1200 calories and gaining FAT

rkolodziej924
rkolodziej924 Posts: 1 Member
edited January 20 in Health and Weight Loss
hi. Currently I weigh 160, medium build and 68inches tall. Over two years ago I lost 35+ pounds and have been able to keep it off. I learned that weight loss is more about diet than exercise. I have been able to keep it off with a calorie intake of 1200-1500 and remaining active. I suffered a knee injury last November from being too active tho (half marathon and tough mudder within a week of each other) and stayed away from my normal routine. I was able to keep my weight the same by restricting my diet to 1200. Lost a lot of muscle. My knee finally healed but about 2 months ago I started working behind a computer all day so my activity level stayed low still. I’ve been trying to regain muscle. I stuck to a diet of about 1200 calories. Well, thats when the weight gain came. I gained 7 pounds in about 2 months. Mostly in my stomach and inner thighs. So I switched to a low carb, low sugar, high protein diet of 1200. I have been doing more weight training than before but not as much running to avoid re-injuring my knee. I’ve gained another 3-4 pounds but not muscle. I can see my stomach fat increasing and my clothes are starting to feel too tight. I am so uncomfortable and so frustrated since I am used to being athletic and thin. I am pretty sure at this point it’s because my body doesnt know what to think. It is storing everything but I am also so fearful of increasing my intake and my body storing it since its used to a low calorie intake. Do I steadily increase my intake and keep my exercise the same? Should I move to working out twice a day to compensate for this desk job low activity level? My goal is to lose 20 pounds in 4 months. Please help

Replies

  • Breizier
    Breizier Posts: 221 Member
    HI; were you eating around 1200-1500 calories when you were at target weight and training hard ie your half marathon etc?
  • RunForChai
    RunForChai Posts: 238 Member
    My sympathies about the knee injury. I suffered an injury overtraining for my half marathon.
    I've been able to keep my weight down during my knee re-hab by swimming [or pool walking/running if you don't swim] and using the stationary bike. I do a lot of work on the computer but getting the exercise is critical and nothing is going to stop me.

    Also, being healthy in my opinion depends on BOTH exercise and diet. I eat high-quality food 95% of the time and indulge once or twice a week [but not crazy-indulge]. That means lots of high quality lean protein, about half the carbs that MFP gives me, quality fats [avocado, olive oil, nuts] and limited sugar.

    Good luck!
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