Is it common to see a weight gain on TDEE-20%?

MariaChele85

Hello Everyone. I tried to do a search on the community before I posted this question. I'd hate to be that person who ask the same common question over and over:noway: . I really didnt find an answer to my question. After being at a stall for several weeks even months, I read the forum from HELLOITSDAN, and it made sense to me.
I upped my calories minus 20% because I still have a lot of fat to lose. Previously I was on roughly 1400-1600 cal. Based on the calculations my TDEE is 2666- 20%= 2130.
Ok I manually adjusted my calories on MFP, I adjusted my macros to 40/30/30. Zeroed out the excercise, don't log my workouts because its already been added to the numbers. I do workout 5 times a week, but set it to sedentary because I have a desk job and am sitting for most of the day. I read and researched and was ready to start.
I also started to workout with my buddy who is in top notch shape. He kicks my butt everytime. We workout 4times a week. Do alot of heavy lifting. WEll heavy to me. (Squating 135lbs, deadlift 90lbs, bench press 90lbs:happy: . An increase from body pump 35lbs, 25lbs and 25lbs:noway: ). We do outdoor jogging on rough terrain. After the third day, great I had lost 2lbs!!! I felt good. I was like yes this is working! But the next day I gained those 2lbs back. I didnt freakout becuase I know our weight can fluctuate from day to day. Plus I knew I hadn't eaten like 7000calories. No biggie I brushed it off. After the 6th day I had gained an additional 4lbs! Ok I still didnt freak out because I had read that after lifting heavy weights your body will retain more water from the muscles trying to repair themselves. I did increase my protien, and my buddy said protien stays in your body longer so that may be the reasoning. But its now been 2 1/2 weeks and I have gained a total of 7 lbs. Im starting to worry a little bit. My diet has been good. My water intake is ridiculously crazy. I believe my diary is open if anyone wants to take a look. I have slacked off for the past few days on logging but my days are basically the same all the time. This same buddy helped me get ready for a 5k back in April. I had lost several inches, my legs were more toned, and had lost a total of about 18lbs. All over 4 months. .I was in the best shape so far.
MFP had me set to lose 1lb per week. I know I wasnt going to lose like 10 lbs a week, I was comfortable with 1 lb a week. BUt as I said earlier I have gained 7 lbs :sad: As far as the measurments, they are still the same. I know its too soon and to early to see any change. So my question is " Is it common to see a weight increase, if so how long untill this increase stops or I start to see a loss?"
Any suggestions or replys will be greatly appreciated:flowerforyou: , for I am about to go crazy here. I am trying to not lose motivation but its slowly starting to fade away....

( If you have any rude comments, please keep them to yourself! )

MSeel1984

Someone had advised me to do the TDEE-20% as well.

I noticed almost immediately feeling like my clothes weren't fitting-I was also feeling more bloated which I was assured was going to happen as result of the food I ate holding onto more water.

I just decided to log my exercise and still aim to meet my calorie goal set for MFP.

If I was doing my TDEE-20%, I'd also be eating upwards of 2,000 calories.

I don't want to backtrack on my progress so I'm sticking with what I am doing now.

MariaChele85

How long were you on TDEE-20% before you decided to go back to what you are doing? Did you see a change immediately?

love4fitnesslove4food_wechange

I do not recommend abandoning your plan. you can and should continue with what you're doing. you aren't eating enough to account for those gains and they will level off soon. please don't give up just yet. give it 4-6 weeks before changing anything. it's likely water weight from extra food (i.e. glucose holding on to more water), food mass, and possible inflammation as a result of the exercise regimen.

geekyjock76

The TDEE equation is an estimate. However, the accuracy really depends on how "healthy" your Resting Metabolic Rate is. I find too many women eat like birds most of their adult life, causing their RMR to plummet. If this is you, then any calculation will end up being a surplus because of how badly depressed your RMR is.

cannonsky

http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/521728-upping-cals-what-to-expect-why-you-need-patience?hl=upping+calories+what+to+expect

jenluvsushi

Unless you are wearing a device like a bodymedia or the like, your TDEE is just an estimate on the average person. If you have been eating a VLC diet for a while it will take your body some time to adjust to eating more calories as well. I would not give up on this new style for at least 4-6 weeks before you make a decision. I saw a slight gain when I went from 1200 calories a day up to 2000 but now I have stabilized and started losing again. I wear a BM and my average TDEE is 2300 on non-exercise days and sometimes as high as 3300 on heavy gym days. Lifting will also cause you to gain weight due to water/glycogen....don't give up and don't let the scale dictate if you are geting smaller or not. I weigh more now than when I was several sizes bigger. The scale simply doesn't tell the entire story. You also might want to check out the group eat more to lose more.

geekyjock76

When I upped my calories after ending my cutting phase, I easily gained about 6 lbs, almost entirely of water and glycogen, within 2 weeks.

RuthieCass

Hello Everyone. I tried to do a search on the community before I posted this question. I'd hate to be that person who ask the same common question over and over:noway: . I really didnt find an answer to my question. After being at a stall for several weeks even months, I read the forum from HELLOITSDAN, and it made sense to me.
I upped my calories minus 20% because I still have a lot of fat to lose. Previously I was on roughly 1400-1600 cal. Based on the calculations my TDEE is 2666- 20%= 2130.

These calculations are just estimates. You calorie counts are also estimates (which you may need to improve upon by using a food scale) You may need to adjust your goals based on your real life results. If you're not losing weight or inches over a decent period of time, it's usually because you're eating too much.

I also started to workout with my buddy who is in top notch shape. He kicks my butt everytime. We workout 4times a week. Do alot of heavy lifting. WEll heavy to me. (Squating 135lbs, deadlift 90lbs, bench press 90lbs:happy: . An increase from body pump 35lbs, 25lbs and 25lbs:noway: ). We do outdoor jogging on rough terrain. After the third day, great I had lost 2lbs!!! I felt good. I was like yes this is working! But the next day I gained those 2lbs back. I didnt freakout becuase I know our weight can fluctuate from day to day. Plus I knew I hadn't eaten like 7000calories. No biggie I brushed it off. After the 6th day I had gained an additional 4lbs! Ok I still didnt freak out because I had read that after lifting heavy weights your body will retain more water from the muscles trying to repair themselves. I did increase my protien, and my buddy said protien stays in your body longer so that may be the reasoning. But its now been 2 1/2 weeks and I have gained a total of 7 lbs. Im starting to worry a little bit. My diet has been good. My water intake is ridiculously crazy.

Sounds like a good portion of the weight gain is water. It sounds like your water weight does tend to fluctuate quite a bit if you're going back and forth a couple pounds from day to day. You should be comparing weights from 1) the same time of day, 2) the same day of the week, 3) not on your TOM, and 4) not after a day of heavy sodium/carbs. Extra protein doesn't necessarily reduce water weight, but reducing carbs (which you usually do if you increase protein) will reduce water retention. You may want to watch your sodium as well. Not sure if you are gaining any fat, but if your weight is not going down and your measurements are staying the same for 3 weeks +, you are likely not losing fat.

I believe my diary is open if anyone wants to take a look. I have slacked off for the past few days on logging but my days are basically the same all the time. This same buddy helped me get ready for a 5k back in April. I had lost several inches, my legs were more toned, and had lost a total of about 18lbs. All over 4 months. .I was in the best shape so far.

Your diary is not open. And I think you answered your own question here (at least partially). You should be logging your meals consistently. Get a food scale, if you don't already, and weigh everything you put in your mouth. Avoid eating out. How do you truly know that you are eating your calculated "TDEE-20%" number if you're not doing this?

( If you have any rude comments, please keep them to yourself! )

Not sure why you're already angry before anyone even has a chance to comment?

RandleBoyz3

BUMP

MariaChele85

I only said that because I know how rude and smart arses people can be. Thank you all for your feed back.
I do wear a HRM when I do my workouts to see what I burn. I will invest in a foodscale as well.

MariaChele85

The TDEE equation is an estimate. However, the accuracy really depends on how "healthy" your Resting Metabolic Rate is. I find too many women eat like birds most of their adult life, causing their RMR to plummet. If this is you, then any calculation will end up being a surplus because of how badly depressed your RMR is.

HMMMM can you tell me more about this? Please?

Helloitsdan

While adjusting to your new routine you will gain water weight and some inflammation.
Best practice is to take a daily omega 3 to fight inflammation and DOMS.
Also a probiotic like Colon Health to assist in lower GI issues.
Drink 1-2gallons of water a day and find a healthy balance of sodium/potassium.
Also, and this may sound really strange, envision your future self.
Know that the fat is coming off.
If you take walks on rest days push for a 5 pace.
If you lift 3-4 times a week always push for new personal records while keeping 1 rep in check.
If you feel fat after eating all the starchy carbs on a lift day, know that they are repairing the muscle and making them better for next time.
Before you give up always remember that the Whoosh is always a week away.

So adjust!

If you need to tweak numbers you'll know in a months time.

Personally I wouldn't recommend a 5 day routine and for some it does hinder fat loss through overtraining.

ladyraven68

Hello Everyone. I tried to do a search on the community before I posted this question. I'd hate to be that person who ask the same common question over and over:noway: . I really didnt find an answer to my question. After being at a stall for several weeks even months, I read the forum from HELLOITSDAN, and it made sense to me.
I upped my calories minus 20% because I still have a lot of fat to lose. Previously I was on roughly 1400-1600 cal. Based on the calculations my TDEE is 2666- 20%= 2130.
Ok I manually adjusted my calories on MFP, I adjusted my macros to 40/30/30. Zeroed out the excercise, don't log my workouts because its already been added to the numbers. I do workout 5 times a week, but set it to sedentary because I have a desk job and am sitting for most of the day. I read and researched and was ready to start.
I also started to workout with my buddy who is in top notch shape. He kicks my butt everytime. We workout 4times a week. Do alot of heavy lifting. WEll heavy to me. (Squating 135lbs, deadlift 90lbs, bench press 90lbs:happy: . An increase from body pump 35lbs, 25lbs and 25lbs:noway: ). We do outdoor jogging on rough terrain. After the third day, great I had lost 2lbs!!! I felt good. I was like yes this is working! But the next day I gained those 2lbs back. I didnt freakout becuase I know our weight can fluctuate from day to day. Plus I knew I hadn't eaten like 7000calories. No biggie I brushed it off. After the 6th day I had gained an additional 4lbs! Ok I still didnt freak out because I had read that after lifting heavy weights your body will retain more water from the muscles trying to repair themselves. I did increase my protien, and my buddy said protien stays in your body longer so that may be the reasoning. But its now been 2 1/2 weeks and I have gained a total of 7 lbs. Im starting to worry a little bit. My diet has been good. My water intake is ridiculously crazy. I believe my diary is open if anyone wants to take a look. I have slacked off for the past few days on logging but my days are basically the same all the time. This same buddy helped me get ready for a 5k back in April. I had lost several inches, my legs were more toned, and had lost a total of about 18lbs. All over 4 months. .I was in the best shape so far.
MFP had me set to lose 1lb per week. I know I wasnt going to lose like 10 lbs a week, I was comfortable with 1 lb a week. BUt as I said earlier I have gained 7 lbs :sad: As far as the measurments, they are still the same. I know its too soon and to early to see any change. So my question is " Is it common to see a weight increase, if so how long untill this increase stops or I start to see a loss?"
Any suggestions or replys will be greatly appreciated:flowerforyou: , for I am about to go crazy here. I am trying to not lose motivation but its slowly starting to fade away....

( If you have any rude comments, please keep them to yourself! )

If you have been accurate with your information it is impossible to gain fat on TDEE - 20%, as TDEE is maintenance calories, and you would need to eat over maintenance to gain weight.

However it possible to gain some water weight.

Have you taken measurements? go by the tape measure, scales can be deceptive.

MariaChele85

yes the measurements are the same. I dont expect to see a change so fast.

yarwell

Any clues about current height / weight / % body fat etc ?

Depressed RMR values are observed both in dieters and those who have lost a significant amount of weight. So using a "fresh" BMR value may not be doing you any favours.

If you're relying on the HRM for exercise calories is it set up for your personal fitness level and are you accounting for it reading gross rather than net calories ?

mpf1

I'm interested in the advice you get, thank you!

ketchup38

Interested in this question as well..Thank you OP for asking!

mirandamayhem

Thanks for asking these questions. I've just decided to up my calories to see if it will help me not lose muscle as i lose weight. I will now not stress if I see a gain first of all!