I just gained back all the weight I lost.

roxie0920
roxie0920 Posts: 41
edited September 21 in Motivation and Support
I was eating about 800-900 calories per day and getting a work-out in about 3x a week. Then someone told me I needed to eat at least 1200 calories a day, and try to eat back calories burned during exercise. It was also suggested to me to add dairy to get calcium, because I wasn't getting hardly any. After two weeks of eating 1200-1500 calories per day. I've managed to gain back the three lbs it took me five weeks to shed. I'm feeling pretty bummed out and I think I'm just going to go back to eating what I wanted even if it didn't give me the standard 1200 calories per day. Otherwise, I'll end up gaining an average of 1.5 lbs per week. My original goal was 6lbs lost by my son's birthday which is September 14th. What to do, what to do...

Replies

  • Izzybackyet
    Izzybackyet Posts: 16
    I don't think less than 1000 calories a day is advisable but I'm not sure why you'd gain on just 1200 calories either.Are you recording all your intake including things like milk etc?
  • skygoddess86
    skygoddess86 Posts: 487 Member
    That stinks and it shouldn't have happened that way. I have no advice just that I commiserate.
  • roxie0920
    roxie0920 Posts: 41
    I record everything. I even do quick add calories when I think something might be a bit low. I'm 5'2" and have a very small frame. It doesn't take much to make a noticable difference.
  • shintowa
    shintowa Posts: 37
    Your body was likely in starvation mode, and is currently trying to store up fat for another famine, which is what it thinks it just went through. I would not recommend going back under 1200 calories a day, but normally you should increase calories slowly, instead of all at once, about 100cal a week I think it what it is (don't quote me on that). Your body will eventually adjust to the increase of calories.
  • JustJudy
    JustJudy Posts: 142 Member
    It could be water weight. Watch your sodium intake as well! You look great in your profile picture so you are doing something right! Keep it up!
  • MsElphaba
    MsElphaba Posts: 432 Member
    This is my thought, try to follow me here.

    You do need a minimum of 1200 calories a day. Of course, you lost weight eating less, but in reality, where those pounds that would have stayed off when you resumed a normal calorie intake, assuming you weren't going to eat like that the rest of your life? I think what you are seeing is an 'adjustment' to eating the way you should. Give it another week or two and see if the pounds don't come back. It could also be a bunch of other things, time of day, TOM, water retention, etc.

    Hang in there!

    L
  • nevin_brown
    nevin_brown Posts: 8 Member
    I'm no expert, and I'm sure I don't have all of the information about your situation, but it sounds to me that since you had been eating under 1200 and working out that your body was probably in starvation mode. It could very well be that your body is having a response to the fact that it is actually getting food now. It is very easy to put a lot of emphasis on the number that comes up on the scale, but I have learned through my own plateaus, that the scale isn't the only measure of your progress. It might take a while to get beyond the psychological impact of the scale, but please don't get too discouraged. I'm sure you can make this work for you.
  • rndalsn
    rndalsn Posts: 26
    I agree. Eating under 1200 cals per day is not healthy and your body was likely in starvation mode. Make sure those 1200 you're eating are good cals & not a lot of sodium & sugar in them. I think you should keep it up and see what happens. I don't think you can maintain the 800-900 cals per day. You'll be hungry all the time. Just a thought...
  • roxie0920
    roxie0920 Posts: 41
    I follow you, except I wasn't in starvation mode. I was eating what I would normally eat, how I have always eaten (other than while I was pregnant and breast feeding). I was planning on eating like that for the rest of my life, because I had no idea what I wasn't getting :) until I started tracking on here. I've never had a weight problem; I've always fluxuated between 5lbs all year round. I was hoping to control that when I joined, but sadly, I'm a bit discouraged now. Stupid calories!! Gah!!!
  • katrina7391
    katrina7391 Posts: 1
    I believe your body went into starvation mode. When you increased your calorie intake your body stored it causing the weight gain. 800 cals is not enough.

    You can speed up your metabolizm by keeping your calorie intake at 1200, make sure you are eating something every 2-3 hours. Keep exercising and give yourself time to see results.
  • Yurippe
    Yurippe Posts: 850 Member
    This sounds very similar to the topic of one of the newbie threads.

    http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/3047-700-calories-a-day-and-not-losing
  • disneyfetishboy
    disneyfetishboy Posts: 65 Member
    Three pounds is a small enough number that it could be attributed to water weight, increased muscle, and *ahem* natural cycles.

    If you are working out 3x a week, and a part of that regimen includes weight training, you could simply adding muscle. How do your clothes fit?

    I wouldn't be discouraged, finding your proper maintenance balance of calories is a tricky thing, especially when you are working out and changing diet.
  • roxie0920
    roxie0920 Posts: 41
    My clothes fit the same. I have some belly fat going on now, which I suppose could be all that extra food I've been forcing myself to eat to make sure I get those calories in!

    That article was interesting. Except, I'm not obese and I'm not sedentary. I say three work outs a week. But I also work outside everyday. Push mowing, chopping wood, etc. I get enough exercise and I'm only weighing in at 112 which is quite normal for me.

    I'm beginning to think that it is just because I have such a small body.

    I'm fixating.

    I've never actually tried to lose weight before. I've never had much body fat to spare anyway.

    When I noticed the scale start to creep up, I switched from exercising 3x a week to 5 or 6x a week. (which meant even more calories I had to eat!)

    I don't eat hardly any processed foods. I just added cereal (cheerios or special K) into my diet and even that was weird for me. I like eggs and light whole grain toast for breakfast! :D

    I don't eat out (fastfood is scary!). I prepare my own foods and eat a lot of vegetables (but not canned, becuase they're not good enough). Are you beginning to see why my calories were so low? I eat fresh almost every meal.

    I never would have thought that something so simple could be so frustrating.
  • HIzara
    HIzara Posts: 187
    I am not really sure what is going on.

    But I am also 5'3" and also age 24, so, similar to your height and age and I've been on this site and monitoring my workouts and diet for the past 7 weeks. My workout is intensive but my diet has been around 1200-1300 with cheat days being 1800-1900 cals (and not eating my workout calories burnt). I've managed to lose 12 lbs in the last 6 weeks.

    I skimmed through a few weeks and days of your diet and workout schedule.

    But here are my opinions:

    1) You are actually not "exercising" enough to be "losing weight". I know you mow the lawn here and there and that's nice but that really isn't enough "cardio exercise." I also saw that you went on the elliptical machine for 35 minutes here and there. Again, nice but not enough. You need to being doing 60 minutes of cardio, and at least 4-5x a week to be "losing weight". Cardio for 30 minutes at a time for 2-3x a week is more so to "maintain weight".

    2) You diet at 800-900 cal a day may or may not be in starvation mode. It really does depend on your body type and your metabolism. I know some people on this site where their doctor has recommended to eat LESS THAN 1,200 cal a day b/c their metabolism is very slow. I would say that it depends, if you are eating healthy and if eating at that amount still makes you hungry or makes you full. IF it makes you full at only 900 cal a day, then why do you have to stuff yourself? Everyone is different and being only 5'2", that's not much room for food/calories.

    If you do workout more where you are burning 500+ cal a day through cardio, then I would go with what is recommended by everyone else and eat your calories. At least take a protein shake, to help with muscle recovery. For us "petite" people, burning 500+ cal is a lot of exercise!

    Other than that, I really have no idea. I work out 8-9x a week and eat 1,200-1300 cals a day. I've been losing weight, so... it works for me.
  • roxie0920
    roxie0920 Posts: 41
    That's wonderful! I'm glad you're having such great results.

    I wasn't doing a lot of cardio, because I wasn't in a hurry to lose weight. 5-6lbs in 9 weeks. I'm worried about adding too much cardio and having a negative effect next month when I go back to school and work full-time and can't get in a whole lot of workouts. I thought that 60 minutes of cardio multiple times a week was for people who needed to lose weight. I don't need to lose any weight. If I burned 500 calories a day, I'd lose my six lbs in about 3 weeks and my body would suffer. My doctor said never to lose more than one lb per week, esp when you are already at a healthy weight and body type.

    And, also, I burn a helluva lot of calories push mowing 4 acres every week! :D
  • Kindergirl77
    Kindergirl77 Posts: 10 Member
    Cheese could be your problem, if you added it to your diet. Cheese is extremely fattening!
  • 2corinthians416
    2corinthians416 Posts: 3
    It shouldn't have taken you 5 weeks to lose 3 pounds.. what are you eating?? It seems like you might be doing something wrong..
  • MFPfriend
    MFPfriend Posts: 1,121 Member
    I'm too tired to post a full explanation here (eek, sorry!), but I will mention that the last 10 pounds can literally takes a good 4-8 MONTHS to take off.
    I really would stop worrying about the number on the scale, and focus on how you're feeling, how your clothes fit, and what the measuring tape is showing.
  • recipe4success
    recipe4success Posts: 469 Member
    Some friendly suggestions:

    1. You need to wait longer than a couple weeks when you are changing your calories upwards to see the actual results. It takes your body a bit of time to get used to the new calorie intake.

    2. When you are eating so few calories, you really don't have room in your diet for wasted calories...and I see quite a few of them in your diary (i.e. Frozen yogurt, Marshmallows, cookies). If you eat 1200 calories, and have 200 calories of empty calories...that is almost 20% of your intake which is far too high. If that was your strategy to increase calories, i would suggest replacing that sort of food with healthier options.

    3. You quick add calories many days...are you sure you are eating those extra calories?
  • cutmd
    cutmd Posts: 1,168 Member
    Your body was likely in starvation mode, and is currently trying to store up fat for another famine, which is what it thinks it just went through. I would not recommend going back under 1200 calories a day, but normally you should increase calories slowly, instead of all at once, about 100cal a week I think it what it is (don't quote me on that). Your body will eventually adjust to the increase of calories.

    I agree. Also with an average of an extra 400 cals a day you should only gain 3/4ths of a pound a week if you do the math, so either your counts are off or a good deal of it is water. I understand you don't think your body was in starvation mode because you have eaten that way for so long but the reality is that is exactly the circumstance when the body's metabolism shuts down, not short stents on a low cal diet. Hope you find your answer, though it appears you don't actually need to lose weight :flowerforyou:
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