Weight Loss Question

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ksivey2
ksivey2 Posts: 2
in Health and Weight Loss
I have noticed that if I stay within my calorie goal, I gain weight. However, if I exceed my calorie goal by 200-400 calories, I lose weight. Has anyone else had this happen?

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  • MG_Fit
    MG_Fit Posts: 1,143 Member
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    What are you goals?
    How often are you weighing in?
    Do you exercise?
  • MinnieInMaine
    MinnieInMaine Posts: 6,400 Member
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    This may be because your calorie goal is set too low. According to the ticker on your profile, you're looking to lose about 60 pounds, which means a weekly weight loss goal of 1.5 pounds per week is more appropriate for you. If you're already set that low, try for 1 pound a week. The chart below is a nice tool to keep save somewhere for reference:
    Here is a great guideline for setting weekly weight loss goals:
    If you have 75+ lbs to lose 2 lbs/week is ideal,
    If you have 40-75 lbs to lose 1.5 lbs/week is ideal,
    If you have 25-40 lbs to lose 1 lbs/week is ideal,
    If you have 15 -25 lbs to lose 0.5 to 1.0 lbs/week is ideal, and
    If you have less than 15 lbs to lose 0.5 lbs/week is ideal.

    Also make sure your activity level is appropriate. Even folks with desk jobs can be lightly active if they're not compeltely tied to their desks and are constantly on the go when not at work. If nothing else, you've proven that a higher calorie goal will work better for you so why not give it a try?

    The concept behind what your experiencing is commonly referred to as "starvation mode" which, while technically a diet myth, has some basis in reality. It takes alot for your body to think it's starving but at the same time, if you're not eating enough, the body will hold on to it's stores and therefore you gain or at least stay the same. When you give the body adequate fuel, it's more comfortable with releasing the stores. Remember, at base level, we're animals that are built for survival. Not enough food, need to hold on to fat to survive. Plenty of fuel, ok to use up fat store.
  • almcginn
    almcginn Posts: 15 Member
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    For me, I can say that with weight loss, diet is 80% of the solution, even if I'm working out like crazy. A couple questions for you:

    1) How much weight are you talking when you gain or lose? Personally, my weight can fluctuate up to 3 pounds in a day. Thus, I always weigh myself at the same time every day (when I wake up).

    2) Are you weightlifting? If so, you can be putting on muscle faster than you are shedding fat.

    3) How are you eating? You could be retaining water based on your diet.

    4) Lastly, could you be miscalculating how many calories you burn in a workout (assuming you are)? I've found that the calories burned meter on exercise machines can be way off relative to my heartrate monitor (which I recommend to anyone trying to accurately track calories burned during cardio).
  • MadisonLeo
    MadisonLeo Posts: 89
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    Thing is about calorie goal: ITS ALL ABOUT NET CALORIES.

    Example, my goal is 1200. This does not mean that is ALL I EAT FOR THE DAY! It means I can eat as much as I want, as long as I exercise enough to bring my NET calories to under 1200.

    Hence why when you go over, you lose. The more calories you eat, your body isn't afraid to burn those calories while you exercise as it knows you are not in starvation mode. However, when you try to limit yourself to only1200 TOTAL, then your body thinks it is starving and is stingy about letting those calories go.

    Hope this helps!

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