am i eating too little?

ralevin
ralevin Posts: 131 Member
edited September 22 in Health and Weight Loss
Hi Everyone,
I had a very rapid weight loss my first few days on MFP (9 pounds in 3 days), but since changing my diet a few days ago to what I thought would be good for my goals, I've actually gained a pound or two in the last two days. I'm supposed to be eating 1,760 calories a day (for two pounds of weight loss per week), and I'm within 100 calories of that (either way) each day, and am doing 45 minutes on an elliptical trainer every day. (No weight training yet, so I wouldn't think that I'm gaining muscle).
Any chance I'm eating too little? Should I be eating more or less of something?
I've made my diary public if that helps people to answer me.
Thanks!
Ryan
PS. I know that my weight fluctuates daily, and that - since it's been less than a week - I've still had a pretty good weight loss, but the sudden stop (and gain) frightened me. I expected the rapid weight loss to last a little bit longer (maybe a week and a half), then slow down. Not screech to a grinding halt less than a week in.
Thanks

Replies

  • sweetseraph7
    sweetseraph7 Posts: 91
    I am wondering that myself I've lost 12 lbs in 5 days!
  • erickirb
    erickirb Posts: 12,294 Member
    The caloric intake sounds reasonable. Are you eating back your exercise calories on top the the 1760, if not you may want to eat at least half of them. If you only eat 1760 and burn 400 cals in exercise it is as if you only ate 1360 (1760-400)

    so yesterday you ate 1670ish and burned 815 so it would be as if you only ate 855 and did not exercise, not enough! Your Net calories should never be below 1500 on the day, so yesterday you should have eaten at least 2315 assuming your calories burned are accurate. Are you using an HRM or are you going by the machine?
  • life1979_24
    life1979_24 Posts: 147 Member
    just call it beginners luck. i lose a lot fast then plateau for weeks. just keep doing what you are doing but if it keeps falling off in a month you might want to eat more.
  • beethedreamer
    beethedreamer Posts: 465 Member
    a small weight gain can sometimes be caused by too much sodium. Sodium is definitely a good thing to track in your food diary. If you do consume too much sodium, you can drink lots of water to try and flush it out if possible. Other than that, it may just may be a minor fluctuation as you said.
  • ralevin
    ralevin Posts: 131 Member
    The caloric intake sounds reasonable. Are you eating back your exercise calories on top the the 1760, if not you may want to eat at least half of them. If you only eat 1760 and burn 400 cals in exercise it is as if you only ate 1360 (1760-400)
    I haven't been... MFP estimates (based on my weight, I'm guessing) that 45 minutes on the elliptical burns 829 calories. Seemed a little far fetched to me. But no, I haven't been eating back those calories.
  • colleen722
    colleen722 Posts: 2 Member
    I think everyone's weight fluctuates. You might want to consider weighing only once or twice per week. For me, a big sodium intake can definately result in a gain the next!
  • NatalieWinning
    NatalieWinning Posts: 999 Member
    You can generate exercise report, progress report, and calories logged. The Ipod app has a "weekly" function that will show how many net under or over you are, which is nice. I've noticed when I am doing heavy exercise I don't loose so much. It's overall good, and inches lost, but weight doesn't budge. It could be that used muscles retain some water while recouperating, and muscle weights more, plus inches and weight don't always go down together, you might have lost inches. Don't forget that the first weight might be all that bloat from unhealthy eating, too! So slowing down is to be expected. Especially as you go you will have plateaus. Keep going. Keep logging. Keep trying. It's all good in the end result.
  • Goal_Seeker_1988
    Goal_Seeker_1988 Posts: 1,619 Member
    Nah, your weight will flucorate especially when you are just startin out. Give yourself sometime to let your body adjust. Your diary looks pretty clean. I'd recommend goin cheeseless. That's just my opion. LOL. Start your weight training boy! You can drop weight by doin weight training. Then after you lose the fat you will gain muscle weight.
  • aegina122
    aegina122 Posts: 1
    I have lost 12 lbs in 4 weeks it is starting to show more now in inches of off my body more than weight loss I can not explain why but yes eat more when you exercise, you stop loosing weight your body is a stove if you do not put wood in it, it will not burn does this make sense.....
  • erickirb
    erickirb Posts: 12,294 Member
    The caloric intake sounds reasonable. Are you eating back your exercise calories on top the the 1760, if not you may want to eat at least half of them. If you only eat 1760 and burn 400 cals in exercise it is as if you only ate 1360 (1760-400)
    I haven't been... MFP estimates (based on my weight, I'm guessing) that 45 minutes on the elliptical burns 829 calories. Seemed a little far fetched to me. But no, I haven't been eating back those calories.

    so yesterday you ate 1670ish and burned 815 so it would be as if you only ate 855 and did not exercise, not enough! Your Net calories should never be below 1500 on the day, so yesterday you should have eaten at least 2315 assuming your calories burned are accurate. since you are going by MFP number I would eat half of those calories.
  • NatalieWinning
    NatalieWinning Posts: 999 Member
    Stress, water, salt, carbs, and lots of other things factor in, too. The daily weight isn't as important as the overal slope.
  • ralevin
    ralevin Posts: 131 Member
    Nah, your weight will flucorate especially when you are just startin out. Give yourself sometime to let your body adjust. Your diary looks pretty clean. I'd recommend goin cheeseless. That's just my opion. LOL. Start your weight training boy! You can drop weight by doin weight training. Then after you lose the fat you will gain muscle weight.
    Interesting - why cheeseless?
  • blumuse
    blumuse Posts: 52 Member
    The first initial rapid weight loss is often water. It's fun but you shouldn't expect it as the norm. My personal trainer told me that if you're new to diet and exercising, to expect your body to kind of freak out for two weeks and then get a little more stable on the third week. Glancing at your food diary - are you eating your excercise calories? It doesnt look like it. It's a hotly debated topic on here - but again, my trainer advises that your NET calories should be your goal. Say for example - your daily calorie allowance is 1500 - that's without doing anything extra. If you exercise hard, and burn 500 calories more and you only eat 1500, your intake is actually 1000 calories and that's too low. You should actually EAT 500 calories more to make your total caloric intake 1500 (1500 - the 500 you burned exercising + 500 extra you eat = 1500). Also, it doesnt look like you have a problem with sodium, but be aware that high levels of sodium can increase your weight 2-3lbs over the course of 3 days. It'll eventually drop off (cause its just excess water) but often times a sodium gain freaks people out.
  • rabbit45
    rabbit45 Posts: 36
    The caloric intake sounds reasonable. Are you eating back your exercise calories on top the the 1760, if not you may want to eat at least half of them. If you only eat 1760 and burn 400 cals in exercise it is as if you only ate 1360 (1760-400)
    I haven't been... MFP estimates (based on my weight, I'm guessing) that 45 minutes on the elliptical burns 829 calories. Seemed a little far fetched to me. But no, I haven't been eating back those calories.

    Yah, don't trust those darn calculations. The machine typically said that I burned about 600 calories for an hour (with my weight and age entered) when I wasn't really elevating my heart rate all that much, but once I got a heart rate monitor the same effort for an hour burned only about 300 calories. BIG disappointment.
  • ralevin
    ralevin Posts: 131 Member

    Yah, don't trust those darn calculations. The machine typically said that I burned about 600 calories for an hour (with my weight and age entered) when I wasn't really elevating my heart rate all that much, but once I got a heart rate monitor the same effort for an hour burned only about 300 calories. BIG disappointment.
    I'm glad you said something about that. I have an HRM, but it doesn't have a calories burned feature. Is there a way to figure that out so I can get a more accurate calories burned count?

    And thank you to everyone for all of the help and advice!
  • LuckyLeprechaun
    LuckyLeprechaun Posts: 6,296 Member
    a small weight gain can sometimes be caused by too much sodium. Sodium is definitely a good thing to track in your food diary. If you do consume too much sodium, you can drink lots of water to try and flush it out if possible. Other than that, it may just may be a minor fluctuation as you said.

    this!

    It does drop fast in the beginning, and then it starts it's slower, more gradual rate. This is why it is often recommended for you to weigh only once a week. (I know, I couldn't do that either. ) If you can retrain your mind not to see an uptick as a bad thing, but as a sign of a normal body, you can prevent freaking over it. Your hydration levels can have a major impact on the scale, as can the amount of food on its way through your digestive system at any moment.

    Take measurements and pictures now! You'll be glad you did later when you become an "after" :bigsmile: :bigsmile:
  • Echoshill
    Echoshill Posts: 42 Member
    Are you within 100 cals including the applicable deduction for cardio?

    In general , it is not unusual for a rapid initial loss and small +/- fluctuations . This has to do with a whole lot of factors, that would require a lot more detail and time than what we have here, so we will keep it simple.

    The majority of initial weight loss comes from water and that can last weeks, and in some cases, months. Now, do not limit yourself to thinking "water weight" only in terms of sweat because it is more complicated than that. Yes, perspiration is part of it, but not the part that has anything to do with long term changes.

    Your best bet is to start doing some reading to help you gain some understanding in to the physiology of weight loss. This article http://www.justinowings.com/b/index.php/me/understanding-bodyweight-and-glycogen-de is a really good start. Remember, the difference between working out and training is knowing what the hell you are doing.

    Also, 12 pounds in 5 days would concern me a bit. Please make sure you are hydrating at lest one once of water for every minute of cardio activity. (Assuming you are 65% of MHR or more). Hugely important.
  • ralevin
    ralevin Posts: 131 Member
    I think I'm doing okay with the hydration. I have a 24 ounce cup at work that I fill up (with water) 3 or 4 times a day. When working out I have a large-ish bottle (don't know how many ounces exactly, but I'd guess around 24) that I fill up when I start, and if my wife is home while I'm working out, she'll refill it for me (I generally won't get off the elliptical to refill it unless I really feel that I need it).
  • rabbit45
    rabbit45 Posts: 36

    Yah, don't trust those darn calculations. The machine typically said that I burned about 600 calories for an hour (with my weight and age entered) when I wasn't really elevating my heart rate all that much, but once I got a heart rate monitor the same effort for an hour burned only about 300 calories. BIG disappointment.
    I'm glad you said something about that. I have an HRM, but it doesn't have a calories burned feature. Is there a way to figure that out so I can get a more accurate calories burned count?

    And thank you to everyone for all of the help and advice!

    Not sure about that... maybe someone else has an idea?
  • KayakDeb
    KayakDeb Posts: 19
    Another thought: if you have drastically altered your food intake and exercise level - your body can think you've gone into a "famine"....LOL!! At that point, it sort of shuts down - it's like it's hanging onto every calorie it can? The best way to convince it that you are NOT starving is to feed it quality foods in sensible amounts - preferably high-fiber stuff to keep everything moving along.
  • fullboost
    fullboost Posts: 53 Member
    I haven't read every reply to this, so sorry if someones already said the same as me.
    Don't worry about the daily ups and downs and also remember if you're quite overweight, weight will fall off quicker at the beginning. It doesn't sound like you're eating very much, i'd recommend eating more otherwise when you've shifted a fair bit of weight you'll have no choice but to excercise more and cut down your calories even more to avoid stalling.
    I'd also recommend throwing in some weight training, it's often overlooked when dieting as people just think they may as well do cardio as it burns more calories, but don't forget if you're in a deficit your body is going to use whatever it can for fuel - that includes muscle. Throw in some weight lifting and boost the protein a bit would be my advice!
  • HealthyChanges2010
    HealthyChanges2010 Posts: 5,831 Member
    The caloric intake sounds reasonable. Are you eating back your exercise calories on top the the 1760, if not you may want to eat at least half of them. If you only eat 1760 and burn 400 cals in exercise it is as if you only ate 1360 (1760-400)
    I haven't been... MFP estimates (based on my weight, I'm guessing) that 45 minutes on the elliptical burns 829 calories. Seemed a little far fetched to me. But no, I haven't been eating back those calories.

    so yesterday you ate 1670ish and burned 815 so it would be as if you only ate 855 and did not exercise, not enough! Your Net calories should never be below 1500 on the day, so yesterday you should have eaten at least 2315 assuming your calories burned are accurate. since you are going by MFP number I would eat half of those calories.

    erickirb ~~~> Absolutely the best and most accurate response on the entire thread!

    Eat more to lose, (healthy cals of course). We need to refuel our bodies to keep them running properly after working out :drinker:

    Go cheese-less? That's one persons thoughts...lots of us enjoy cheese and continue losing weight just fine, some say give up bread or milk or whatever they toss out there but others eat that particular food and lose weight just fine. Everything in moderation of course!

    I'd say try out erickirb's method before dumping the cheese!:laugh: :tongue:

    Cheers:drinker:
  • amehrkens
    amehrkens Posts: 162 Member
    The caloric intake sounds reasonable. Are you eating back your exercise calories on top the the 1760, if not you may want to eat at least half of them. If you only eat 1760 and burn 400 cals in exercise it is as if you only ate 1360 (1760-400)
    I haven't been... MFP estimates (based on my weight, I'm guessing) that 45 minutes on the elliptical burns 829 calories. Seemed a little far fetched to me. But no, I haven't been eating back those calories.
    My personal trainer at the gym told me that the machines are actually pretty accurate on your calorie burn if you enter in your age and weight. When I go to the gym I make a mental note of what the elliptical said I burned in caloires and when I enter in my exercise on MFP they are very similar.
  • heathersmilez
    heathersmilez Posts: 2,579 Member
    My personal trainer at the gym told me that the machines are actually pretty accurate on your calorie burn if you enter in your age and weight. When I go to the gym I make a mental note of what the elliptical said I burned in caloires and when I enter in my exercise on MFP they are very similar.

    Depends on the machine.

    55 minutes on the eliptical (5 of those are cool-down) for me 5'8 138lbs =

    My HRM: 450
    MFP: 523
    Lifestyle NEW machine (touch screen): 480
    Lifestyle OLDER machine: 680
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