Well... I'm back..and frustrated.

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MrsCJ1
MrsCJ1 Posts: 77
edited February 6 in Social Groups
Well... let's just say that I ventured on the EM2WL journey awhile back. I didn't get the "quick fix" I was looking for at that point. I know thats not the point. Out of frustration I majorly restricted calories again and did the INSANITY program. I lost the weight I wanted at the beginning and stopped losing during the 2nd month of insanity... probably not eating enough.

Well guess what, I have been since upping my calories slowly. Lifting weighs 3-4 times per week. I am now eating around 1700-1800 per day and I put on a pair of pants that were snug this summer that I can no longer pull up past my thighs :sad: . Very discouraging. I'm right back to where I started. Took my measurements... right back to where I started. I am SICK of working out SO HARD and eating "healthier" and less than everyone around me and I'm still getting bigger! I just cannot seem to get to the size I want and I'm tired of living restricted. I don't want to go to bed hungry and I'm sick of cutting out carbs. I just don't even know what to do anymore. I know I need to repair my metabolism. I used the heybales spreadsheet to calculate my needs. My TDEE is is 2177 and my cut is 1711.

I'm 5'9", somewhere around 155 I'm sure (since I was down to 145 this summer... don't own a scale). I know I'm at a healthy weight but I want to get FIT again. I NEED HELP. I need encouragement I guess... I think I need to do a reset but I'm so afraid of gaining more weight it's sickening. I am gaining weight at what is supposed to be my "cut". That's so crazy to me.

Just needed to vent... someone on this forum will understand more than anyone else I could talk to. :cry:

Replies

  • lauren3101
    lauren3101 Posts: 1,853 Member
    How long have you been eating at a higher calorie amount? It is quite normal to gain weight after eating too little.

    You shouldn't have to go to bed hungry or cut out carbs to lose weight, and if it really is your fitness you are worried about and not your weight, then you are doing it right; lifting and eating at a small deficit (or maintenance) is what you need to do.
  • MrsCJ1
    MrsCJ1 Posts: 77
    I have been increasing my calories by about 100 per day for the last 4-5 weeks. I am up to around 1800 as of now. I don't own a scale so I don't know how much "weight" in general I have gained but I know that I definitely have gained some. :/ I am hoping my body will level out soon and I will stop gaining fat. I am trying to focus on fitness but I would like to be able to fit back into my favorite pants eventually too.
  • heybales
    heybales Posts: 18,842 Member
    So you've settled in your mind from experience then, that going lower and working out more did not actually have long term beneficial effects, right?

    So Insanity is almost total carb burn workout. "intervals reversed" - which isn't really possible, it just means you work right at your anaerobic threshold or above burning almost total carbs.

    Well, guess what the body's response is when you burn carbs and run out?
    Attempt to store more right. Guess what carbs store with?
    1 gram carbs store with 2.7 grams water.

    Include in this the response of body to deliver more oxygen for that almost anaerobic effort, that means more blood volume, more water there too.

    As soon as you started eating, body was relieved and piled in the glucose and water, which of course takes up more space.
    That's why fat is so efficient in space, doesn't require water to store.

    But that water weight is all LBM, and increased metabolism.
    Unless you are under-eating.

    So that's a big part of what did happen already.

    Your potential TDEE is based on your guess of activity level. If you gain eating it over more than quick water weight gain, and metabolism increasing while eating over real TDEE, then you guessed wrong.

    That potential TDEE is also based on BMR. Was that best Katch BMR using bodyfat%, or other BMR using age, weight, height, and you have more fat than everage?
    So you did do the BF measurements in the spreadsheet?

    Honest with activity level? Like daily activity.

    I'll recommend an updated spreadsheet too, the activity calc is weight based now, which indeed correctly an issue of over-estimated when close to goal weight.
    Might see how the numbers change.

    With only 10 lbs to lose, you also have small margin for error since your deficit amount should be less.

    You weigh all the food that goes in your mouth, except liquids which are measured?

    When was your last exercise break for a week, nothing but walking?
    When was your last diet break, eating around TDEE for a week?

    If your metabolism was suppressed while you were increasing calories, indeed at some point you may have been eating over your real TDEE, until metabolism increased, for a little bit.
    Your body doesn't know the extra food means it can speed it, from it's experience the craziness may continue, so store more fat in case it starts up again basically.
  • night_watcher
    night_watcher Posts: 825 Member
    Heybales thats a great response there :) thank you a million times, these are the things that i have always wondered eating my low cal diet :) anyways m doing a reset and have already gained 6 lbs over 2 weeks, yesterday i felt like giving up but now i think i should stick to it and do a 8-12 weeks reset :)

    To the original poster now, okay i have been trying to lose weight since last year's August, first 4 kgs dropped in two months but after that its like im always juggling between few weights, 87,88,89. So i decided to do a reset, i am in two weeks now and have already gained everything I had lost in the last whole year eating my maintenance calories. Am I freaked out? Hell yes! I want to desperately go back to my cutting. But reading through the forums i have realized that i'll be back here after few months again. We all want to get rid of this extra weight permanently, dont we? So I guess We need to stick to it :)

    Good luck!!


    So you've settled in your mind from experience then, that going lower and working out more did not actually have long term beneficial effects, right?

    So Insanity is almost total carb burn workout. "intervals reversed" - which isn't really possible, it just means you work right at your anaerobic threshold or above burning almost total carbs.

    Well, guess what the body's response is when you burn carbs and run out?
    Attempt to store more right. Guess what carbs store with?
    1 gram carbs store with 2.7 grams water.

    Include in this the response of body to deliver more oxygen for that almost anaerobic effort, that means more blood volume, more water there too.

    As soon as you started eating, body was relieved and piled in the glucose and water, which of course takes up more space.
    That's why fat is so efficient in space, doesn't require water to store.

    But that water weight is all LBM, and increased metabolism.
    Unless you are under-eating.

    So that's a big part of what did happen already.

    Your potential TDEE is based on your guess of activity level. If you gain eating it over more than quick water weight gain, and metabolism increasing while eating over real TDEE, then you guessed wrong.

    That potential TDEE is also based on BMR. Was that best Katch BMR using bodyfat%, or other BMR using age, weight, height, and you have more fat than everage?
    So you did do the BF measurements in the spreadsheet?

    Honest with activity level? Like daily activity.

    I'll recommend an updated spreadsheet too, the activity calc is weight based now, which indeed correctly an issue of over-estimated when close to goal weight.
    Might see how the numbers change.

    With only 10 lbs to lose, you also have small margin for error since your deficit amount should be less.

    You weigh all the food that goes in your mouth, except liquids which are measured?

    When was your last exercise break for a week, nothing but walking?
    When was your last diet break, eating around TDEE for a week?

    If your metabolism was suppressed while you were increasing calories, indeed at some point you may have been eating over your real TDEE, until metabolism increased, for a little bit.
    Your body doesn't know the extra food means it can speed it, from it's experience the craziness may continue, so store more fat in case it starts up again basically.
  • jbnl1991
    jbnl1991 Posts: 149
    I think we are all drawn to the "quick fix" because we want to see dramatic and immediate results. Your quick fix of low calories and crazy cardio did not work if you cannot maintain that for the long term. I tried to eat more earlier this year, but could not lose even though I was eating less than TDEE. I thought I was special and could skip the reset. Life events gave me an August and September that were extremely stressful and I decided to reset during that time period. I knew I would not lose anything with all of the stress I was under at work.

    I am now in my 4th week of cut. I have lost 4 pounds (some water). I am glad that I gave my body what it needed to heal. I am trying to focus on my long term goals of building muscle and being healthy. When I need support I read topics in this group or the EM2WL website. I avoid the forum topics "Lose 20 pounds by ____________ Who is in?"

    I guess I just want to reassure you that you are not alone. Reset is hard emotionally. We have done it and gained and we understand. Don't give up - you are worth it.
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