Why am I gaining?

Hi, I've succesfully lost weight before, but want to do it the right way this time, I don't mind slow losses (I do, but I know they healthy) However, I object to gains while on a deficeit. Does anybody fancy looking at my diary, and recommending anything? Gain in small, but annoying, and throwing my motivation. I'm a vegetarian, but eat eggs and dairy. Thanks

Replies

  • peggy1209
    peggy1209 Posts: 84 Member
    your calories look too low to me - several days in a row you didnt hit 1200, which is the minimum
  • herblackwings39
    herblackwings39 Posts: 3,930 Member
    You might try eating to your calorie goal and the majority of your exercise calories. There was at least one day recently that you only logged 587 calories. Give your body the fuel it needs and see if that makes a difference.
  • AmyRhubarb
    AmyRhubarb Posts: 6,890 Member
    Several hundred calories below goal every day is NOT doing it right. Goal means GOAL - something you are aiming for, and going back several days in your diary, you are missing it by a long shot.

    Food is fuel, eat too little for too long and you're giving your body a reason to store fat, not burn it.

    Eat your calories - that means eating back exercise cals, especially when you're set at 1200 a day. Drink plenty of water, exercise, get good rest, repeat.
  • ladynocturne
    ladynocturne Posts: 865 Member
    Looks like you started logging on the 5th of July. So it has been about 10 days.

    Since you started logging you have yet to meet your calorie goal, all those calories are meant to be eaten to lose weight, MFP gives you that number because it already has a deficit built into it.

    So please eat all your calorie goals, including the ones you earn by exercising, it's very important.

    Your net should = 1310 and
    your Calories Remaining should = 0
  • Bekahmardis
    Bekahmardis Posts: 602 Member
    Pretty much what everyone else said. Your body is storing the fat, not using it, so you're seeing a gain rather than a loss. Eat more to help your body stay on track and it will stop betraying you, your metabolism will reset and you'll start to lose.
  • smwooley
    smwooley Posts: 133 Member
    I agree with the previous posters - try eating more. Also, you don't have your protein available to look at. Protein should be your primary concern with nutrition. Aim for 30% of your total calories to come from protein. Good luck!
  • dailytammy
    dailytammy Posts: 49 Member
    I have to agree you need to meet your 1200 goal at the min....in addition I noticed your carbs are very high now I don't wanna be bashed for this but some people can't handle the high carbs. I know for me I try to stay 30-60 carbs a day which has helped a lot. just saying but you def need to meet the calorie goal
  • _namaste_
    _namaste_ Posts: 246
    You're starving yourself, slowing down your metabolism and not eating enough to even run your systems basic functions (let alone enough to fuel workouts and daily activity). Your body won't lose because it's holding onto what it has for dear life since you're not feeding it anywhere near enough. MEET your calories goal (it already has a deficit built in), net over 1200 (at the very least) every single day for a few weeks and watch the weight start to drop off. The bonus is - you get to eat more and lose more.
  • Fatlorenzo
    Fatlorenzo Posts: 101 Member
    Ok, Thank you for the info, It can be very difficult to eat all of em back without eating the wrong things, I never had any problem eating 2000+ to get to this size, just afraid of going too high.. Thanks
  • AmyRhubarb
    AmyRhubarb Posts: 6,890 Member
    I eat 1800-2000 calories a day and have no issues reaching those numbers! :smile:

    Add calorie dense foods to your day - nuts, nut butters, avocado, cheese, use olive & coconut oils in cooking and dressings - small amounts of these healthy foods pack good cals in, getting you closer to goal without having to stuff your face or eat junk.
  • Fatlorenzo
    Fatlorenzo Posts: 101 Member
    I will add some more healthy fats, when I visited a dietician, way back when I was a young teen, she advised me to stick to 1200, and didn't mention eating back my exercise, just to move for as long as possible during the day, go for walk/run etc. I would love to build a strong body, and I'm trying to strip the first layer of fat off first
  • beckerkra
    beckerkra Posts: 80 Member
    Hi, I've succesfully lost weight before, but want to do it the right way this time, I don't mind slow losses (I do, but I know they healthy) However, I object to gains while on a deficeit. Does anybody fancy looking at my diary, and recommending anything? Gain in small, but annoying, and throwing my motivation. I'm a vegetarian, but eat eggs and dairy. Thanks

    Granted, I'm not perfect and still many days lower than I should be in calories, but one thing that really helped me to more accurately figure out how many calories I should be eating per day was this thread right here to find your TDEE and BMR. http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/654536-in-place-of-a-road-map-2-0-revised-7-2-12 It's a really really good guide. Also my doctor and dietician really helped me refine it even further to what I should be eating for calories every day, and now I'm losing weight quickly again..
  • AmyRhubarb
    AmyRhubarb Posts: 6,890 Member
    Hi, I've succesfully lost weight before, but want to do it the right way this time, I don't mind slow losses (I do, but I know they healthy) However, I object to gains while on a deficeit. Does anybody fancy looking at my diary, and recommending anything? Gain in small, but annoying, and throwing my motivation. I'm a vegetarian, but eat eggs and dairy. Thanks

    Granted, I'm not perfect and still many days lower than I should be in calories, but one thing that really helped me to more accurately figure out how many calories I should be eating per day was this thread right here to find your TDEE and BMR. http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/654536-in-place-of-a-road-map-2-0-revised-7-2-12 It's a really really good guide. Also my doctor and dietician really helped me refine it even further to what I should be eating for calories every day, and now I'm losing weight quickly again..
    That is a great topic, and the method I follow as well, but there's a newer updated version of it here: http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/974888-in-place-of-a-road-map-2k13 :smile:
  • beckerkra
    beckerkra Posts: 80 Member
    Hi, I've succesfully lost weight before, but want to do it the right way this time, I don't mind slow losses (I do, but I know they healthy) However, I object to gains while on a deficeit. Does anybody fancy looking at my diary, and recommending anything? Gain in small, but annoying, and throwing my motivation. I'm a vegetarian, but eat eggs and dairy. Thanks

    Granted, I'm not perfect and still many days lower than I should be in calories, but one thing that really helped me to more accurately figure out how many calories I should be eating per day was this thread right here to find your TDEE and BMR. http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/654536-in-place-of-a-road-map-2-0-revised-7-2-12 It's a really really good guide. Also my doctor and dietician really helped me refine it even further to what I should be eating for calories every day, and now I'm losing weight quickly again..
    That is a great topic, and the method I follow as well, but there's a newer updated version of it here: http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/974888-in-place-of-a-road-map-2k13 :smile:

    SWEET!! Thank you!! Adding that as a bookmark right now hehe!
  • Fatlorenzo
    Fatlorenzo Posts: 101 Member
    Correct me If I'm dumb, but eating all the calories that your body burns, and then the exercise, where's the deficit? Just gotten confused with so many different sites giving me different BMR numbers! I don't know whether to eat more than 1200 or not!
  • ashowers36
    ashowers36 Posts: 83 Member
    MFP already calculates a deficit in your calories. Take a look at your fitness profile. It should have something on there about how many calories you need to just survive ( I think mine said like 1567 or something like that). Then it created a deficit for me by setting my Dailey/Net calories at 1200 (the net calories are your food calories, mine is 1200, subtract your exercise calories). If you create too much of a calorie deficit (if I go too far below the 1200 intake) your (my) body will go into starvation mode and it will actually stop losing as it is trying to preserve what you(I) take in so it can keep you (me)alive. That is why it is important to eat back the calories you exercise as much as you can get close to the Net calorie goal that MFP has set for you. If you are still a few calories under that goal no biggie but I would say 100 calories or more under that Net is probably not a good thing.
  • smwooley
    smwooley Posts: 133 Member
    I will add some more healthy fats, when I visited a dietician, way back when I was a young teen, she advised me to stick to 1200, and didn't mention eating back my exercise, just to move for as long as possible during the day, go for walk/run etc. I would love to build a strong body, and I'm trying to strip the first layer of fat off first

    You said you want to strip the first layer of fat off first....are you lifting weights? When you strip off that layer of fat, you want a nice shape underneath, so I would highly recommend lifting weights. Also, in order for you to build muscle, you HAVE to eat more than 1200 calories. The muscle will help your metabolism, so do not be afraid to eat more.
  • Fatlorenzo
    Fatlorenzo Posts: 101 Member
    I lift heavy **** at work, I will be getting myself a set of cast iron weights for my flat, to work first on my arms, then I will progress to get a bench and some long bars :)
  • mmouse90
    mmouse90 Posts: 83
    I was having the same issue and the problem was not enough calorie intake, high carbs and low protein. Once I reduced carbs (not alot), added more protein and keep my calories around 1300 I finally started losing weight. Never go below 1200 this is when your body goes into starvation mode and you wont lose weight that way.