i was maintaining, now im gaining... need help
Cilenia
Posts: 208 Member
I have posted this in the motivation and support forums too, but noone replied and I really need your help. I figured this would be the right place to go.
In March of this year I reached my goalweight of 58kg after logging my food and exercise everyday for a year on MFP. I just followed the MFP guidelines, it was my first time loosing weight not following some diet with planned meals. This means I was on the MFP 1200 calories for the day (loose a lb a week). However I did eat back my exercise calories. At first the weight came off slowly, but with more cardio exercise and drinking water it did all come off. I started MFP at 66kg and was very happy with the way I looked and felt after I reached my goal of 58kg.
Slowly I added extra calories onto my 1200 calorie allowance to have my body (but I guess it was mainly my mind) get used to eating more. I calculated via various websites what my BMR and TDEE are (putting myself at sedetary as i have a deskjob and dont move a lot) and I slowly upped my calories towards that number.
My BMR is 1515
MY TDEE is 1799
I ended up at 1600 calories. I was maintaining very well at 1500, but felt that according to the numbers typed above I should be eating more. Im now at 1600 calories for about 3 weeks and I have been gaining every time I weighed in. Its going at a rate that I know it cant all be fat and some of it should be water, but I feel that my tummy is getting bigger and more fluffy aswell. Now im at 59.6kg (2kg higher then what i was when I started 1600 calories) and feeling very unhappy. I use a handheld bodyfat % measuring device at the gym most of the times I am there, and those numbers say that it isnt muscle that im gaining, its fat.
Its so frustrating. 2 Weeks ago I decided to treat myself to a bodymedia fit, Ive been using that for a week now. I just ran the averages and this is what it says:
Average burned - 2172
Average eaten - 1811
Which means Im on an average deficit of 361 calories a day. All those numbers point towards the fact that I should still loose some weight, or at least maintain.
Exercise wise I cycle to work everyday 5 times a week (about 25 mins total) and do 2 sessions of NROL4W. I used to run 2 - 3 times a week aswell, however I havent been for a few weeks due to low energy and no motivation. (its been harder to keep up with the running after I started NROL4W)
Im 28 years old, 1m60 (5.3feet) and currently weigh 59.6kg (131.3lb)
Anyone got any clue as to whats happening to my body? My food and exercise diaries are open to public
In March of this year I reached my goalweight of 58kg after logging my food and exercise everyday for a year on MFP. I just followed the MFP guidelines, it was my first time loosing weight not following some diet with planned meals. This means I was on the MFP 1200 calories for the day (loose a lb a week). However I did eat back my exercise calories. At first the weight came off slowly, but with more cardio exercise and drinking water it did all come off. I started MFP at 66kg and was very happy with the way I looked and felt after I reached my goal of 58kg.
Slowly I added extra calories onto my 1200 calorie allowance to have my body (but I guess it was mainly my mind) get used to eating more. I calculated via various websites what my BMR and TDEE are (putting myself at sedetary as i have a deskjob and dont move a lot) and I slowly upped my calories towards that number.
My BMR is 1515
MY TDEE is 1799
I ended up at 1600 calories. I was maintaining very well at 1500, but felt that according to the numbers typed above I should be eating more. Im now at 1600 calories for about 3 weeks and I have been gaining every time I weighed in. Its going at a rate that I know it cant all be fat and some of it should be water, but I feel that my tummy is getting bigger and more fluffy aswell. Now im at 59.6kg (2kg higher then what i was when I started 1600 calories) and feeling very unhappy. I use a handheld bodyfat % measuring device at the gym most of the times I am there, and those numbers say that it isnt muscle that im gaining, its fat.
Its so frustrating. 2 Weeks ago I decided to treat myself to a bodymedia fit, Ive been using that for a week now. I just ran the averages and this is what it says:
Average burned - 2172
Average eaten - 1811
Which means Im on an average deficit of 361 calories a day. All those numbers point towards the fact that I should still loose some weight, or at least maintain.
Exercise wise I cycle to work everyday 5 times a week (about 25 mins total) and do 2 sessions of NROL4W. I used to run 2 - 3 times a week aswell, however I havent been for a few weeks due to low energy and no motivation. (its been harder to keep up with the running after I started NROL4W)
Im 28 years old, 1m60 (5.3feet) and currently weigh 59.6kg (131.3lb)
Anyone got any clue as to whats happening to my body? My food and exercise diaries are open to public
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Replies
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The body easily holds on to 2-3kg of glycogen stores/water. This is ready energy for the fight or flight mechanism in our body. When you cut calories to lose weight, the first thing to go is these stores... it isn't fat. So when you first start cutting you lose maybe 2-3kg and then some within the first week. Once you go to eat at maintenance, the body will replenish those stores. It's not fat. It's water. But your handheld device measures the water in your body to determine how much fat it's holding. It's neither fat nor muscle. It's basically water.
But if you want to maintain at 58kg, you have to cut down to about 56kg and then eat at a maintenance level. Your glycogen stores will then replenish, bringing you to 58kg when all stocked up. Otherwise, you'll be constantly fighting the calories thinking you're gaining fat. It's just water weight... and it needs to be there and will add itself back on to whatever weight you choose to maintain.
So if you want to get on the scale each day and see 58kg, you need to cut down lower first.0 -
Hi!
I had a look at your numbers, and they don't seem to be right. I can't imagine, that your TDEE is only 1800, while your BMR is 1515.
And I just saw that your TDEE via BMF is over 2000.
So this is what you need to maintain.
The problem is, that you were on low cals for along time. Now, that you eat normally, your body stores the fat, in case another famine is coming, because you put your body into starvation mode.
What your body would need is a metabolic reset. Your body needs to know, that you are feeding it properly over a long time, so it will let go of the fat willingly.
You should be eating at your TDEE for about 8 weeks, and then cut back to TDEE-10% until you reach your goal with diet breaks in between.
I am afraid, otherwise, you will be gaining your weight back. You need to signal your body, that you will be feeding it.
Read through the stickies there is a lot of information out there
We will help if you have any more questions0 -
Thanks for your answer, it is what i thought it was after spending 2 hours today reading the forums / stickies.
I guess its time for a full metabolic reset, hope that i dont gain so much back that my new jeans dont fit anymore (i got rid of my old ones cause i was maintaining for over 2 months pretty well
)
I did do the calculations wrong initially. My BMR is 1368. (i forgot to add my age ><) But i also realized i set my activity level wrong. So yea then scooby is the pretty much the same my BMF
I guess today will be the start of my full metabolic reset. Given the frustration ive had with gaining weight sofar, i will definately join the reset topic to vent some frustration 0 -
I am on week 6 currently and I am a bit frustrated as well. But I guess it's part of the game0
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Do you stop gaining at some point? Im ok with gaining a little, knowing that i will be able to cut after i did the reset and start loosing again0
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You should level off after your body got used to eating at maintenance.
I had to up my calories half way through the reset, cause I got a FitBit and it was showing me that I burnt more than I calculated.
My body probably got confused. Cause after upping I gained again. Before I was already stable for 3 weeks.0 -
Thanks for all the info noor, its really helping me understand and accept the situation more.
I was just reading trough the post i made on the normal forum. (Suddenly people decided to reply, lol) They say that my body is telling me that 1500 is my maintanance and what the websites calculate as my TDEE must be wrong for my body, and that my bodymedia fit is off with my burn......
How confusing0 -
The comments about water are important to note since small flucuations, while frustrating, are normal.
Since you've been eating back exercise cals, you probably are just in a holding pattern due to your ongoing deficit and likely have not not done crazy damage to your metabolism. Based on your numbers, eating around 2000 (the recommended intake for an average woman...) you probably will see things stabilize. I wouldn't obsess about a reset, but do up your cals by a couple two, three hundred and see what happens.0 -
Hi!
I had a look at your numbers, and they don't seem to be right. I can't imagine, that your TDEE is only 1800, while your BMR is 1515.
And I just saw that your TDEE via BMF is over 2000.
So this is what you need to maintain.
The problem is, that you were on low cals for along time. Now, that you eat normally, your body stores the fat, in case another famine is coming, because you put your body into starvation mode.
What your body would need is a metabolic reset. Your body needs to know, that you are feeding it properly over a long time, so it will let go of the fat willingly.
You should be eating at your TDEE for about 8 weeks, and then cut back to TDEE-10% until you reach your goal with diet breaks in between.
I am afraid, otherwise, you will be gaining your weight back. You need to signal your body, that you will be feeding it.
Read through the stickies there is a lot of information out there
We will help if you have any more questions
I completely agree with Noor13....Also, check out the videos on the stickies they have some great info...Best of luck...We are all in this together...
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