Eating more....and gaining

Jaytee79
Jaytee79 Posts: 237 Member
edited November 2024 in Social Groups
Hi all,

I switched MFP sides and upped my calories last week ;) This week I am showing a weight gain. Would it be normal for me to gain initially while my body adjusts to the increase in calories?
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Replies

  • jae6704
    jae6704 Posts: 458 Member
    Not sure if this will help but I gained too. Thankfully I measured and lost .5 on my tummy.
  • ANewLucia
    ANewLucia Posts: 2,081 Member
    Listen, if you are eating 15% less than your TDEE you will loose weight. Keep in mind that if you have been eating low cals for a long time, then your metabolism must speed back up. Some people loose first week, others don't, but you give it a few weeks and if you are making good food choices are eating at a deficit of your TDEE you will loose weight. Also strength training will help you to keep more muscle and loose fat, so you could see a loss in inches...

    I am a living witness that it works. There is a Group out there with loads of information and wonderful woman that are eating more...

    "Eat More to Weigh Less"

    If you don't know what TDEE is, there is a discussion out there with the complete break down.

    Trust the system it works...the body needs fuel.

    Oh btw if you do lots of cardio, you may still be eating at a deficit....the articles out there talks about that too. I have cut my cardio back to really focus on heavy lifting. You have to eat back too many calories whenyou do high cardio burns and the cardio doesn't transform the body...it is the weight lifting that sculpts the muscles.
  • Kath444
    Kath444 Posts: 77 Member
    Today is the first day that I will be upping my calories. I am starting at 145.
    I also raised the amount of weights I was lifting today I am going to be taking my measurements later today when I get back home and keep track of those also. Not sure if I should take pictures or not haven't decided that yet.
  • 31prvrbs
    31prvrbs Posts: 687 Member
    Yes, it can take your body a little while to adjust to the higher cals, but it *will* adjust, just as it does to lower cals. Just as we hit plateaus as we go down in cals, we also hit them as we go up, though we tend to only think of a plateau in the form of weight "loss" ;)
  • ANewLucia
    ANewLucia Posts: 2,081 Member
    Yes, it can take your body a little while to adjust to the higher cals, but it *will* adjust, just as it does to lower cals. Just as we hit plateaus as we go down in cals, we also hit them as we go up, though we tend to only think of a plateau in the form of weight "loss" ;)

    YES...so true...on the group page there is an article on it and it just blew my mind...that is what happened to me...at 1200 I lost a bit...bam stopped...1350 a tad bit...stop...1500 a little 2lb drop stop...bumped to 1800 lost 7.2lbs...stop...so I know the answer isn't going down in calories so...up I go to 1950. My TDEE is 23something...and I know my body needs the food so...here I go!
  • ANewLucia
    ANewLucia Posts: 2,081 Member
    Today is the first day that I will be upping my calories. I am starting at 145.
    I also raised the amount of weights I was lifting today I am going to be taking my measurements later today when I get back home and keep track of those also. Not sure if I should take pictures or not haven't decided that yet.

    Hey lady,

    What is your TDEE...what calories were you at? What calorie number have you bumped to?
  • gemiwing
    gemiwing Posts: 1,525 Member
    Here's how my breakdown has been so far-
    First week of eating upped cals- gained ten pounds.
    Second week- lost ten pounds AND another pound
    Third week (currently) lost ANOTHER pound and many inches.

    You're going to see some fluctuations naturally. We ladies know about TOM weight gain, but there are other types of swelling the body naturally does. If you weight lift- then swelling is your body's way of cushioning your new muscles being made. If you do tons of running- swelling (of which you are already familiar) will happen to cushion your knees and ankles after a run.

    In regards to food and upping your calories- your body will naturally try to save more at first because it's not fully trusting that you will continue to provide it with nutrients. It's been hurt, it needs time to relax and get into the groove again. So yes- you're normal and yes, it'll go back down again :)

    Remember- unless you are eating 3000+ cals ON TOP OF what MFP sets your cals at (and in a coma) then there is no possible way you have gained a pound of fat overnight. It simply doesn't work that way.
  • ANewLucia
    ANewLucia Posts: 2,081 Member
    Here's how my breakdown has been so far-
    First week of eating upped cals- gained ten pounds.
    Second week- lost ten pounds AND another pound
    Third week (currently) lost ANOTHER pound and many inches.

    You're going to see some fluctuations naturally. We ladies know about TOM weight gain, but there are other types of swelling the body naturally does. If you weight lift- then swelling is your body's way of cushioning your new muscles being made. If you do tons of running- swelling (of which you are already familiar) will happen to cushion your knees and ankles after a run.

    In regards to food and upping your calories- your body will naturally try to save more at first because it's not fully trusting that you will continue to provide it with nutrients. It's been hurt, it needs time to relax and get into the groove again. So yes- you're normal and yes, it'll go back down again :)

    Remember- unless you are eating 3000+ cals ON TOP OF what MFP sets your cals at (and in a coma) then there is no possible way you have gained a pound of fat overnight. It simply doesn't work that way.

    Absolutely wow, I know many of the ladies I know if that happened to them...GAIN 10lbs in a week, they would come after me with a GUN...LOL...wtg sticking to it!
  • gemiwing
    gemiwing Posts: 1,525 Member


    Absolutely wow, I know many of the ladies I know if that happened to them...GAIN 10lbs in a week, they would come after me with a GUN...LOL...wtg sticking to it!

    LOL I can imagine! I won't say I didn't freak out a bit- but then I did the math. Takes 3000 cals that are NOT being used to make a pound of fat- I knew I did not eat 30,000 extra calories that week! I didn't remember eating a battleship LOL Then I calmed down a bit :D

    SOOO glad I stuck with it too! I love how it feels to be FUELED!
  • ANewLucia
    ANewLucia Posts: 2,081 Member


    Absolutely wow, I know many of the ladies I know if that happened to them...GAIN 10lbs in a week, they would come after me with a GUN...LOL...wtg sticking to it!

    LOL I can imagine! I won't say I didn't freak out a bit- but then I did the math. Takes 3000 cals that are NOT being used to make a pound of fat- I knew I did eat 30,000 extra calories that week! I didn't remember eating a battleship LOL Then I calmed down a bit :D

    SOOO glad I stuck with it too! I love how it feels to be FUELED!

    ROFL...a battleship...Girl I remember I used to FREAK out over a 2lb gain...knowing I sure didn't eat an extra 7000 cals...man, the other day the scale said I was up FOUR lbs...I still didn't even bat an eye...you know whay, cause I SURE didn't eat a half battleship...ROFL. All water weight from TOM, sodium, and Lift weight...my six's are starting to really sag and I am able to snuggly close 4's...I am so on the right path...I am so excited. Girl in the world would think, eating would cause weight loss...LORD I JUST WANT TO THANK YOU!
  • 31prvrbs
    31prvrbs Posts: 687 Member

    LOL I can imagine! I won't say I didn't freak out a bit- but then I did the math. Takes 3000 cals that are NOT being used to make a pound of fat- I knew I did not eat 30,000 extra calories that week! I didn't remember eating a battleship LOL Then I calmed down a bit :D

    SOOO glad I stuck with it too! I love how it feels to be FUELED!

    Whew! I wish more ladies would think from this perspective! We are women, our weight fluctuates, all.the.time. One you get past that, you just have to look for the general direction that the scale is going, not freak out every other day or two at a random increase. There are SO many factors that come into play.

    Ladies that lift heavy, BEWARE, all the more. The scale WILL move in many directions, but do not lose heart (unless you have eaten a battleship, lol). For instance, I lifted really heavy last week, and the scale showed me up 4.3, literally, overnight. By the end of the week TTOM hit, and I was "up" another 3.8. Really?! I gained 8.1 lbs in a week??? don't think so. So I just kept it moving, didn't lift over the weekend, and this morning (although you would probably ask how far along I was if you saw how bloated I am from TTOM right now), I was down 3 lbs. I have no doubt that when TTOM is over the remaining 5 will return to wherever it came from until next month.

    We have to become accustomed to what our patterns our and our own personal scale fluctuations. Because I know that the day after lifting I will most def be up 2-4lbs, I wait until I've had a day or two off from the weights to get a "true" weigh-in. I also know that during TTOM I'm most def up by 5-7lbs (yep, it's THAT bad), so I have no intention of taking TTOM weight at face value.

    Sorry for the ramble, y'all, but.........Knowing that upfront, is half the battle.

    ~Kiki
  • JadeRabbit08
    JadeRabbit08 Posts: 551 Member
    2ywil8y.jpg

    I am going to remember gemiwings sage advice.
    Didn't snack on a battleship worth of calories yesterday? No need to panic.
    (And math is your friend)
  • ANewLucia
    ANewLucia Posts: 2,081 Member

    LOL I can imagine! I won't say I didn't freak out a bit- but then I did the math. Takes 3000 cals that are NOT being used to make a pound of fat- I knew I did not eat 30,000 extra calories that week! I didn't remember eating a battleship LOL Then I calmed down a bit :D

    SOOO glad I stuck with it too! I love how it feels to be FUELED!

    Whew! I wish more ladies would think from this perspective! We are women, our weight fluctuates, all.the.time. One you get past that, you just have to look for the general direction that the scale is going, not freak out every other day or two at a random increase. There are SO many factors that come into play.

    Ladies that lift heavy, BEWARE, all the more. The scale WILL move in many directions, but do not lose heart (unless you have eaten a battleship, lol). For instance, I lifted really heavy last week, and the scale showed me up 4.3, literally, overnight. By the end of the week TTOM hit, and I was "up" another 3.8. Really?! I gained 8.1 lbs in a week??? don't think so. So I just kept it moving, didn't lift over the weekend, and this morning (although you would probably ask how far along I was if you saw how bloated I am from TTOM right now), I was down 3 lbs. I have no doubt that when TTOM is over the remaining 5 will return to wherever it came from until next month.

    We have to become accustomed to what our patterns our and our own personal scale fluctuations. Because I know that the day after lifting I will most def be up 2-4lbs, I wait until I've had a day or two off from the weights to get a "true" weigh-in. I also know that during TTOM I'm most def up by 5-7lbs (yep, it's THAT bad), so I have no intention of taking TTOM weight at face value.

    Sorry for the ramble, y'all, but.........Knowing that upfront, is half the battle.

    ~Kiki

    Kiki, what you think is rambling is blessing someone...ok!

    Girl that is just soooo true...I used to flip out...finally my mindset has shifted so much and it is wonderful. I saw the 4lb gain with TOM, sodium, and some heavy lifting...and not a care in the world. Fitting stuff I sure couldn't at a true 4lbs ago...Hard to weigh in though with my lift days...having to wait two days...hmm what day will it be...you know what not even going to worry about that...lol
  • ANewLucia
    ANewLucia Posts: 2,081 Member
    2ywil8y.jpg

    I am going to remember gemiwings sage advice.
    Didn't snack on a battleship worth of calories yesterday? No need to panic.
    (And math is your friend)

    Oh my this is awesome!
  • gemiwing
    gemiwing Posts: 1,525 Member
    2ywil8y.jpg

    I am going to remember gemiwings sage advice.
    Didn't snack on a battleship worth of calories yesterday? No need to panic.
    (And math is your friend)

    HAHAHAHA!!!! I LOVE IT- you are a genius! :D
  • sedosher
    sedosher Posts: 142 Member
    2ywil8y.jpg

    I am going to remember gemiwings sage advice.
    Didn't snack on a battleship worth of calories yesterday? No need to panic.
    (And math is your friend)

    That is great! Love it! And yes, if I gain 10 lbs this week I am going to need some encouragement. :)
  • Saskenn
    Saskenn Posts: 51 Member
    Thank goodness I read this, I started increasing my cals last Tuesday, weighed Friday and was down 2.2lbs, weighed again is morning and was up 3lbs. I wanted to cry!!! But I do believe eating more is the answer so I will stick with it
  • getfitdiva
    getfitdiva Posts: 1,148 Member
    Bump for later I just increased my cals this week by calculating in NROLFW. I had a slight loss today so looking forward to continuing this route.
  • ANewLucia
    ANewLucia Posts: 2,081 Member
    Thank goodness I read this, I started increasing my cals last Tuesday, weighed Friday and was down 2.2lbs, weighed again is morning and was up 3lbs. I wanted to cry!!! But I do believe eating more is the answer so I will stick with it

    Trust the system ladies...it works. I lost 4lbs the first week, gained 3lbs for a net total loss of 1lb after 4 wks...but gained strength, energy, felt better, stopped carb binging, lost visible fat...my hubby noticed...and have been loosing ever since...so keep up the good work...stay focused, you low caled for a while right...give your metabolism a chance to revv back up...

    Saskenn, remember you are lifting too right? When you lift, don't weigh for two days after...the muscles hold water to repair. Girl last week and half the scale has said 4lbs up...did I eat an extra 14000 calories...NOPE!!! I was lifting heavy, going up in my weights, TOM was here and I had lots of sodium. Got on scale this morning and up just 1.4lbs...lifted last night and TOM ended just yesterday, backed way off the salt...so, just trust the system hun!
  • ANewLucia
    ANewLucia Posts: 2,081 Member
    Bump for later I just increased my cals this week by calculating in NROLFW. I had a slight loss today so looking forward to continuing this route.

    I will tell you, be careful watching the scale too closely...watch the mirror, tape measure, clothes how they are fitting. When you lift sometimes you get heavier because muscles weigh more.

    I know based on my clothes I have lost way more in a sense than what that scale says...I have had muscle for fat exchange going on...so just be encouraged and keep at it.

    I tell you slim muscular looking women EAT FOOD and LOTS OF IT. The forum that is on the group page the one on women who eat over 1800 cals...lord have mercy there is this one little thing...just all muscle and she eats way over 2000 cals ( I think I recall it was like 2600 maintenance cals...don't quote me for sure, but it made me sick just thinking about trying to eat all that everyday...) and weighs all of 114lbs...WOW...

    When I even start to get discouraged thinking hmmm...maybe I will cut back...I look in the mirror and remember the rolls that WAS on my waist, the little back fat that PUDGED right at the bra line...and enjoy seeing the definition that is no longer covered by adipose tissue...FAT!

    Stay encouraged...stay the course...it works!
  • sedosher
    sedosher Posts: 142 Member
    I weighted at our work "weight loss" meetings today and gained 1 lb since last week! I was expecting it but it doesn't make it easier. :( I am defnitely sticking to it since I just started lifting yesterday but have slowly increased my calories over the last week. I weight at home for MFP weigh-in this Friday so maybe it will have improved by then. :) I try not to rely on the scale but it is very hard!
  • tabinmaine
    tabinmaine Posts: 965 Member
    I ate alot of sodium this past weekend and lift really really heavy weights, my big muscles, quads, hams, and glute were screaming at me until yesterday, went up about 3lbs, this morning, it' all gone.

    I have been eating extra food for a week now.... hoping the scales are heading back in the right direction but we shall see. Have yet to measure myself to see if there is loss there.

    I had a rotten day yesterday, I questioned all of this.... but I had a great workout, fueled my body and back to thinking positive thoughts again.... if you have a rough day, reach out to us..... and just get through 1 more day....see how you feel the next !!
  • trishadams
    trishadams Posts: 104 Member
    I had a rotten day yesterday, I questioned all of this.... but I had a great workout, fueled my body and back to thinking positive thoughts again.... if you have a rough day, reach out to us..... and just get through 1 more day....see how you feel the next !!

    That is such great advice tabinmaine!! I am several weeks into increased cals and lifting heavier weights. The scale showed an increase on Saturday of 8lbs from when I started this experiment (that's how I think of it). This morning 4 of them are gone. And it's TTOM to boot! Now, here's the best part....I started to panic because I wondered if I was gaining enough muscle. While I know women are only capable of gaining a small amount of muscle per week, I had to smile at the fact that I panicked over a big drop on the scale!

    I have had a few hard days (mostly because I am a recovering binger and slip up every now and again), but I am committed to see this through! Getting through that one day where you start questioning if it's really the right thing to do is definitely the hardest part. Re-reading all the threads, articles or checking in with someone who has been through it always gets me turned back around.
  • redmapleleaf
    redmapleleaf Posts: 56 Member
    bumping to read later since I'm having the same problem and I'm starting to get a little nervous.
  • mstemen
    mstemen Posts: 108 Member
    I find this all very encouraging since I've been battling the same few pounds FOREVER! I lost 29 pounds since I started late Septemeber and I have been stuck for a few months. I just recently upped my calories from 1580 to 1720 which is just below my BMR so I'm hoping this will help. I've also decided to stop focusing on cardio so much and start lifting heavier.

    A question for all you heavy lifters, how much do you typically lift and what do you consider heavy lifting?
  • tabinmaine
    tabinmaine Posts: 965 Member
    bump
  • 31prvrbs
    31prvrbs Posts: 687 Member
    I find this all very encouraging since I've been battling the same few pounds FOREVER! I lost 29 pounds since I started late Septemeber and I have been stuck for a few months. I just recently upped my calories from 1580 to 1720 which is just below my BMR so I'm hoping this will help. I've also decided to stop focusing on cardio so much and start lifting heavier.

    A question for all you heavy lifters, how much do you typically lift and what do you consider heavy lifting?

    It differs for each person. But if you could just keep going forever and ever (or beyond 12-15 reps,lol) your weights are probably way too light. Although different rep ranges serve different purposes. When trying to figure out what's heavy for you, try finding weights that give you a challenge in the 8-10 rep range, meaning that 10th rep should be a real struggle. You can base your other weight range choices around that weight so that when you change your rep pattern you can go up or down accordingly.

    For instance: If you can bench press 100 lbs for 10-12 reps, then at the 6-8 rep range, you'd lift 115 or so.
  • ANewLucia
    ANewLucia Posts: 2,081 Member
    I find this all very encouraging since I've been battling the same few pounds FOREVER! I lost 29 pounds since I started late Septemeber and I have been stuck for a few months. I just recently upped my calories from 1580 to 1720 which is just below my BMR so I'm hoping this will help. I've also decided to stop focusing on cardio so much and start lifting heavier.

    A question for all you heavy lifters, how much do you typically lift and what do you consider heavy lifting?

    I just noticed you stated you are eating just below your BMR...you should be eating 15% or so below your TDEE for weight loss. Please take a look at the TDEE topic on here for more information.
  • mstemen
    mstemen Posts: 108 Member
    I find this all very encouraging since I've been battling the same few pounds FOREVER! I lost 29 pounds since I started late Septemeber and I have been stuck for a few months. I just recently upped my calories from 1580 to 1720 which is just below my BMR so I'm hoping this will help. I've also decided to stop focusing on cardio so much and start lifting heavier.

    A question for all you heavy lifters, how much do you typically lift and what do you consider heavy lifting?

    I just noticed you stated you are eating just below your BMR...you should be eating 15% or so below your TDEE for weight loss. Please take a look at the TDEE topic on here for more information.

    My BMR is 1888 and TDEE is 2259. 15% of that would be 1920 so they're pretty close. I have my calories on MFP set to lose 1lb per week which brings my calories up to 1780 which is right around the 500 calorie per day deficet instead of the almost 1000 I've been at. Does this look about right?
  • keesh1123
    keesh1123 Posts: 229 Member
    I came here to ask a question and got exactly what I needed by looking thru the posts. ;-D so thankful for this group.

    I swear, I live by "THE SCALE IS A TWO-FACED LIAR" motto now and I rely on my husband's eyes as my mirror/scale and progress pictures. LOL I fluctuate sooo much during the week I truly don't know what the heck I weigh. But I do know that I am constantly seeing my strength increase and I'm definitely seeing quicker definition since I started lifting heavier (Barbie bells are for kids and do not produce results) and upped my cals.
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