Increased calories and gained help !!

Debx12345

I started in aug last year and been eating 1200 cals, but not lost weight. I've now increased to 1500, and gained 2.3/4 in a week. What the he'll is going on !!! Feel so sad :-((. Any advice ?

meggonkgonk

If you hit starvation mode, you slowed your metabolism down. You might continue to gain for a while before losing. Read this post to see what you can expect in readjusting:

http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/3047-700-calories-a-day-and-not-losing

What are your NET calories?

kylakesgal

Well I tried to look at your food diary but it is not open. Might want to open it so people can get an idea what you are eating. Are you exercising, drinking lots of water? I joined 4 weeks ago and have already lost 8 lbs and 7.5 inches sticking with the 1200 daily calories a day and eating back most of my exercise calories. Open your diary and let's have a look. Are you logging everything you eat?

ksloop00

I would stay at the 1200 calories or eat your 1500 and exercise more. Most people on here eat their calories they burn, I think that is stupid, lol. I hope this helps, I'm kinda new to this. But my advice is really just DON'T EAT YOUR EXERCISe CALORIES!
Kim

Mindful_Trent

You don't have much to lose - so you likely weren't eating enough for an extended period of time, which can have an effect on your metabolism. (Especially if you were eating 1200/day without adding any extra for exercise... which I can't tell if that's the case.) The less you have to lose, the smaller your deficit should be, and the more important it is to eat back most of your exercise calories.

Basically - you need to give your body time to adjust to your new consumption level. You may gain a little more, but eventually it will stop and go back the right direction. This post explains the scenario (correcting a reduced metabolism) - http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/3047-700-calories-a-day-and-not-losing

Edited to add: meggonkgonk beat me to it - I'll still leave my post, though. A double-reminder to check out this link... lol

SudanBey

When I plateau, I usually fast for 7- 12 days (master cleanse) to jump start my metabolism and kick cravings that I have. This might help.

But other than that, if you've been eating like you say you've been eating.... great job. Keep up the good work. Dont forget to love yourself in the process.

JenniferH81

When I plateau, I usually fast for 7- 12 days (master cleanse) to jump start my metabolism and kick cravings that I have. This might help.

But other than that, if you've been eating like you say you've been eating.... great job. Keep up the good work. Dont forget to love yourself in the process.

how the heck do you fast for 7-12 days? I cant even fast for 7-12 hours. lol

Newfiedan

Initially when you add more cals the body will hold onto them because you were not feeding it right, do not lose hope, the problem you are encountering is not uncommon, I am helping a friend of mine lose weight and he has struggled for many years with it. We sat down and logged everything he ate for a week and he was starving his body from a nutrition standpoint. He openly said that its make or break for him, so I said ok then do exactly what I tell you to the letter and we will see what happens. The first 2 weeks he gained weight and was freaking out, but after that he dropped 5 pounds in 1 week, the first sign of weight loss. Then 5 the next week. He had already lost anything he had previously gained. All I changed was that he now eats a big breakfast, and more veggies in his diet. He can still have the treats but he has to earn them. 3 workouts a week with metabolic resistance training and proper diet is now his regimen and he is loving it. I told him that it was going to be hard on purpose so that when he found it easy he would be encouraged. So try to look at your diet from a nutrition stand point and not just a cal stand point and make the body work with you and not against you. The old adage of eat less and work hard do not always apply.

catysthename

I would stay at the 1200 calories or eat your 1500 and exercise more. Most people on here eat their calories they burn, I think that is stupid, lol. I hope this helps, I'm kinda new to this. But my advice is really just DON'T EAT YOUR EXERCISe CALORIES!
Kim

That will cause you to plateau. It will work for a little bit and cause your body to burn fat AND muscle. Hence, not affective.
Unless you consume a minimum of 1200 cals a day (including exercise cals you earn) then you aren't eating enough. If you read other peoples posts, they will tell you the same thing. STARVATION MODE IS REAL.

Mindful_Trent

I would stay at the 1200 calories or eat your 1500 and exercise more. Most people on here eat their calories they burn, I think that is stupid, lol. I hope this helps, I'm kinda new to this. But my advice is really just DON'T EAT YOUR EXERCISe CALORIES!
Kim

If you understood how MFP works, you wouldn't be saying this. I've eaten most of my exercise calories consistently and am successfully losing weight, as are many others.

MFP estimates how many calories you need to lose your desired weight WITHOUT EXERCISE included - that's your normal daily goal. When you exercise, you burn even more calories, but since MFP has already given you the deficit you need to lose weight, you need to eat most of those calories back to keep your body fueled properly. It's not healthy or safe to try to have as high of a deficit as possible. Especially if you're doing a lot of exercise, you're not doing yourself any favors running on very little net calories.

Kat120285

Look at it this way. Your NET calories are the calories your body actually absorbs to function. If you eat 1200 and then burn 600 that only leaves your body 600 to absorb.

Fat2FitChick

Believe me it's not stupid to eat your exercise calories. I have been doing this for a bit and I have tried it both ways. When I first started I didn't eat my exercise calories and for the first few weeks I dropped weight really fast and then I hit my wall. My body stopped burning as fast and then stopped burning the fat all together and to make things worse My body burned muscle the whole time I was losing at first because I wasn't eating enough. I worked out 6 days a week and burned between 500-600 calories so my net calories for the day was around 600 calories for an entire day. My body needed more calories to burn and since I didin't give it enough it started burning muscle. So 13lbs I lost in the beginning was almost pure muscle I burned.

I then started to eat my exercise calories since I saw that folks suggested it and the first week I gained weight but then realized that because my body had slowed down so much from the crap I did to it in the beginning and not feeding enough that it had to adjust to the larger amount of calories I was giving it. After that first week of eating my exercise calories I began to drop 1/2 lbs every 3-4 days that averaged out to about 2 lbs a week and I am still to this day averaging that amount and still eating my exercise calories.

Give your body time to adjust and then you can judge, but it's only been a week. Then you'll know for sure it isn't working but don't just go by what others say, you have to try it and see what works for you.

barbad01

The reason it is important to eat back most of your exercise calories is because if your body doesn't have enough fuel for your workouts, it will hold on to every calorie you consume as a means of backup energy. It will force your body into survival mode and slow down your metabolism if you don't eat enough. The way the site is designed, it takes you Basal Metabolic Rate (how much your body burns at rest) in relation to how many pounds you want to lose and based on that deficit, you should be eating that number of caloires which is why your cardio calories burned are calculated back into you calorie allowance. My suggestion would be to study the site and not give up so soon. Amen to KinksCurls for setting the record straight as well.

amyoliver85

Deb,

That is not uncommon. There are a couple of things that could be causing this:

1) Are you exercising? If you were eating 1200 calories each day but you were exercising, then you actually were not meeting your net calories for the day and your body was probably in starvation mode all this time. That would certainly account for your weight gain. Your body will absolutely gain weight at first and then it will drop.

2) What has your sodium intake been like for the past week? If your intake has been incredibly high and you haven't been meeting and/or exceeding your water goal, then that could be causing you to hold onto water weight.

3) You just changed your diet. It's actually okay to gain some weight when you make a major change to your eating habits! No REALLY, it IS okay!!! And YES, adding 300 calories per day is a MAJOR change to your diet! That's 2100 calories per week. Your body needs about 3 weeks to adjust to that new amount of food. You are most likely just holding onto the calories while your body figures out what the heck to do with them. Remember, you were eating 1200 calories per day for SEVEN months! Anybody's body would go "Whoa! What's this?!" for the first little bit.

4) What kinds of foods are you eating? Remember dear, we are what we eat. And even if you eat 1200 calories per day, if it's all poor foods--processed foods, fast food, cakes, cookies, etc...you're going to find that you won't be losing weight. And especially if you add back that 2100 per week and you're eating all of that everyday, you will see a weight gain.

BUT...

Most likely you are experiencing #3. And you need to give your body time to adjust. Don't feel bad. And remember, the SCALE does not determine how fit you are or how healthy you are. Pay more attention to your clothes and to the way you actually LOOK as opposed to what that scale says.

And don't forget these tips:

1) Don't weigh yourself within three days of eating a major meal of red meat. Red meat stays in the system for up to 3 days. And seriously...think about it...if you eat a 16 oz. steak every day for three days...that's 3 pounds!!! (grams actually matters more, but just roll with me on that one)

2) Poke your "fatty" area before you freak out. Look at the way your skin reacts. Does it bounce right back or does it make a slight impression first? That difference can tell you whether you're bloated from water or fat growth. I believe that if it bounces right back it's fat. And if it makes a slight impression first, it's water. You better google that though. And remember, that's not exactly a scientific test. It's just one way to help you measure.

3) Shrug it off and go for a jog. I am willing to bet that if you go ahead and go for a jog for 30 minutes 3x, you'll drop some of that weight pretty quickly.

4) Drink MORE water. Try drinking the equivalent of your weight in ounces of water for a few days. For instance, I weigh 171.1 pounds. Therefore I should drink 171.1 ounces of water. Which equates to = 21.5 glasses of water. Yep, that's right! That's A LOT of water. but really. You should try it. You might be surprised at what it can do. BUT REMEMBER, if you are NOT physically active, you should absolutely NOT do this for more than about 2-3 days or you could achieve water toxicity. And nobody wants that. If you are physically active, you will notice the difference in your energy but it won't be a risk factor.


Anywho, I hope that helps!

Mindful_Trent

The way the site is designed, it takes you Basal Metabolic Rate (how much your body burns at rest) in relation to how many pounds you want to lose and based on that deficit, you should be eating that number of caloires which is why your cardio calories burned are calculated back into you calorie allowance. My suggestion would be to study the site.

Close... but not quite.

MFP estimates your normal daily calorie burn, which is your BMR plus calories from normal daily stuff - working, going to the store, brushing your teeth, talking on the phone, etc. It estimates this based on age/weight/height/gender and the normal daily activity level you set your profile at (sedentary/lightly active/etc.).

Once it has this number, it subtracts from that the daily deficit you would need to lose your target per week goal. (500 cals for 1 pounds, 1000 cals for 2 pounds).

So - normal daily activity estimate minus your deficit goal = daily calorie goal
The biggest "catch" here is that MFP won't recommend anyone go below 1200 calories, so if your goal would require you to eat less than that, it limits your projected weight loss to what is deemed safe.

As you mention - MFP does NOT take exercise into consideration - that "normal daily calorie burn" is not supposed to include exercise. So for me - I'm set at sedentary even though I workout every day - because other than my workout, I am sedentary! (Desk job, drive to work, etc.) It's important to log your exercise so that MFP knows how many more calories you've burned beyond your "Normal" daily calorie burn.

You log your exercise, eat most of those calories, and maintain a SET deficit - that's MFP's goal - rather than have you eat the same amount every day, it has you keep a set deficit which allows you to lose weight at a steady pace. Therefore, on days where you workout more, you eat more - to keep your deficit the same number.

amyoliver85

I would stay at the 1200 calories or eat your 1500 and exercise more. Most people on here eat their calories they burn, I think that is stupid, lol. I hope this helps, I'm kinda new to this. But my advice is really just DON'T EAT YOUR EXERCISe CALORIES!
Kim

Kim...I am very concerned for you. I am always concerned when I hear someone say that it is "stupid to eat back exercise calories". Your body needs a minimum of 1200 calories per day just to survive. When you burn calories exercising, your body burns more energy and needs more calories to survive. It may slow down the rate of weight loss, but it works and it helps people to maintain a healthy lifestyle for the rest of their lives.

It is also actually proven by medical science that if you do not eat your exercise calories back, then you are 90% more likely than people who do eat their exercise calories to gain all of the weight back within 6 months - 1 year. From the studies I've read (about 12 different ones), those who do not eat back their exercise calories are also likely to experience anywhere from a 5% to 20% gain on top of their original weight. And it is much more difficult to lose every time you go through this type of process.

I'm not saying this to be a jerk or to stand on a soapbox. I genuinely want everyone I've encountered on MFP to enjoy a healthy, happy life. And to be able to lose weight and look the way they want to look and to not have to diet forever. So I just hope you will take a moment to consider the future and not the immediate response and really give the option of eating those calories another go.

FearAnLoathing

I would stay at the 1200 calories or eat your 1500 and exercise more. Most people on here eat their calories they burn, I think that is stupid, lol. I hope this helps, I'm kinda new to this. But my advice is really just DON'T EAT YOUR EXERCISe CALORIES!
Kim

Kim...I am very concerned for you. I am always concerned when I hear someone say that it is "stupid to eat back exercise calories". Your body needs a minimum of 1200 calories per day just to survive. When you burn calories exercising, your body burns more energy and needs more calories to survive. It may slow down the rate of weight loss, but it works and it helps people to maintain a healthy lifestyle for the rest of their lives.

It is also actually proven by medical science that if you do not eat your exercise calories back, then you are 90% more likely than people who do eat their exercise calories to gain all of the weight back within 6 months - 1 year. From the studies I've read (about 12 different ones), those who do not eat back their exercise calories are also likely to experience anywhere from a 5% to 20% gain on top of their original weight. And it is much more difficult to lose every time you go through this type of process.

I'm not saying this to be a jerk or to stand on a soapbox. I genuinely want everyone I've encountered on MFP to enjoy a healthy, happy life. And to be able to lose weight and look the way they want to look and to not have to diet forever. So I just hope you will take a moment to consider the future and not the immediate response and really give the option of eating those calories another go.

Thats not necessarily true for everyone,ive had not netted 1200 in over a year.not everyone is built exactly the same,not everyones bodys work exactly the same.everybodys diffrent.and while my circumstances are unusal i know i can not be the only one who manages just fine with low calories.Oh and during the time pierod that i stopped exercise and tracking calories i never gained a pound of the 35 i had lost at that time back.

Mindful_Trent

Thats not necessarily true for everyone,ive had not netted 1200 in over a year.not everyone is built exactly the same,not everyones bodys work exactly the same.everybodys diffrent.and while my circumstances are unusal i know i can not be the only one who manages just fine with low calories.Oh and during the time pierod that i stopped exercise and tracking calories i never gained a pound of the 35 i had lost at that time back.

Not really trying to start a debate - you don't say how low you go, which makes a difference, but just want to point out that "managing just fine" with low calories is not necessarily the same as eating the quantity and quality that is needed for optimal body functioning. Sometimes people don't realize that things could be better because they've been eating/living a certain way for so long. I do not believe that ANYONE can *optimally* run on really low net calories unless they are particularly (abnormally) small or have a metabolic (or some other) syndrome/problem that causes their body to work differently than most.

Debx12345

Hey guys, thanks for the feed back. I'm not ready to go public with my diary, hurting abit at mo. But a typical day goes like this:

Breakfast
Porridge with skimmed milk

Snack
Strawberries, rashberries, melon

Dinner
Homemade veg soup with brown bread
Low fat yogurt

Snack
Banana
Low fat digestive

Tea
Pasta with quorn sauce

Try and drink water through day, few cups of tea with skimmed milk, and don't shout but sometimes have a small glass of wine

Exercise each day is either cardio for 30 mins or strength training 30 mins with treadmill for 20 mins

I'm 132 lbs (today !!!!). Bf 33.2. 5' 2, girlie and lastly 43.

Lost weight through illness two years ago and that set me on the trail of getting fit and wanting to lose that last few pounds, but been at it for two years now and nothing. Weight is slowly going up. Sob.

Mfp had me at that magical 1200, so including my workouts I am consuming 1500 each day.

So that's the full picture of me.

Be gentle :-)

FearAnLoathing

Thats not necessarily true for everyone,ive had not netted 1200 in over a year.not everyone is built exactly the same,not everyones bodys work exactly the same.everybodys diffrent.and while my circumstances are unusal i know i can not be the only one who manages just fine with low calories.Oh and during the time pierod that i stopped exercise and tracking calories i never gained a pound of the 35 i had lost at that time back.

Not really trying to start a debate - you don't say how low you go, which makes a difference, but just want to point out that "managing just fine" with low calories is not necessarily the same as eating the quantity and quality that is needed for optimal body functioning. Sometimes people don't realize that things could be better because they've been eating/living a certain way for so long. I do not believe that ANYONE can *optimally* run on really low net calories unless they are particularly (abnormally) small or have a metabolic (or some other) syndrome/problem that causes their body to work differently than most.

My net on any given day can be between 600 and 900 sometimes 1000.My body works just fine Ive have more energy than I ever have im stronger than i ever was.My hairs not falling out i am not dieting or restricting myself in anyway.My net is always that low has been since i started tracking calories a year ago.the only days i ever hit 1200 or more net are on special occassion type situations.im 5'6 btw

Cristy_AZ

I'd suggest you share your diary and let some of the more knowledgable on here help you out with some planning. Or just look around at some of the good open diaries. I had a lot of issues when I started and the people here helped me out a lot. The best advice I got was to eat more (YES, eat your exercise calories, the deficit is already built in here, if you eat too little you won't lose either). And some people will tell you a calorie is a calorie, but for me that was definately not true, I had to lower my carbs and sugars and increase the amount of protein I was eating (by a LOT) and eating breakfast made a big difference too.
Just don't give up, you can do this!! Good Luck!!

myofibril

I started in aug last year and been eating 1200 cals, but not lost weight. I've now increased to 1500, and gained 2.3/4 in a week. What the he'll is going on !!! Feel so sad :-((. Any advice ?

It's probably water / glyocogen refuelling or undigested food in the digestive tract. Its common to see a short term spike in scale weight when you up calories, especially if you are a low carber and introduce a higher %.

Have you gained 2-3lbs of pure fat in a week on 1,500 calories a day, especially when exercising? I highly doubt it. It would either mean your maintenance calories are 500 per day (or less!) or you are indulging in some serious bingeing which you are not telling us about.

Don't worry about it for the time being. You might want to consider tracking your measurements / bf% to get a much better idea of what is going on.

FearAnLoathing

I started in aug last year and been eating 1200 cals, but not lost weight. I've now increased to 1500, and gained 2.3/4 in a week. What the he'll is going on !!! Feel so sad :-((. Any advice ?

It's probably water / glyocogen refuelling or undigested food in the digestive tract. Its common to see a short term spike in scale weight when you up calories, especially if you are a low carber and introduce a higher %.

Have you gained 2-3lbs of pure fat in a week on 1,500 calories a day, especially when exercising? I highly doubt it. It would either mean your maintenance calories are 500 per day (or less!) or you are indulging in some serious bingeing which you are not telling us about.

Don't worry about it for the time being. You might want to consider tracking your measurements / bf% to get a much better idea of what is going on.

its nice not to see someone automaticlly scream starvation mode for once lol

ksloop00

Thanks for sticking up for me, lol. I'm just trying to help and have got a lot of people annoyed. It's just advice, no one has to take it. I have Spina Bifida and am confined to a wheelchair. I have a dietician who told me I should burn more than I eat, makes sense to me for anyone trying to lose weight to do that.

meggonkgonk

Thanks for sticking up for me, lol. I'm just trying to help and have got a lot of people annoyed. It's just advice, no one has to take it. I have Spina Bifida and am confined to a wheelchair. I have a dietician who told me I should burn more than I eat, makes sense to me for anyone trying to lose weight to do that.

I think the problem a lot of people had is that you gave the advice without understanding the reasoning behind eating the exercise calories.

The way MFP is set up, you already burn off more than you eat- even without working out. Most nutrition plans are not set up in this fashion, so it causes a lot of confusion. If you go to your "goals" page (it's a button under the My Home tab) you will see a number marked "Calories burned from Daily activity" - This is how much MFP estimates you burn everyday from your particular level or activity. It should be 500 or 1000 calories more than your daily goal - this accounts for your deficit. Because of this though, you need to eat back all or most of your exercise calories to avoid undereating (running too big of a deficit can have negative effects).

It is counter intuitive to "eat back your exercise calories" but the tool MFP is designed for you to try to match your Net Calories to your Goal calories. Does this all make sense?

You can ask your dietician, I bet s/he'd back me up on the dangers of undereating.

Debx12345

anyone give me advice to my question ?

Debx12345

sorry that was meant to say anymore advice, thanks to those who have already given it. I am just trying to get feel for ideas to change my diet or workouts.

thanks

Newfiedan

my advice is to get 30g of protein in at breakfast, this is 2 fold in purpose. 1) it gets the metabolic rate fired up and 2) it will help provide you with the protein required to get that muscle building process going. I highly recommend that you take some time to read my blog post about working out like crazy and reduced cals and not losing. You have the right idea you just need a slightly tweaked application is all. http://www.myfitnesspal.com/blog/Newfiedan workout change I recommend High intensity interval training and metabolic resistance training.

Debx12345

Hey, thanks for that, have read most of your blog, will read through it again and again so it sinks in. Use to be one of those that just reduced food and could lose a few pounds like that. Now taking more interest in what i eat and trying to make better choices and understanding now I am an older lady (lol), I need to work harder. Will stick with eating 1500 cals (this includes my exercise burn) for a few weeks more and see what affect that has, too scared to go higher at mo.

Thanks

elizamc

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