weight gain setback

douglas8098
douglas8098 Posts: 2
in Food and Nutrition
Thoughts anyone....

I started two weeks ago just counting calories and no cardio at all. I dropped seven lbs up to two days ago when I started putting in 30 minutes daily on an elliptical

I have gained two pounds since then - eating the same 1200 calories a day....why

Replies

  • JesterMFP
    JesterMFP Posts: 3,596 Member
    Weight loss is not linear. Even if your weight is fairly stable, it will not be exactly the same every day and can easily fluctuate by a few pounds each day. There are lots of reasons for this, but a likely candidate here is that your muscles are holding onto water to repair themselves, following the start of a new exercise programme.

    It's likely that not all of the original 7 lbs you lost was pure fat, but a mixture of fat and lean mass, including water. You've gained back some of the water, but it could easily drop again over the next day or two, depending on other circumstances.

    Rest assured, eating 1200 calories a day, and exercising - you have not gained 2 lbs of fat in two days.
  • misssmarita
    misssmarita Posts: 130
    I would have to agree with JesterMFP. Also, two days is nowhere near enough to see the effects of a fitness program. You could be experiencing some natural fluctuation in your weight (like stress hormones), or it might be that your calorie intake has become too low for the amount of exercise you're doing, and that your body as gone into starvation mode, plummeting your metabolism. You could try doing what you're doing for a couple of weeks, and if you still keep gaining, or you don't lose any weight, tweak your eating and exercise routine. Personally, I would try varying your cardio a bit, adding some strength training, and maybe eating a few more calories, but that is just my humble opinion, and you (of course) have to figure out what's right for you :)

    GOOD LUCK!
  • JesterMFP
    JesterMFP Posts: 3,596 Member
    Ok, based on the info you added to your profile... I would check whether or not 1200 is the right amount for you. It seems a little low, especially for a man, and especially given that you are not looking to lose very much. Do you know what your TDEE (total daily energy expenditure) is? If you have a calorie deficit that is too aggressive, you run the risk of losing more lean mass than is necessary.
  • neandermagnon
    neandermagnon Posts: 7,436 Member
    Ok, based on the info you added to your profile... I would check whether or not 1200 is the right amount for you. It seems a little low, especially for a man, and especially given that you are not looking to lose very much. Do you know what your TDEE (total daily energy expenditure) is? If you have a calorie deficit that is too aggressive, you run the risk of losing more lean mass than is necessary.

    ^^^^ this

    look for a thread called "in place of a road map" by helloitsdan.
  • axialmeow
    axialmeow Posts: 382 Member
    You need to eat more.
  • Firefox7275
    Firefox7275 Posts: 2,040 Member
    Thoughts anyone....

    I started two weeks ago just counting calories and no cardio at all. I dropped seven lbs up to two days ago when I started putting in 30 minutes daily on an elliptical

    I have gained two pounds since then - eating the same 1200 calories a day....why

    Because the weight you dropped was largely water and you've gained that back - sodium, TOTM, carbs? You should be aiming to lose half to two pounds a week depending how much you have to lose, 1200 calories minus your exercise is not enough, you should at least be netting over your basal metabolic rate. Don't weigh daily, that just gives you normal daily fluctuations, you can't lose fat that fast unless you are doing 'Biggest Loser'.

    Also don't train daily nor do the same exercise day in and day out if you can help it. Assuming you are healthy do intensive interval training and take rest days to let your soft tissues repair and refuel - this should mean increased metabolism so more fat burned for anything up to two days. Hit different muscles or in a different way on different days so you are not continuously tiring the exact same muscle fibres and your body doesn't get too efficient (= burns fewer calories doing the same thing).
  • bdamaster60
    bdamaster60 Posts: 595 Member
    Also don't train daily nor do the same exercise day in and day out if you can help it. Assuming you are healthy do intensive interval training and take rest days to let your soft tissues repair and refuel - this should mean increased metabolism so more fat burned for anything up to two days. Hit different muscles or in a different way on different days so you are not continuously tiring the exact same muscle fibres and your body doesn't get too efficient (= burns fewer calories doing the same thing).

    sound advice here. But what do you mean by don't train daily? As in don't train more than 6 days in a row? or train, rest, train, rest ?

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