Gaining weight at 1500 calories..

Clover40
Clover40 Posts: 5
edited November 7 in Goal: Maintaining Weight
I'm sorry, I know i haven't even introduced myself. I just need some help/advice right now because I don't know what to think anymore..

I started dieting about 6 months ago and back then I was 142 pounds 5'7". At first, I didn't know a thing about dieting properly (still don't) and I signed up at a gym and worked out nearly every day while eating only 1200 calories. Of course, a few weeks later I got very sick and couldn't work out anymore for a whole month. I even had to start eating a little more.

Then, I started back at 1200 without going to the gym. About 2 months later, I bought a stationary bike because I felt that I wasn't losing weight as fast anymore (of course....). Eventually, slowly, I got down to 112. I still ate 1200 calories a day (I always ate back the calories from exercising) but there has been weeks where I ate 1300-1400 on some days. Those were my cheat days... I know it doesn't count, but to me it was a big difference.

And then... about a week and a half ago, I thought I should up my calories to 1500 since that is STILL below my "maintenance" level... It felt nice for once, to eat more and think I would be fine.... Of course it didn't work out that way. I can't tell exactly how much I've gained because I can't weight myself at home, i usually do it when I visit the doctor on a monthly appointment. But I know it's a lot. I am a lot fatter everywhere, I have fat rolls I didn't have anymore, some of my bones don't show anymore (I wasn't that skinny, really) and my stomach is a lot bigger. I even have some of my "muffin" top back... Seriously what the hell ? 1500 is not that much at all. I drink plenty of water and don't eat very salty so i doubt its water weight...

I dont know what to do. It seems like my body slowed down so much over the months that now 1200 is my MAINTENANCE LEVEL.... I really don't wanna have to eat less than that to lose back what I just gained... What should I do? Keep eating 1500 until my body stabilizes? Will that ever happen? I'm seriously thinking of fasting 24 hours two days a week until I lose this again........ What should I do? Please, anything will help at this point :(
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Replies

  • djc315
    djc315 Posts: 585 Member
    I would recommend slowly adding more food to your daily goal. Your body isn't used to eating a healthy amount so it WILL freak out but, that will level out. When will it? I don't know, every body is different. But it is good you realize 1200 a day isn't a healthy amount for you to be consuming every day for the rest of your life.

    Don't do fasting for 24 hour, that will only hurt your metabolism more at this point.
  • SherryTeach
    SherryTeach Posts: 2,836 Member
    It's hard to say what's going on since you don't even know how much you currently weight. But I will say that dropping 30 pounds in six months at your size is certainly not a slow weight loss.
  • LaurenAOK
    LaurenAOK Posts: 2,475 Member
    Obviously it's hard to say without knowing more about you, but from your post you sound like you could have an issue with disordered eating, or at the very least body image issues.

    112 is underweight for your height, and you seem pleased that you got there. You complain that your bones aren't sticking out - that's a major red flag. Also, it's physically impossible for you to have gained much weight in a week and a half... like it would have to be a couple pounds at most. If a couple of pounds is making you feel like your stomach is huge and you have fat rolls, you must have some sort of body dysmorphia, because there's physically no way you've gotten as big as you think you have.

    It is possible that you slowed your metabolism down by under eating and over exercising, so that might be why you've temporarily "gained" at 1500. In the long run, I think 1500-2000 would be a good weight loss number for you. My advice is to slowly keep increasing calories and try not to freak out about the temporary gain.

    However, as I stated above, I'm a little concerned about your mental health and your relationship with food/exercise based on your original post. MFP might not be the healthiest place for you right now. Calorie counting can really mess some people up mentally. If you need help, I really hope you get it. Just remember to focus on health - being "skinny" and having bones stick out is not a healthy goal.

    Good luck.
  • kajai29
    kajai29 Posts: 1 Member
    It is possible your body composition has changed and you have lost some muscle. Especially if you were sick and not working our or just riding a bike on low calories. I would suggest keeping your caloric intake where it is, adding weight training, that is if you only do cardio, which it sounds like. This will give you more tone, a little more muscle which will raise your metabolism and help your body burn more calories on its own. Muscle tone can be lost in as little as a couple of weeks if you do nothing.
  • hortensehildegarde
    hortensehildegarde Posts: 592 Member
    Obviously it's hard to say without knowing more about you, but from your post you sound like you could have an issue with disordered eating, or at the very least body image issues.

    112 is underweight for your height, and you seem pleased that you got there. You complain that your bones aren't sticking out - that's a major red flag. Also, it's physically impossible for you to have gained much weight in a week and a half... like it would have to be a couple pounds at most. If a couple of pounds is making you feel like your stomach is huge and you have fat rolls, you must have some sort of body dysmorphia, because there's physically no way you've gotten as big as you think you have.

    It is possible that you slowed your metabolism down by under eating and over exercising, so that might be why you've temporarily "gained" at 1500. In the long run, I think 1500-2000 would be a good weight loss number for you. My advice is to slowly keep increasing calories and try not to freak out about the temporary gain.

    However, as I stated above, I'm a little concerned about your mental health and your relationship with food/exercise based on your original post. MFP might not be the healthiest place for you right now. Calorie counting can really mess some people up mentally. If you need help, I really hope you get it. Just remember to focus on health - being "skinny" and having bones stick out is not a healthy goal.

    Good luck.

    ^^ This. And also This to the person who said you should not fast for 24 hours.

    Figure out why you want to be at an "underweight" level and if it's just because you think you need to be there in order to look how you want to look investigate ways to gain muscle (which from what I have read gaining muscle ALWAYS involves eating MORE calories, not less than weight loss level calories)
  • Clover40
    Clover40 Posts: 5
    I'm so glad I got that many replies in so little time.. MFP is really something, thank you everyone :)

    I realize I didn't say much about myself, but I really have not done ANY weight training at all in my whole life. I've always had little to no muscles, and was completely inactive for years before I started to lose weight. I am now flabbier than I was, but I have hope that can be fixed with proper eating and weight training.

    I wanted to keep eating 1200 until I could sign up at a gym for weight training because I was scared to gain weight and no muscles otherwise. But I was really sick of not eating much, so I thought it would be fine.. But I really gained weight. Its not just bloated, there is much more fat to pinch than before. My legs and arms, sides, everything looks like when I was 120 pounds...

    I just don't get how my body can gain so much fat in less than two weeks with only 1500 calories. Assuming my metabolism slowed down that much and 1200 is my maintenance level, it is still only 300 calories over per day, not nearly enough to gain this much. This is so frustrating........

    I don't think I'll try fasting if its going to do more harm than good... But I certainly don't feel like I should eat more than 1200... And I probably won't even lose weight anymore either unless I go below that amount.

    Edit: I also know that to achieve the body I want I will need muscles, and for that I will need to eat more, but right now I can't afford going to the gym.
  • Clover40
    Clover40 Posts: 5
    Would exercising at home help if I ate 1400? I'm scared to go higher :(
  • djc315
    djc315 Posts: 585 Member
    If you eat at 1400 calories and exercise, that is fine, but you'd want to eat back those exercise calories.


    If you are scared to go higher than 1400 calories a day, I would highly recommend going to talk to a nutritionist. As much as you might not want to admit it right now, you are close to spiraling to a full on eating disorder. You are seeing, and admitting, your own red flags. Don't push them aside, listen to that voice that is telling you something isn't right here and talk to a doctor.
  • Clover40
    Clover40 Posts: 5
    If you eat at 1400 calories and exercise, that is fine, but you'd want to eat back those exercise calories.


    If you are scared to go higher than 1400 calories a day, I would highly recommend going to talk to a nutritionist. As much as you might not want to admit it right now, you are close to spiraling to a full on eating disorder. You are seeing, and admitting, your own red flags. Don't push them aside, listen to that voice that is telling you something isn't right here and talk to a doctor.

    Thank you for your help. I will call one, but I know nothing will truly reassure me like going to the gym would.. Even if I became bloated i wouldn't mind because I would know for sure that it will work out in the long run. I'm just so tired of all this, but I can't just start eating and lose all the work now. It's hard enough losing weight as it is, getting it back so fast is truly upsetting...

    Thank you again MFPers for taking the time to reply, it makes it easier for me to think rationally.
  • Alatariel75
    Alatariel75 Posts: 18,341 Member
    Eating issues aside, I know you can't afford the gym right now, but have you looked into body weight exercises? Everything is free on the internet and you can get some good results without needing a gym or weights. Of course, when and if you want to go heavier, you'll need them, but there's no reason to hold it all off now because of money issues :)
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  • Chaskavitch
    Chaskavitch Posts: 172 Member
    Would exercising at home help if I ate 1400? I'm scared to go higher :(

    Look at nerdfitness.com, You Are Your Own Gym, or Convict Conditioning. They have good home workouts that you really don't need any equipment for, it is mostly bodyweight exercises. You should definitely eat more than 1200 calories, and probably more than 1400, so go find a home workout that you like, stick with it, and don't feel guilty about eating more. You'll be hungrier if you start working out, and you probably won't gain much muscle at all (if any) if you're eating too little.

    You might want to be tiny and not visibly muscular, but look at the link below this paragraph. If you have muscles, you look smaller even if you technically weigh the same or more, because a pound of muscle takes up less space than a pound of fat, and it's less "flabby", which you said you didn't want to be. It's ok to weigh more, as long as you like how you look.

    http://www.nerdfitness.com/blog/2011/07/21/meet-staci-your-new-powerlifting-super-hero/
  • gothchiq
    gothchiq Posts: 4,590 Member
    Do body weight exercises at home such as pushups, planks, and squats. That way you are lifting (your own) weight at no financial cost.
  • independant2406
    independant2406 Posts: 447 Member
    If you are 5ft 7 and 112 lbs you are actually underweight. I don't think you'll need to worry at all if you gain a little bit as long as its from healthy muscle building/toning. I'd up your calorie intake some and take the suggestions other members have offered for working out from home. There's plenty of strength exercises you can do without any special equipment. Just be sure your putting good healthy foods in your body and giving yourself enough fuel to compensate for the calories burned during the workouts.
  • pkw58
    pkw58 Posts: 2,038 Member
    Hey,

    Are you small framed? I really recommend going to a doctor who specializes in sports medicine or performing arts medicine. As I neared my original goal, I did and am really glad I did. My healthy weight range for me, at 5'8" is in-between 125 and 135. I try to keep it at 128 to 131. most of my life I was told my healthy weight was like 135 to 165. It has been a lot easier for some reason to stay below 135. When I was at 135, I would shout up to 140, and then 145, and then 150. It just never felt right.

    I have kept the weight off and between 125 and 132 for over two years now. I do have sudden swings from water swells, etc. Especially since I am exercising more. The extra weight doesn't last.

    Also, a really good book to read is "Ballet Beautiful".. it really walks you through how important it is to eat the right foods for the body/energy/strength you want. The book was written by a ballerina who learned to keep fueled for ballet and then relearned how to keep fueled for "life" after her ballet career ended. great read!
  • ukaryote
    ukaryote Posts: 850 Member
    Clover40, 140 lbs at 5' 7" for a woman is smack in the middle range of healthy BMI. At 112 lbs, you are right at the knife-edge between unhealthy and healthy BMI.

    Read over what LaurenAOK said. Several times until it takes. Consult with your physician about a healthy build (I did not say weight) and your body image.

    People are supposed to have fat. Women are supposed to have a little more than men.
    Would exercising at home help ... ?

    Heck, yeah! Go for it! Notice the calorie limit is gone from your quote. Others have posted great sites to get started. Many sites post a minimum starting point. Do not fret. I can't even do their minimums. I do what I can and improve slowly.
  • shexy16
    shexy16 Posts: 68
    I'm worried about you :-(
  • SoDamnHungry
    SoDamnHungry Posts: 6,998 Member
    I just don't get how my body can gain so much fat in less than two weeks with only 1500 calories. Assuming my metabolism slowed down that much and 1200 is my maintenance level, it is still only 300 calories over per day, not nearly enough to gain this much. This is so frustrating........

    Your body did not gain fat in less than two weeks at 1500 calories. It simply doesn't happen like that, so get that worry out of your head.
  • myfitnesspale3
    myfitnesspale3 Posts: 276 Member
    When I increase calories or salt, pretty sure my body takes on more water. Once it bumped up 5 pounds a day after 7oz of salty pumpkins seeds in the shell - worth it too. Maybe that happened to you.
  • Clover40
    Clover40 Posts: 5
    So.. I went to the doctor two days ago... turns out I had actually lost 3 pounds. Does that make any sense? I've been at the same weight for two months, not losing anything, and now that I eat MORE I lose 3 pounds? How does that work ? I've been so confused ever since... I really saw myself fatter than before and I've been bloated forever. I just don't understand anymore, maybe what Lauren said is right.

    Thanks for your help everyone. I will eat more so that my body weight exercises will not go to waste.
  • patriciapowerswilliamson
    patriciapowerswilliamson Posts: 109
    dc315 is SPOT on. Something seems off about this original post. 112 pounds at 5'7 is not good.
  • p_emmel5
    p_emmel5 Posts: 39 Member
    Thanks for your help everyone. I will eat more so that my body weight exercises will not go to waste.

    Most excellent. That's first step. Don't worry if you can't do all the repetitions at the recommended weight. We all started somewhere. And for most of us that somewhere was light weight and low reps. But, if you keep at it the gains come quickly :wink:
  • mtforrest07
    mtforrest07 Posts: 31 Member
    Not sure if this was mentioned yet, but if you have consistently been eating 1200 calories and you bumped it up, you will always put back on glycogen stores. We all hold on to a bit of water weight but when you cut back, you will lose this first and if you increase by any means, you will put a little back on. That's the nature of the beast. This is completely normal and not something to worry about. Recently I've transitioned from not giving two craps about the number on the scale and instead on how I felt on the outside...too obsessed with the number but that doesn't really matter.
  • ahoy_m8
    ahoy_m8 Posts: 3,053 Member
    I think people are jumping to conclusions to pronounce eating disorders or dysmorphia based on height and weight alone. I'm also 5'7", and at your age you sound a lot like me. I worked in a gym teaching old fashioned aerobics 10+hrs/wk, and my weight was 110-115 lb. Thin, yes, but not dysmorphic or eating disordered. That was back in the bad old "eating fat makes you fat" days, and young women were striving for "thin" not "lean" or "toned." Misinformation was everywhere. It was what it was.

    If I could go back to my 20's and do anything differently, I would. #1 I would do weight training. There was a little resistance training in aerobics, but when I graduated and got a real job I enjoyed running and nothing else. So I agree with the other advice to do a body weight/resistance strength conditioning routine at home. Here are some reasons:

    (1) weight training preserves LBM. 30 lb in 6 months is fast, especially for someone starting out at a "normal" weight. The thing that would explain feeling "fluffier" despite a weight loss is you lost more muscle than fat. By comparison, I maintain a 5 lb range. When I am 5 lb up, it takes me 3 months to lose it. Because I am starting out pretty lean.

    (2) weight training builds bone mass. I am guessing you are small boned, like me. I read (but can't cite--maybe someone else can) women get the most bone benefit from lifting in their 20's. My Dr. praised my good condition but urged me to lift to prevent osteoporosis, and in my 20's I really didn't care about that. It was a missed opportunity. I started weight training in my 40's and have better tone than I have since college. Progesterone promotes bone growth, and as progesterone levels diminish (or plummet when ovulation stops), so does bone growth. Build as much as you can now!
  • Springfield1970
    Springfield1970 Posts: 1,945 Member
    When you eat more calories you add weight because of

    Glycogen and water in the liver and muscles
    Water retention generally in the body
    Waste and food accumulation in the system. Etc etc....
    Hell even your hair and bones probably get heavier.

    It's NOT fat.

    At your weight allow a 3/5 lb bounce up then level off.

    All your stores have been depleted at the constant under fuelling.

    I'm 5'7" and feel too big when I'm over 129lb. I like to be about 127lb, but I've been recomping my body for a few years now and have high lean body mass and ALL my stores are pumped full, and my belly is always full. I eat 1750 cals a say when resting, and eat all my exercise cals back.

    I've been 123lb and flabby, but am much better now after doing Strong Curves and eating.
  • philwrightfitness
    philwrightfitness Posts: 122
    Very little to go on but... Firstly I agree with other posters your metabolism could have crashed so what you think is your maintence level isn't ...also don't discount water weight if you are eating additional carbs your muscle could be refilling with glycogen which will incur additional intra muscular water retention ...my advice would be to set a calorie regime and stick to it for at least a month then reevaluate and get some skin calipers and monitor your visceral fat increase
  • Liftng4Lis
    Liftng4Lis Posts: 15,151 Member
    At 112 pounds and 5'8 I wouldn't be worry about this, but my first thought was if you didn't have a scale at home do you at least have one in the kitchen? How do you know how much you're eating?
  • merisaOct3
    merisaOct3 Posts: 197 Member
    Clover40, your most recent post is that you have actually *lost* weight eating slightly more. Honestly, that is not totally far-fetched. I would recommend that you stay away from the scale for a few weeks. A better approach from the beginning might have been using a tape-measure. But at 112 (or whatever you're at now) and 5'7", I'm concerned that you're going to see *NORMAL* water weight fluctuations and hormonal bloating as "weight gain" however you measure.

    I have to echo that you should work with a nutritionist. And check out some of the threads about women and weight lifting.
  • Graelwyn75
    Graelwyn75 Posts: 4,404 Member
    I have a similar problem.

    I lost almost 50 pounds by exercising daily and eating about 600-800 calories a day (quite normal for me, has been my calorie intake for years). Then doctors told me I was not eating enough. So I started eating 1,800 calories a day (still exercising), and I promptly gained back almost every pound I had lost. Everyone keeps telling me "it will even itself out in time", meanwhile all of my clothes are too tight and I feel extra pain on my already-chronically-sore joints.

    I did what my body told me- I cut my calories back down to 800-850. Hoping my weight starts to decrease again soon.

    And you think it is worth destroying your health rather than waiting this out, then cutting to a more sensible amount?
    You think you can spend the rest of your life on 800 calories? You think you will not lose, then gain it all back all over again unless you do remain on 800 calories if you take this route? You are not being sensible at all, and the impact on your body and metabolism will be disastrous.
  • ken994
    ken994 Posts: 1 Member
    I'm running into this problem. Because of my hypothyroidism, my weight usually fluctuates up and down in a 20 lb range between 220-240 no matter what i do. I am male, age 46, 6'2". About six months ago I started a job where I could bike to work everyday and I do so unless it is pouring rain, but 95% of the time I am riding because of this for 15 min each way, 30 minutes total. I also about the same time started trying to cut my carbs and just eat meats and fresh vegetables and a clif bar in the morning. I never eat sweets. Over the past month I have started to put on a lot more weight and I think I am now over 250.

    I never counted calories before, but after a lot of teasing from the family about how fat I was getting, I decided to download the MFP app and it told me I should target 1992 calories per day to lose 1.8 pounds per week. Great, but when I entered in all the food and drink I consume daily, I find that I take in between 1500-1700 calories per day, so now I am at a loss as to why I am gaining so much weight. I just had my blood work done and my thyroid medication level checked two months ago. I have noticed I am tired all the time, but I thought this was because of the weight gain. I am very am hesitant to increase my calorie intake for fear of gaining even more weight.

    Not sure what to do now.
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