Eating well, excercising, but gaining weight?!

Options
Jess814
Jess814 Posts: 18
in Food and Nutrition
I'm eating well and excercising 5 times a week. I eat around 950 calories a day because I never have the biggest appetite besides around dinner or on the weekends. I'm at a loss here! I've gained back almost all my weight and I don't wanna add that extra pound back onto my little Weight Loss Ticker because then it will make me sad! Anyone know why this is happening?

Replies

  • smuehlbauer
    smuehlbauer Posts: 1,041 Member
    Options
    My guess - I'm not a doctor - would be that you aren't eating enough.
    You should not eat any less than 1200 calories. And with working out you should eat some of the exercise calories.
    If you don't - your body will think that you are starving. It will hold onto all the fat it can.
    Do a search on starvation mode, it will explain more. Or you can also read the newbie posts that are there for all the new people to read that explains why 1200 calories as a min.
    Good luck.
    Steph:flowerforyou:
  • Aeriel
    Aeriel Posts: 864 Member
    Options
    You need to eat more to lose....as strange as it sounds....minimum 1200 calories a day. Your body thinks it needs to hold onto calories instead of losing, and the days you do eat over 1200, it just hoards the calories. This is why studies show morbidly obese people that eat 400-500 calories a day still continue to gain weight. I stopped losing, increased my calories by 250 per day and started losing again.
  • Harris_C
    Harris_C Posts: 51 Member
    Options
    Is it time for your period? I lost 13 pounds in my first week, and have gained a net of 2-3 pounds in the past week. I have never owned a scale and didn't know that I gained weight before/during my period. I'm told that it will all even out afterwards. Here's to hoping!
  • sallyLunn
    sallyLunn Posts: 381
    Options
    See the problem is that you aren't carrying around any extra weight as it is so loosing any more will be SLOW. You do need to eat more. Eat healthy. Maybe take a multivitamin because I am pretty sure you aren't getting the nutrients you need at 950 calories a day. Drink lots of water. One hundred and twenty pound is pretty far down there. I'm 5'7". I'm also 45 so things are a little different. I guess just make sure that you drink lots of water and realize that its going to be difficult for you to loose more than a pound ever other week.

    Be careful, kiddo. Don't hurt yourself in your quest to be super thin.
  • Rynatat
    Rynatat Posts: 807 Member
    Options
    You have to EAT!!! Also, drink water to keep hydrated. Also remember that muscle weighs more than fat: sometimes you may seem to gain on the scale when you're actually losing. Try measuring yourself, it makes a difference. Also, are you doing the same exercise routines? I mix mine up (T'ai Chi, Yoga, Strength, Cardio, etc.) and when I first started I barely lost anything. Now, almost a year later, I've lost 20 lbs and I look thinner than I actually weigh: I fit into clothes that were tight when I was 5-10lbs thinner than I am now.
    Keep working at it: re-evaluate your food choices & figure out how to up your calories and EAT your exercise calories!! Also, log your food, drinks & any gum you chew: some of those may be adding empty calories (also, for some, like me, artificial sweeteners actually make me gain weight!)
  • warmachinejt
    warmachinejt Posts: 2,167 Member
    Options
    At less than 1k calories you're damaging your body. I think anything less than 1500 is bad for you.
  • fitniknik
    fitniknik Posts: 713 Member
    Options
    I would be skin and bones if I was 135lbs (im 5'7")

    DONT LET SOMEONE CONVINCE YOU THAT YOU SHOULD BE SKIN AND BONES!!!

    Your body probably knows that it shouldn't be much less than you already are!

    Healthy weight means not being over weight, but it also means not being under weight either...
    think about it
  • Jess814
    Jess814 Posts: 18
    Options
    Yeah, I am gonna try and eat more, I've been trying! I just get full sooo easily that it's kinda ridiculous. I've been trying to cut out little things like, white bread for whole grain. It could be my time of the month. But, it's been kind of unpredictable lately. I'll start eating a bit more and let'cha know how this works out? (:

    Thanks, guys! <3
  • KeepOnMoving
    KeepOnMoving Posts: 383 Member
    Options
    The scales definitely don't tell the whole story. Muscle does weigh more than fat. If you monitor your tape measurement like you do the scales you might be surprise. Also what type of food are you eating might have an effect. Also how close are you to your idea weight? The closer you get, to your idea low weight, the harder it is too loose. If you workout a lot, you will need more calories to burn calories. The biggest question is "how do you feel?" Are you energized or tired most of the time?
  • Michelle_J
    Michelle_J Posts: 362 Member
    Options
    thank you. that was informative =]
  • st27
    st27 Posts: 101
    Options
    You might need to add good snacks into your program so your body does not think it is starving.Eat more foods so your body can loss weight.
  • KeepOnMoving
    KeepOnMoving Posts: 383 Member
    Options
    One more share....when I was 19 years old, my college roommate was a runner and very slender. I wasn't. I started counting calories and jogged about 15 minutes and worked up to 30 minutes a day. I never did several miles like she did. My calories were anywhere from 1300 to 1900. I even counted fruits and vegetables as 0 calories. My roommate was still running but ate pizza as a snack in the evening and gained the "freshman 15." Then she tried to loose weight by doing Slim Fast and going on a 800 calorie diet by eating celery and carrot sticks with crackers. But she actually gained more weight! I lost a total of 15 lbs in 3-4 months. My waist I think was 26. I hope to do the same now but I am older with a slower metabolism. I also have more stress and temptations than ever!
  • chris2991
    chris2991 Posts: 32
    Options
    I would say you need to eat more, you bodies storing fat because it thinks you not getting enough so its building reserves. I’m not a professional but that’s what it sounds like to me.
  • HidyleDidyle
    HidyleDidyle Posts: 147
    Options
    Your period might be unpredictable because of the weight thing too. Good for you for trying to increase your calories. A tablespoon of peanut butter on a whole wheat piece of bread might be the thing you need!
  • khollyk
    khollyk Posts: 150 Member
    Options
    To mimic waht HidyleDidyle said, eat some more calorie dense foods. On days that I exercise a lot and feel like there's no way I'm going to come close to my calorie goal, I'll eat a hearty dinner and then a little while later eat a piece of whole wheat bread with 2 Tbsp natural peanut butter and a tsp of honey. It's delicious and very calorie dense, bringing me much closer to where I need to be without me feeling like I'm stuffing myself!
  • jimmydeanbakker
    jimmydeanbakker Posts: 333
    Options
    You need 1200 calories a day, and you should buy a food scale.

Categories