Trying to figure out the culprit

kimf79
kimf79 Posts: 59 Member
in Health and Weight Loss
Hi All,

I have noticed my pants that used to be big on me becoming a little snug. I have recently upped my daily intake to 1500 calories daily. I have calculated my TDEE at 1985. I work out 4-5 times per week burning about 400 calories each time. I am 5'2'' and last time I weighed about 115, but I fear it may be more since I'm noticing my pants are a little snug.

Do you think this could be a result of increasing my calories to 1500? Or would it more likely be some splurge nights I've had over time that have added up? I'm just trying to figure out the culprit here so I can get back on the right track!

Thanks!!!

Replies

  • JohnsonErinM
    JohnsonErinM Posts: 1
    I think it could be a combo. The increase in calories and the splurging. At the height and weight you are it would seem more appropriate to eat lower calories, around 1300 or so? Not sure but it couldn't hurt to double check that. :) hope you figure it out!! Good luck to you.
  • SLLRunner
    SLLRunner Posts: 12,942 Member
    Are you logging everything in? Measuring liquids and weighing solids? Making sure you're calorie for both food and exercise are accurate?

    If you are accurately logging everything, you can review your intake and exercise and see where you might be going wrong. However, if you need help in this area, you might want to open your diary up.

    Splurges can cancel out a calorie deficit if your splurge too often.

    Tighter clothes usually indicate weight gain, which means eating too much.
  • michellekicks
    michellekicks Posts: 3,624 Member
    I find I'm always eating just a bit more than I think...

    The cream and sugar in my coffee don't get measured; my chicken marinades don't get measured... stuff like that. Maybe there are little things in your diet you're not accurately measuring?
  • kimf79
    kimf79 Posts: 59 Member
    I think it could be a combo. The increase in calories and the splurging. At the height and weight you are it would seem more appropriate to eat lower calories, around 1300 or so? Not sure but it couldn't hurt to double check that. :) hope you figure it out!! Good luck to you.

    Yeah maybe. I did used to eat less calories, like 1200. I did that for awhile, like a year or more. I lost 20lbs. But now I work out pretty much 5 days a week so eating 1200 was kind of beginning to feel less manageable. Also when you eat 1200 even if you eat one wrong thing for the day, you can throw off the whole day. Its just like too tight of a rope for me. I thought with 1500 I would be losing but just at a slower rate? Ugh well so far that isn't happening. My total daily expenditure was calculated at 1,985, so eating 1500 should still be a deficit.

    Maybe it is the splurges I've allowed myself sometimes. I suppose that could be sneaking up on me, but it wasn't happening before. It seemed like I would pretty much be able to have once a week splurges without affecting my progress.
  • tryclyn
    tryclyn Posts: 2,414 Member
    This would be normal and should level off after a few weeks at the higher kcal count.

    More reassurance can be found here
    http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/521728-upping-cals-what-to-expect-why-you-need-patience
    And read the stickies here
    http://www.myfitnesspal.com/groups/home/10118-eat-train-progress
  • kimf79
    kimf79 Posts: 59 Member
    Are you logging everything in? Measuring liquids and weighing solids? Making sure you're calorie for both food and exercise are accurate?

    If you are accurately logging everything, you can review your intake and exercise and see where you might be going wrong. However, if you need help in this area, you might want to open your diary up.

    Splurges can cancel out a calorie deficit if your splurge too often.

    Tighter clothes usually indicate weight gain, which means eating too much.

    Yes, I think I log pretty accurately. But maybe yes it is my sometimes splurges (which I was totally getting away with before) that could be adding up on me. So frustrating. I worked so hard to take this weight off and I'm just not sure where exactly I'm going wrong. I can cut out my weekend splurges but I hope its not the 1500 calories daily. I thought this would be ok with the amount of working out I do.
  • kimf79
    kimf79 Posts: 59 Member
    I find I'm always eating just a bit more than I think...

    The cream and sugar in my coffee don't get measured; my chicken marinades don't get measured... stuff like that. Maybe there are little things in your diet you're not accurately measuring?

    This could be a small part of it. I think I'm logging pretty accurately, since I've been doing it for awhile. I feel like weighing and measuring has given me a pretty good eye to judge things when I am eating out too. But if anything I just need to watch out for those weekend nights sometimes where I just eat what I want and don't worry about it. I was getting away with it before and not gaining but something has changed...
  • kimf79
    kimf79 Posts: 59 Member
    This would be normal and should level off after a few weeks at the higher kcal count.

    More reassurance can be found here
    http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/521728-upping-cals-what-to-expect-why-you-need-patience
    And read the stickies here
    http://www.myfitnesspal.com/groups/home/10118-eat-train-progress

    Thank you! I totally read all of that first article and it makes sense to me. I am the low calorie eater, with binges. I don't really binge per say. But in the past when I was eating 1200 calories daily, I would end up feeling deprived and eat 2,000 ish on Friday or Saturday. So yeah I'm sure my body needs to get used to these new changes I am making. But I also have to take into account now that I am eating more, I need to cut out the weekend splurges. Maybe it all evened out before when I was eating bare minimum during the week, but now that I am feeding myself more than I need to watch out for overdoing it on the weekends.

    Thank you for these links. This was helpful. Also in your opinion, you don't think 1500 daily is too much, do you? I know I'm in that transition phase but I wonder if it is still higher than it should be? Any opinions on this are appreciated! :)
  • WalkingAlong
    WalkingAlong Posts: 4,926 Member
    Do you log the splurges? I wonder if with the splurges, you could be averaging over 1900, even at 1500/day? It's not that hard to blow a week's deficit out of the water in one night. If the splurges are really only 2000/day, you should be fine.
  • kimf79
    kimf79 Posts: 59 Member
    Do you log the splurges? I wonder if with the splurges, you could be averaging over 1900, even at 1500/day? It's not that hard to blow a week's deficit out of the water in one night. If the splurges are really only 2000/day, you should be fine.

    I do log my splurges. Actually they probably are more like 2200 range. A bad one would be 2400-2500 but this doesn't happen too often. But yes I have to watch out for this and be more careful. I think now that I'm eating more daily I have to cut this out for the most part.
  • blankney94
    blankney94 Posts: 95
    Are you eating back your calories from exercise? I try to eat at least half my exercise calories back again.

    I'm the same height as you, and I'm on 1,200 calories while trying to lose weight. I look forward to the days I exercise, as I get to have some pretty solid meals.

    My other thought, is has your body composition changed? By that, I mean your ratio of muscle to fat. You can easily get bigger while not actually gaining weight - fat weighs less than muscle.
  • Moon_Rose1977
    Moon_Rose1977 Posts: 3 Member
    My other thought, is has your body composition changed? By that, I mean your ratio of muscle to fat. You can easily get bigger while not actually gaining weight - fat weighs less than muscle.

    Seriously - a pound is a pound is a pound (or kg whichever) muscle takes up less space not less weight
  • kimf79
    kimf79 Posts: 59 Member
    Are you eating back your calories from exercise? I try to eat at least half my exercise calories back again.

    I'm the same height as you, and I'm on 1,200 calories while trying to lose weight. I look forward to the days I exercise, as I get to have some pretty solid meals.

    My other thought, is has your body composition changed? By that, I mean your ratio of muscle to fat. You can easily get bigger while not actually gaining weight - fat weighs less than muscle.

    I am not eating back exercise calories. I am just going for 1500 daily and not paying attention to my net number which is figuring in my workouts. I was doing that before though 1200 a day and on days I'd exercise I'd eat some workout calories back but maybe not all. I guess depends on the day. However after I've been dieting for a year plus, sticking within 1200 calories was becoming harder. I seemed to be going over often. Then feeling bad, beating myself up over it. So I decided time for a change and decided to try TDEE-20%. I want to still lose weight but just in a more reasonable, sustainable way.

    On the body comp, it is possible I've had a change. I have done more yoga lately and this could possibly be part of it. I remember awhile ago when I was doing Pilates I seemed to be looking slimmer but pants were fitting tighter. When I stopped within a few weeks the pants were fitting back to normal again!
  • unFATuated
    unFATuated Posts: 204 Member
    Did you go up gradually from the 1200 to 1500? Or just jump that 300 up suddenly. While 1500 would more than likely still be a deficit for you, if you've been eating very low calorie for a long time (you said you've been eating 1200 for a year or more) it can be a bit of a shock to the system, and add in those splurges and you might have gained a little because your body got very efficient at dealing with the low calorie intake, so it might be a little gain before you start losing again.

    I would try to make sure you're logging accurately still, and give it a bit more time. Weigh yourself if you need to and work out how much you've gained (if you have) and go from there.

    Where are you feeling the gain most?
  • blankney94
    blankney94 Posts: 95
    My other thought, is has your body composition changed? By that, I mean your ratio of muscle to fat. You can easily get bigger while not actually gaining weight - fat weighs less than muscle.

    Seriously - a pound is a pound is a pound (or kg whichever) muscle takes up less space not less weight


    Muscle IS actually heavier than fat - you might want to check your facts. Therefore your muscle / fat ratio can change, but your weight can stay the same. In simple terms, your body can get BIGGER without gaining weight.
  • blankney94
    blankney94 Posts: 95
    I'm thinking that Pilates would be worth a try again. Weight bearing exercise builds muscle, and as above, the greater ratio of muscle to fat you have, the better.
  • JesterMFP
    JesterMFP Posts: 3,596 Member
    My other thought, is has your body composition changed? By that, I mean your ratio of muscle to fat. You can easily get bigger while not actually gaining weight - fat weighs less than muscle.

    Seriously - a pound is a pound is a pound (or kg whichever) muscle takes up less space not less weight
    Seriously - a cubic cm is a cubic cm (and a cubic inch is a cubic inch), therefore muscle cannot possibly take up less space than fat.
  • suprzonic
    suprzonic Posts: 68 Member
    This would be normal and should level off after a few weeks at the higher kcal count.

    More reassurance can be found here
    http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/521728-upping-cals-what-to-expect-why-you-need-patience
    And read the stickies here
    http://www.myfitnesspal.com/groups/home/10118-eat-train-progress

    BUMP - thank you very much!
  • SLLRunner
    SLLRunner Posts: 12,942 Member
    My other thought, is has your body composition changed? By that, I mean your ratio of muscle to fat. You can easily get bigger while not actually gaining weight - fat weighs less than muscle.

    Seriously - a pound is a pound is a pound (or kg whichever) muscle takes up less space not less weight


    Muscle IS actually heavier than fat - you might want to check your facts. Therefore your muscle / fat ratio can change, but your weight can stay the same. In simple terms, your body can get BIGGER without gaining weight.

    No. A pound of fat weights just as much as a pound of muscle. The thing is that muscle takes up less space than fat because it's more compact.
  • diannethegeek
    diannethegeek Posts: 14,776 Member
    My other thought, is has your body composition changed? By that, I mean your ratio of muscle to fat. You can easily get bigger while not actually gaining weight - fat weighs less than muscle.

    Seriously - a pound is a pound is a pound (or kg whichever) muscle takes up less space not less weight


    Muscle IS actually heavier than fat - you might want to check your facts. Therefore your muscle / fat ratio can change, but your weight can stay the same. In simple terms, your body can get BIGGER without gaining weight.

    No. A pound of fat weights just as much as a pound of muscle. The thing is that muscle takes up less space than fat because it's more compact.

    No. A square inch of muscle takes up the same amount of space as a square inch of fat.

    Unless you meant to assume that all other variables are equal.

    In which case, the same volume of muscle still weighs more than the same volume of fat, all other variables being constant.
  • WalkingAlong
    WalkingAlong Posts: 4,926 Member
    A pound of muscle and a pound of fat walked into a bar...
  • kimf79
    kimf79 Posts: 59 Member
    Did you go up gradually from the 1200 to 1500? Or just jump that 300 up suddenly. While 1500 would more than likely still be a deficit for you, if you've been eating very low calorie for a long time (you said you've been eating 1200 for a year or more) it can be a bit of a shock to the system, and add in those splurges and you might have gained a little because your body got very efficient at dealing with the low calorie intake, so it might be a little gain before you start losing again.

    I would try to make sure you're logging accurately still, and give it a bit more time. Weigh yourself if you need to and work out how much you've gained (if you have) and go from there.

    Where are you feeling the gain most?

    Yes I went up to the 1500 suddenly. But to be honest for awhile now I had been having a hard time sticking to the 1200 so I had been eating somewhat more than that for awhile. Noticing that I just decided lets do the TDEE-20% method, because I was feeling like a failure going over my 1200 calories everyday - even though I know this is a low calorie daily intake. I figured let me just up my calories so I can start succeeding again.

    I feel like the possible weight gain is in the belly/waist, butt and thigh area.

    Yes I will keep trying to log accurately and do my best for myself to cut out the splurges.
  • kimf79
    kimf79 Posts: 59 Member
    I'm thinking that Pilates would be worth a try again. Weight bearing exercise builds muscle, and as above, the greater ratio of muscle to fat you have, the better.

    Yes makes sense. I might give that a go! thanks!
  • michellekicks
    michellekicks Posts: 3,624 Member
    If you've increased suddenly but still under maintenance, it's glycogen/water weight:
    http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/993576-why-you-gain-weight-if-you-eat-more-than-your-cut

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