Started eating around maintenance, sudden gain.

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snick95
snick95 Posts: 1
in Health and Weight Loss
So from about last Thursday I started maintenance. I'm 5'3", weighed 106 pounds and previously was eating anywhere from 1200 to 1500 calories a day, working out 5x a week, with 30 min to 1 hour of cardio all 5 days and 2 of those days also did strength (so I'd say I'm moderately active). When I calculate my maintenance number on different sites, it seems to vary from 1800 to 2050, so I've been eating between that number for the last 5 days.
The strange thing is the scale has gone UP. Like crazy. I usually weigh my self in the morning, and so last wednesday it was 106. On saturday, in the afternoon, I stepped on the scale in the supermarket and it said I was 107. Perfectly reasonable. Monday I did a weigh in, and was 108, pre-food, and this morning was 110. I know it's highly impossible for me to eat 7000-14000 calories over maintenance in 5 days, especially if I'm eating around 2000 calories a day and exercising 4-5 hours a week. At most I should see a 1 lb change, if any.
So am I really eating too crazily above, or has this happened to other people when they started maintenance? I was eating a low amount of calories for a long time, so it my metabolism slower now? I know this might be silly, but I eat A LOT of fruit and vegetables (like 2 apples, 1 orange, a lot of carrots, a whole bag of steamed veggies and a tomato on top of other food), so could some of it be extra food in my body just making me weigh more?
Thoughts?

Replies

  • viglet
    viglet Posts: 299 Member
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    I'm not at maintenance level yet but from what I have read, you kind of have to ease yourself into it.

    It seems as though you made a big jump in calories over a few weeks and your body just wasnt used to it. I would have started by adding an extra 100 cals a week until you were ready for the full amount.
  • Acg67
    Acg67 Posts: 12,142 Member
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    The strange thing is the scale has gone UP. Like crazy. I usually weigh my self in the morning, and so last wednesday it was 106. On saturday, in the afternoon, I stepped on the scale in the supermarket and it said I was 107. Perfectly reasonable. Monday I did a weigh in, and was 108, pre-food, and this morning was 110. I know it's highly impossible for me to eat 7000-14000 calories over maintenance in 5 days, especially if I'm eating around 2000 calories a day and exercising 4-5 hours a week. At most I should see a 1 lb change, if any.

    If you know the bolded, why are you worrying and why are you weighing everyday?
  • caramammal
    caramammal Posts: 147 Member
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    I made a decision last year to put on weight as i was too obsessed/skinny and putting on weight is not as easy as you think.

    The first few weeks i thought i had gained 10lbs, but this was water and my body getting used to the shift from calorie deficit into calorie overload. Turms out that month i only actally gained 1.5lbs....i could not believe it.

    So my point is this, ease into it gently by increasing calories by only 100-200 for the first week, and then 200-300 for the 2nd week etc until you see your weightloss stop.

    Good luck.
  • cmeiron
    cmeiron Posts: 1,599 Member
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    Ease into it slowly. Also, a 5-ish lb gain is not uncommon when you go on maintenance, from what I understand; when you come out of a deficit you're replenishing glycogen stores.
  • 55in13
    55in13 Posts: 1,091 Member
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    Ease into it slowly. Also, a 5-ish lb gain is not uncommon when you go on maintenance, from what I understand; when you come out of a deficit you're replenishing glycogen stores.
    'zactly that.

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