Weight GAIN when sticking to 1200 calories?
shatteredangel
Posts: 15
How is it possible? I logged everything last week and weighed it all out (no guesswork). I wanted to make sure I understood the size of normal portions for optimal weight loss. I logged any milk I had in drinks and on cereals, everything I ate. I'm reasonably active. I weighed myself a week later at the same time of day in similar clothing on the same scales and GAINED half a pound! Shouldn't that be scientifically impossible? I feel totally demoralised.
Edited to add: it's my third week of dieting and I lost weight for the first 2 weeks.
Edited to add: it's my third week of dieting and I lost weight for the first 2 weeks.
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Replies
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could be the time of day you weighed....Our weight flucuates throughout the day...
I weigh in the morning, in the buff....0 -
I weighed myself at exactly the same time of day, in underwear and a top, on the same scales.0
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hmmmmm...not sure... TOM maybe?
Were you careful with your fat and/or sodium intake?0 -
Yep, I'm on a low fat, low GI diet.0
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It could be ur time of the month also u always weigh more a week b4.0
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How's your water intake? A gallon a day keeps the weight away!0
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Please go to this thread and read through the links I have posted there. Scroll through all 12 pages, too, I keep adding on. You will find lots of good ideas. Your fluctuations are normal - up to 4-5 pounds on any given day.
Relax. Keep doing what you are doing. You will lose weight.
You only fail if you quit. Good luck!
http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/23912-links-in-mfp-you-want-to-read-again-and-again0 -
You might be starting your period soon I always gain the week before I start. Thats possible. Are you lifting weights? Muscle does way more than fat!! Do not let this get you down.0
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same thing happend to me once - then I realized it was most likely due to pms. I now cut back on salty foods during that week to try and avoid the bloating.0
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My weight goes up and down every week depending on how much water i had that day, how many times i used the bathroom, so many things can make your weight go up and down... DON'T GIVE UP!!!!!!!!!! just tell your self you know your doing a great job making better choices and will just move forward and see what next week brings.. Also if your eating 1200 calories it might not be enough... I was doing 1200 for months and decided to bump it up to 1300 and lost weight because my body was in starvation mode and wasn't getting enough calories ..... I've also weighed myself in the morning and then again right before taking a shower a few hours after i woke up and had two different readings... I would just go by how you feel and how your clothes are fitting...0
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Please go to this thread and read through the links I have posted there. Scroll through all 12 pages, too, I keep adding on. You will find lots of good ideas. Your fluctuations are normal - up to 4-5 pounds on any given day.
Relax. Keep doing what you are doing. You will lose weight.
You only fail if you quit. Good luck!
http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/23912-links-in-mfp-you-want-to-read-again-and-again
cmriverside is AWESOME!! :drinker:0 -
Nope, it's the week after my period :-( I think I'm drinking a lot as well. I'm really confused. I've felt really tired this week and was hoping to see another comfortable weight loss so I could up my calorie intake a bit, but now I'm wondering what to do. I can't really go lower than 1200 calories but I'm not losing weight on that amount anymore.0
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Please go to this thread and read through the links I have posted there. Scroll through all 12 pages, too, I keep adding on. You will find lots of good ideas. Your fluctuations are normal - up to 4-5 pounds on any given day.
Relax. Keep doing what you are doing. You will lose weight.
You only fail if you quit. Good luck!
http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/23912-links-in-mfp-you-want-to-read-again-and-again
I'll go and read that, thankyou :=)0 -
Nope, it's the week after my period :-( I think I'm drinking a lot as well. I'm really confused. I've felt really tired this week and was hoping to see another comfortable weight loss so I could up my calorie intake a bit, but now I'm wondering what to do. I can't really go lower than 1200 calories but I'm not losing weight on that amount anymore.
YOu have to feed the fire for it to burn
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Weight loss is definitely a goal...but how do you feel? Have you been feeling hungry? If not, stick with it, it's an overall success, not always week by week. If you have been feeling overly hungry, upping your calories for a couple of weeks by 100 to 200 might make a different too. Keep going. You're doing great!0
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I was in the same position. Was totally frustrated. But it took me 3 weeks to see the scale go down. Dont give up it will happen!!0
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it's water weight. keep up the work and you will see results. Your body's water can fluctuate a ton from day to day. Watch you sodium intake and keep eating right and you will see a bigger drop next week
When you start working out along with diet, you will increase your curculation and you wont see those fluctuations as much0 -
Nope, it's the week after my period :-( I think I'm drinking a lot as well. I'm really confused. I've felt really tired this week and was hoping to see another comfortable weight loss so I could up my calorie intake a bit, but now I'm wondering what to do. I can't really go lower than 1200 calories but I'm not losing weight on that amount anymore.
YOu have to feed the fire for it to burn
I think you might be right. I've just had a look at some of those links, and maybe 1200 calories is too few for me. I might try 1400 and see if my progress is any better. Thankyou!0 -
Half a pound could be any one of a number of things including a normal body fluid fluctuation. You seem to have most of the variables covered (same clothing, same scale etc...)
Are you also taking regular body measurements? Body measurements are a much better short term gage than the scale.
Some of the things that come to mind that can easily account for that half pound are fluctuations in sodium intake or "sensitivity", dietary sugar (which makes it harder for your body to expel sodium), medications that cause the body to retain water, exercise, dieting too aggressively (causing your body to go into famine mode) .
Assuming that 1200 calorie/day diet you are is a balanced one and provides no more than a 500 to 1000 calorie/day deficit, taking into account any calorie burning activities (very important), then I would say just stick with it. Sooner or later the weight will come off.
Hope this helps.
Curt0 -
:noway: For real? It's a half of a pound. Half of 1 pound... 8 ounces. Lets look at it another way. It's a glass of water.
"Similar clothing" is not the same clothing. Weigh naked unless you weigh in public. Relax about the half of a pound. Do what you are supposed to do, eat right, exercise, take care of yourself and your body will be just fine. Stressing out about this will cause you more harm than good.0 -
Nope, it's the week after my period :-( I think I'm drinking a lot as well. I'm really confused. I've felt really tired this week and was hoping to see another comfortable weight loss so I could up my calorie intake a bit, but now I'm wondering what to do. I can't really go lower than 1200 calories but I'm not losing weight on that amount anymore.
YOu have to feed the fire for it to burn
I think you might be right. I've just had a look at some of those links, and maybe 1200 calories is too few for me. I might try 1400 and see if my progress is any better. Thankyou!
angel, make sure you go in and change your measurements in your settings whenever you lose a few pounds, you will be given different calorie allocations when you have lost some weight. I don't know anything about your diet, your size, your exercise etc., so can't give speciific ideas, BUT.....up your calories for two weeks and see what happens. You just have to keep experimenting. 1200 cals for me was really tough. I'm 5'8" and medium frame - so that 1200 only worked for the first 15 lbs. It does encourage exercise, though, so you can eat! :laugh:
We're here if you need us! :flowerforyou:0 -
I signed up for the Jillian Michaels (from the Biggest Loser) newsletter emails and today's suggested eating 12 calories for every lb you weigh. Example: 135lbs x 12 = 1620 calories per day. This helps increase your metabolism, especially after yo-yo dieting.
She also suggested working out 3-5hrs a week and alternating your cardio workouts (walk, jog, run, elliptical, stairs, bike)
Eat 45-60min before working out and 45-60min after working out. Your after workout meal should be high in protein and carbs.
I hope these suggestions help you reach your goal!!!!
Best of Luck and God bless!0 -
I signed up for the Jillian Michaels (from the Biggest Loser) newsletter emails and today's suggested eating 12 calories for every lb you weigh. Example: 135lbs x 12 = 1620 calories per day. This helps increase your metabolism, especially after yo-yo dieting.
She also suggested working out 3-5hrs a week and alternating your cardio workouts (walk, jog, run, elliptical, stairs, bike)
Eat 45-60min before working out and 45-60min after working out. Your after workout meal should be high in protein and carbs.
I hope these suggestions help you reach your goal!!!!
Best of Luck and God bless!
This is such good advice! So many people think they need to workout 2 hours a day 5 days a week, and it's overkill. There is a law of diminishing return when it comes to over-working out. I hope some of our 'experts' here will chime in, because I've read it a bunch of times but I can't quote (or find) specific examples. If I find them, I'll repost them here.0 -
Maybe you're not eating enough calories. If you're working out, you may require more calories than what is recommended to fuel your body. I have found my workouts difficult this week and I'm also tired and I honestly think I'm not eating enough to give me the energy my body requires.
1200 calories is the minimum recommended for anyone to eat, regardless of weight and size. If I compare MFP's recommended calories with other websites, they are a little lower.0 -
I signed up for the Jillian Michaels (from the Biggest Loser) newsletter emails and today's suggested eating 12 calories for every lb you weigh. Example: 135lbs x 12 = 1620 calories per day. This helps increase your metabolism, especially after yo-yo dieting.
She also suggested working out 3-5hrs a week and alternating your cardio workouts (walk, jog, run, elliptical, stairs, bike)
Eat 45-60min before working out and 45-60min after working out. Your after workout meal should be high in protein and carbs.
I hope these suggestions help you reach your goal!!!!
Best of Luck and God bless!
Wait...275x12 = 3300...is double the calories they have suggested for me here? /lost0 -
if you just started to be active the muscle you gained could account for the weight gain.0
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Keep at it a while longer, and you've received lots of good advice here. But, if you continue to find yourself stuck, make sure you get a good physical. Your thyroid levels may be low, or something along those lines.
Persevere!0 -
I know that sounds like a lot of calories. The reason she suggests to eat that many calories is to increase your metabolism. When you don't eat enough, your body goes into starvation mode which lowers your metabolism which decreases the speed at which you burn calories.
You probably won't see weight loss right away but you will provide your body with the nutrients it needs and will eventually lose weight as you progress and exercise. As you lose weight, you lower your calorie intake.
Here's the link where I read the info
http://www.everydayhealth.com/fitness-specialist/fixing-ruined-metabolism.aspx
ALSO ... I was just reading this right now. A lady is talking about how she's been on a 1200 calorie diet and working out, lost 37lbs but can't seem to lose the last 10lbs she wants to lose.
In response, they tell her to keep doing what she's doing. Eventually the weight WILL come off, she's just at a plateau and her body is trying to stop the weight loss. If you would like to read more on this, here's the website http://www.everydayhealth.com/diet-specialist/weight-loss-plateau.aspx0 -
o.O I think if i ate 3300 calories a day I would gain back everything I have lost *tear0
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Amanda, thanks for that information. MFP suggests I eat 1240 a day and that just seems ridiculous. I think I am going to up it, even though I just started and won't weigh myself until Sunday. According to that calculation, I should be at 1771 calories a day. That sounds like a much better number to me.0
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