low (especially with vigorous exercise) your body will hold on to fat. It could also be water weight gain....was your salt intake possibly higher? Feel free to add me if you like.

mfp2014mfp

6 hours hiking has probably promted you body to retain additional water to help with muscle repair.

GrammyPeachy

Sometimes, I gain 2-4 lbs just before or during "that "time of month. Could that be it?

judipatootie

really hard to say about how the clothes are fitting. i tend to dress in pretty comfy clothes during the summer. ive been on leave for two weeks but head back to work on tuesday. I guess putting on the uniform will tell the truth.
I guess it is possible that i consumed a lot of salt while camping. although we didnt take any "junk" food (chips etc) we did take canned food (like Campbells Chunky soups, mac and cheese, etc) so I guess those are packed with salt. We ran out of water on the last day so when we got out of the woods after three hours of hiking, to the car and the emergency stash....i drank a ton of water and some gatorade. so i guess i could be retaining some water, although it doesn't feel like it. I didn't try to eat back all the calories i burned either, so i ended the three days in a huge calorie deficit, so maybe my body went into the survival mode.
my biggest problem when i try to lose weight - is that i step on the scale too often and become obsessed with the numbers, rather than stepping on it once a week at the same time. I may just be panicking i suppose. still- its a little disheartening though- when you work hard and see the scale move in the wrong direction.

therocpile

6 hours worth of exercise and only 1200 calories? You need to eat more to lose more, especially if you're going to be doing vigorous exercise such as rucking for hours or cardio. The same thing happened to me when I first started doing Insanity (my workout program) I was eating like 1300 calories and burning 500-1000, i wasn't losing weight at ALL, i upped my calories and the weight started flying off.

It's also likely that you retained water, make sure you are staying well hydrated and try to keep your sodium intake low.

Also never eat under 1200, don't be afraid to eat you need to fuel your body.

lisadeblasi

First, try to be patient. I agree, if you weigh yourself every day, you'll see an average loss over 10-14 days.
Second, consider looking at it as an overall health improvement, weight loss or not.
Third, my sister, my gf, and I have been screaming foul since we neared 40. The scale just won't move!!! 1800 calories, 800 calories, no exercise, 2000cals in exercise, etc etc. People say "Starvation mode" "Water" "Muscle" "Age". Sis is having success with GNC Lean jump start program, but it's only been 4 days so we're watching the next 10 days...

Anyways, we just keep going. You're not alone! I have succeeded in losing 10lb from a year ago, probably because I can't tell you the last time that I had brownie batter for breakfast (overall health improvement, right?)

katieca123

Are you on your period? I always see no change or a slight gain when it's that time of the month. But, when it's over I usually see a pretty satisfying drop

cheesevixen_staci

You may have over worked yourself a bit, and your are just holding water from the hike. Whenever I start a new work out I always expect my body to move around water like crazy. Give it a week I'm sure you'll be fine. Also make sure you are logging your work outs to make sure you are not going too far under 1200 with these exercises. Normally throughout the day your body can gain as much as 5 lbs in water.

judipatootie

brownie batter for breakfast? yummy!! LOL I would miss that.
i definately felt the lack of caloric intake yesterday. i tried to eat to make up for the deficit yesterday when i got home, but the appetite was not there. i was so tired. i should have just gone to bed but i went to the gym with my bf instead, and did a mediocre work out. this morning however, i am hungry! I woke up, had cereal and tea, and my tummy is still rumbling. but i am so scared to try to eat back the calories from the past three days . i agree that age has a lot to do with this. and that just plain sucks.
The GNC Lean is good. I used it when i was on course for a few months down in the US a few years ago with success. I used the Lean Shakes as a meal replacement for breakfast and lunch. But when i am home and there are people eating food around me it is difficult to use. i am going on course again in Feb in South Carolina, so i plan to start using it again then.

strassenkoenigin

Yeah, something is wrong with all these calories in and out. I have the same problem. I got into road biking and on a good day I bike 50 miles and eat not over 1200 calories. And I bike every day, not always 50 miles, but at least one hour a day. But my weight loss is very slow and many days I wake up to a weight gain. I know that I have stay away from all baked goods because they make me gain weight immediately, but fruits and nuts?

judipatootie

the one thing i dont like at MFP, is that when you log strength work outs- it doesnt say how many calories you burned like it does when you do a cardio work out. SO its hard to try to eat back calories you burn when you havnt a clue how many you actually burned. I usually finish my work out with some time on the stationary bike or the stair climber, just so i have some numbers to work with since i use up my 1200 by dinner time, and when i get back from the gym, im hungry and i want a little something (usually a protein shake). but it leaves me not consuming enough calories in a 24 hour period and i know that can also lead to failure on the scale. any suggestions for eating burned calories from strength training anyone?

judipatootie

fruits and nuts are actually pretty high in fat and sugars and calories . the healthy alternative to junk....is just as fattening however they are much higher in fibre so they are good for your body. just be careful how much you eat of them. you are cycling a heck of a lot! Are you eating back the calories that you burn? You mentioned that you dont over go the 1200- is that 1200 after you eat back what you burned?

judipatootie

hey Katie, no....i cant blame the period on this. Sadly

59gi

Stay on tract and drink plenty of water and you will see the scale come down.

Alluminati

6 hours hiking has probably promted you body to retain additional water to help with muscle repair.

This

mike_ny

The most obvious answer is your counts are underestimating your actual calorie intake, so your eating back the exercise calories may be pushing you over just enough to not be running a deficit. The initial weight loss of a few pounds is almost always water weight that can be just due to a change in diet and routine. The weight lost the first month is real, but the weight lost in the first week or two is usually just water.

If you're not measuring, weighing, and recording everything, it's very easy to be off by a lot more calories than people think. Our concept of portion sizes and what constitutes small or medium in our modern diet is a lot bigger than the portion sizes in the food databases. I was shocked at how many actual calories I was eating the first time I accurately measure everything compared to what I honestly thought I was eating.

If you are being diligent in measuring and logging, then at least that is not the problem, but if not, it's definitely the first place to look.

We also tend to overestimate calorie burn. As a rule of thumb, rounding up for calorie intake and rounding down for calorie burn when logging doesn't hurt and at worst case, you lose more than your numbers alone would predict.

SCV34

Ok, Im frustrated! Things started off great. i lost 3 lbs last week. I was eating my 1200 (sometimes a little less) a day. Then i went camping. Hiked a total of 6 hours over rough terrain carrying enough equipment for two days and two dogs. i didnt eat any differently than i had been. and i come back from 2 days in the wilderness almost two lbs heavier? What gives? I work out regularily at the gym (cardio and weights) and i am just not seeing the scale drop the numbers as it should be. It makes me feel like saying screw this and going to Mcdonalds for a flurry! I know muscle weighs more than fat, but i doubt i could gain 2 lbs of muscle in two days.

Have you thought about making your diary public so people can take a look? Maybe someone could give you some helpful advice if they could see your diary.

tamihanksbaughman

Your body weight will fluctuate up to 5 lbs. Don't give up! You're doing great! Make food choices you can live with for a lifetime. Don't diet!! And find exercise that you enjoy.

Docsdanes

If you were doing that kind of hiking and eating less than 1200 calories your body may have gone into starvation mode. It can be muscle and water also. I have the scale that shows body fat and water and it has saved me from a lot of screw it - McFlurries!