Weight gain from not eating enough and exercising too much.

jbudge1

OMG when I see some of the responses I just shake my head.
On my weighloss journey I have had a few times when I have gained one or two pounds and did NOTHING understandable to explain it. In anyones weightloss journey when following your program faithfully expect stalls, plateaus and yes that includes small gains. I exercised and pushed myself daily... and i was from 600-1200 calories depending on my docs orders at specific times.I wasn't going into starvation mode LOL was under a doctors care all the time eating as I should. It was explained to me as this.....

"Our bodies use glycogen for short term energy storage. Glycogen is not very soluble, but it is stored in our muscles for quick energy -- one pound of glycogen requires 4 lbs of water to keep it soluble, and the average glycogen storage capacity is about 2 lbs. So, when you are not getting in enough food, your body turns first to stored glycogen, which is easy to break down for energy. And when you use up 2 lbs of glycogen, you also lose 8 lbs of water that was used to store it -- voila -- the "easy" 10 lbs that most people lose in the first week of a diet.
As you stay in caloric deficit, however, your body starts to realize that this is not a short term problem. You start mobilizing fat from your adipose tissue and burning fat for energy. But your body also realizes that fat can't be used for short bursts of energy -- like, to outrun a sabertooth tiger. So, it starts converting some of the fat into glycogen, and rebuilding the glycogen stores. And as it puts back the 2 lbs of glycogen into the muscle, 8 lbs of water has to be stored with it to keep it soluble. So, even though you might still be LOSING energy content to your body, your weight will not go down or you might even GAIN for a while as you retain water to dissolve the glycogen that is being reformed and stored."

So as far as I am concerned if the scales stall or they go up a tad I keep doing what I do and it does come off. KEEP TO YOUR PROGRAM and weight will come off... it has for me lol and I am NOT in starvation mode for eating less than 1200 cal. that is a myth.

Well said!

LisaKyle11

bump.

neanderthin

OMG when I see some of the responses I just shake my head.
On my weighloss journey I have had a few times when I have gained one or two pounds and did NOTHING understandable to explain it. In anyones weightloss journey when following your program faithfully expect stalls, plateaus and yes that includes small gains. I exercised and pushed myself daily... and i was from 600-1200 calories depending on my docs orders at specific times.I wasn't going into starvation mode LOL was under a doctors care all the time eating as I should. It was explained to me as this.....

"Our bodies use glycogen for short term energy storage. Glycogen is not very soluble, but it is stored in our muscles for quick energy -- one pound of glycogen requires 4 lbs of water to keep it soluble, and the average glycogen storage capacity is about 2 lbs. So, when you are not getting in enough food, your body turns first to stored glycogen, which is easy to break down for energy. And when you use up 2 lbs of glycogen, you also lose 8 lbs of water that was used to store it -- voila -- the "easy" 10 lbs that most people lose in the first week of a diet.
As you stay in caloric deficit, however, your body starts to realize that this is not a short term problem. You start mobilizing fat from your adipose tissue and burning fat for energy. But your body also realizes that fat can't be used for short bursts of energy -- like, to outrun a sabertooth tiger. So, it starts converting some of the fat into glycogen, and rebuilding the glycogen stores. And as it puts back the 2 lbs of glycogen into the muscle, 8 lbs of water has to be stored with it to keep it soluble. So, even though you might still be LOSING energy content to your body, your weight will not go down or you might even GAIN for a while as you retain water to dissolve the glycogen that is being reformed and stored."

So as far as I am concerned if the scales stall or they go up a tad I keep doing what I do and it does come off. KEEP TO YOUR PROGRAM and weight will come off... it has for me lol and I am NOT in starvation mode for eating less than 1200 cal. that is a myth.

There is one part of the fat molecule that can be converted to glycogen, but it's not going to be in amounts that equate anywhere near replenishing our gylcogen stores.....that convertion is minute in reality. When someone is in a deficit glycogen is never near full and for some, especially if they exercise glycogen reserves are near empty on a continual basis and generally when someone complains they've gained weight when they've basically reduced thir calorie consumption to starvation levels, glycogen and water storage hapens almost immediately if someone has a binge moment from carbs, and salt...........there's where the weight gain is in severe deficits, not the convertion of body fat to glycogen.

servilia

She wouldn't build any muscle netting 600 cals a day. It might be water weight but not muscle. She also wouldn't be gaining fat on a deficit like that.

Another possibility is underestimating intake/overestimating exercise cal burns. This is really common.

LabRat529

So as far as I am concerned if the scales stall or they go up a tad I keep doing what I do and it does come off. KEEP TO YOUR PROGRAM and weight will come off... it has for me lol and I am NOT in starvation mode for eating less than 1200 cal. that is a myth.

No... "Starvation Mode" it's not a myth*.... at least as the phrase is commonly used. And wishing it were a myth does not make it so.

There is a starvation mode... or a conservation mode... or whatever you want to call it. People get caught up in the wording, because the words can mean different things. "Starvation Mode" also means the metabolic changes that take place after extreme starvation for a prolonged period of time and very few people actually hit that stage... but My Fitness Pal seems to use "starvation mode" to indicate a significant decrease in metabolism. Your metabolism WILL decrease as you diet. No matter what you do, it will decrease as your body mass decreases.... but you can minimize that decrease through exercise, especially lifting, which helps you retain muscle mass.

Very obese people do fine on a very low calorie diet so long as they're being monitored to make sure they're getting adequate nutrition. Looking at your ticker (congrats on your awesome success, by the way!), you started out in the very obese category.

Very low calorie diets are not advisable for those who are not very obese. The non-obese (and probably the obese too) will lose fat and muscle both and the loss of mass will cause a measurable decrease in their basal metabolism.

I'm not arguing with your 'stick with it' advice, it's good advice... but to suggest that something is a myth when its not is a little irresponsible. People need to know that their metabolism WILL slow as they diet. They can minimize that slowing by keeping a modest calorie deficit and by exercising.

Rae6503

http://www.bodyrecomposition.com/fat-loss/why-big-caloric-deficits-and-lots-of-activity-can-hurt-fat-loss.html

Beastette

Pregnancy test. Just to be sure...

Espressocycle

This would seem to break the laws of thermodynamics. "Starvation mode" may slow down your weight loss, but it can't make you gain weight. If it could, people in Somalia would be fat.

missjoci

You need to provide your body with the nutrition it needs which 1200 calories/day or above. If she works out a bunch, her net still needs to be at 1200 or above if she wants to see results. Also it may be her TOM or she is just retaining water due to the lack of nutrition she is putting into her body. But if she is working out a lot, she needs to be eating some of her exercise calories, because the body is using a lot of those nutrients to keep going.

When I did a low carb diet I counted carbs, not calories. So if all she's eating is protein, veggies, and fat, she may need to increase her calorie content just due to her diet composition (foods with carbs have more calories generally). If it's Atkins, there are also a lot of good forums on their site that could help her.

psuLemon

Just as a refdrence show her threads on people who eat more and lose more. I did a mfp study and the average woman on this boars with less than 20% body fat was eating 1800+ calories and if you want to look like an athlete they will have to train and eat like one.

OhDD65

So if I need to have a minimum of 1200 calories daily (BMR also) and exercise for 50 minutes 6 days a week burning
approximately 400 calories each day do I need to be eating 1600 calories each day ? For someone that
is 5 ft 1 inch and older that just seems like a lot of calories. Or do I need to cut back on my exercising some so that my
daily calorie intact would be less ? I too am in the weight gain mode and I am wondering if maybe I am exercising too
much.

funkycamper

So if I need to have a minimum of 1200 calories daily (BMR also) and exercise for 50 minutes 6 days a week burning
approximately 400 calories each day do I need to be eating 1600 calories each day ? For someone that
is 5 ft 1 inch and older that just seems like a lot of calories. Or do I need to cut back on my exercising some so that my
daily calorie intact would be less ? I too am in the weight gain mode and I am wondering if maybe I am exercising too
much.

Yes, MFP is designed for you to track your exercise and eat back those calories. At least most of them. I don't believe you have to eat them in the same day though. I will often "bank" most of my exercise calories for a few days and then have a big splurge meal. To me, this is more satisfying than trying to meet a daily target. I just make sure that I meet a weekly calorie target instead of a daily.

Frankly, I can't imagine any scenario where cutting back on exercise is the right answer. Since Christmas I have only lost 1# but I have gone down another pant size. Exercise can do amazing things for you. Scale weight should not be your goal, imho. I believe fitness, strength and shrinking inches are much better goals.

Oh, when I upped my calorie target, I did it gradually. I'm actually still working on raising further.

jennifershoo

I understand the starvation mode stuff, but what I don't get is...how do anorexic people lose weight then??

They don't have any muscles anymore. Their body eats its own muscle mass to try to get the energy it needs.
You DON'T want to do that.

nhafizamj

Thanks for the sharing dear. Now i understand why after a week of weight drop, my weight after that is still the same for a few week. This is all because of the water and glycogen forming activity!! I will stay on my diet which is below 1200/day. u! :flowerforyou:

rkellyscoco

SMH what really is the point in eating less than 1200 cals? It hurts literally physically and mentually. I eat almost 2000 cals a day and do insanity and im dropping weight like nothing.
What the lady said about her Doctor's advice also is stupid....So Doctors are ALWAYS right huh?? I bet if she went to another Dr they would tell her otherwise.
There is nothing wrong with eating a little more and still losing weight, what is it going to hurt but under eating can hurt you.

rkellyscoco

What is the point in under eating to that extreme when you can eat more, excersise and still lose weight??? I dont get it...

rkellyscoco

SMH what really is the point in eating less than 1200 cals? It hurts literally physically and mentually. I eat almost 2000 cals a day and do insanity and im dropping weight like nothing.
What the lady said about her Doctor's advice also is stupid....So Doctors are ALWAYS right huh?? I bet if she went to another Dr they would tell her otherwise.
There is nothing wrong with eating a little more and still losing weight, what is it going to hurt but under eating can hurt you.

funkycamper

Thanks for the sharing dear. Now i understand why after a week of weight drop, my weight after that is still the same for a few week. This is all because of the water and glycogen forming activity!! I will stay on my diet which is below 1200/day. u! :flowerforyou:

No, dear, I don't think you do understand. Losing weight by losing muscle is a very bad idea. Muscle is MUCH harder to rebuild than it is to keep in the first place. Damaging your metabolism by under-eating is a horrible idea. It can take months of hard work to repair a damaged metabolism, maybe even years in some cases. Please don't do it to yourself.

lorenzothomas

the muscle you gain from woking out is going away because you dont feed your self enough food.your body eats your muscle before your fat, because their are more calorie in your muscle then your fat. if you dont understand ask your doctor that what i did

iqueen17

Who are you to say that one hour of working out isn't alot? Really? You want someone to work out for 6 hours? What qualifications do you have to say this?

ritchiedrama

She is not eating that little, that simple.

nutmegwillowole

Anorexics do eat actually. We restrict calorie intake and burn calories too. So actually your view is wrong and insulting. It is impossible to completely starve yourself. Try it. Anorexics do eat.

dmenchac

Her body is rebelling against starvation and therefore has slowed down it's metabolism and is holding on to fat as a source of energy.

So if its holding up existing fat, how could she gain?


To the OP, she is eating much more than she thinks as its literally impossible to gain weight on that kind of deficit.

dmenchac

.. it has for me lol and I am NOT in starvation mode for eating less than 1200 cal. that is a myth.

THANK YOU!!! SO sick of people saying that. Especially the person in this thread who said 1200 isn't enough to perform basic daily functions. not true.

They are actually sort of correct. There aren't many people with a BMR of 1200 (calories required to perform daily functions) unless of course you are 4'2 or a small animal. However note that you can eat less than 1200 and function because you'll get the shortage from your body.

akaMrsmojo

Regardless of everything, it is unnecessary to eat below 1200 to lose. You just don't have to go that route. I lose on 1700 calories a day, I eat back my calories. I consistently lose. I am 5'5. Why do it if you do not have to do it.

_KitKat_

She did not gain 3 lbs. of fat since monday. Most likely it is water weight and females can fluctuate 2-? lbs. daily, I fluctuate within a 4 lb. range. Starvation mode as most people use it is a myth, the body can adapt and lower metabolism, but never enough to gain weight and not really drastically enough to notice. If she is gaining fat, she is eating more than she is burning...either overestimating burns, underestimating food or has a health condition that needs immediate medical intervention. Weight loss or gain is just calories in vs calories out. Yes if you eat too little you will lose hair, become fatigued, hormone issues, mental capacity diminished and these are just the beginning signs of malnutrition. Early on you will get energy from your bodies surplus but when lacking nutrients catches up you will still lose weight but start suffering signs of malnutrition. I will have to look but I read somewhere that it takes about 900 calories on average for the average woman to support proper organ function. When you run out of stores you die of starvation, prior to this though malnutrition can cause severe health issues.

Also anorexics can starve themselves to the point of no-return without medical intervention, if they restrict severely enough the body can shut down to a degree that makes hunger disappear and actually be medically impossible to just eat, they must be supervised with a medical re-feed. The same as people facing famine can not just start eating a large amount, the shock to the system is too great and the body rebels. Mostly they become too ill from malnutrition and need help well before this point.

gotolam

Her body is rebelling against starvation and therefore has slowed down it's metabolism and is holding on to fat as a source of energy.

Yes, this is exactly what happens. That's why all people who die of starvation don't look skinny at all.

/s

michellet0

I try to see the logic behind many comments. A lot of information is being given without knowing the personal data of the individual and most of the information comes from the internet where you will find millions of posts that give false information. It is not because it is out there that it is the truth, beside we are all different.

If I base myself on my BMR of 1339 since I am sedentary due to my work. If I want to loose 1 pound a week I must cut 500 calories per day, do the math it brings me to 839....... I walk that is what I manage to do and burn around 300 calories from that activity.

If I follow your exemples I should eat 1200 plus my 300 for a total of 1500.......for a beautiful calorie excess of 200 a day.....does that sounds logic I would gain 1 pound a month.

Dont know but somewhere logic flew the nest.

I think I will listen to my nutritionist that have diplomas on the wall and have faith in her.

gotolam

I try to see the logic behind many comments. A lot of information is being given without knowing the personal data of the individual and most of the information comes from the internet where you will find millions of posts that give false information. It is not because it is out there that it is the truth, beside we are all different.

If I base myself on my BMR of 1339 since I am sedentary due to my work. If I want to loose 1 pound a week I must cut 500 calories per day, do the math it brings me to 839....... I walk that is what I manage to do and burn around 300 calories from that activity.

If I follow your exemples I should eat 1200 plus my 300 for a total of 1500.......for a beautiful calorie excess of 200 a day.....does that sounds logic I would gain 1 pound a month.

Dont know but somewhere logic flew the nest.

I think I will listen to my nutritionist that have diplomas on the wall and have faith in her.

methinks you've confused BMR with TDEE. Perhaps ask the lady with the diplomas on the wall.

_KitKat_

I try to see the logic behind many comments. A lot of information is being given without knowing the personal data of the individual and most of the information comes from the internet where you will find millions of posts that give false information. It is not because it is out there that it is the truth, beside we are all different.

If I base myself on my BMR of 1339 since I am sedentary due to my work. If I want to loose 1 pound a week I must cut 500 calories per day, do the math it brings me to 839....... I walk that is what I manage to do and burn around 300 calories from that activity.

If I follow your exemples I should eat 1200 plus my 300 for a total of 1500.......for a beautiful calorie excess of 200 a day.....does that sounds logic I would gain 1 pound a month.

Dont know but somewhere logic flew the nest.

I think I will listen to my nutritionist that have diplomas on the wall and have faith in her.

You are confusing BMR and TDEE. BMR is want you use in a coma, if your feet touch the floor and you go pee, you have already burned more than BMR. TDEE is what you use a day on average including exercise to live your life.

BMR (Basal (Basic) Metabolic Rate)

---

TDEE (Total Daily Energy Expenditure)

My BMR is 1450 and at sedentary my TDEE is about 2100 so 500 calorie deficient for me would be 1600 calories.