Why the weight gain??

pannellkat

I am struggling with a little confusion here.

The BMR calculator is telling me if I were to sit around all day, not exercise and eat 1700 calories a day, I would be able to maintain my weight. Not lose, not gain but stay the same.

I've been sticking to 1200 calories a day using MFP as well as exercise at the gym about 4-5 times a week with a combination of cardio and weights and so far have lost about 1.5 lbs a week.

The past few days (since Friday) I have slipped up on my diet BUT still have eaten less than 1700 calories but more than 1200 for sure, plus with this new back injury from running, I have not been to the gym since Wednesday. Scale is now up 3 lbs. How is that?

I thought if I was sedentary and stuck to 1700 calories a day I would at least be able to maintain weight. At the rate it has been going the past few days....is it true that if I continue to eat 1700 calories a day with no exercise that I will be gaining weight until infinity?? Is the BMR calc a crock of bull? What am I missing?

lilchino4af

Are you drinking enough water each day? Not drinking enough causes your body to retain water weight. Rule of thumb is to drink half your body weight in ounces. Also, monitor your sodium intake; too much will cause you to retain water as well. If it's that time of the month, it will affect your weight too (retaining water).

minotaur

I honestly believe the exercise calculations on this site is flawed. I have only regularly lost weight when working the basic calories and not counting exercise. Or perhaps that is just me!

pkgirrl

I too have found the BMR calc on this site ranges at the high end. MFP told me my BMR was 2000, Jillian Micheal's website said 1500, and I've found that to be a much better value. Although, that being said JM's website also said BMR should only be about 75% of most people's daily calorie burn, the rest being from exercise, so with that in mind, I would be burning MFP's 2000. Just make sure your activity level is at sedentary if you find MFP's estimate to be too high, it should readjust your calories. Hope this helps

Dom_m

Lots of reasons your weight could go up. Water weight, food waste (ie: **** still in your bowls), muscle mass increasing... don't pay too much attention to weight. The tape measure is your best friend (and super cheap). Set up a spread sheet and record measurements at least for waist and hips. I track neck, thigh, chest, wrist, forearm and biceps as well, but I'm a bit obsessive.

Weight gives a very weak indication of body fat and that presumably is what you're interested in.

FireMonkey

I take the exercise calories on this site with a grain of salt. When I use the elliptical, I burn quite a bit less than is listed here. :huh: Likely because I'm fairly new to this machine and still experimenting with the different programs. I enter the calories I've been burning rather than the time I've been exercising for.

By the way I don't mean to say this is a flaw only on this site; it's pretty consistent on other sites too - they seem to list calories burned for somebody who works out full tilt and is good at it

lina1131

My weight is up and down all the time. You could be retaining fluids. Just stick to what you are doing and eventually it will come off.