Questions about weight maintenance

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OdetteMaria
OdetteMaria Posts: 6
in Health and Weight Loss
Hello all,

Thank you for reading this :)

I started at 140 and dropped to 125 in three weeks. I am now at 128. I have been on a diet required for medical imaging for the past three weeks that consisted of no dairy, no salt, no sodium and no caffeine. I stayed around the 1200 calories a day mark quite easily as I wasn't able to eat any real carbs or junk food.

Now the required diet is finished, I started eating "normally" again on Monday - meaning I have added carb and salted foods back in and some junk food. On MFP, I changed my goal settings from "2lbs weight loss each week" to "maintenance at 125". This changed my "allowed" calories to 1580/day.

So I've kept under the 1580/day since Monday, but have been gaining weight daily. I know very little about weight loss, so am asking for some information on why, even though I'm following MFP's calorie levels, I'm now gaining weight rather than maintaining it.

Thanks very much.

Replies

  • nwg74
    nwg74 Posts: 360 Member
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    Maintaining is not staying the exact same weight all the time. It is not possible. However for most people maintaining is within a weight range. I have maintained since March and keep with a +4 pound range. It is normal to go up a bit when eating more. Food and water fluctuations is the reason.

    You can always a little less to what MFP wants you to, it is not exact.
  • Calliope610
    Calliope610 Posts: 3,775 Member
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    If you were sodium free, and now you have added sodium back into your diet, the weight gain may be water weight as your body responds to the new sodium levels.
  • OdetteMaria
    OdetteMaria Posts: 6
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    Very interesting - thank you.

    So I shouldn't worry that in three days my weight has gone up by three pounds, as it will probably fluctuate. Now, if it continues to go up beyond 5+ lbs and I'm still at the 1580 level, what should I do then? Do I need to stay at 1200 calories for life even in maintenance mode? I was so hoping that "hard" work was over after those three weeks of being under 1200 daily and living without any carbs or dairy to drop that 15lbs.

    I've been reading everything I can about water weight and I still don't quite get how to combat it if I am eating salty foods. Can drinking tonnes of water help if you don't remove the salt?

    Thanks!
  • alyssabrown94
    alyssabrown94 Posts: 49
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    You said you weren't really eating carbs before when you were dieting. When you reintroduce the carbs, you retain a little more water than you would on a low carb diet. No worries!
  • ami5000psu
    ami5000psu Posts: 391 Member
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    You were eating a very restricted diet before for medical reasons. It's pretty typical that once you are allowed to eat a normal amount or normal foods again that you would regain some of the weight you lost. That can either be from water weight or because of other fluctuations.
  • mumtoonegirl
    mumtoonegirl Posts: 586 Member
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    If you were sodium free, and now you have added sodium back into your diet, the weight gain may be water weight as your body responds to the new sodium levels.

    this exactly
  • chandanista
    chandanista Posts: 986 Member
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    Drinking plenty of water definitely helps with water weight. Also are you working out at all? Muscles can retain water temporarily if you change up your fitness program. Mayo Clinic says to drink an extra 1.5-2.5 cups of water when you work out, even more if you go more than an hour.
  • nwg74
    nwg74 Posts: 360 Member
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    I haven't been past the +4 pounds so weight won't keep going up and up unless you are eating more than you think. Ideally I would like to lose another 5 pounds so I maintain at the lowest weight I have been. That atm is not happening but I know it will happen sometime.
  • erickirb
    erickirb Posts: 12,293 Member
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    You said you weren't really eating carbs before when you were dieting. When you reintroduce the carbs, you retain a little more water than you would on a low carb diet. No worries!

    This and higher sodium most likely.

    If your glycogen stores with depleted doing low carb then adding them back will increase glycogen stores and glycogen holds water. If your sodium increased by more than your potassium then that could also be the culprit. In other words, not all of your loss was fat, a lot was water, now that water is coming back.
  • OdetteMaria
    OdetteMaria Posts: 6
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    I haven't been working out at all for the past month - completely sedentary.

    The glycogen stores are interesting, as well. So is the key to eat more potassium than sodium each day, or am I simplifying it?

    I'm just so worried that all of the 15lbs will come back (water or fat) so am now worried about sitting at the 1580 and wondering if I must go back to 1200.

    Of the things I cut out during my diet, which would you all say is the "worst" in terms of putting on weight - sodium, dairy, salt, caffeine, or highly processed sugars?

    Thank you.
  • elvensnow
    elvensnow Posts: 154 Member
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    Well what you're saying is basically a lot of the reason that studies show those who do carb restricting diets don't keep the weight off if they go back to a normal diet.

    Unfortunately most people will gain it all back. Not saying that you will though. But not eating carbs does deplete glycogen stores. A lot of what you lose is water weight. And because it cuts out entire food groups, people who are on that diet don't learn how to balance a regular diet and so have trouble once carbs are reintroduced.

    Point is your calorie intake, IMO, is not really what's at play here. And I certainly don't advocate eating 1200 calories a day for the rest of your life.

    I think the best you can do is maybe start at 1200 a day (eating a regular diet with carbs) and slowly increase it each week (+100-200) until you feel comfortable and begin maintaining. And keep in mind that maintaining doesn't mean "exactly 125 lbs every day". People on maintenance can fluctuate within even as high as 10 lbs. Maintenance is just when the scale doesn't continuously creep up and up and up over months.

    Also keep in mind I am absolutely no expert, this is just what I would do if I were in your boat. And honestly I would be happy to gain the 15 lbs back and then lose it while eating carbs. And yes I'm bias because I tried low carb (Atkins) once. Lost about 15 lbs. Hated it so much (seriously how can a diet be good when the one thing you crave all the time is a freakin apple?). So I went off it. Inevitably gained it all back +more. Now lost weight the "right" way and am much happier for it.
  • OdetteMaria
    OdetteMaria Posts: 6
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    Thank you for your reply.

    I keep reading about "fluctuations" - other than water weight, what other fluctuations are there?

    And you mentioned the "right" way to lose weight - is that simply eating less calories than expending? Or do you mean removing all unhealthy foods?

    Thank you.

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