Unsure why I'm gaining weight
chelseaparton
Posts: 18 Member
Ok so I've been trying to lose weight for a while now. I started using MFP after a friend suggested I was in starvation mode. I realised I was netting around 600-1000 calories per day. I upped this to 1100-1250 (going over on occasional days) for a week with no exercise and lost 4lb. Then I began exercising, burning around 300 calories per day, about 3-5 days a week. I ate the majority of them back, still netting 1100-1250. I gained a pound. Now I know a pound isn't a lot, but when you're putting all your effort into it, it is. I don't get how I'm supposed to have had an extra "3500" calories when I'm netting around 1200 (as MyFitnessPal tells me to - 1240, sedentary, aiming to lose 1lb per week).
I'm female, 18, 5'5", 135lbs, aiming for 119lbs. My BMR is 1458. My TDEE is 2258. My RMR is 1440.
I considered upping my calorie intake to 1350, as I do climb a lot of stairs and stand for long periods of time at college, but with a BMR of 1458, that would mean I was only 100 calories less a day, right?
I'm unsure on what to do. Should I go back to eating around 1200 with no exercise or up my calories? I just don't understand where the weight is coming from, and I don't feel as if I am toning up, so I doubt it's muscle.
All help appreciated.
I'm female, 18, 5'5", 135lbs, aiming for 119lbs. My BMR is 1458. My TDEE is 2258. My RMR is 1440.
I considered upping my calorie intake to 1350, as I do climb a lot of stairs and stand for long periods of time at college, but with a BMR of 1458, that would mean I was only 100 calories less a day, right?
I'm unsure on what to do. Should I go back to eating around 1200 with no exercise or up my calories? I just don't understand where the weight is coming from, and I don't feel as if I am toning up, so I doubt it's muscle.
All help appreciated.
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Replies
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have you found your body his changed shape? if so, you have gained muscle, which isn't a bad thing, more muscle more cals are burnt
I'd up your cals
and don't eat the same foods day in day out
and i'd change up your exercise too
some medium pace and some fast pace cardo and i'd do weigh training too
anyone can add me0 -
I am in same boat. I had been maintaining great for 9 months and all of a sudden, my weight is creeping up. A lb every now and then but... it does not come off when I really try. I am going to change my eating. It is summer (slowly getting warmer) now so I will be able to get outside and change my exercise. Hope this helps.0
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Ok so I've been trying to lose weight for a while now. I started using MFP after a friend suggested I was in starvation mode. I realised I was netting around 600-1000 calories per day. I upped this to 1100-1250 (going over on occasional days) for a week with no exercise and lost 4lb. Then I began exercising, burning around 300 calories per day, about 3-5 days a week. I ate the majority of them back, still netting 1100-1250. I gained a pound. Now I know a pound isn't a lot, but when you're putting all your effort into it, it is. I don't get how I'm supposed to have had an extra "3500" calories when I'm netting around 1200 (as MyFitnessPal tells me to - 1240, sedentary, aiming to lose 1lb per week).
I'm female, 18, 5'5", 135lbs, aiming for 119lbs. My BMR is 1458. My TDEE is 2258. My RMR is 1440.
I considered upping my calorie intake to 1350, as I do climb a lot of stairs and stand for long periods of time at college, but with a BMR of 1458, that would mean I was only 100 calories less a day, right?
I'm unsure on what to do. Should I go back to eating around 1200 with no exercise or up my calories? I just don't understand where the weight is coming from, and I don't feel as if I am toning up, so I doubt it's muscle.
All help appreciated.
as crude as this sounds... i gain a pound if i haven't had a good poop.
seeing a one pound increase on the scale does not mean you have put on fat. it probably means maybe you ate something salty yesterday, or you need to go to the bathroom, or the stars are aligned differently lol.
this is why I weight once a week. If you feel the need to weight more often, pick one day a week and log your weight on that day. use the other days just to understand your body and the natural fluctuations.
(also, gaining a pound or two or a few isn't unheard of when people up their calories, until their body settles in to the new routine)
ETA: you should NOT be eating under your BMR. you should be eating somewhere between your BMR and your TDEE.0 -
Sounds like you gained a pound of muscle. That's a good thing.0
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Sometimes when you start a new exercise routine, your muscles retain water. Keep at it! The benefits of adding in an exercise routine far outweigh any water weight you put on in the beginning. Give it a few weeks to a month and the weight will come off.
*Edited for spelling.0 -
Ladies, to gain muscle you need to strength train (hard), eat excess calories (so above your TDEE) and have a high intake of protein. As females you need to do all these things, often and stick to a dedicated body building plan to gain muscle. You will NOT gain muscle eating at 1200 calories a day, no way no how.0
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Sounds like you gained a pound of muscle. That's a good thing.
no it takes a LOT of work for women to put on muscle weight, and certainly not if we are eating at a deficit.0 -
My body seems to still be the same.
I'm a really fussy eater, and live off carbs. I don't really have much time to plan and prepare meals due to being so busy with college and work, so I usually have to eat what my family give me (or whatever is at the college canteen)
I do find that I sometimes have to force myself to eat, as I find it difficult to get around 1200 net calories when I exercise, so I'm a bit unsure on increasing my exercise. But I'll definitely vary it more.0 -
*edit*0
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Sounds like you gained a pound of muscle. That's a good thing.
no it takes a LOT of work for women to put on muscle weight, and certainly not if we are eating at a deficit.
That makes sense. I agree with your post about how small that one pound is in the gand scheme of things. Esecially if you are weighing in every day. Or if you just started the new diet.
Guess I didn't realize how much different it is for women to gain muscle.0 -
Be patient. A week is nothing - everyone experiences unexplained fluctuations in weight, particularly when changing routines. Women probably more than men. So much can be down to salt levels / water retention or as others have said, even how 'regular' you've been in recent days etc.
I'd suggest you're doing fine. If anything, you're probably still eating a little too few calories, but you're probably not starving yourself anymore on the levels you're on now. Give it another week or two. Only get weighed once a week (if you can stand the wait) and let time help you on your way...0 -
If you stick to the 1200 honestly and keep up the moderate exercise you will lose over time. Don't put a single thing in your mouth you don't count, not a sip of caloric drink, a tablespoon of dressing, a chip.....nada. And talking about carbs, a small pasta dish from a college cafeteria can easily have over 1200 calories by itself.0
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If you stick to the 1200 honestly and keep up the moderate exercise you will lose over time. Don't put a single thing in your mouth you don't count, not a sip of caloric drink, a tablespoon of dressing, a chip.....nada. And talking about carbs, a small pasta dish from a college cafeteria can easily have over 1200 calories by itself.
Do you think 1200 is an adequate calorie allocation for a 5ft 5, 135lb girl who is exercising moderately then?0 -
My body seems to still be the same.
I'm a really fussy eater, and live off carbs. I don't really have much time to plan and prepare meals due to being so busy with college and work, so I usually have to eat what my family give me (or whatever is at the college canteen)
I do find that I sometimes have to force myself to eat, as I find it difficult to get around 1200 net calories when I exercise, so I'm a bit unsure on increasing my exercise. But I'll definitely vary it more.
some will say that overdoing the carbs, even on a deficit can slow down loss.
regarding being busy, if you have a few hours, one day a week, that's all you need to prepare and freeze some meals; cut up lots of veggies so you can grab some when your time is limited; and prepare some good for you snacks. nuts are easy and fast and nutritious. fruit is easy too. hard boiled eggs are convenient (and really, most of us do have at least a few hours a week we can set aside, even though we might prefer to spend it doing something else... priorities)
if you find it difficult to get up to your 1200... have a spoonful of peanut butter, or a banana (or both together mmmm) or some cashews or if you really want those carbs, there are lots of yummy whole grain snacks (i just LOVE Kind and Purely Elizabeth granolas!)0 -
If you stick to the 1200 honestly and keep up the moderate exercise you will lose over time. Don't put a single thing in your mouth you don't count, not a sip of caloric drink, a tablespoon of dressing, a chip.....nada. And talking about carbs, a small pasta dish from a college cafeteria can easily have over 1200 calories by itself.
Do you think 1200 is an adequate calorie allocation for a 5ft 5, 135lb girl who is exercising moderately then?
Baring in mind that's NET calories. I eat around 1400-1500 on the days that I exercise.0 -
If you stick to the 1200 honestly and keep up the moderate exercise you will lose over time. Don't put a single thing in your mouth you don't count, not a sip of caloric drink, a tablespoon of dressing, a chip.....nada. And talking about carbs, a small pasta dish from a college cafeteria can easily have over 1200 calories by itself.
Do you think 1200 is an adequate calorie allocation for a 5ft 5, 135lb girl who is exercising moderately then?
Baring in mind that's NET calories. I eat around 1400-1500 on the days that I exercise.
Still quite a low intake for someone so young with your stats.0 -
Sounds like you gained a pound of muscle. That's a good thing.
no it takes a LOT of work for women to put on muscle weight, and certainly not if we are eating at a deficit.
i've read this before, yet i'm losing weight and developing muscle while eating at a deficit...and the muscle wasn't there (well it was but like 2 years in the past...and i built it then while eating at a deficit)0 -
Sounds like you gained a pound of muscle. That's a good thing.
no it takes a LOT of work for women to put on muscle weight, and certainly not if we are eating at a deficit.
I agree. It does take time to put on muscle weight. It doesn't happen overnight.0 -
If you stick to the 1200 honestly and keep up the moderate exercise you will lose over time. Don't put a single thing in your mouth you don't count, not a sip of caloric drink, a tablespoon of dressing, a chip.....nada. And talking about carbs, a small pasta dish from a college cafeteria can easily have over 1200 calories by itself.
Do you think 1200 is an adequate calorie allocation for a 5ft 5, 135lb girl who is exercising moderately then?
Baring in mind that's NET calories. I eat around 1400-1500 on the days that I exercise.
Still quite a low intake for someone so young with your stats.
So what do you recommend I increase it to? I do not wish to gain muscle, just lose weight, for now.0 -
Sounds like you gained a pound of muscle. That's a good thing.
no it takes a LOT of work for women to put on muscle weight, and certainly not if we are eating at a deficit.
i've read this before, yet i'm losing weight and developing muscle while eating at a deficit...and the muscle wasn't there (well it was but like 2 years in the past...and i built it then while eating at a deficit)
the muscle wasn't there? or it wasn't as visible and toned as it is now? for example... i have great upper arm muscles, they are only now beginning to reveal themselves as I shed the overlying fat. It's not from exercise, I don't lift (i know i know i should). Even women who ARE working hard and eating at a surplus, it takes a lot of time time to build up muscle, we are so different from men in this way.0 -
Read this!!
http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/912920-in-place-of-a-road-map-3-2013
Also, take measurements. They are more reliable than the scale!
Your weight fluctuates because of a lot of reasons and throughout the day.
You also may retain water due to:
TOM
Muscle use water to repair after workouts (especially after increasing intensity or length your body is still getting used to it)
sodium/carbs
Try the TDEE - 15/20% method. Be patient and give it some time! It does work. And you can eat much more and still lose!!0 -
So what do you recommend I increase it to? I do not wish to gain muscle, just lose weight, for now.
i promise you are not going to gain muscle.Do you think 1200 is an adequate calorie allocation for a 5ft 5, 135lb girl who is exercising moderately then?
nope. you should not be netting below your BMR.
listen, I know I am not an expert, you don't have to take my word on any of this. search the forums for info about either of these topics and people way more qualified than I am will say the same.0 -
Sounds like you gained a pound of muscle. That's a good thing.
no it takes a LOT of work for women to put on muscle weight, and certainly not if we are eating at a deficit.
i've read this before, yet i'm losing weight and developing muscle while eating at a deficit...and the muscle wasn't there (well it was but like 2 years in the past...and i built it then while eating at a deficit)
the muscle wasn't there? or it wasn't as visible and toned as it is now? for example... i have great upper arm muscles, they are only now beginning to reveal themselves as I shed the overlying fat. It's not from exercise, I don't lift (i know i know i should). Even women who ARE working hard and eating at a surplus, it takes a lot of time time to build up muscle, we are so different from men in this way.
the first time i lost weight i was recovering from dislocating 13 bones in my left shoulder at the same time. I'd had three months off and suffered ongoing temporary paralysis in my left arm. I was lifting light and using only machines and there def was no muscle there beforehand and there def was afterwards. I'm probably an anomaly haha. Mind you, I was in the gym 6 days a week for 90 mins at time at that stage and this time i lost all the muscle tone for about 2 years so perhaps it was still kinda there because it's popped back awfully fast. Again, I gym, swim, play netball and do something 6 days a week so maybe I'm just working out right for my particular muscles. I was pretty fit as a kid and did gymnastics, ballet, swimming etc but that all fell apart when I was about 13 and got sick - surely my muscles weren't lying in wait 15 years lol.
Not meaning to discount the theory, just really wonder why mine are like 'oh hello' lol.0 -
Sounds like you gained a pound of muscle. That's a good thing.
no it takes a LOT of work for women to put on muscle weight, and certainly not if we are eating at a deficit.
i've read this before, yet i'm losing weight and developing muscle while eating at a deficit...and the muscle wasn't there (well it was but like 2 years in the past...and i built it then while eating at a deficit)
the muscle wasn't there? or it wasn't as visible and toned as it is now? for example... i have great upper arm muscles, they are only now beginning to reveal themselves as I shed the overlying fat. It's not from exercise, I don't lift (i know i know i should). Even women who ARE working hard and eating at a surplus, it takes a lot of time time to build up muscle, we are so different from men in this way.
the first time i lost weight i was recovering from dislocating 13 bones in my left shoulder at the same time. I'd had three months off and suffered ongoing temporary paralysis in my left arm. I was lifting light and using only machines and there def was no muscle there beforehand and there def was afterwards. I'm probably an anomaly haha. Mind you, I was in the gym 6 days a week for 90 mins at time at that stage and this time i lost all the muscle tone for about 2 years so perhaps it was still kinda there because it's popped back awfully fast. Again, I gym, swim, play netball and do something 6 days a week so maybe I'm just working out right for my particular muscles. I was pretty fit as a kid and did gymnastics, ballet, swimming etc but that all fell apart when I was about 13 and got sick - surely my muscles weren't lying in wait 15 years lol.
Not meaning to discount the theory, just really wonder why mine are like 'oh hello' lol.
Of course there 'was muscle there'. If there wasn't you wouldn't even be able to move your arm!0 -
Two things:
1) If you increase your calories, even if it's still below your TDEE, your metabolism needs time to catch up. So don't worry if the scale doesn't move for a few weeks. You'll like weight loss at a higher caloric goal in the long run.
2) Don't be afraid to gain muscle. Muscle gain doesn't mean you're going to be bulky or body builder muscley. Muscle is a good thing! It raises your metabolism and helps your body burn fat. Not to mention, you'll look great with developed muscles.0 -
I don't think you're eating enough. You need to be eating at least your BMR everyday and eating back the majority of your exercise calories on top of that too. So at least the 1400 calorie mark!
READ THIS:
http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/912920-in-place-of-a-road-map-3-2013
It explains how your body works and why you need to eat more to actually lose weight. Doesn't make sense does it! But it will if you take a little bit of time to read through some of the posts about BMR and TDEE, including the link above.
Good luck x 0
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