I just don't understand.

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luckyxjen
luckyxjen Posts: 24
in Motivation and Support
I don't understand how I can burn so many calories a day and be GAINING weight. This is usually where I start falling off of the wagon and getting discouraged. I just don't know what to do anymore.
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Replies

  • lilgemforgets
    lilgemforgets Posts: 285
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    Hi Honey,
    Any chance you can open up your diary? Will be easier for people to give advice if they can see whats going on.
  • JeSuisPrest
    JeSuisPrest Posts: 2,005 Member
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    Chances are you aren't eating enough. But all anyone can do is guess until you open up your diary.
  • Gwen_B
    Gwen_B Posts: 1,018 Member
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    By chance is it fat turning to muscle? Muscle weighs more.
  • luckyxjen
    luckyxjen Posts: 24
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    My diary should be open.
  • luckyxjen
    luckyxjen Posts: 24
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    It's open now, sorry about that guys.
  • JeSuisPrest
    JeSuisPrest Posts: 2,005 Member
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    MFP has already created a calorie deficit for you. You need to meet that goal, NOT stay under it. You have to think of your body as a machine, when it is fueled properly it will run more efficiently and burn the fat. Educate yourself about BMR and TDEE. Don't eat under your BMR and don't exceed your TDEE and you should do just fine.
  • Contrarian
    Contrarian Posts: 8,138 Member
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    By chance is it fat turning to muscle? Muscle weighs more.

    No chance. It is very difficult to gain muscle for women, especially on a calorie deficit.
  • slugkiller
    slugkiller Posts: 90 Member
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    i found this thread useful, take a look as it's all about eating all your calories
    http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/6556-the-answers-to-the-questions?page=1
    hope you get back on track
  • pumalama
    pumalama Posts: 140 Member
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    how much weight are you gaining and over how many days?
  • meshashesha2012
    meshashesha2012 Posts: 8,326 Member
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    something is off with your diet.

    are you sure you're burning as many calories as you think you are? if you're burning more than you think and turning around and eating those calories back then that will make a difference .

    also you're not tracking it, but i looked at a few days of your diary and your odium must be through the roof with all those lunch meat, hamburger helper, pepperoni pizza. sodium makes you retain water. you might want to think about tracking that as well.
  • CallyBeth08
    CallyBeth08 Posts: 50 Member
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    By chance is it fat turning to muscle? Muscle weighs more.

    No chance. It is very difficult to gain muscle for women, especially on a calorie deficit.



    No chance? Yes, Chance. It's happens all the time. Especially if you're weight lifting. Your muscles tone up, you add muscle and lose fat. The fat you lose, weighs less than the muscle you gained. It's not really turning into muscle, you're just trading it out. You will really notice it if you were athletic growing up. Muscle memory, it doesn't just tone when you start working out again, it builds. Usually its just a constant loss if you've never really built up any muscle to begin with.
  • happyfeetrebel1
    happyfeetrebel1 Posts: 1,005 Member
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    By chance is it fat turning to muscle? Muscle weighs more.

    No chance. It is very difficult to gain muscle for women, especially on a calorie deficit.



    No chance? Yes, Chance. It's happens all the time. Especially if you're weight lifting. Your muscles tone up, you add muscle and lose fat. The fat you lose, weighs less than the muscle you gained. It's not really turning into muscle, you're just trading it out. You will really notice it if you were athletic growing up. Muscle memory, it doesn't just tone when you start working out again, it builds. Usually its just a constant loss if you've never really built up any muscle to begin with.

    Usually muscle isn't gained on a deficit, It's really REALLY hard to do so. It doesn't sound at all like this would be the OP's issue :(
  • Yanicka1
    Yanicka1 Posts: 4,564 Member
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    By chance is it fat turning to muscle? Muscle weighs more.

    No chance. It is very difficult to gain muscle for women, especially on a calorie deficit.



    No chance? Yes, Chance. It's happens all the time. Especially if you're weight lifting. Your muscles tone up, you add muscle and lose fat. The fat you lose, weighs less than the muscle you gained. It's not really turning into muscle, you're just trading it out. You will really notice it if you were athletic growing up. Muscle memory, it doesn't just tone when you start working out again, it builds. Usually its just a constant loss if you've never really built up any muscle to begin with.
    No it does not.

    Love it when newbies tell us how it is done.
  • meshashesha2012
    meshashesha2012 Posts: 8,326 Member
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    By chance is it fat turning to muscle? Muscle weighs more.

    No chance. It is very difficult to gain muscle for women, especially on a calorie deficit.



    No chance? Yes, Chance. It's happens all the time. Especially if you're weight lifting. Your muscles tone up, you add muscle and lose fat. The fat you lose, weighs less than the muscle you gained. It's not really turning into muscle, you're just trading it out. You will really notice it if you were athletic growing up. Muscle memory, it doesn't just tone when you start working out again, it builds. Usually its just a constant loss if you've never really built up any muscle to begin with.

    the OP isnt weightlifting or doing much in terms of resistance training, so i think it's safe to assume she isn't building oodles of muscles.besides the fact she isnt the right way to do that, she's also not working out in a way to signal her body that it needs more muscle, much less stronger ones
  • mfpcopine
    mfpcopine Posts: 3,093 Member
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    By chance is it fat turning to muscle? Muscle weighs more.

    No chance. It is very difficult to gain muscle for women, especially on a calorie deficit.

    More fundamentally, fat does not become muscle. Fat cells may shrink and muscle may develop, but one does not become the other.
  • mfpcopine
    mfpcopine Posts: 3,093 Member
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    I don't understand how I can burn so many calories a day and be GAINING weight.

    You're probably overestimating the calories burned from your activities and underestimating the calories you consume.
  • Crochetluvr
    Crochetluvr Posts: 3,143 Member
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    Checked out your diary.

    No veggies? And even though your carbs are under your quota, you could still reduce them and bring up your protein numbers. That might help
  • Contrarian
    Contrarian Posts: 8,138 Member
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    By chance is it fat turning to muscle? Muscle weighs more.

    No chance. It is very difficult to gain muscle for women, especially on a calorie deficit.



    No chance? Yes, Chance. It's happens all the time. Especially if you're weight lifting. Your muscles tone up, you add muscle and lose fat. The fat you lose, weighs less than the muscle you gained. It's not really turning into muscle, you're just trading it out. You will really notice it if you were athletic growing up. Muscle memory, it doesn't just tone when you start working out again, it builds. Usually its just a constant loss if you've never really built up any muscle to begin with.

    You are wrong. Sorry.
  • mfpcopine
    mfpcopine Posts: 3,093 Member
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    Check out the thread by the Registered Dietician. He says, as I've said for months, that the energy expenditure estimates on this site are overstated and the BMR calculation is an estimate and a guide.
  • UpEarly
    UpEarly Posts: 2,555 Member
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    Personally, I think the calories burns you're entering look much higher than realistic. In the beginning, I used MFP's numbers. They were too high. Then I got a heart rate monitor, and found that it also over-estimated. Finally, I got a BodyMedia fit and was surprised at how low the calorie burns came in for some very vigorous types of exercise.

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