Eating 1700-1800 for maintanence and gaining? :(

I must be missing something...just re-set my goals and MFP is still only giving me 1410 calories. Is it age/height/weight possibly?

a combination of all of them...including activity level.

but 1410 is without exercise...if you exercise and don't eat the calories back you will lose weight.

This is why a lot of us use TDEE...no guessing on burns.

1,700-1,800 is not a lot for maintaining...actually it's nothing for maintaining. I'm cutting right now eating 1,500 calories loosing +1lb per week, thinking about going up to 1,750. My maintenance is 2,000-2,100. I'm female, 25 years old, 5'6" and 150 lbs.

I ran what information I have of you: 21 years old, female, 131 lbs (guessing the extra two is water weight), I entered an average height of 5'6" which I know may not be correct, exercise two days a week and I get the following numbers for maintenance....listing multiple options because I don't know exactly how physical your job is considered.

1.) Exercise 2 days a week and job considered NOT physical = 1,651

2.) Exercise 2 days a week and job considered LIGHTLY physical {OR} Exercise 3 days a week and job considered NOT physical = 1,926

3.) Exercise 2 days a week and job considered MODERATELY physical {OR} Exercise 4 days a week and job considered NOT physical = 2,064

4.) Exercise 2 days a week and job considered VERY physical {OR} Exercise 5 days a week and job considered NOT physical = 2,202

Honestly, I think you're job would be considered lightly physical. Definitely more physical than my job sitting in front of a computer screen all day but not as physical as a mover, stockboy, farmer, etc. So you're probably looking at #2 with maintenance calories around 1,926. I'm betting the first two pounds was just water weight. When I bumped from 1,200-1,500 (still in a deficit) I gained 4 lbs of water weight that didn't go back to normal for a week so by midweek it still looked like an extra 2 lbs.

I love biology so here is what happens, your body goes "hey we are losing our fat stores, what happens if there is a famine, we need our fat stores" When women get pregnant they put on 7 pounds for the same reason, of course it would be more appropriate for mid-evil times since I doubt KFC is closing, but our body does what it does. I'm not sure if riding it out until you body accepts your new "set point" your current weight, changing what you are eating or pushing it further to lose more by dropping more calories is the correct answer for you. Less calories may make you more hungry. Reading the other comments joining an exercise group or gym and increase your calories requirement may be best of all. I do know at your age if you get into good physical condition it will benefit you forever. Muscle burns calories and getting calcium into your bones before 30 is much easier and done through impact activities. Addendum: muscle is heavier than fat which freaks some women out, measure yourself. A tones 130 will look way better than untoned 125.

Best of Luck

That's a lot of calories. I weigh over 200 right now, and if I were maintaining, I would need to eat less than your calorie limit. A friend of mine is a personal trainer and went from 180 to 136. Her maintenance calories are about 1300 and she works out several hours per day. Sadly, once we've been big, we will usually need fewer calories to maintain a lower weight than someone who has been at that lower weight and never been big.

Wut? I lose on that amount. In fact I lost gakf a pound last week while average just over 2000 calories a day (and that's with workout calories factored in. I actually ate between 2200-2300 a day)

Even on days I literally do nothing I get 1550 to maintain on.

1700 for a woman who works out is not a lot

I could eat 2K/day without doing anything. You need to give yourself some time to adjust to the calorie increase.

OP, you need a maintenance range not a number. My range is 125-129. If I hit 130, I think I might be overdoing the food.

There are days where my husband fasts and the next day his weight is higher. Weight changes don't always have to make sense which is why you need a range that you feel comfortable in without getting upset about it.

I weigh 130 and walk every day and straight train and I can not eat that many calories

All these replies from people telling the OP that either she's eating too many calories or not enough are HILARIOUS. Did anyone bother asking the OP her height?? That will play a big role...At 5 feet tall and 110 pounds, my maintenance calories are 1420.... that's not a lot, so I also workout daily.

OP, as others have said, a 2 pound gain isn't a big deal. If it keeps happening, then either eat less or increase your exercise. It could just be your body leveling out.

1700-1800 seems like a lot of calories unless you are excercising every day.
On those days that I do not exercise I am only allowed 1350.
This is only after I got to maintenance mode when I hit my desired weight. Before that it was 1200.
Now, on the days I exercise, I still am only allowed 1500-1700 depending on what exercises I am doing that day.
It might be a good idea to look/set your goals on MFP if you haven't already.

Best to you on the journey.

1700-1800 is most certainly not a lot for someone in maintenance. That is what a female of 130Ibs or so is set to maintain on, when set to sedentary, as an example. It does not take much activity to bring a person's base calorie allowance, without exercise, up to around 1800-1900.

To the OP, a little gain happens to most once they go into maintenance from weight loss mode. There is even a post here somewhere about it. It is just glycogen and water, most likely and really, weight will fluctuate around a bit anyway, so it is best to have a range you consider to be maintenance, not a set number.

Ditto. I'm doing 1700 now and have maintained for over half a year. OP, your weight will fluctuate a little but a couple pounds here and there is nothing to be concerned about. I have a range of about 2 pounds that my weight stays within, and I wouldn't be concerned unless I went up 4 pounds and stayed there. You did say you're 21, and around that age my metabolism slowed down from its adolescent rate so your body could still be changing.

maintenance numbers are based on height and weight. and age. when i get to goal I'll be allowed about 1500 calories to maintain lightly active.

I must be missing something...just re-set my goals and MFP is still only giving me 1410 calories. Is it age/height/weight possibly?

Age definitely plays a very large factor, and I mean that in the most respectful way possible. It looks like you're more than twice the OP's age so that would definitely lead to a discrepancy in the values MFP spits out.

All these replies from people telling the OP that either she's eating too many calories or not enough are HILARIOUS. Did anyone bother asking the OP her height?? That will play a big role...At 5 feet tall and 110 pounds, my maintenance calories are 1420.... that's not a lot, so I also workout daily.

OP, as others have said, a 2 pound gain isn't a big deal. If it keeps happening, then either eat less or increase your exercise. It could just be your body leveling out.

I'm not sure anyone told her she's not eating enough. I think you've confused '1700 is not a lot of food' with 'you need to eat more'.

I think it's implied. But that really wasn't my point... which you obviously missed. Not my problem.

Oddly enough I'm also of the opinion that you've missed a point or two.

Fancy that. :ohwell: