Eat more to weigh . . . more! Help!

Hertford86

I lost weight succesfully on 1200cals, but it was really hard, and not sustainable in the long run. When I started reading about Eat More to Weigh Less it sounded great. I upped my cals to 1700, took to lifting weights. This was right after Christmas, and I hid my scale, because I knew I would gain some weight initially, and didn’t want to be freaked out by it. But 3 ½ months on, that should have leveled out, right? But I have gained back most of what I lost, and am close to having to go back up a pant size, and I’m pretty fed up. How long does it take before it starts working?

SW - 160
GW 135
CW 147
Lowest weight reached 140

I am 45, but on chemically induced menopause as part of cancer treatment, so I add 10 years when calculating BMI, TDEE etc. I work out 30-40 minutes, 6 times a week.

Thanks in advance for any advice

AllTehBeers

So looking through your diary, you are fairly consistent and have a pretty good diet in general. The cancer treatment/medication could have something to do with it.

Go here and you can get some great advice.
http://www.myfitnesspal.com/forums/show/10067-eat-train-progress-

fresh_start59

I found this online:
http://www.bccancer.bc.ca/NR/rdonlyres/5C9BA6AE-C7EC-40FA-AAEF-2B81AA26BEE5/56316/UnwantedWeightGain.pdf

It talks about unwanted weight gain during cancer treatment.

I think this is something you might want to discuss with your oncologist, especially if you fit into one of the following categories listed below:
"Weight gain appears most common in breast cancer and cancers of the central nervous system (CNS), gynecological cancers, lymphoma and Hodgkin’s disease."

PrettyPearl88

I lost weight succesfully on 1200cals, but it was really hard, and not sustainable in the long run. When I started reading about Eat More to Weigh Less it sounded great. I upped my cals to 1700, took to lifting weights. This was right after Christmas, and I hid my scale, because I knew I would gain some weight initially, and didn’t want to be freaked out by it. But 3 ½ months on, that should have leveled out, right? But I have gained back most of what I lost, and am close to having to go back up a pant size, and I’m pretty fed up. How long does it take before it starts working?

SW - 160
GW 135
CW 147
Lowest weight reached 140

I am 45, but on chemically induced menopause as part of cancer treatment, so I add 10 years when calculating BMI, TDEE etc. I work out 30-40 minutes, 6 times a week.

Thanks in advance for any advice

If 1200 was working for you to lose weight but was hard to maintain and 1700 was causing you to gain weight...maybe try something in between? Maybe something like 1400 would cause you to lose weight more slowly but be easier to maintain?

AbsoluteNG

You shouldn't read too much into the "Eat More" marketing scheme. It's to promote their website. If you want to lose weight, you're going to have to eat less than your energy out put no matter what. The "Eat More Guys" want you to lose at a modest deficit and there's nothing wrong with that but it can be easy to over estimate a modest deficit which is what happened in your case.. At 1700k calories, that's just way too much for you as you are in fact only gaining. If you had good results on 1200k calories, you should stick with that as somewhere around 1500k calories is most likely your maintenance.

kazzsjourney

So looking through your diary, you are fairly consistent and have a pretty good diet in general. The cancer treatment/medication could have something to do with it.

Go here and you can get some great advice.
http://www.myfitnesspal.com/forums/show/10067-eat-train-progress-

I agree with Rachel check out this group...and read the thread on setting calories and macros. This group has been super helpful for me

Here is the thread : http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/819055-setting-your-calorie-and-macro-targets

AbsoluteNG

Licensed by the state of Texas Dietitian in the link below if you need a question answered.
http://www.myfitnesspal.com/groups/home/13155-ask-the-dietitian

sexymuffintop

I found this online:
http://www.bccancer.bc.ca/NR/rdonlyres/5C9BA6AE-C7EC-40FA-AAEF-2B81AA26BEE5/56316/UnwantedWeightGain.pdf

It talks about unwanted weight gain during cancer treatment.

I think this is something you might want to discuss with your oncologist, especially if you fit into one of the following categories listed below:
"Weight gain appears most common in breast cancer and cancers of the central nervous system (CNS), gynecological cancers, lymphoma and Hodgkin’s disease."

This one. There are certain issues on here that cannot be answered by lay people. We are not medical experts (although some of us may think we are :laugh: ) I would discuss with a professional personally.

BeachIron

I agree with the other poster that you are likely over estimating your TDEE. I know my wife's TDEE went way down from chemo and she lost quite a bit of lean muscle mass even though she exercised and ate right throughout. There are many things about that treatment that suck. Good luck, OP!

myofibril

Eat more than 1,200 but less than 1,700 consistently.

Hertford86

Thanks, all. I guess I do need to lower my calories a bit, which stinks, but there you have it. I appreciate your time.