Weight Gain While Sticking to 1350-1400 Calories per day!

sn4k3y
sn4k3y Posts: 41 Member
in Health and Weight Loss
Ok, this may have been answered before. MFP says to lose 2lbs per week, which i chose because i weigh 269lbs at the moment. I cannot eat that much but i do eat between 1350-1400 and exercise off about 300 calories per day. Not much but due to back problems just now i cant do much more. Now i know i shouldn't weigh myself everyday which i don't normally do now but i have for the past 2 days. Yesterday i had gained 2lbs, this morning i have gained another 1lb! I know sometimes it can be water but 2 days in a row? Or is my body trying to tell me something.

Thanks
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Replies

  • astroophys
    astroophys Posts: 175 Member
    It's just water. When you weigh yourself, you are weighing not only your lean body mass and your fat, but also the amount of water that is in your body at that moment in time.

    The amount of water your body holds at any given point in time is not constant. Due to various influences (sodium levels, activity levels, how much water you actually drink, outside temperature, etc), this amount will vary.

    3500 calories to a pound. You have not eaten an excess of 10,500 calories in the past three days. Unless you are lying about eating between 1350-1400 calories per day for the past three days.

    Eating less than your body burns works. It just does. So, relax, continue eating the recommended amount, keep your body moving, and relax.
  • TavistockToad
    TavistockToad Posts: 35,719 Member
    its a normal fluctuation... stop weighing yourself every day and drink more water!
  • Kalikel
    Kalikel Posts: 9,603 Member
    There is no "Don't weigh yourself daily!" rule. If you want to weigh ten times a day or ner weigh at all, that's what you should do.

    But if you weigh daily, get used to it going up and down for no identifiable reason. Though, sodium will always take you up, as will a monthly visitor for women.

    Don't sweat the dailies unless you're going up a lot or every single day. Watch the trends over a month or two. If the line doesn't go down overall, make adjustments. :)
  • oarngesi
    oarngesi Posts: 73 Member
    I can't explain it but i gain about 3lbs a week then drop 5lbs. I weigh my self daily but only part attention to wednsday morning first thing in the morning
  • sn4k3y
    sn4k3y Posts: 41 Member
    Hey Guys, thanks for the replies. Astroophys, not lying, that is what i am eating per day. I probably should stop weighing everyday but very tempting, but off putting at the same time .. I did presume its water but gaining 2 days in a row was starting to worry me a wee bit ..

    Thanks
  • ChrisJMellor
    ChrisJMellor Posts: 29
    Weight goes up and down and it's easy to vary a few pounds every day - it's all fluid and poop.

    So - as mentioned previously - don't sweat it - it will work out because eating below your BMR works - plain and simple. That said...

    You don't mention how tall you are or what your BMR is. The reason I say this is that 1350 - 1400 is quiet low. Is this is nutritionist/dietitian advised/supervised plan? If so - fine - if not - then you may want to consider upping the calories a little as you could be starving your body and forcing it to retain what it can.

    Only other thing to add is that is you track your food - then track it as closely as you can at this calorie range - the reason is you need to make sure about keeping your nutrients balanced (as well as sufficient). Tracking stuff closely will help you determine this and also if you have any deficiencies.
  • astroophys
    astroophys Posts: 175 Member
    Hey Guys, thanks for the replies. Astroophys, not lying, that is what i am eating per day. I probably should stop weighing everyday but very tempting, but off putting at the same time .. I did presume its water but gaining 2 days in a row was starting to worry me a wee bit ..

    Thanks

    I figured you weren't lying lol. It takes a lot to overeat by 10,500 calories in 3 days!
  • sn4k3y
    sn4k3y Posts: 41 Member
    Hi Chris,

    I am 6'0" and my BMR is 2,363. I try to track as close as i can with MFP, including calories even as small as a can of diet coke which is <1.

    Thanks
  • kcdambuster
    kcdambuster Posts: 217 Member
    I weigh every day.
    I would not want to diet for a week and then find I have put on weight.
    If I go up on any given day, I will analyse my food and exercise for the previous day to ensure I have input accurately.
    If it is accurate it will probably affect my behavior for the next day, without doing anything too drastic. The trend over a few days is much more important.
    I weigh last thing at night and first thing in the morning. I know that generally I will be about 2lbs lighter in the morning than the previous night.
    That is just me, and what works for me.
    :drinker:
  • Sued0nim
    Sued0nim Posts: 17,456 Member
    You are 6ft and 269lbs and you are only eating 1400 cals a day ..that's ridiculously low and simply can't be what MFP says

    For reference I'm 5'8 female,185lbs and lose at 1400 net, eating back 3-500 exercise calories a day my overall intake is about 1700-1900
  • psych101
    psych101 Posts: 1,842 Member
    Hun, I mean this in the nicest possible way, but please do some research into the correct calorie amount. You're a 6 foot tall man who weighs 269lbs - 1300-1400 calories is so low.

    For reference, I'm a 32 year old female, 5'9 and lose weight on 1850 calories.
  • shalisa7
    shalisa7 Posts: 56 Member
    I think you are seriously under eating and your body is hanging on to every calorie just to function. You need to reset your details and get a more realistic goal amount. May seem like you are to be eating more but your body needs it so it can work off the excess x
  • shalisa7
    shalisa7 Posts: 56 Member
    Just entered your details and you should be on 2010 cals a day.
  • skinnyinnotime
    skinnyinnotime Posts: 4,078 Member
    Hi Chris,

    I am 6'0" and my BMR is 2,363. I try to track as close as i can with MFP, including calories even as small as a can of diet coke which is <1.

    Thanks

    Your BMR or TDEE...sounds quite high to be BMR. You shouldn't eat below your BMR as this is the minimum your body requires to function.
  • ssbobbyh
    ssbobbyh Posts: 19 Member
    Weight goes up and down and it's easy to vary a few pounds every day - it's all fluid and poop.

    Pretty much this. I only worry after 3 days.
  • sn4k3y
    sn4k3y Posts: 41 Member
    hmmm, i have entered my details into MFP and it states 1680 per day which i seriously cant get to that amount.
  • Liftng4Lis
    Liftng4Lis Posts: 15,151 Member
    Its water and poop. Also, your calories are too low. I'm 5'3.5" and MY calories are 1600 a day, I am a WOMAN!
  • sn4k3y
    sn4k3y Posts: 41 Member
    s**t !! i just recalculated my calories and noticed my exercise was sitting at sedentary, in that case i am allowed 1680 per day but i am burning a few hundred and said i am entitled to 2010 per day ... Shalisa you are correct and to everyone else sorry for confusion. now included my exercise and entitles to 2010 ... defo not eating enough. sorry & thanks to all ... just a wee mistake :)

    Paul
  • Sued0nim
    Sued0nim Posts: 17,456 Member
    s**t !! i just recalculated my calories and noticed my exercise was sitting at sedentary, in that case i am allowed 1680 per day but i am burning a few hundred and said i am entitled to 2010 per day ... Shalisa you are correct and to everyone else sorry for confusion. now included my exercise and entitles to 2010 ... defo not eating enough. sorry & thanks to all ... just a wee mistake :)

    Paul

    It's a learning curve and we all do it :)
  • Chunkhotep
    Chunkhotep Posts: 16 Member
    I'm 6'3' and was 237 when I started this, so close to same as you. I've been aiming for about 2000 / day and have been losing about 1 lb/week pretty consistently at those numbers. Glad to see you recalculated. Good luck!
  • VeryKatie
    VeryKatie Posts: 5,961 Member
    It's poop! (Or water or whatnot)

    Try just weighing yourself once a week. Do it first thing in the morning after you go to the bathroom so that it's consistent.
  • sweetpea03b
    sweetpea03b Posts: 1,123 Member
    Don't stress... it'll drop back down. If you've been working out a lot or had a high sodium intake the last couple days, you'll see that. Usually I'll see gains around Thur-Sat then by the following Wed I'll have a loss. Not sure why it works out that way but it does. You can usually also tell when your body seems more "squishy" than normal that you're hanging onto some body water. Weighing in daily is the devil!! (I do it too... but I don't really worry about it until the official weigh in day).
  • Phildog47
    Phildog47 Posts: 255 Member
    Do you measure your food and log accurately? Weigh everything in grams using a food scale. You may think you had a cup of something when you may have had THREE... been there, done that. :grumble:
  • mareacuda
    mareacuda Posts: 26 Member
    I feel ya! While I am a girl, we have identical stats. I am 6' tall and 269lbs.

    I also tend to weigh daily and get annoyed as **** when I I gain! Everyone is right, it will go away! Last week I tried to only weigh myself once. I was SO excited to see a loss, and when I got on the scale after a week I was only down .4 lbs. It was disheartening. I am just sticking with it and feeling confident that I am making good choices and will see the payoff soon.

    Good luck!
  • psych101
    psych101 Posts: 1,842 Member
    s**t !! i just recalculated my calories and noticed my exercise was sitting at sedentary, in that case i am allowed 1680 per day but i am burning a few hundred and said i am entitled to 2010 per day ... Shalisa you are correct and to everyone else sorry for confusion. now included my exercise and entitles to 2010 ... defo not eating enough. sorry & thanks to all ... just a wee mistake :)

    Paul

    Good job dude! All the best
  • Ohhim
    Ohhim Posts: 1,142 Member
    Heck - I'll see my weight drop by 4-5lb from an hour or two of outdoor running or cycling in the summer... long term trends are the way to go. Takes a while, but you'll start seeing them.
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  • ChrisJMellor
    ChrisJMellor Posts: 29
    Hi Chris,

    I am 6'0" and my BMR is 2,363. I try to track as close as i can with MFP, including calories even as small as a can of diet coke which is <1.

    Thanks

    Your BMR or TDEE...sounds quite high to be BMR. You shouldn't eat below your BMR as this is the minimum your body requires to function.

    Hmmm...

    I thought your BMR is basically a number which is the amount of calories to maintain the status quo i.e. no gain/no loss. If you eat below this than you are creating a deficit. This deficit is filled in by your body utilising it's stored fat. By introducing this deficit - your body uses your fat and you loose weight.

    This works well until you go below a certain percentage (varied per individual but lets say it's around 35% to 40%). At which point your body stops this behaviour and goes into starvation mode and weight loss stops.

    If you go even lower for a prolonged period of time, your body then starts eating it's self.

    So - what this means is if you have a BMR of 2100 calories (say average for average height male) and you eat 1500 calories a day, you will have a deficit of 600 calories. This will work out at 600 * 7 = 4200 calories deficit a week. This equates to around a pound in weight loss. It takes a little time to start the process and once started, having a bad day every now and again (maybe once a week?) won't hurt.

    Hence my wondering if the OP isn't eating enough - and this could well be the issue if you look at height etc.

    Thoughts?
  • SLLRunner
    SLLRunner Posts: 12,942 Member
    Hi Chris,

    I am 6'0" and my BMR is 2,363. I try to track as close as i can with MFP, including calories even as small as a can of diet coke which is <1.

    Thanks

    Your BMR or TDEE...sounds quite high to be BMR. You shouldn't eat below your BMR as this is the minimum your body requires to function.

    Hmmm...

    I thought your BMR is basically a number which is the amount of calories to maintain the status quo i.e. no gain/no loss. If you eat below this than you are creating a deficit. This deficit is filled in by your body utilising it's stored fat. By introducing this deficit - your body uses your fat and you loose weight.

    This works well until you go below a certain percentage (varied per individual but lets say it's around 35% to 40%). At which point your body stops this behaviour and goes into starvation mode and weight loss stops.

    If you go even lower for a prolonged period of time, your body then starts eating it's self.

    So - what this means is if you have a BMR of 2100 calories (say average for average height male) and you eat 1500 calories a day, you will have a deficit of 600 calories. This will work out at 600 * 7 = 4200 calories deficit a week. This equates to around a pound in weight loss. It takes a little time to start the process and once started, having a bad day every now and again (maybe once a week?) won't hurt.

    Hence my wondering if the OP isn't eating enough - and this could well be the issue if you look at height etc.

    Thoughts?
    Your BMR is the least amount of calories it takes to sustain you if you were in a coma.

    Your TDEE is the most amount of calories you can eat to not gain weight.

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