What's changed?

p2smommy
p2smommy Posts: 64
edited November 10 in Food and Nutrition
Warning - Lengthy post ahead..(I'll try to limit it as much as possible LOL)..

So last year, I had great success starting running & dieting using mfp.. I was on a 1200-1300 a day diet, plus running 3-4 days a week. Things happened, a nasty cold-cold winter happened, and I slowed down, then eventually got away from logging food at all. Suddenly, my 60+ lbs I'd dropped crept up to less than 40.. for the past month, I have been fighting tooth & nail to get back. The 1200-1300 regimen is NOT working anymore. There are days that I do good to hit my goal of 1300.. Some days I don't make the best decisions in what I eat.. I have a cheat day now and again, but rarely.

So in the last month, I've also started Crossfit. It was 3 days a week the first two weeks, and the last two, it has been 4 days a week (an hour a day). According to my HRM, I'm somewhere in the neighborhood of 400 calories at the end of the WOD, then in the cooling down period (typically an hour to get my HR back to the normal zone, I pick up another 100'ish calories) - I don't eat my exercise calories back.

I KNOW that muscle weighs more than fat, and I also happen to be a female so (TMI Guys, sorry) - every two weeks like clockwork - ovulation, then my period, I am up anywhere from 2-4 lbs - the wonders of a female body.

ETA - I have not weighed in for a week, and once again today, I am up 4 lbs. I DO NOT KNOW HOW.. I just cannot see me building so much muscle that it's packed 4 lbs on.

I drink at least 10 glasses of water a day.. some days way more than that. I went to http://scoobysworkshop.com/calorie-calculator/ and reconfigured my calorie goal through there, and it says I should be consuming 1984 calories a day based upon my age, height, weight, and the amount of time I'm exercising.

I have my protein/carb/fat macro set to 50/30/20%.. and I went ahead and changed to a 1700 calorie a day goal.

My question is.. has anybody else had this issue where what worked before suddenly isn't, and you're floundering trying to figure out why and what to do about it? If so, did you figure it out, and what worked for you?

Just a little background - I am a 39 YO Female, 5'7", 210 lbs, and I have PCOS. (The PCOS is typically what makes things a little harder for me because it loves to throw kinks in there)..

Replies

  • hollypend
    hollypend Posts: 19 Member
    First thought: Welcome to the club - bodies can take a big hit around this age.

    I'd also suggest that some bodies require a higher % of carbs. Look at recent Harvard study suggesting 30 p/ 40 c. / 40 f.
  • queenliz99
    queenliz99 Posts: 15,317 Member
    If you are not losing then you are eating more calories than you think. Do you use a food scale?

  • Sinistrous
    Sinistrous Posts: 5,589 Member
    b930419eddc2c14368b6e302fab5179a.png


    Muscle does not weigh more than fat, 1 lb of muscle = 1 lb of fat.

    However, muscle is denser than fat if you measure it by "mass"..

    If you were doing 1200-1300, you need to GRADUALLY add about 100 calories back until your body readjusts.
  • p2smommy
    p2smommy Posts: 64
    No food scale, but I do measure my dry ingredients when cooking, and I also measure out things like salad dressings, etc. My breakfasts and lunches are pretty much pre-measured, and dinners usually involve grilled chicken breast with an iceberg lettuce and yogurt dressing (which I measure), or if it's an on the go meal, I will grab a 6" subway club with the same things I always get, and according to their nutritional info, it's the figure I use (mustard, no mayo, no cheese, etc). Snacks are typically pre-packaged 100 calorie snack pack emerald nuts of some sort or a greek yogurt cup or a small piece of fruit. I know it's not exact, but I don't think there's much room for a large margin of error.
  • queenliz99
    queenliz99 Posts: 15,317 Member
    edited January 2015
    I hadn't realized how much I was actually eating until I watched this video.

    ETA sorry, I can never seem to get putting links in, maybe someone else on these boards will find it for you :\
  • queenliz99
    queenliz99 Posts: 15,317 Member
    Here it is!!https://youtube.com/watch?v=JVjWPclrWVY
  • p2smommy
    p2smommy Posts: 64
    wow.. awesome video. Thanks liz!
  • queenliz99
    queenliz99 Posts: 15,317 Member
    p2smommy wrote: »
    wow.. awesome video. Thanks liz!

    Shazzam, right?
  • p2smommy
    p2smommy Posts: 64
    Right.. guess I'll be hitting Walmart for a food scale tonight before my workout. I am so guilty of the "slightly over the rim" measurements
  • wkwebby
    wkwebby Posts: 807 Member
    With PCOS, you are at least on the right track with lowering your carbs too. Good job in recognizing the not weighing food problem. Some of the weight is water weight gain though, just not the entire 4-6 lbs. You did start a new and rigorous exercise program so you need to give yourself a little leeway to gain that. Just track the inches and see what happens on the scale (marking that down too). You will get a truer picture of the weight loss or gain.
  • WalkingAlong
    WalkingAlong Posts: 4,926 Member
    A lot of us, women especially, can really pack on a lot of water weight when upping the exercise significantly or starting a new type. It goes away. Ignore the scale.
  • Lizzy622
    Lizzy622 Posts: 3,705 Member
    And as you stated before, you are a women and our hormones not only fluctuate within a month they fluctuate as we age so as you stated what worked before may not work this time.
  • AliceDark
    AliceDark Posts: 3,886 Member
    You're not building muscle at 1200-1300 calories. You need to be in a caloric surplus in order to build muscle. Most likely, you are losing weight but retaining water from the new exercise regimen, so the water retention is masking the weight loss.
  • Francl27
    Francl27 Posts: 26,371 Member
    AliceDark wrote: »
    You're not building muscle at 1200-1300 calories. You need to be in a caloric surplus in order to build muscle. Most likely, you are losing weight but retaining water from the new exercise regimen, so the water retention is masking the weight loss.

    This. There's no way you've been building anything at such low calories, your body is too busy trying not to starve to build muscle.

    That's WAY too little food for your size.
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