I gain at 1500 calories but lose at 1300-1400

Amyirene74

Why does 100-200 calories make such a difference. At 1300 calories I lose 3 lbs a week. At 1500 I gain 3 lbs a week. Is my metabolism really that slow?

drmerc

You have normal weight fluctuation throughout the day, you need to put the number on the scale into perspective

Chief_Rocka

You have normal weight fluctuation throughout the day, you need to put the number on the scale into perspective

This. You're probably looking at too small of a time frame to determine what's actually going on.

danasings

You have normal weight fluctuation throughout the day, you need to put the number on the scale into perspective

This. You're probably looking at too small of a time frame to determine what's actually going on.

I agree. If you only try something new or increase your calories for a week, you're not going to learn anything. In order to find your caloric "sweet spot," you need to give it at least a month.

shmoony

Yur not actually gaining or losing as much as you think based on that difference. It's scientifically impossible. It's either water, the time of day, your menstrual cycle, poor or incorrect logging of your intake, or a faulty scale.

KenosFeoh

How long a period of time did you keep records in order to determine this? I just had a peak at your diary, and your calorie counts are all over the place.

I think you have to be pretty consistent with your calories for at least 3 weeks before you can make an accurate assessment of efficacy.

WendyTerry420

Why does 100-200 calories make such a difference. At 1300 calories I lose 3 lbs a week. At 1500 I gain 3 lbs a week. Is my metabolism really that slow?

I think you are calculating your calories wrong - either input or output or both. Those numbers can't be accurate.

Amyirene74

I have noticed this before and quit cause I couldn't stick with the low calories. I am determined to lose though this time. I am keeping my calories between 1300-1400 and have lost 6 lbs in 15 days. Then I ate more for 2 days and gained a pound and a half. I am frustrated. I weigh at the same time every morning right after I go to the bathroom completely naked to make sure there isn't any outside influences on the weight. I am going to keep trying...

WendyTerry420

You have normal weight fluctuation throughout the day, you need to put the number on the scale into perspective

This too

WendyTerry420

I have noticed this before and quit cause I couldn't stick with the low calories. I am determined to lose though this time. I am keeping my calories between 1300-1400 and have lost 6 lbs in 15 days. Then I ate more for 2 days and gained a pound and a half. I am frustrated. I weigh at the same time every morning right after I go to the bathroom completely naked to make sure there isn't any outside influences on the weight. I am going to keep trying...

You can't gain that much fat in two days. It's water causing the gain, not fat. Fat is gained and lost over a period of time, not in 2 days.

Amyirene74

Why does 100-200 calories make such a difference. At 1300 calories I lose 3 lbs a week. At 1500 I gain 3 lbs a week. Is my metabolism really that slow?

I think you are calculating your calories wrong - either input or output or both. Those numbers can't be accurate.

Explain? I put absolutely everything I eat into the food diary on here. I think my food diary is public. Saturday was a fluke cause I had my once a year girls night out and went overboard but other than that I have been doing pretty good.

Fozzi43

I looked at your diary...for a number of days you were WAY over your calories?

Chief_Rocka

I am keeping my calories between 1300-1400 and have lost 6 lbs in 15 days. Then I ate more for 2 days and gained a pound and a half.

You can't do things this way. Your weight loss can fluctuate in a two day span for any number of reasons, it doesn't mean that you're not losing fat.

Think about a graph of the stock market. Even when it's going "up" or "down," when you put every data point on the graph, it fluctuates up and down despite the overall upward or downward trend. Weight loss works the same way. You can't look at a two-day data point and say "I've gained weight." Be consistent with a caloric intake and an activity level for 4-6 weeks, then determine if you need to make any changes.

Athijade

Your calories are all over the place. As such, there is no real data that can prove any sort of hypothesis like the one you are stating. You need a set of reliable data for an extended period of time to know for sure. You have to be consistent with the calories taken in for a longer period of time to really know what is going on.

WendyTerry420

Why does 100-200 calories make such a difference. At 1300 calories I lose 3 lbs a week. At 1500 I gain 3 lbs a week. Is my metabolism really that slow?

I think you are calculating your calories wrong - either input or output or both. Those numbers can't be accurate.

Explain? I put absolutely everything I eat into the food diary on here. I think my food diary is public. Saturday was a fluke cause I had my once a year girls night out and went overboard but other than that I have been doing pretty good.

If you are losing weight at the rate of 3 pounds per week by eating 1300 calories, then your TDEE would be 2800 calories per day. If your TDEE were 2800 calories per day, then at 1500 calories per day, you would be losing 2.6 pounds a week.

But as the others have said, you must have reliable data over a period of time. A 200 calorie deficit would result in losing one pound after a consistent 17 day time period. Day-to-day or hour-by-hour fluctuations is simply water weight.

RenewedRunner

3500 calories equals a pound. If you gained, it is either a)retention or b) you ate 3500 more calories than you burned.

Simple biology.

Samantha44145

The only thing that I would add to the comments here is just that in looking at your diary over the last several days, not only are your calories all over the place but the quality of your food choices is not what you want for a healthy diet. I also did not see any exercise noted. Pizza, mozzarella sticks, meatloaf, Texas Toast, cheesecake are all calorie-dense and from a nutrition standpoint, completely inefficient in giving your body what it needs to thrive.

My suggestion: Fill your calorie goal with more efficient nutrition and exercise.

WendyTerry420

The only thing that I would add to the comments here is just that in looking at your diary over the last several days, not only are your calories all over the place but the quality of your food choices is not what you want for a healthy diet. I also did not see any exercise noted. Pizza, mozzarella sticks, meatloaf, Texas Toast, cheesecake are all calorie-dense and from a nutrition standpoint, completely inefficient in giving your body what it needs to thrive.

My suggestion: Fill your calorie goal with more efficient nutrition and exercise.

Are you serious? Calorie-dense, sure, that's true, but there is nothing inherently wrong with any of those food choices. Each of those items can be enjoyed within the context of a well-balanced diet.

Samantha44145

I am completely serious.

If you want a machine to run like a Bently you have to fuel it like one. That doesn't mean that you can splurge from time to time but you can't expect optimum performance on low-quality fuel.

kdub67

Try weighing yourself once a week instead of once a day...Things tend to level out over the course of the week, I've found. I know a ton of people weigh daily and it works well for them, but if you're feeling frustrated by the scale, then scale back (haha) on your weigh ins and see if that helps.

like_milk

You're not going to be losing/gaining like that, as people have already said.

I want to add one possible answer to the fluctuations that no one has dared to mention: poo.

(sorry, that was pretty crass, but I really am serious)

staceypunk

I am no expert and I just looked back about a week or so, but I agree. OP you can do a little better with eating foods that are less processed. As others said, it's probably causing you to retain more water. Also, just something I noticed- you can try different things in your coffee so that it's less calories. Probably need to ditch the flavored creamer or cut down on how much you add. Don't hate on me, just thought it might be helpful. Good luck!

WendyTerry420

I am completely serious.

If you want a machine to run like a Bently you have to fuel it like one. That doesn't mean that you can splurge from time to time but you can't expect optimum performance on low-quality fuel.

Good luck with that. I prefer humanity. :flowerforyou:

rose313

You may be measuring portion sizes incorrectly, do you have a food scale?

Samantha44145

I am completely serious.

If you want a machine to run like a Bently you have to fuel it like one. That doesn't mean that you can splurge from time to time but you can't expect optimum performance on low-quality fuel.

Good luck with that. I prefer humanity. :flowerforyou:

:flowerforyou: I meant to say "that doesn't mean you can't splurge". I love pizza too.

cwolfman13

I have noticed this before and quit cause I couldn't stick with the low calories. I am determined to lose though this time. I am keeping my calories between 1300-1400 and have lost 6 lbs in 15 days. Then I ate more for 2 days and gained a pound and a half. I am frustrated. I weigh at the same time every morning right after I go to the bathroom completely naked to make sure there isn't any outside influences on the weight. I am going to keep trying...

That 1.5 pounds in 2 days is water. It's pretty much impossible to gain a pound of actual fat in 2 days. 1 Lb equals 3,500 calories...that means to gain 1.5 Lbs in 2 days you'd have to eat 1,750 calories per day above your maintenance TDEE, and I can guarantee you that 1,500 calories isn't that number, nor is 2,000. I don't know your stats, but let's say that your maintenance TDEE is 2,000 calories (pretty typical or at least in the neighborhood for most women give or take a couple hundred). If that was the case, you'd have to net 3,750 calories per day to gain 1 Lb of fat in 2 days. It's science...nobody is a snowflake.

If your diet is high in sodium, you'll most likely retain a lot of water. If it's high in sodium, either cut the sodium or drink even more water to flush it.

mdcoug

You're putting too much weight (pun, ha ha) into regular fluctuation in your weight. If you plan to weigh yourself every day, that's fine, but don't let it impact what your plans are. Instead, evaluate your results over a longer period of time. If you know that 1300-1400 works for you, then make that your target. Forget about those days where you have a 1500 cals and forget about those days where you have 1200 cals.

And, if you can't weigh yourself frequently and remain objective, then stick to once a week.

As someone else said, this is a marathon, not a sprint.

ericahassinistermotives

I have noticed this before and quit cause I couldn't stick with the low calories. I am determined to lose though this time. I am keeping my calories between 1300-1400 and have lost 6 lbs in 15 days. Then I ate more for 2 days and gained a pound and a half. I am frustrated. I weigh at the same time every morning right after I go to the bathroom completely naked to make sure there isn't any outside influences on the weight. I am going to keep trying...

That 1.5 pounds in 2 days is water. It's pretty much impossible to gain a pound of actual fat in 2 days. 1 Lb equals 3,500 calories...that means to gain 1.5 Lbs in 2 days you'd have to eat 1,750 calories per day above your maintenance TDEE, and I can guarantee you that 1,500 calories isn't that number, nor is 2,000. I don't know your stats, but let's say that your maintenance TDEE is 2,000 calories (pretty typical or at least in the neighborhood for most women give or take a couple hundred). If that was the case, you'd have to net 3,750 calories per day to gain 1 Lb of fat in 2 days. It's science...nobody is a snowflake.

If your diet is high in sodium, you'll most likely retain a lot of water. If it's high in sodium, either cut the sodium or drink even more water to flush it.

This.

Start measuring sodium in your diary and if you come out consistently high, you might have found your culprit.

karrieamandakeeps

The only thing that I would add to the comments here is just that in looking at your diary over the last several days, not only are your calories all over the place but the quality of your food choices is not what you want for a healthy diet. I also did not see any exercise noted. Pizza, mozzarella sticks, meatloaf, Texas Toast, cheesecake are all calorie-dense and from a nutrition standpoint, completely inefficient in giving your body what it needs to thrive.

My suggestion: Fill your calorie goal with more efficient nutrition and exercise.

Are you serious? Calorie-dense, sure, that's true, but there is nothing inherently wrong with any of those food choices. Each of those items can be enjoyed within the context of a well-balanced diet.

Dead serious. Its easy.
High sodium foods daily=water retention=weight gain.(Plus its not heart healthy or effective to eat high fat, high sodium foods daily)
FYI "anything" can be eaten in moderation, not on a daily basis. In a perfect world I'd eat pizza and bacon everyday!

Amyirene74

The only thing that I would add to the comments here is just that in looking at your diary over the last several days, not only are your calories all over the place but the quality of your food choices is not what you want for a healthy diet. I also did not see any exercise noted. Pizza, mozzarella sticks, meatloaf, Texas Toast, cheesecake are all calorie-dense and from a nutrition standpoint, completely inefficient in giving your body what it needs to thrive.

My suggestion: Fill your calorie goal with more efficient nutrition and exercise.

The meal on Saturday was my once in a year girls night out. I don't eat out like that every night. The pizza was our family dinner. My kids won't eat things like artichokes and tomatoes. We had some chicken last night that had those and they wouldn't touch it. The only thing they ate was the chicken and the pasta. I have to eat what the family eats but in smaller portions. I still have 4 kids at home (5 in the summer) so I have to work around them. I weighed this morning and I am down again so it must have been water weight.

Amyirene74

The only thing that I would add to the comments here is just that in looking at your diary over the last several days, not only are your calories all over the place but the quality of your food choices is not what you want for a healthy diet. I also did not see any exercise noted. Pizza, mozzarella sticks, meatloaf, Texas Toast, cheesecake are all calorie-dense and from a nutrition standpoint, completely inefficient in giving your body what it needs to thrive.

My suggestion: Fill your calorie goal with more efficient nutrition and exercise.

Are you serious? Calorie-dense, sure, that's true, but there is nothing inherently wrong with any of those food choices. Each of those items can be enjoyed within the context of a well-balanced diet.

Dead serious. Its easy.
High sodium foods daily=water retention=weight gain.(Plus its not heart healthy or effective to eat high fat, high sodium foods daily)
FYI "anything" can be eaten in moderation, not on a daily basis. In a perfect world I'd eat pizza and bacon everyday!

I have to eat high sodium foods or I pass out. I have really low blood pressure and was told by my doctor to eat alot of salt. It keeps my pressure up. Otherwise I fall under 100/50 and get dizzy.