GAINED 4 lbs this week why??

Tzippy7
Tzippy7 Posts: 344 Member
in Health and Weight Loss
Hey everyone.
I could use some advice. I have been calorie cycling and have not gone over my goal in weeks. I waitress a lot which burns tons of calories. I also workout 6 days a week, I do a mix of insanity and running. When I run I usually do 3 miles at 7.0 or 7.5 with sprints mixed in. I do an ab and leg workout every day and I lift once a week.

Somehow I am gaining weight.
Before you mention this, I have tried to lose weight doing eat more to weigh less and I gained weight. I tried this for 3 months.

I calorie cycle at the levels recommended for someone my size by a few different sights.

I drink 8 cups of water a day minimum.

Anyone have any suggestions?

The only thing i can come up with is that its finals season and my sleep cycle is all messed up.

Replies

  • n0ob
    n0ob Posts: 2,390 Member
    TOM?
  • esquire9
    esquire9 Posts: 91 Member
    With insanity , you could be gaining a little muscle mass.(which is good) Do you look more toned ?
  • omma_to_3
    omma_to_3 Posts: 3,265 Member
    Really only a few options:

    Your BMR is significantly lower than estimates (fairly unlikely, though it could be a bit lower)
    You are underestimating your calories eaten (eating out and not weighing your food are huge culprits here)
    TOM (I usually only gain 1 to 2 lbs. during TOM but last month I gained FIVE! They disappeared the next week)
    Overestimating your calorie burn (using MFP values for things other than running/walking is a big culprit here - invest in an HRM for cardio)
    Eating huge amounts of sodium would cause water retention


    That's really it. Anything sound plausible?
  • DanaDark
    DanaDark Posts: 2,187 Member
    You are not eating much at all. Your body is basically malnourished, so it will not burn nearly as many calories as it could with proper nutrition.

    Nutrition problems can cause your TDEE to plummet (seen one study of a guy's TDEE going down 55-60%).

    Most likely due to the low nutrition, you are experiencing huge variations in water weight, as even slightly adjusting nutrition levels could cause the body to now want to store bit it can (water being required to store anything at all).

    Being on your feet a lot at work, working out constantly, and eating only 1000 to 15000 calories a day (most days being closer to 1000, and some even under) is not the optimal way to go about weight loss.
  • psuLemon
    psuLemon Posts: 38,427 MFP Moderator
    You are not eating much at all. Your body is basically malnourished, so it will not burn nearly as many calories as it could with proper nutrition.

    Nutrition problems can cause your TDEE to plummet (seen one study of a guy's TDEE going down 55-60%).

    Most likely due to the low nutrition, you are experiencing huge variations in water weight, as even slightly adjusting nutrition levels could cause the body to now want to store bit it can (water being required to store anything at all).

    Being on your feet a lot at work, working out constantly, and eating only 1000 to 15000 calories a day (most days being closer to 1000, and some even under) is not the optimal way to go about weight loss.

    This... and we all know it's not muscle! YOu will not gain muscle on insanity nor 1000 calories a day.
  • purpleipod
    purpleipod Posts: 1,147 Member
    Why are you eating so little? 6 days out of the past week you haven't even managed to net 1200 calories. If someone is as active as you claim you are, you need to be eating more.

    And no, you did not gain 4 pounds in a week, because you did not eat an excess of 14,000 calories this week. It's likely water retention.
  • Debby0904
    Debby0904 Posts: 151 Member
    Could be sodium (chinese has a ton!). Those last 5 to 10 pounds are a bear. Up your calories and protein (up this a lot) and decrease your carbs to around 100 per day. Also make certain you eat enough healthy fat. This should get you to where you want to be. Good luck and don't sweat the scale. It will move.
  • esquire9
    esquire9 Posts: 91 Member
    You are not eating much at all. Your body is basically malnourished, so it will not burn nearly as many calories as it could with proper nutrition.

    Nutrition problems can cause your TDEE to plummet (seen one study of a guy's TDEE going down 55-60%).

    Most likely due to the low nutrition, you are experiencing huge variations in water weight, as even slightly adjusting nutrition levels could cause the body to now want to store bit it can (water being required to store anything at all).

    Being on your feet a lot at work, working out constantly, and eating only 1000 to 15000 calories a day (most days being closer to 1000, and some even under) is not the optimal way to go about weight loss.

    This... and we all know it's not muscle! YOu will not gain muscle on insanity nor 1000 calories a day.


    You might not gain muscle on 1000 calories (thats true) but you CAN gain muscle on Insanity with the right nutrition
  • prokomds
    prokomds Posts: 318 Member
    Now that you're close to your goal weight, the weight is going to be very very slow to come off. You need to eat at less of a deficit as you approach your goal, because your body does not have as much fat to work with

    To get to the point, is "calorie cycling" a fancy way of saying that you consistently undereat? Because you basically never hit your calorie goals. There's no way an active person such as yourself, who's already at a healthy weight, would gain weight eating so little. You should be able to eat more than 1500 and not gain weight -- not the barely-1000-calorie diet you seem to be on. I would guess that you could eat 1800-2000 calories a day and not gain, once your body readjusts to getting enough food.

    If you're insistent that you'd gain weight at those calorie numbers, maybe you have an underlying medical issue that's getting in your way, but I think it's more likely that your body is reacting poorly to being underfed. Perhaps you need to back off from the complicated schedule and "cycling" a bit and find out what your actual caloric needs are - you're close to your goals, but I don't think your aggressive ways of going at it are sustainable.

    As for the 4 pounds, if you're still up after a month or two, you have cause to worry. 4 pounds over a week means some ill-timed food high in sodium, or whatever.
  • wswilliams67
    wswilliams67 Posts: 938 Member
    You are not eating much at all. Your body is basically malnourished, so it will not burn nearly as many calories as it could with proper nutrition.

    Nutrition problems can cause your TDEE to plummet (seen one study of a guy's TDEE going down 55-60%).

    Most likely due to the low nutrition, you are experiencing huge variations in water weight, as even slightly adjusting nutrition levels could cause the body to now want to store bit it can (water being required to store anything at all).

    Being on your feet a lot at work, working out constantly, and eating only 1000 to 15000 calories a day (most days being closer to 1000, and some even under) is not the optimal way to go about weight loss.

    This... and we all know it's not muscle! You will not gain muscle on insanity nor 1000 calories a day.

    ^^^ FOR THE LOVE OF ALL THAT'S HOLY... THIS!!!

    EAT SOMETHING! Does your car run on empty? No. Neither does your body. Please read this and get your numbers figured out... http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/654536-in-place-of-a-road-map-2-0-revised-7-2-12
  • Tzippy7
    Tzippy7 Posts: 344 Member
    Thanks everyone!

    I think sodium might be a factor, I work at a chinese restaurant so I get a free meal with every shift. Usually I have them make me healthier versions of things but some days that is not an option.
    Last week I thought it was TOM but i have gained more since than so im not sure...
    I am aware that MFP can be wrong about burns etc. but its not a factor because I only eat back my calories on high cal days, so about 2x per week. Even then i dont eat back all of them.

    I eat under 1200 because I am a short person. Like I said at the beginning, I have tried eating more but it did not work for me. There are lots of forums on this sit discussing the various ups and downs of 1200 and many of them agree that for petit (5 ft) women its ok. Last year I stopped losing for a while and upped my calories and gained weight. When I started cycling it finally started coming off again. Additionally, for the first few months of the semester I decided to eat more. I gained weight again. The point of this site is to find out what works for you, and I can tell you that I am healthy and have good nutrition.

    Also, I gained muscle over the summer doing insanity but it doesnt seem to be the case now.
  • Tzippy7
    Tzippy7 Posts: 344 Member
    Could be sodium (chinese has a ton!). Those last 5 to 10 pounds are a bear. Up your calories and protein (up this a lot) and decrease your carbs to around 100 per day. Also make certain you eat enough healthy fat. This should get you to where you want to be. Good luck and don't sweat the scale. It will move.

    how much protein would you suggest?
  • Firefox7275
    Firefox7275 Posts: 2,040 Member
    Overexercising, undereating and stressing your body further with a lack of sleep. Cardio you can do up to five times a week, but you should not strength train/ tone the same muscles day after day, training breaks them down failing to rest doesn't give them a chance to repair and rebuild. They won't anyway without enough quality nutrition. If you lose muscle or reduce your metabolism by undereating or overtraining you will gain weight when you start eating normally again. Lack of sleep affects your body's ability to process and utilise carbs and fats.
  • psuLemon
    psuLemon Posts: 38,427 MFP Moderator
    How much did you eat in the past and how long did you eat that? And 1200 calories is obviously not working for you so i wouldnt say its enough for a very active petite women. I would agree its fine for a non active petite women. Also, even if you are eating over your tdee i would surmise that the ability to gain new lean body mass while doing HIIT would be very difficult.

    Btw, what are your stats? Do you know your body fat? What are your fitness goals?

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