FRUSTRATED eating back calories and now gaining weight :(
ainsleybtown
Posts: 484
I am so frustrated. I've been at this almost 10 weeks! I should be getting skinnier every week, but now I'm gaining steadily. I went from 1200 to 1500 calories and not eating exercise calories back for the first 7 weeks, then stopped losing. upped my calories because(started to eat back exercises calories and gaining steadily all the weight that lost. I don't get it. I just am so beyond frustrated at this point. I look like i am still pregnant and I feel flabbier. I can't win for losing.
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Replies
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Three possibilities:
You're underestimating calories consumed (using a food scale will help if this is so).
You're overestimating calories burned (this can happen even with a good HRM, to solve this either cut what it says you burned down when you do your calculations or just leave a calorie cushion that you don't eat back).
Or you need your thyroid checked.0 -
Three possibilities:
You're underestimating calories consumed (using a food scale will help if this is so).
You're overestimating calories burned (this can happen even with a good HRM, to solve this either cut what it says you burned down when you do your calculations or just leave a calorie cushion that you don't eat back).
Or you need your thyroid checked.
Ohhhh it drives me nuts when people say I am under estimating my calories. To me its like saying "Your telling me I am under estimating my 1500 calories a day enough to make me gain a pound, which would mean me accidentally eating 3,500-5000 calories more than what I expect?" I highly doubt my homemade sandwich with wheat bread, ham, and spinach with a serving of chips is anything close to 1k calories. Didn't mean to directly fire this at you, but when people say that booooy It gets me pissed lol I'm not even the poster, but I doubt she is under estimating that many calories to make her gain. >.<0 -
Are you taking measurements?0
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If you are on point with all your logging and you are still gaining then drop your calories until you lose. Everyone is different.
People get advised to up their calories when they stall out on 1200 - but if you are gaining on more calories then reduce.0 -
When my daily calories was on 1240, I ate my exercise calories back. Now, that it's on 1966, I don't eat 'em back
How many calories are you on BEFORE exercise?0 -
Define "gaining"...are you 2 lbs heavier all of a sudden? If so, you aren't gaining - it's water weight. If you start eating more it takes a few days for your body to adjust.
Everyone needs to stop freaking out about a pound or two here or there. You aren't going to see meaningful results, positive or negative, over a period of less than a week.0 -
Three possibilities:
You're underestimating calories consumed (using a food scale will help if this is so).
You're overestimating calories burned (this can happen even with a good HRM, to solve this either cut what it says you burned down when you do your calculations or just leave a calorie cushion that you don't eat back).
Or you need your thyroid checked.
Ohhhh it drives me nuts when people say I am under estimating my calories. To me its like saying "Your telling me I am under estimating my 1500 calories a day enough to make me gain a pound, which would mean me accidentally eating 3,500-5000 calories more than what I expect?" I highly doubt my homemade sandwich with wheat bread, ham, and spinach with a serving of chips is anything close to 1k calories. Didn't mean to directly fire this at you, but when people say that booooy It gets me pissed lol I'm not even the poster, but I doubt she is under estimating that many calories to make her gain. >.<
Overestimating exercise, maybe then? :flowerforyou:0 -
Your diary is private, so that makes it a little difficult to help?
How are you doing with your water are you drinking plenty?
Are you logging everything you eat?
Do you think you have reached a plateau?
If you eat less calories than your body needs and add exercise to tone then you will lose weight?
I don`t want you to feel that I am putting you down in any way I am really just trying to get you back on track by asking some questions
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Three possibilities:
You're underestimating calories consumed (using a food scale will help if this is so).
You're overestimating calories burned (this can happen even with a good HRM, to solve this either cut what it says you burned down when you do your calculations or just leave a calorie cushion that you don't eat back).
Or you need your thyroid checked.
Ohhhh it drives me nuts when people say I am under estimating my calories. To me its like saying "Your telling me I am under estimating my 1500 calories a day enough to make me gain a pound, which would mean me accidentally eating 3,500-5000 calories more than what I expect?" I highly doubt my homemade sandwich with wheat bread, ham, and spinach with a serving of chips is anything close to 1k calories. Didn't mean to directly fire this at you, but when people say that booooy It gets me pissed lol I'm not even the poster, but I doubt she is under estimating that many calories to make her gain. >.<
Over estimating exercise calories to eat back. Many people use online calculators or MFP numbers to get their exercise burn. From experience those numbers can be way off and if you eat them back you can be eating a substantial amount more than you should be.0 -
Are you drinking lots of water too?? It really helps, get some more exercise and drink that water! good luck0
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Three possibilities:
You're underestimating calories consumed (using a food scale will help if this is so).
You're overestimating calories burned (this can happen even with a good HRM, to solve this either cut what it says you burned down when you do your calculations or just leave a calorie cushion that you don't eat back).
Or you need your thyroid checked.
Ohhhh it drives me nuts when people say I am under estimating my calories. To me its like saying "Your telling me I am under estimating my 1500 calories a day enough to make me gain a pound, which would mean me accidentally eating 3,500-5000 calories more than what I expect?" I highly doubt my homemade sandwich with wheat bread, ham, and spinach with a serving of chips is anything close to 1k calories. Didn't mean to directly fire this at you, but when people say that booooy It gets me pissed lol I'm not even the poster, but I doubt she is under estimating that many calories to make her gain. >.<
Do you use a food scale to measure EVERYTHING?
If you don't, then I don't see how it's unreasonable for anyone to ask the question.
Underestimating by 200-300 calories a day would add up over time.0 -
Drop your calories back down again and try not to eat all of your calories back. You wont show loosing weight if your exercising but your measurments will change. Its very easy to get frustrated. I've been on this for 4 months and I'm at a complete standstill. I've lost 20 pounds and can't get any further. So I decided to try and focus on toning my body for a while. Partly because I started to loose my boobs. So, I stick with my calories and try working on my trouble spots. Everyone is different but when you find your spot again you'll be very happy you did!! Good luck and hang in there!!0
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Three possibilities:
You're underestimating calories consumed (using a food scale will help if this is so).
You're overestimating calories burned (this can happen even with a good HRM, to solve this either cut what it says you burned down when you do your calculations or just leave a calorie cushion that you don't eat back).
Or you need your thyroid checked.
Ohhhh it drives me nuts when people say I am under estimating my calories. To me its like saying "Your telling me I am under estimating my 1500 calories a day enough to make me gain a pound, which would mean me accidentally eating 3,500-5000 calories more than what I expect?" I highly doubt my homemade sandwich with wheat bread, ham, and spinach with a serving of chips is anything close to 1k calories. Didn't mean to directly fire this at you, but when people say that booooy It gets me pissed lol I'm not even the poster, but I doubt she is under estimating that many calories to make her gain. >.<
I think you're blowing his statements out of proportion. If people are just estimating how many grams/ounces/cups/tablespoons/etc things are, they may be sorely mistaken and it creates threads like these. If OP could verify using a food scale diligently and opening her food diary, then it might help to narrow down her issues.0 -
From what I've been reading, and I've been reading a LOT since I have the same issue, under-estimating calories consumed is a very common problem. People will report that they are not losing or even gaining weight on 1200 calories per day, but if those same people are put in a controlled environment and fed 1200 precisely calories per day, virtually 100% of them will lose weight. I was on 1200 calories per day for 4-5 weeks and didn't lose at all. I know I wasn't precisely at 1200 calories per day every day because I would sometimes have a taste of something my husband was eating or lick the spoon, but I figured I couldn't possibly have been eating that many more calories so as to put me at maintenance, but somehow or another, I can't really explain it, I was maintaining, not losing.0
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Little hard to give an opinion with a closed diary. But the body is an amazingly adaptable piece of work. There are so many possibilities.
As mentioned
Hormones play a big role
Food plays a big role (especially sodium, simple carbs etc..)
Water plays a big role.
Exercising plays a big role
Pretty much everything you do!
A few questions that may help you: What are your goals (1 or 2 lbs per wk)? What is your TDEE? What is your BMR? What are your current calories set at? What is your water intake per day? What is your exercise routine? Is there a possibility of being pregnant? Hey gotta ask all the questions.
Your ticker states you have lost 15lbs. That great results for 10 - 15 weeks worth of work. Of this how much is gained back (if any)?
Weight loss is not linear...some days, weeks, months will be better than others..just keep at it. It is very frustrating and many folks on here feel your frustration, but you will get there, Keep a positive attitude and you will achieve.
Oh and if you gained back weight from eating back calories, try only eating back half. See how that goes for 3 weeks.
Good luck and we are with you!
My two mottos: If it were easy, everyone would be healthy. and Nutrition is a diet......Nutrition with exercise is a LIFESTYLE0 -
P.S: Weighing things out in grams instead of cups and measuring spoons can make a huge difference, I've learned. 1/2 cup can vary by as much as 100 calories depending on whether your measurement is level with the top of the cup, slightly rounded above the top of the cup, or slightly under the top of the cup.0
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So I got to the same point as you. SOOO frustrating and no matter what I did I couldn't shift any more weight. So I decided to sign up to a personal trainer and do ALOT of online research. This is what I have learnt which is helping me shift the weight pretty quickly.
1) It is not just about the calories you consume but the types of calories. Drop the white bread, white pasta, white rice and alcohol. Replace them with wholemeal of everything even then limit it to only 30% of your meal (unfortunately the alcohol does not come in wholemeal so that will need to go fullstop..sniff sniff).
2) Change your exercise regime to give your body a shock. All I used to do was cycling and spinning, my body was so used to working those muscles it had given up trying. I now do brisk walks, intervals and boxing.
3) Do some weight training. I know this sounds shocking but for every 1lb of muscle you gain your body burns 50kcals a day more. You won't look like Jody Marsh either as long as you do low weights high reps.
4) This last one is just from my experience and it might not work for you but I supplement my diet with psyllium husk capsules makes me feel fuller for so much longer. I don't use them instead of food but along side.
Hope that helps0 -
I started January 10 and so far have lost 44 pounds. I started on an arbitrary figure of 1200 calories a day. I am a man and I am 6'4" tall. According to this site I should be able to lose weight if I stay on 2000 calories a day, I have learned that, that does not work for me. I learned through trial and error what I needed to do. I hate exercise so I don't do that and 1200 calories is working. I suggest that you use this site and record everything you put in your mouth, water, green tea, bacon whatever it is. I think it is important to be accountable for what you do to yourself and I also suggest you weigh yourself everyday. I know this goes against conventional thinking but it works for me, and I get an immediate response to what I have done the day before. If you are gaining weight you are eating more than you need or more precisely more calorie rich food. Good luck I know it's hard but in the end it's worth it. If I can offer any moral support let me know...Howard fellow weight struggler.0
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Define "gaining"...are you 2 lbs heavier all of a sudden? If so, you aren't gaining - it's water weight. If you start eating more it takes a few days for your body to adjust.
Everyone needs to stop freaking out about a pound or two here or there. You aren't going to see meaningful results, positive or negative, over a period of less than a week.
Yes! Pretty much exactly right. 1200 could have been too little for you. Yes, you will lose to begin, but you will eventually plateau (like you did) By eating more, your getting your body out of that under-eating mode. You will gain back a few pounds, but it will be OKAY! Give yourself a week or two, and I bet you'll start losing again!0 -
Three possibilities:
You're underestimating calories consumed (using a food scale will help if this is so).
You're overestimating calories burned (this can happen even with a good HRM, to solve this either cut what it says you burned down when you do your calculations or just leave a calorie cushion that you don't eat back).
Or you need your thyroid checked.
Ohhhh it drives me nuts when people say I am under estimating my calories. To me its like saying "Your telling me I am under estimating my 1500 calories a day enough to make me gain a pound, which would mean me accidentally eating 3,500-5000 calories more than what I expect?" I highly doubt my homemade sandwich with wheat bread, ham, and spinach with a serving of chips is anything close to 1k calories. Didn't mean to directly fire this at you, but when people say that booooy It gets me pissed lol I'm not even the poster, but I doubt she is under estimating that many calories to make her gain. >.<
OMG, I totally agree with the frustrations, I'm tired of reading that also.0 -
Three possibilities:
You're underestimating calories consumed (using a food scale will help if this is so).
You're overestimating calories burned (this can happen even with a good HRM, to solve this either cut what it says you burned down when you do your calculations or just leave a calorie cushion that you don't eat back).
Or you need your thyroid checked.
this. the underestimating intake/overestimating burn is probably likely.
if youre not weighing and measuring everything, then you are estimating. where are you getting your burns? the machine? mfp? an HRM? what kind of exercise are you doing? straight cardio? lifting heavy? muscles need water to repair...
if its only been 3 weeks of gains, be patient. your body wont simply "adjust" overnight. stay consistent for a few weeks (if you havent yet). dont go changing things all willy-nilly...these things take time.0 -
Keep in mind that natural body weight fluctuations can mask weight loss on the scale. When you're talking about losing a pound or two per week and you can fluctuate 2-5 Lbs from day to day...well, it can be pretty damned hard to see it on the scale over a short period of time.
My advice..stop focusing solely on the scale. Focus on the process...focus on getting better nutrition and more exercise and the rest will fall into place. You also need to get your brain into more of a long range view mode...you're talking mere weeks here...that's nothing. Go to the success stories and read some...then ask yourself if those folks just quit after 10 weeks or whatever. 10 weeks is a drop in the proverbial bucket.0 -
What are both of you saying??? you're both special and the law of physics don't apply to you? Calories in vs calories out.Three possibilities:
You're underestimating calories consumed (using a food scale will help if this is so).
You're overestimating calories burned (this can happen even with a good HRM, to solve this either cut what it says you burned down when you do your calculations or just leave a calorie cushion that you don't eat back).
Or you need your thyroid checked.
Ohhhh it drives me nuts when people say I am under estimating my calories. To me its like saying "Your telling me I am under estimating my 1500 calories a day enough to make me gain a pound, which would mean me accidentally eating 3,500-5000 calories more than what I expect?" I highly doubt my homemade sandwich with wheat bread, ham, and spinach with a serving of chips is anything close to 1k calories. Didn't mean to directly fire this at you, but when people say that booooy It gets me pissed lol I'm not even the poster, but I doubt she is under estimating that many calories to make her gain. >.<
OMG, I totally agree with the frustrations, I'm tired of reading that also.
but it's HARD WORK to measure EVERYTHING and be accountable. *sigh* 0 -
Do you use a food scale to measure EVERYTHING?
If you don't, then I don't see how it's unreasonable for anyone to ask the question.
Underestimating by 200-300 calories a day would add up over time.
I discovered that my underestimations by not always using my scale were amounting to around 300 calories a day. It was quite a surprise when I started weighing everything.0 -
Thank you for this visual! I wasn't sure which percentage to aim for in regard to my body shape and preferred level of muscle definition. This helps a lot. 0 -
Wow. Thank you all for the replies!!! Gives me a lot to think about . I have gained 5 pounds back from going off of my 1200 calorie a day diet and working out an hour to 2 hours a day. I wasn't eating back my calories. My bmr is 1500 a day. Tdee is hard to figure out because one day I will do an hour of bootcamp class and 40 min cardio. I am doings 4-5 bootcamps a week. Hard to gauge how many calories I am actually burning. I guess around 550 calories for the hour. Not drinking enough water for sure. Going to start weighting food. Trainer at the gym said to eat 1500 calories, 4 bootcamps and two hours of cardio. I hate the scale. I am not going on it for a couple of weeks until I feel better or skinnier. I think these protein shakes are not helping. Feel so bloated and gross, but its a good quick fix after a workout. I am cutting them out. Swear I look 6 months pregnant after drinking one.some of you have lost so much weight,,, congrats you use be doing something right!!0
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Three possibilities:
You're underestimating calories consumed (using a food scale will help if this is so).
You're overestimating calories burned (this can happen even with a good HRM, to solve this either cut what it says you burned down when you do your calculations or just leave a calorie cushion that you don't eat back).
Or you need your thyroid checked.
Ohhhh it drives me nuts when people say I am under estimating my calories. To me its like saying "Your telling me I am under estimating my 1500 calories a day enough to make me gain a pound, which would mean me accidentally eating 3,500-5000 calories more than what I expect?" I highly doubt my homemade sandwich with wheat bread, ham, and spinach with a serving of chips is anything close to 1k calories. Didn't mean to directly fire this at you, but when people say that booooy It gets me pissed lol I'm not even the poster, but I doubt she is under estimating that many calories to make her gain. >.<
I actually think it's a very reasonable question that is true quite often, to varying degrees.0 -
Many things can cause a person to gain "weight" if they eat a very low calorie amount. For instance, they could have lowered their RMR low enough so that 1200 calories is practically just below their maintenance level of calories. Then they increase it to 1500 and they are assuming a slight surplus until their RMR recovers and causes their weight to stabilize again.Ohhhh it drives me nuts when people say I am under estimating my calories. To me its like saying "Your telling me I am under estimating my 1500 calories a day enough to make me gain a pound, which would mean me accidentally eating 3,500-5000 calories more than what I expect?" I highly doubt my homemade sandwich with wheat bread, ham, and spinach with a serving of chips is anything close to 1k calories. Didn't mean to directly fire this at you, but when people say that booooy It gets me pissed lol I'm not even the poster, but I doubt she is under estimating that many calories to make her gain. >.<0 -
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My bodyfat percentage, according to Fat2Fit and my measurements, is 29.2% but I look nowhere like the 30% lady here and yet not as big as the 35% lady (sigh)0 -
all the bad foods are acidic.all the protein is acidic.your body hasnt had a chance to go alkaline.it tries its best to get to normal.i drink 1 teaspoon of baking soda in a glass of water with dinner.3 out of 5 days.i am down 10lbs. havent changed my diet or had surgery yet.and i think it is the baking soda that did it.i did add a salad late at night instead of junk.but i been eating junk in day time.they also make alkaline water.hope this helps you0
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