eating under calories and exercising yet gaining weight

2

Replies

  • bethanytowell
    bethanytowell Posts: 256 Member
    If you have over 150 lbs to lose, you can probably ignore people who say "your eating too little". Honestly, you are probably eating too much. You are either not logging accuratley out of mistakes or out of denial. Science is science. Eat less calories than your body needs and you will lose weight. There is no magic to it. Eating more is what got you where you are to begin with. People who are fit, active, low body fat and doing intense workouts may fall in the needing to eat more category. Someone with over 150 lbs to lose, does not. Im not saying to starve yourself but 1500-1600 calories a day, calculated correctly and full of nutrient dense foods will keep your body fueled.

    Please dont take offense to my opinion, it is just that, an opinion. Im no one special, I have my ups and downs but only when I stopped blaming my body for my lack of weight loss and claiming to "watch what I eat" did I see the weight come off. I only WISH someone could have been so honest with me.

    Best of luck to you and I hope that you are able to succeed and even surpase your goals!
  • doublegrrr24
    doublegrrr24 Posts: 35
    Can you open up your diary?
    Do you eat back exercise calories? What are you using to estimate your burns (HRM or MFP)?

    Exercise is for fitness, diet is for weight loss. You can't out-exercise a bad diet (not saying you do - because I don't know yet)
  • Holly_Roman_Empire
    Holly_Roman_Empire Posts: 4,440 Member
    You also need to remember that muscle weighs more than fat.

    No no no. One pound of fat is the same as one pound of muscle. Muscle is just compacted densely.

    Also to add, it's highly unlikely the weight gain is due to muscle building. People do not gain muscle at the same rate or faster than fat loss.
  • graysmom2005
    graysmom2005 Posts: 1,882 Member
    http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/872212-you-re-probably-eating-more-than-you-think
    +1
  • jacksonpt
    jacksonpt Posts: 10,413 Member
    If you have over 150 lbs to lose, you can probably ignore people who say "your eating too little". Honestly, you are probably eating too much. You are either not logging accuratley out of mistakes or out of denial. Science is science. Eat less calories than your body needs and you will lose weight. There is no magic to it.

    agreed on all accounts.
  • fitOsaurus_Rex_we_changed
    fitOsaurus_Rex_we_changed Posts: 132
    maybe you need to readjust how much you eat to be lower so you still have a deficit

    ^^^Really?!? she just said that she eats UNDER her calories and you're telling her to eat less?

    how much under your calories are you eating? if you are not eating enough food to fuel your body and are working out too much you will not lose weight. also, how long has this "gain" been going on? And is it consistent or did you just gain weight this week and post that you're gaining even though you're at a deficit?

    chances are, if you just started out or just started a new workout program you are retaining water as your body adjusts to it. if you're eating less than youre burning and you're active you will lose weight. just give it time.
  • graysmom2005
    graysmom2005 Posts: 1,882 Member
    If you have over 150 lbs to lose, you can probably ignore people who say "your eating too little". Honestly, you are probably eating too much. You are either not logging accuratley out of mistakes or out of denial. Science is science. Eat less calories than your body needs and you will lose weight. There is no magic to it. Eating more is what got you where you are to begin with. People who are fit, active, low body fat and doing intense workouts may fall in the needing to eat more category. Someone with over 150 lbs to lose, does not. Im not saying to starve yourself but 1500-1600 calories a day, calculated correctly and full of nutrient dense foods will keep your body fueled.

    Please dont take offense to my opinion, it is just that, an opinion. Im no one special, I have my ups and downs but only when I stopped blaming my body for my lack of weight loss and claiming to "watch what I eat" did I see the weight come off. I only WISH someone could have been so honest with me.

    Best of luck to you and I hope that you are able to succeed and even surpase your goals!

    I <3 you. THIS ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
  • SailorKnightWing
    SailorKnightWing Posts: 875 Member
    Eating too little to fuel your body will slow weight loss, but will never stop it nor cause weight gain. Somewhere along the line people lumped these two concepts together and it's incorrect.
  • Semifredo
    Semifredo Posts: 63 Member
    " 11 reasons you are failling to lose fat" a great, great artciele : http://www.acaloriecounter.com/blog/why-am-i-not-losing-weight/

    I don't agree fully with what's written there but its worth reading.


    What I I agree with is that no matter what diet you follow ( low carb, low fat, moderate ) its all about your calories deficit. You have to create a deficit of 7000 kcal to burn 1 kg of fat(2.2 Ibs) .Then there are all those aspects like : eating small meals but often, drinking a lot of water, complex carbs instead of simple , eating a lot of vegetables but those can only make it happen a little faster. You won't burn fat drinking green tea or eating full grain pasta but by creating a deficit ( even if what you eat is only McDonalds and ice cream - that's not healthy, I know - just an example )
  • Mia_RagazzaTosta
    Mia_RagazzaTosta Posts: 4,885 Member
    maybe you need to readjust how much you eat to be lower so you still have a deficit

    ^^^Really?!? she just said that she eats UNDER her calories and you're telling her to eat less?

    how much under your calories are you eating? if you are not eating enough food to fuel your body and are working out too much you will not lose weight. also, how long has this "gain" been going on? And is it consistent or did you just gain weight this week and post that you're gaining even though you're at a deficit?

    chances are, if you just started out or just started a new workout program you are retaining water as your body adjusts to it. if you're eating less than youre burning and you're active you will lose weight. just give it time.

    Yes. Really.

    What she's saying and what's actually happening could be two very different things.
  • Holly_Roman_Empire
    Holly_Roman_Empire Posts: 4,440 Member
    " 11 reasons you are failling to lose fat" a great, great artciele : http://www.acaloriecounter.com/blog/why-am-i-not-losing-weight/

    I don't agree fully with what's written there but its worth reading.


    What I I agree with is that no matter what diet you follow ( low carb, low fat, moderate ) its all about your calories deficit. You have to create a deficit of 7000 kcal to burn 1 kg of fat(2.2 Ibs) .Then there are all those aspects like : eating small meals but often, drinking a lot of water, complex carbs instead of simple , eating a lot of vegetables but those can only make it happen a little faster. You won't burn fat drinking green tea or eating full grain pasta but by creating a deficit ( even if what you eat is only McDonalds and ice cream - that's not healthy, I know - just an example )

    But I love ice cream. :-D
  • LuLuChick78
    LuLuChick78 Posts: 439 Member
    All argument over "eat more vs eat less" is pointless until we have all the information...which we won't have until the OP opens her diary.
  • Holly_Roman_Empire
    Holly_Roman_Empire Posts: 4,440 Member
    All argument over "eat more vs eat less" is pointless until we have all the information...which we won't have until the OP opens her diary.

    All the discussion on her probably scared her away. I doubt she opens it up now, although I myself would like to see it.
  • RunHardBeStrong
    RunHardBeStrong Posts: 33,069 Member
    If you have over 150 lbs to lose, you can probably ignore people who say "your eating too little". Honestly, you are probably eating too much. You are either not logging accuratley out of mistakes or out of denial. Science is science. Eat less calories than your body needs and you will lose weight. There is no magic to it. Eating more is what got you where you are to begin with. People who are fit, active, low body fat and doing intense workouts may fall in the needing to eat more category. Someone with over 150 lbs to lose, does not. Im not saying to starve yourself but 1500-1600 calories a day, calculated correctly and full of nutrient dense foods will keep your body fueled.

    Please dont take offense to my opinion, it is just that, an opinion. Im no one special, I have my ups and downs but only when I stopped blaming my body for my lack of weight loss and claiming to "watch what I eat" did I see the weight come off. I only WISH someone could have been so honest with me.

    Best of luck to you and I hope that you are able to succeed and even surpase your goals!

    Exactly what I was going to say! Well said! I am usually in the "eat more camp" but it doesn't apply to all situations.
  • jeffpettis
    jeffpettis Posts: 865 Member
    Give it another week and if you are still gaining you need to reassess things. I didn't look at your diary but if you are gaining weight you are not in a deficit. Simple as that. Either your eating more than you think or ,if you log your exercise, you are not burning as much as you think. Either way, you are simply not in a deficit anymore.

    Hope that helps.
  • LuLuChick78
    LuLuChick78 Posts: 439 Member
    All argument over "eat more vs eat less" is pointless until we have all the information...which we won't have until the OP opens her diary.

    All the discussion on her probably scared her away. I doubt she opens it up now, although I myself would like to see it.

    I have a feeling she isn't logging and that is likely the reason she hasn't opened it up. That is just an assumption though. Before anyone goes and checks, my diary is empty so I am in no position to point fingers. HOWEVER, I am not actively trying to lose bf% right now as I am "bulking" - unlike the OP who ASKED for advice.
  • heybales
    heybales Posts: 18,842 Member
    Yes !!!! I have the same issue..under my calorie intake ..plus I go to bootcamp 3 to five times a week and NOTHING.....So I took my calorie intake down and decided not to us my extra calories from exercising..and see how that work for me..but its been 5 weeks and nothing. I already lose 21pd on my own...started fitness pal to get pass this plateau(;

    So a bigger deficit had no positive effect.

    You might consider much of the advice given and try less of a deficit.
  • jacksonpt
    jacksonpt Posts: 10,413 Member
    All argument over "eat more vs eat less" is pointless until we have all the information...which we won't have until the OP opens her diary.

    All the discussion on her probably scared her away. I doubt she opens it up now, although I myself would like to see it.

    I have a feeling she isn't logging and that is likely the reason she hasn't opened it up. That is just an assumption though. Before anyone goes and checks, my diary is empty so I am in no position to point fingers. HOWEVER, I am not actively trying to lose bf% right now as I am "bulking" - unlike the OP who ASKED for advice.

    That's certainly the case with most of these threads... OPs not logging regularly, if at all.
  • jeffpettis
    jeffpettis Posts: 865 Member
    You won't burn fat drinking green tea or eating full grain pasta but by creating a deficit ( even if what you eat is only McDonalds and ice cream - that's not healthy, I know - just an example )

    Why won't you burn fat drinking green tea and eating full grain pasta? :huh:
  • Janae0221
    Janae0221 Posts: 12 Member
    I just posted asking for help with the same exact problem! Hoping to get some tips to figure this out! Hang in there!
  • jacksonpt
    jacksonpt Posts: 10,413 Member
    I just posted asking for help with the same exact problem! Hoping to get some tips to figure this out! Hang in there!

    If you aren't losing weight, there are 2 possible reasons:

    1) you aren't in a deficit. This is the case for the vast majority of people
    2) you have some undiagnosed condition (i.e. diabetes) that changes the cal in/cal out conversation slightly.


    An honorable mention should go to unrealistic expectations - make sure your expectations (both what you expect and how quickly you expect it) are reasonable.

    .
  • edack72
    edack72 Posts: 173 Member
    Its because you are not eating enough calories , sounds crazy but it screws with your metabolism so eat your goal calories watch the sodium and don't eat back your exercise calories and you will see the scale go down
  • edack72
    edack72 Posts: 173 Member
    1. Make your diary public so we can see both your calories in/out and food choices.
    2. You should not be eating "well under" your calories.
    3. Keep drinking the water, do not stop because you think it is water retention.
    4. What are you doing for exercise on these 5 days per week?
    5. 2 weeks is a short time span....look at the bigger picture instead of focusing on small periods of time as they can be deceiving.


    Drinking water doesn't cause water retention it actually will flush it away
  • Semifredo
    Semifredo Posts: 63 Member
    There is a certain group of people who think that makijg healthy choices is enough. Drinking a lot of water/ green tea, eating vegetables etc is healthy but it won't make you slimmer if you exeed your daily kcal intake. That's why its important to weigh and log what you eat. Every single thing you put into your mouth ( at least at the beginning)
  • Holly_Roman_Empire
    Holly_Roman_Empire Posts: 4,440 Member
    Its because you are not eating enough calories , sounds crazy but it screws with your metabolism so eat your goal calories watch the sodium and don't eat back your exercise calories and you will see the scale go down

    No.
  • Semifredo
    Semifredo Posts: 63 Member
    " Now, if the amount of calories being consumed is consistently greater than the amount of calories being burned, we gain weight. This is known as a caloric surplus, and it forces the body to store these left over calories in some form for later use. That form is most often body fat.

    The good news however is that the opposite of this scenario has the opposite result. Meaning, if the amount of calories being consumed is consistently less than the amount of calories being burned, we lose weight.

    What I’ve just described is the scientifically proven and always true energy balance equation commonly summed up as Calories In vs Calories Out.

    And yes, I know you’ve probably heard otherwise. I get that you’ve probably seen some person claim that the key to weight loss is everything from carbs, to fat, to avoiding certain food groups, to eating 6 small meals per day, to not eating after a certain time at night, to only eating healthy “clean” foods, and on and on and on.


    Truth is, the key to weight loss (and weight gain) is and always will be calories.

    So while a lot of this other stuff definitely matters in terms of overall health and still definitely plays an important role in helping you improve your body, it’s always a distant second to calories when it comes to weight loss or a lack thereof."
  • Francl27
    Francl27 Posts: 26,371 Member
    If you have over 150 lbs to lose, you can probably ignore people who say "your eating too little". Honestly, you are probably eating too much. You are either not logging accuratley out of mistakes or out of denial. Science is science. Eat less calories than your body needs and you will lose weight. There is no magic to it. Eating more is what got you where you are to begin with. People who are fit, active, low body fat and doing intense workouts may fall in the needing to eat more category. Someone with over 150 lbs to lose, does not. Im not saying to starve yourself but 1500-1600 calories a day, calculated correctly and full of nutrient dense foods will keep your body fueled.

    Please dont take offense to my opinion, it is just that, an opinion. Im no one special, I have my ups and downs but only when I stopped blaming my body for my lack of weight loss and claiming to "watch what I eat" did I see the weight come off. I only WISH someone could have been so honest with me.

    Best of luck to you and I hope that you are able to succeed and even surpase your goals!

    This.
  • LuLuChick78
    LuLuChick78 Posts: 439 Member
    1. Make your diary public so we can see both your calories in/out and food choices.
    2. You should not be eating "well under" your calories.
    3. Keep drinking the water, do not stop because you think it is water retention.
    4. What are you doing for exercise on these 5 days per week?
    5. 2 weeks is a short time span....look at the bigger picture instead of focusing on small periods of time as they can be deceiving.


    Drinking water doesn't cause water retention it actually will flush it away

    I think you read what I wrote in the wrong context....or I wrote it in a way that wasn't clear. What I should have written was...
    3. Keep drinking the water, do not stop becuase you think it is "water retention". Drinking more water will help you retain less fluid actually.
  • eissacf25
    eissacf25 Posts: 151 Member
    Your body can most certainly get burnt out with out dying.... don't need to be rude about it.
  • morning_joy
    morning_joy Posts: 1,064 Member
    I had this same problem for some time. I work out six days a week, ate low calories and still gained weight or at least didn't lose any. Turns out, I was eating too low of calories. I had to start eating about 800 more calories than I had been allowing myself and low and behold...the weight has finally started to come off. The other thing I do is that I set fitness goals instead of weight loss goals. Those I can control. Good Luck.

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