Month 6 and I've only Gained - What's up?
gayje
Posts: 230 Member
I've been on MFP for 6 months now. I found the EM2WL group relatively early on and followed the advice of eating at 30% below TDEE and to date, as of this morning I have GAINED 11 pounds. I work out 3 to 4 times a week lifting and do a moderate amount of walking and am just trying to figure out what is going on here. I eat 1564 calories daily (or close to that), low sodium, high fiber, blah blah blah. I just had a bunch of blood work done yesterday and will have the results of the thyroid tests by the end of this week to see if there is an underlying culprit but in the meantime I am so utterly frustrated by what is happening. I work out and try very hard but have seen no results from my efforts. Is anyone else going in the wrong direction whilst doing all the right things? What should I try to do at this point to see results? I'm tired of having to buy bigger pants and tops and I'm feeling so depressed over this at this point. Any advice or suggestions will be greatly appreciated.
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I am so sorry...it must be very frustrating. I wish I could see your diary because I really can't see how you gain weight at 1500 ish calories a day. Do you weight everything you eat on a scale?0
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Are you being super strict about logging? Do you log every m&m you eat? Every tablespoon of milk you put into your tea? Etc. Etc. All those tiny things can add up to big calories. I went through a period where I didn't record tiny things, decided to one day, and bam! It was like 200 calories!
Also, do you weigh your food? How often do you eat out?0 -
I have never seen anyone recommend a 30% cut. You're probably not netting your BMR. Your metabolism may still be suppressed to accommodate your body thinking it may be in a famine.
Sounds like you could use at least a month's diet break or reset, and then drop back down to 15%.0 -
^^^^ That is what I thought so. 30% cut seems to be a lot.0
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I agree with Lulu. The cut should be no more than 10-15%0
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Your definitely not eating enough to fuel your workouts or sustain your BMR....your deficit is too great!0
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Yea, that cut percent is pretty high. Also, what are the tape measure and mirror/pictures saying?0
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Are you "netting" 1500 calories or is that your total intake? If it's your total intake, I suspect that your calories are too low.0
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A) your calories are too low. 30% cut is not a part of EM2WL at all. I don't even think you can select that as an option on the scooby calculator.
If you gained 11 lbs on 1500 calories there is something wrong with your thyroid or you are not tracking accurately.
When following EM2WL you need to be diligent about counting every bite since we are already eating more, every extra calorie counts.
The weeks I didn't lose or had a slight gain, were the weeks that I eyeballed portions and snuck a bite here and a bite there and didn't track it.0 -
To answer everyone's questions...
Yes, I weigh and measure every single morsel, liquid and food item that I eat without fail every single time. I have been since April. I count my cream in my coffee and measure it with every single cup. I don't drink sodas or empty calorie drinks. I do not eat out other than on my daughters birthday once. I also drink 100 ounces of water daily.
I am waiting for the test results from my recent thyroid blood work and we'll see what those offer as possible solutions. My mother has Graves disease and the doc thinks it's a good idea to test me for it as well.
I have had cheat days, but I record them. I do not believe there is any use in lying to myself about what I eat. Afterall, I am doing this for ME so if I know I'm lying, how am I helping myself out any?
I do track accurately. I am so OCD about noting my diary that I send myself text messages or emails if I eat away from home just to be sure I do not forget something.
I make most of our meals from scratch so I know what ingredients are in them and I use the recipe tool to track our fav's.
My BMR according to Scooby's calculator is 1620. Set at a 20% calorie deduction I am eating 1556 calories per day.
I followed the information given by the site. It is not working for me like it has worked for others. I am leaning towards there being something hormonally wrong and I should know for sure by tomorrow. Given those test results my doc may do further tests.0 -
The measure tape is larger in the hips and the mirror and photos concur, unfortunately.Yea, that cut percent is pretty high. Also, what are the tape measure and mirror/pictures saying?0 -
My BMR according to Scooby's calculator is 1620. Set at a 20% calorie deduction I am eating 1556 calories per day.
I followed the information given by the site. It is not working for me like it has worked for others. I am leaning towards there being something hormonally wrong and I should know for sure by tomorrow. Given those test results my doc may do further tests.
Ok please try not to take my "tone" the wrong way, I am not patronising, just matter of fact, and it's hard to project that in text.
EM2WL practices and preaches a small calorie deficit. This means a small cut value from your TDEE for slow and steady weightloss. I fear you may have misunderstood some of the calcuations.
Also, a small calorie deficit is exactly that. If you are burning a small amount less than you are taking in + lifting, you should be losing fat whilst maintaining lean body mass. If you have too great of a deficit, you lose muscle as well as the fat, your metabolism slows, and you need to eat less and less to get the same results.
Eating below your BMR every day means your body thinks it is in a famine. It preserves fat to survive during "hard times", and your body uses muscle for fuel instead. You also possibly end up with a much lower BMR than you perhaps started with.
Also, if you come from a history of very low calorie dieting, a reset (eating at TDEE for a couple of months) is highly recommended to get your metabolism firing again the way it should be.
I fear that what you are doing here is eating too little, thus your body still wants to retain fat rather than shedding it. It still thinks it needs to hold onto it. Why don't you try a 15% cut from your TDEE for a month and see how you go.
Unfortunately, nobody is different. There is a fantastic article on it here: http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/715411-you-are-not-different
Every person's body inherently works with the same principles of body composition. Even if you do find that your thyroid is slightly underactive, you will do much better with a smaller deficit to keep that metabolism firing.
Good luck.0 -
My BMR according to Scooby's calculator is 1620. Set at a 20% calorie deduction I am eating 1556 calories per day.
I followed the information given by the site. It is not working for me like it has worked for others. I am leaning towards there being something hormonally wrong and I should know for sure by tomorrow. Given those test results my doc may do further tests.
Ok please try not to take my "tone" the wrong way, I am not patronising, just matter of fact, and it's hard to project that in text.
EM2WL practices and preaches a small calorie deficit. This means a small cut value from your TDEE for slow and steady weightloss. I fear you may have misunderstood some of the calcuations.
Also, a small calorie deficit is exactly that. If you are burning a small amount less than you are taking in + lifting, you should be losing fat whilst maintaining lean body mass. If you have too great of a deficit, you lose muscle as well as the fat, your metabolism slows, and you need to eat less and less to get the same results.
Eating below your BMR every day means your body thinks it is in a famine. It preserves fat to survive during "hard times", and your body uses muscle for fuel instead. You also possibly end up with a much lower BMR than you perhaps started with.
Also, if you come from a history of very low calorie dieting, a reset (eating at TDEE for a couple of months) is highly recommended to get your metabolism firing again the way it should be.
I fear that what you are doing here is eating too little, thus your body still wants to retain fat rather than shedding it. It still thinks it needs to hold onto it. Why don't you try a 15% cut from your TDEE for a month and see how you go.
Unfortunately, nobody is different. There is a fantastic article on it here: http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/715411-you-are-not-different
Every person's body inherently works with the same principles of body composition. Even if you do find that your thyroid is slightly underactive, you will do much better with a smaller deficit to keep that metabolism firing.
Good luck.
LOVED that article, thanks for posting the link. OMG...i wholeheartedly agree with Lyle.0 -
Hey girl! How about you give us all your stats... height, weight, number of hours of total exercise (tell how much lifting and how much cardio). Also, I saw in your profile that you took steroids for treating lung disease. Are you still taking them? Anyway, give us all your info and let a few of us play around with the numbers and see if we come up with something different. Seriously, everyone here really wants to help each other. Don't give up!0
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bump0
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Hey girl! How about you give us all your stats... height, weight, number of hours of total exercise (tell how much lifting and how much cardio). Also, I saw in your profile that you took steroids for treating lung disease. Are you still taking them? Anyway, give us all your info and let a few of us play around with the numbers and see if we come up with something different. Seriously, everyone here really wants to help each other. Don't give up!
Sure thing!
5'6"
196 (have gained some this past week :-(
I lift 45 minutes 3 times a week and follow the New Rules of Lifting for Women routines
I do 2 hours of cardio weekly; 30 minutes of biking or fast walking on my non lifting days
I was on prednisone for 16 months but have been off them consistently for a year now. My doc says they are no longer playing a role in my weight gaining and should not hamper my loosing weight either.
Thanks for the offer, I really hope someone can help figure me out, so to speak...0 -
While reading your post I was thinking it sounded like you are eating too little. I went to Scooby and put in your numbers and I got:
BMR 1594
TDEE 2471
15% cut 2100
I put you in as moderate activity. I think you need to eat more.0 -
I concur with the "you need to eat more" camp, for sure. You're underestimating your caloric needs -- like so many of us do! Why not just try to eat AT LEAST at TDEE less 5% OR cut out some of the cardio. I have always gained weight when I do too much cardio and now I know why -- my body is STRESSED OUT. When it is stressed, it holds onto fat.
At the very least you sound like you need a break from trying SO hard and being SO conscientious with negative results to show for it. I'm curious, were you gaining steadily before you started this diet and do you have any idea what you used to be eating calorie-wise before you started restricting?
I'm on an 8 week metabolic reset because I plateaued for two months while dropping calories and upping exercise, and I just feel plain worn out from it all. I couldn't forsee continuing on net 900-1200 per day. Eating at my true TDEE for a while is such a relief and after three weeks, I have gained a few pounds on the scale, but I look better/fitter because I've been lifting consistently.0 -
I concur with the "you need to eat more" camp, for sure. You're underestimating your caloric needs -- like so many of us do! Why not just try to eat AT LEAST at TDEE less 5% OR cut out some of the cardio. I have always gained weight when I do too much cardio and now I know why -- my body is STRESSED OUT. When it is stressed, it holds onto fat.
At the very least you sound like you need a break from trying SO hard and being SO conscientious with negative results to show for it. I'm curious, were you gaining steadily before you started this diet and do you have any idea what you used to be eating calorie-wise before you started restricting?
I'm on an 8 week metabolic reset because I plateaued for two months while dropping calories and upping exercise, and I just feel plain worn out from it all. I couldn't forsee continuing on net 900-1200 per day. Eating at my true TDEE for a while is such a relief and after three weeks, I have gained a few pounds on the scale, but I look better/fitter because I've been lifting consistently.
I have gained even more since this post and I am eating at TDEE. I weigh 202 as of this morning. I haven't weighed this much since giving birth, 7 years ago. I do not know what I was eating befor joining MFP back in April and I wish I did. Whatever I was eating at was making me gain so I am at a loss here. I am officially in a size 16 clothes now and I am so depressed because of it. My doctor said my blood work was "within normal ranges" and that I need to eat less and moderately and he is stressing MORE cardio. He frowned at me when I told him I was lifting weights. LOL! He asked me if I was trying to "bulk up" hahahahaha.
I've been on a family vacation until last night so haven't logged any food until this morning. I start a new job this week and will be plenty active while in training so we'll see what happens in the next coming month. I am going to eat at TDEE, or at least try to, for the next 4 to 8 weeks. If anyone has any other suggestions please let me know and I'm thankful to have read the advice thus far. This is why I love this group :flowerforyou:0 -
So are you doing a metabolism reset at this point? I ran your numbers and it looks like for a reset you should be eating 2500 calories a day. Most people do reset for 8 weeks, then start "cut" by lowering calories by only 10%. So 2250 for you. During reset you will likely gain a few pounds and then stabilize for the rest of the 8 weeks. I'm almost 5 weeks into reset and have gained 4 pounds...yet everyone thinks I've lost weight. I'm lifting for muscle gain, so something must be working. I noticed you said your thyroid results were "within normal range"....hmmmm.... I've been hypothyroid for 11 years now (probably undiagnosed for years before that) and I'm curious if you are willing to share what your test results are. Total TSH, T4, T3, free T3. I'd like to see where your are.
So, if you are doing a reset....Yay! What are you using as your TDEE? Remember, eat your TDEE everyday.... (be sure to net at least BMR, which for you is about 1600) Keep up the weight lifting... more muscle will only increase your metabolism.
Another thing... Maybe you should try changing your macros a bit. Especially if you have symptoms of thyroid issues. Many people seem to benefit from lowering carbs while increasing protein and good fats. For me this makes so much of a difference.0 -
So are you doing a metabolism reset at this point? I ran your numbers and it looks like for a reset you should be eating 2500 calories a day. Most people do reset for 8 weeks, then start "cut" by lowering calories by only 10%. So 2250 for you. During reset you will likely gain a few pounds and then stabilize for the rest of the 8 weeks. I'm almost 5 weeks into reset and have gained 4 pounds...yet everyone thinks I've lost weight. I'm lifting for muscle gain, so something must be working. I noticed you said your thyroid results were "within normal range"....hmmmm.... I've been hypothyroid for 11 years now (probably undiagnosed for years before that) and I'm curious if you are willing to share what your test results are. Total TSH, T4, T3, free T3. I'd like to see where your are.
So, if you are doing a reset....Yay! What are you using as your TDEE? Remember, eat your TDEE everyday.... (be sure to net at least BMR, which for you is about 1600) Keep up the weight lifting... more muscle will only increase your metabolism.
Another thing... Maybe you should try changing your macros a bit. Especially if you have symptoms of thyroid issues. Many people seem to benefit from lowering carbs while increasing protein and good fats. For me this makes so much of a difference.
I'm eating at 2100 daily. Have been for a week now and I have gained. I expected it but it still bums me out.
I got a letter from the clinic saying my results were within normal ranges but it didn't list the actual results. I didn't like not knowing so I have called the lab already and I am able to pick up the lab results in person and during the labs open hours. Haven't done that yet since my inlaws just left. We vacationed together. I plan to get them Wednesday and I'll post them for you. I do know that they didn't do 4 tests, only 2 and *possibly* a 3rd test. I'll let you know what I have mid week.0 -
My BMR according to Scooby's calculator is 1620. Set at a 20% calorie deduction I am eating 1556 calories per day.
Using which BMR calc?
Harris is least accurate, and inflates even more when overweight.
Mifflin is 5% more accurate though still inflated when overweight.
Katch using bodyfat% is most accurate and actually deflated when overweight.
If you used Harris say, and it was 200-400 more than Katch (which I've seen with many I've helped actually), times multiplier of 1.55 is 620 extra calories on the TDEE - there goes your deficit, even when you take 20% off that's still 500 extra calories because of inflated value.
So did you get a decent BF% estimate and use Katch?
http://www.gymgoal.com/dtools.html
Use the BF% avg there and plug into Scooby again with Katch as BMR method, now see where you are at.
Or just record your numbers in this spreadsheet for future reference, and see the BMR and deficit. And see what difference it makes even using the Mifflin BMR.
http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/750920-spreadsheet-for-bmr-tdee-deficit-macro-calcs-hrm-zones0 -
Did I write this post? OP, I'm going through the something very similar now BUT I'm already behind the reset. I had my blood tested and it all came back within normal range.
My guess is that my numbers are off and that they are too high.0 -
If you are able to afford it, I recommend you to get your BMR tested. After some periods of dieting, your BMR goes down and sometimes it is very diferrent from what formulas say it should be. In case you do found your BMR is lower, then maybe you should decrease a bit your calories till you get a good deficit.
The good news is that eating more than your RMR and lifting weighs finally will get your RMR higher, and in the future you will be able to increase your calories without gaining.
In case you find out your RMR is ok and you are having a correct deficit and still not loosing, then probably the answer is that you need to eat more to kep your metabolism going, or maybe you are not making a good estimation of your intake and you are actually eating more than you think.
Hope this helps0 -
If you are able to afford it, I recommend you to get your BMR tested. After some periods of dieting, your BMR goes down and sometimes it is very diferrent from what formulas say it should be. In case you do found your BMR is lower, then maybe you should decrease a bit your calories till you get a good deficit.
The good news is that eating more than your RMR and lifting weighs finally will get your RMR higher, and in the future you will be able to increase your calories without gaining.
In case you find out your RMR is ok and you are having a correct deficit and still not loosing, then probably the answer is that you need to eat more to kep your metabolism going, or maybe you are not making a good estimation of your intake and you are actually eating more than you think.
Hope this helps
Well, there is the juxtaposition to that arrangement in several of your statements.
You have your RMR measured (they don't really do BMR tests except all night and expensive) and it's lower than expected.
If it is lower because you are not eating enough, but you start eating less as suggested - you've just made it worse after a lag period of potential weight loss.
If RMR is OK, then eating more won't keep your metabolism going, because if it's OK then it's going as well as can be expected.
If you are not losing something, inches or weight, then you don't have a deficit, correct or otherwise.
RMR is useful in confirming that you may be eating too little because it's less than expected.
BodPod or Dexa scan for best LBM measurement would be even more useful, because the BMR based on that is accurate within 5% - unless suppressed because of other things, diet, thyroid, ect.0 -
My guess is that my numbers are off and that they are too high.
this is my guess...^0 -
I have NO idea what the heck my body is doing. This morning, after eating at nearly reset for a week, I've lost. Initially went up to 202 and am now at 196. I'm going to check out the links previously posted and see what kind of numbers I'm given by all 3 methods.
The BMR test is very expensive for someone who does not have insurance, like me. It's likely pretty expensive for most people I would gather. I cannot have this test done.0 -
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Using which BMR calc?
Harris is least accurate, and inflates even more when overweight.
Mifflin is 5% more accurate though still inflated when overweight.
Katch using bodyfat% is most accurate and actually deflated when overweight.
If you used Harris say, and it was 200-400 more than Katch (which I've seen with many I've helped actually), times multiplier of 1.55 is 620 extra calories on the TDEE - there goes your deficit, even when you take 20% off that's still 500 extra calories because of inflated value.
So did you get a decent BF% estimate and use Katch?
http://www.gymgoal.com/dtools.html
Use the BF% avg there and plug into Scooby again with Katch as BMR method, now see where you are at.
Or just record your numbers in this spreadsheet for future reference, and see the BMR and deficit. And see what difference it makes even using the Mifflin BMR.
http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/750920-spreadsheet-for-bmr-tdee-deficit-macro-calcs-hrm-zones
[/quote]
I used the www.gymgoal.com/dtools.html site and got this...
Results:
42.37 % (U.S. Navy Circumference Method #1 - men and women)
35.29 % (U.S. Navy Circumference Method #2 - women only)
30.75 % (book by Covert Bailey "Fit or Fat")
36.10 % Average0 -
I used the www.gymgoal.com/dtools.html site and got this...
Results:
42.37 % (U.S. Navy Circumference Method #1 - men and women)
35.29 % (U.S. Navy Circumference Method #2 - women only)
30.75 % (book by Covert Bailey "Fit or Fat")
36.10 % Average
So BMR's are all pretty close. Great job holding on to that LBM so far - keep it up.
Katch - 1597
Mifflin - 1591
Harris - 1642
So even at Moderate activity level, only a difference of 78 calories inflated. Not enough to worry about yet.
So not enough to worry about yet. But keep measuring, you'll want to anyway, and using the Katch BMR for best accuracy chances down the road.0 -
I used the www.gymgoal.com/dtools.html site and got this...
Results:
42.37 % (U.S. Navy Circumference Method #1 - men and women)
35.29 % (U.S. Navy Circumference Method #2 - women only)
30.75 % (book by Covert Bailey "Fit or Fat")
36.10 % Average
So BMR's are all pretty close. Great job holding on to that LBM so far - keep it up.
Katch - 1597
Mifflin - 1591
Harris - 1642
So even at Moderate activity level, only a difference of 78 calories inflated. Not enough to worry about yet.
So not enough to worry about yet. But keep measuring, you'll want to anyway, and using the Katch BMR for best accuracy chances down the road.
I'm confused. Should I be eating 1597 calories to loose? I'm above that now and this am I weighed in at 194...another 2 lbs down from earlier this week. Since the scale is going down I kinda want to keep eating where I'm at to keep up the loosing. I have a total of 44 pounds to loose from this mornings weigh in.0
