Did I increase my calorie intake too quickly? Please Help :(

AYA7777
AYA7777 Posts: 2
edited November 9 in Health and Weight Loss
Hello, I'm new to MFP and actually made this account just to ask this question. So I am 5'2 and weighed 160 when I started my weight loss journey. Through exercising and creating a calorie deficit I got to my goal weight of 120 in about a year and half. I was happy to accomplish my goal but I still wasn't fully satisfied with my weight. I set my new goal of weighing 110 lbs. At this point I stopped exercising and turned to an extremely restrictive diet. I only got up to 116.8lbs before realizing that I couldn't lose any more weight with the current state of my metabolism. To give you an idea of how restrictive my diet was, I was eating an average of 800 cals per day and some days I even ate 500 cals. I know it was bad and it was stupid to resort to that but I was so determined to get to 110 as soon as possible. This was how I ate for a little over two months. I decided to immediately increase my calorie intake to maintenance (about 1500). I had read that it was recommended to gradually increase calories at the rate of 50-100 per week but I thought that by starting cold turkey I could quickly get my metabolism up and running. I'm pretty sure that was a mistake because I quickly went up to 121 lbs in about a week. I realize most of it was water weight, I definitely wasn't eating enough to gain about 5 pounds in a week. However, I figured my weight would have gone back down by now, after 2 1/2 weeks of eating at maintenance. Now with the holidays and all I've been eating way above maintenance (around 2000 calories for the past two days). I feel really discouraged especially when I saw 123.8 lbs on the scale this morning. I'm afraid I'm gaining all my lost weight back. I feel lost and don't know how to move forward. Should I go back to 800 calories and increase my calorie intake by 100 a week or should I continue with 1500 calories daily? I hope someone can help me but please don't be too harsh with me for making a stupid mistake.

And sorry for the long post :)

Replies

  • FisherGT
    FisherGT Posts: 55 Member
    Been there done that! about 20 times. What you need to do is lower your carb intake and work out. If you do nothing you will gain back about 7-14 pounds from your lowest weight and you will level out. I swear, been there tons of times. If your really concerned, talk to a doctor.
  • kgeyser
    kgeyser Posts: 22,505 Member
    You will not gain weight unless you are in a caloric surplus, and the fluctuations you are seeing on the scale are within the normal range and most likely water weight. And I believe that even at this higher weight, you are still within the healthy weight range for your height.

    Here's what I would recommend: set your MFP calorie goal for a 0.5 lb per week loss at the most. Eat your calorie goal, plus eat back a portion of your exercise calories. Drink plenty of water, make sure you are getting adequate nutrition. Weigh your foods, measure your liquids, and log your intake. Do some resistance training, using weights that are heavy for you. Be patient and consistent. Track your weight, but do not make any changes to your diet/exercise for a month. After that, reevaluate where you are, and adjust your calories slightly (as in 100 calories in either direction) per day if needed. Then repeat the process at that calorie goal.

    I would also suggest looking into body recomposition, which is where you focus on the changing the ratio of body fat and lean body mass. You generally will stay the same weight during a recomposition, but you will change your body's shape by lowering body fat while retaining muscle. It might be a better approach to getting the figure you want, especially since you are in the healthy weight range.

    This link and the links within it are very helpful:

    http://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/discussion/1080242/a-guide-to-get-you-started-on-your-path-to-sexypants#latest
  • GaleHawkins
    GaleHawkins Posts: 8,159 Member
    mollymarionet wrote: »
    Been there done that! about 20 times. What you need to do is lower your carb intake and work out. If you do nothing you will gain back about 7-14 pounds from your lowest weight and you will level out. I swear, been there tons of times. If your really concerned, talk to a doctor.

    Molly so from your experience if I want to maintain at around 175-180 long term then while am still losing weight I might consider losing down to like 165 before I stop?

  • FisherGT
    FisherGT Posts: 55 Member
    GaleHawkins wrote: »
    mollymarionet wrote: »
    Been there done that! about 20 times. What you need to do is lower your carb intake and work out. If you do nothing you will gain back about 7-14 pounds from your lowest weight and you will level out. I swear, been there tons of times. If your really concerned, talk to a doctor.

    Molly so from your experience if I want to maintain at around 175-180 long term then while am still losing weight I might consider losing down to like 165 before I stop?

    Yes actually, because your glycogen levels are nill when your losing, you gain that back in water when you eat normally. That is my opinion at least and I take it from experience. Not everyone will agree.
  • hotasfire36
    hotasfire36 Posts: 235 Member
    mollymarionet wrote: »
    Been there done that! about 20 times. What you need to do is lower your carb intake and work out. If you do nothing you will gain back about 7-14 pounds from your lowest weight and you will level out. I swear, been there tons of times. If your really concerned, talk to a doctor.

    This makes sense.
  • GaleHawkins
    GaleHawkins Posts: 8,159 Member
    mollymarionet wrote: »
    GaleHawkins wrote: »
    mollymarionet wrote: »
    Been there done that! about 20 times. What you need to do is lower your carb intake and work out. If you do nothing you will gain back about 7-14 pounds from your lowest weight and you will level out. I swear, been there tons of times. If your really concerned, talk to a doctor.

    Molly so from your experience if I want to maintain at around 175-180 long term then while am still losing weight I might consider losing down to like 165 before I stop?

    Yes actually, because your glycogen levels are nill when your losing, you gain that back in water when you eat normally. That is my opinion at least and I take it from experience. Not everyone will agree.

    Thanks. I just called it a 'spring back weight' in my mind in the past because it happened but I had no understanding as to why.

  • kgeyser
    kgeyser Posts: 22,505 Member
    edited December 2014
    mollymarionet wrote: »
    GaleHawkins wrote: »
    mollymarionet wrote: »
    Been there done that! about 20 times. What you need to do is lower your carb intake and work out. If you do nothing you will gain back about 7-14 pounds from your lowest weight and you will level out. I swear, been there tons of times. If your really concerned, talk to a doctor.

    Molly so from your experience if I want to maintain at around 175-180 long term then while am still losing weight I might consider losing down to like 165 before I stop?

    Yes actually, because your glycogen levels are nill when your losing, you gain that back in water when you eat normally. That is my opinion at least and I take it from experience. Not everyone will agree.

    Glycogen levels do not become nil in a calorie deficit. You may have experienced glycogen depletion in relation to using a low-carb diet, which would deplete your glycogen and water stores, and account for water weight gain once returning to a higher carb diet.

    ETA: A low-carb diet is not necessary for weight loss, and for someone with only a few pounds to lose, a low carb diet may not be recommended unless the person is planning to continue with their low carb diet after goal weight has been reached. The shift in water weight from switching carb levels can lead to yo-yo dieting patterns.
  • GaleHawkins
    GaleHawkins Posts: 8,159 Member
    kgeyser wrote: »
    mollymarionet wrote: »
    GaleHawkins wrote: »
    mollymarionet wrote: »
    Been there done that! about 20 times. What you need to do is lower your carb intake and work out. If you do nothing you will gain back about 7-14 pounds from your lowest weight and you will level out. I swear, been there tons of times. If your really concerned, talk to a doctor.

    Molly so from your experience if I want to maintain at around 175-180 long term then while am still losing weight I might consider losing down to like 165 before I stop?

    Yes actually, because your glycogen levels are nill when your losing, you gain that back in water when you eat normally. That is my opinion at least and I take it from experience. Not everyone will agree.

    Glycogen levels do not become nil in a calorie deficit. You may have experienced glycogen depletion in relation to using a low-carb diet, which would deplete your glycogen and water stores, and account for water weight gain once returning to a higher carb diet.

    So if I just stay on the low-carb diet I will not have to worry about the 7-14 weight regain that Molly was talking about?

  • AYA7777
    AYA7777 Posts: 2
    kgeyser wrote: »
    You will not gain weight unless you are in a caloric surplus, and the fluctuations you are seeing on the scale are within the normal range and most likely water weight. And I believe that even at this higher weight, you are still within the healthy weight range for your height.

    Here's what I would recommend: set your MFP calorie goal for a 0.5 lb per week loss at the most. Eat your calorie goal, plus eat back a portion of your exercise calories. Drink plenty of water, make sure you are getting adequate nutrition. Weigh your foods, measure your liquids, and log your intake. Do some resistance training, using weights that are heavy for you. Be patient and consistent. Track your weight, but do not make any changes to your diet/exercise for a month. After that, reevaluate where you are, and adjust your calories slightly (as in 100 calories in either direction) per day if needed. Then repeat the process at that calorie goal.

    I would also suggest looking into body recomposition, which is where you focus on the changing the ratio of body fat and lean body mass. You generally will stay the same weight during a recomposition, but you will change your body's shape by lowering body fat while retaining muscle. It might be a better approach to getting the figure you want, especially since you are in the healthy weight range.

    This link and the links within it are very helpful:

    http://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/discussion/1080242/a-guide-to-get-you-started-on-your-path-to-sexypants#latest

    Thanks for your reply. This seems like good advice. I'll definitely try it out and see how it goes. Thanks, I definitely appreciate it! :)
  • kgeyser
    kgeyser Posts: 22,505 Member
    GaleHawkins wrote: »
    kgeyser wrote: »
    mollymarionet wrote: »
    GaleHawkins wrote: »
    mollymarionet wrote: »
    Been there done that! about 20 times. What you need to do is lower your carb intake and work out. If you do nothing you will gain back about 7-14 pounds from your lowest weight and you will level out. I swear, been there tons of times. If your really concerned, talk to a doctor.

    Molly so from your experience if I want to maintain at around 175-180 long term then while am still losing weight I might consider losing down to like 165 before I stop?

    Yes actually, because your glycogen levels are nill when your losing, you gain that back in water when you eat normally. That is my opinion at least and I take it from experience. Not everyone will agree.

    Glycogen levels do not become nil in a calorie deficit. You may have experienced glycogen depletion in relation to using a low-carb diet, which would deplete your glycogen and water stores, and account for water weight gain once returning to a higher carb diet.

    So if I just stay on the low-carb diet I will not have to worry about the 7-14 weight regain that Molly was talking about?

    If you are currently on a low carb diet and looking to transition to maintenance, I would recommend speaking with other low carbers on the site about their experience. I did a quick search and found an active group who will probably be able to answer your questions, I recognize some of the moderators names as users who have been on low carb or keto diets long-term. You can always search the groups to find other low carb or keto groups, there are several on this site other than the one below, so you should have no problem finding one to fit your needs.

    http://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/group/394-low-carber-daily-forum-the-group
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