Help! I am gaining, what am I doing wrong?

Michelle7897

Good morning! I have been using Slim Fast since December 28. I have started exercising every day and counting calories. I lost 5.4 pounds in less than a week but now I am gaining each day. I started at 164.4 and today I am 159.4. I know it is going to fluctuate but I am not sure if I am doing something wrong. My BMR is 1494 and I try to burn at least 180 calories a day with my exercise. I have been trying to eat around 1200 calories each day. I am careful about what I eat and measure my food to get an accurate portion size. Any advice?

Thank you!
Michelle

Faye_Anderson

Are you eating back your exercise calories to bring you back to 1200 cals ?

Helloitsdan

Open the diary

shondargh73

Michelle,

Is there any chance you could be pregnate?

KandieLantz

It's difficult to help without being able to view your food diary.

jec398

Hi,

I don't claim to be an expert however I know that protein intake may have an affect. Protein builds muscle mass when working out. I would suggest looking up the minimal daily consumption of protein. Hope this helps. Don't get discouraged, your doing great!

Joe

ajbeans

Hi,

I don't claim to be an expert however I know that protein intake may have an affect. Protein builds muscle mass when working out. I would suggest looking up the minimal daily consumption of protein. Hope this helps. Don't get discouraged, your doing great!

Joe

This is incorrect. You cannot build muscle mass on a calorie deficit, regardless of how much protein you eat. Eating less protein will lead to muscle loss, which will cause you to look less toned as you reach your goal weight.

trud72

sorry to say slim fast is a fad diet... :noway:

try eating "real" foods :drinker:

grassette

Slimfast is not a diet. Get off that stuff and eat some real food.

onefirefly2

Your body might be going into starvation mode. So basically anything you eat will be stored for later. try cutting out anything white ,increase water intake and lean protein and eat lots of green leafy vegetables as close to their natural state. so that means a spinach salad no dressing- use balsamic vinger. switch from regular potato to sweet potato, but limit starches. You'll find that you can eat a lot and still stay close to your 1200 cal/day. Also, try green tea with stevia, if you get tired of drinking water only. good luck

sbeisel1

Do some research on "slimfast" and its specific artificial sweetners(google will get you to the studies). many studies have shown that consuming fake sugars while trying to lose weight can have the opposite desired effect. while it works for some it dosent for others. The artifical sugar can cause your body to be tricked into thinking its getting the sugar and when it doesnt it will end up in fat storing mode. not to mention the other things that they do to you. i did the "slimfast" before and I had many problems with it. try a healthy proteine smoothy or just a fruit smoothie with yogurt, it is much better for you and you will feel better too. take a look at your settings, are you eating enough? when you finish your day do you get the message that you are eating too few calories? if it does you might want to reevaluate what you are doing/eating/goals.

I do end up eating some fake sugars from time to time, but I learned my lesson the hard way, every day? no way!!

jec398

Wow, thanks for clarifying that. Did I mention that I wasn't an expert?

Michelle7897

I am def not pregnant. If I burn 200 calories exercising, how many should I eat? I was thinking that 1200 was the number you should aim for when trying to lose. Yesterday I ate 1175 and burned 524 calories. This is not a typical day. Usually I burn between 180 and 200. My goal is to burn 200.

dakitten2

Would help if we could see your food diary. Are you only doing slimfast or just substituting it for one meal. Like I say in order to help us help you, an open food diary would be beneficial.

mjok31

I agree....stop the slimfast and start eating regular food! I have tried slimfast in the past and i will still have a shake here and there if i am running behind and am eating on the go. But real food will help i bet!!!!

missfluffyuk

It could be that because you're coming off the slimfast, your body is getting used to real food again.

If you make your diary public we can probably offer more help.

vickthedick

Slimfast is not a diet. Get off that stuff and eat some real food.

this all the way

MaximalLife

Good morning! I have been using Slim Fast since December 28. I have started exercising every day and counting calories. I lost 5.4 pounds in less than a week but now I am gaining each day. I started at 164.4 and today I am 159.4. I know it is going to fluctuate but I am not sure if I am doing something wrong. My BMR is 1494 and I try to burn at least 180 calories a day with my exercise. I have been trying to eat around 1200 calories each day. I am careful about what I eat and measure my food to get an accurate portion size. Any advice?

Thank you!
Michelle

Your starvation diet has stifled your metabolism.
Classic case.

EAT!

amyofftherecord

If you eat too few calories per day, your metabolism will start to slow down so it can be more efficient with what you give it. Realistically 1500 kcals per day plus your exercise would be a better idea. Also, if your exercise involves strength training, it's possible you're burning fat but also building muscle. Muscle is more dense than fat, so you can stay the same size but still gain weight, or stay the same weight but lose inches. Don't just watch the scale, go by how your clothes feel, too. It isn't just weight, it's also body composition that matters.

appleseeds

You said you are gaining each day, how many days are we talking about here? 1? 2? 7?

EDIT: Also im pretty sure your body doesnt go into starvation mode after just 11 days on a diet

P.S. I say "pretty sure" because "im no expert" :P

Michelle7897

I know part of my problem is the types of food I am Eatting. My plan is to find the right number of calories and then start changing the types of things I eat. If I switch too fast I know I won't stick to it. How do I figure out how many calories I need to eat? I know Slim Fast can work for me, I used it a few years ago and lost over 40 pounds.

countrygirl812

Ditch the Slim Fast and eat real food.

camayallover

I've tried things like Slim "Slow" we called it in the past. I really is not a great way to get off the weight because you learn so little about how to really eat in the "real" world. Slim Fast shake here and there as a meal replacement might be okay say if you are traveling and can't get to a real meal, but trust me - someone who has spent a lot of time test driving these things - they aren't good long-term solutions.

I've found success in eating 5 balanced meals a day. It takes planning - but it is not impossible. I travel Monday through Friday and have no access to a kitchen - yet I eat "real" food without issue. And it is yummy.

5 balanced meals are in my world inclusive of protien, slow carb and fast carb - at each meal. Snacks too. Special K Protien bars are a good snack with a piece of small fruit for me. I'm large so you have to scale. I avoid peanuts due to calories and fat, but some other nuts work as snacks.

I sat down with a pen and paper and looked at each meal and what seemed to be feasible in my schedule, budget, taste, and calorie/balance. Then I pack my entire day in one insulated bag and bring it to work - I include dinner because sometimes I work late.

I don't know if this is helpful but by keeping my blood sugar steady all day - I hardly have to work out and the weight is pouring off. I feel like I am eating all the time and I"m never hungry.

Plateaus happen - push through and keep up the hydration. Water, eating, working out and attitude are tough to keep up all at the same time but I think just switching away from a diet of Slim Fast might give you the boost you need to get more weight off.

Hope this helps...

Helloitsdan

Your starvation diet has stifled your metabolism.
Classic case.

EAT!

^^^This.

I had a friend at 320lbs who ate once a day. She netted appx 900calories.
She had hormonal damage and ovarian cysts etc...

Have your numbers run and do this the right way.

If you need help running numbers you could google "Flex Diaz Calculate BMR" and post on his forum on Bodybuilding.com.
He has fantastic results.

PoleBoy

If your BMR is just shy of 1500 you should NOT be eating only 1200

Michelle7897

Thank you! I think I am going to start over and plan out a full week of 5 small, balanced meals. I am also going to add in some fruits and vegetables and ditch some of the fatty foods I have been eatting.

Michelle

KandieLantz

Thanks for opening your diary. It seems you are definitely interested in learning how to be healthier, which is great. You definitely need to get off the slim fast and start putting whole, healthy, wonderfully delicious foods in your body for fuel to burn! Find yourself soon good friends on here to help you along, give you tips, encouragement and not afraid of calling you out when your calories are too low and help you celebrate when you see things start moving along with the changes you make! You'll be pleasantly surprised at how easy it can be!

Michelle7897

If my BMR is 1494 and I am burning 200 calories with exercise would 1350 be enough? Thank you!

Michelle

HeidiMightyRawr

Your BMR is how much your body needs to carry out all it's basic functions if you were doing nothing at all. Like in a coma.

You need to work out how much you need to maintain your weight, and eat somewhere in the middle of that and your BMR. 1200 may work for some people but not everyone, and when you eat too little your body can start holding onto weight.

I'd also advise not to carry on the slim fast, it's not real food and you'd be better off eating proper satisfying meals. Slim fast doesn't teach you about what to eat, how big portions should be etc so when you come off it (which you will at some point) most people still don't know how to eat properly and gain all the weight back.

What you recently said about 5 small balanced meals a day sounds great. Good luck!

missfluffyuk

If you put in your activity level, MFP will give you a rough estimate of how much you should be eating. Compare that against your BMR and come up with a figure that's about right. Try not to go too far under this -- you'll put yourself into starvation mode.

cclark1203

I know part of my problem is the types of food I am Eatting. My plan is to find the right number of calories and then start changing the types of things I eat. If I switch too fast I know I won't stick to it. How do I figure out how many calories I need to eat? I know Slim Fast can work for me, I used it a few years ago and lost over 40 pounds.

Slim Fast didn't work for you if you need to lose it again. the good thing about MFP is you learn how to eat to make it a life long plan for yourself.