Eat More 2 Weigh Less

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I'm back after a baby!

iluvhorses1983
iluvhorses1983 Posts: 86 Member
edited January 28 in Social Groups
Hi all! I was eating more and started lifting before I got pregnant. I was almost finished with my first full reset when I got pregnant. YEA! Now that I have stopped nursing (unfortunately) and 4 months PP, I am ready to start my weight loss!! I gained 40 lbs and lost 20 within 6 weeks of giving birth, but have gained almost 10 of that back. Soooo, I have 30 pounds to loose. Since I have eaten at maintanence (or a little higher) for the past year, I jumped right to my cut. That was 2 weeks ago.... and I gained 4 more pounds. Any advice for this new MOM? I feel like I lost all my knowledge I accumulated and could use a refresher. =)

Replies

  • heybales
    heybales Posts: 18,842 Member
    Did you also start working out any differently in the last 2 weeks since the cut started?

    Was that 4 lbs gained fast in short amount of time, or slowly over the last 2 weeks?

    You recalc'd TDEE level for new routine?
  • iluvhorses1983
    iluvhorses1983 Posts: 86 Member
    I started walking more, but haven't started any weights or other cardio yet. I thought small steps so I don't die. LOL I weighted myself 2xs a week and it was about a 1.5 pound gain each week. I lost 1lb, then would gain it back at the end of the week, so I would say slowly gained it? I didn't think I was that much more active so I left my activity level the same.

    My stats:

    165lbs
    5'4
    Lightly active with desk job

    I used the Scooby calculator to get my TDEE, and with a cut it is 1700 cal. I was eating 2000-2200 before while nursing.
  • heybales
    heybales Posts: 18,842 Member
    I would suggest you are more than lightly active, perhaps between levels going up. The baby made it lightly active, the walking is going up.

    The fact you had such fluctuations in water weight would imply glucose stores are in various states of topped off and low.

    So if weighing only on valid days, morning after rest day eating normal sodium levels, and not sore from last lifting workout, I'd suggest that means you are indeed too low right now to cause that effect.
  • iluvhorses1983
    iluvhorses1983 Posts: 86 Member
    I see what you are saying. But.... I am not way under or over what I should be eating, therefore I would think there would be some progress, even if its not on the scale. I am going to start measuring myself since that stupid scale lies anyhow. LOL It sucks to gain weight after you start a cut; it seems counter productive. =(
  • iluvhorses1983
    iluvhorses1983 Posts: 86 Member
    Well, I gained another pound. =( How is this even possible?
  • heybales
    heybales Posts: 18,842 Member
    Over what time period?

    And your comment as to you are not way under or over what you should be eating.

    How do you know?

    You including milk calories for baby if nursing?
  • iluvhorses1983
    iluvhorses1983 Posts: 86 Member
    I gained a pound since the last time I weighed, last Tuesday. I have a fitbit which tracks my activity and I log religiously. I calculated also with scooby. My first comment says I am not nursing so thats not an issue here. I have gained a total of 9 pounds in the last 12 weeks. The last 5 weeks (after I stopped nursing) I reduced my calories from 2000/2200 to 1800, was still gaining so went down to 1700. I cannot eat les than that and not be hungry. I do not exercise much yet, maybe just 2 walks a week with light hand weights.
  • heybales
    heybales Posts: 18,842 Member
    So you were eating 1700.

    You gained a pound in a week. (of what?)

    If you think it is fat rather than water weight, that would imply you are eating 500 calories OVER TDEE each and every day.

    So do you think your TDEE is 1200, and therefore a cut is below that?

    Use this to get best estimates of everything.

    http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/961054-spreadsheet-for-bodyfat-bmr-tdee-progress-tracker

    Your FitBit is basing ALL non-moving time on your BMR calorie burn. What would that be according to the FitBit stats, perhaps 1/4 to 2/3 of your 24 hr day on avg?

    So is your Katch BMR that vastly different than your Mifflin BMR?
    It could be, I've seen cases of 200-400 inflated BMR over best estimate, which means TDEE is inflated even more, and by the time you take deficit on paper, there is none in reality.

    So 2200 calorie goal, if that was Sedentary activity level TDEE, would imply your BMR is 1833.
    Of course, you are not Sedentary.
    Lightly Active would be BMR of 1600.

    But use the spreadsheet first for decent BF calc, get that Katch BMR, and compare to some spot of time in FitBit stats. Like calorie burn sleeping divided by total minutes of that time, cal / min x 1440 is BMR then.
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