need some advice

breakyoface · July 2015

Hi..so I have some questions about weight and fluctuations during maintience.
I have been maintaining for a few months now and I am at 137 and maintain between 135-140 and I am 5'8 and everything says I'm at a 20-21% body fat.
I started my maintaining calories at 1300 and over time went to 1500 and on Saturday went to 1700(mfp says 1730 for me to maintain)
I work out 5 days a week on the treadmill for 70 minutes a day and my polar heart rate says 800-900 calories burned and I eat back about 500 so my daily intake is about 2000. I never count all my exercise calories since I'm not sure if it is accurate or not.
Anyways, for the past 2 months or so I've been maintaining at about the same weight since 1300-1500 and now at 1700 my weight has been on the higher end of my range.
My husband keeps thinking that maybe I'm not eating enough and maybe if I up my calories eventually my weight might go down.
I know weight fluctuations are normal..but I went from 136 saturday to 137 on sunday and now this morning I'm 138.8.
I count all my calories, I use a scale blah blah so it can't be that.
Tomorrow I am going away on vacation for my birthday for the week which is the first time I will be doing something like this since I started MFP over a year ago and I am worried that when I come back I'm going to be over 140 since I seem to gain weight so easily. It's like 1 day I might go over a little on my calories and it shows up on the scale. Am I just unlucky!? lol

mccindy72 · July 2015

Don't overthink things. Your weight will fluctuate while in maintenance. You will retain water weight from diet, exercise damage to muscles, hormones and any number of things. Stick to your maintenance calories as you are now. Increasing calories, as your husband has advised, will cause you to gain weight, not lose.
Vacations are always tricky if you are away from home and not weighing your food and don't have access to calorie counts. Do the best that you can and enjoy your vacation. You would to over eat by several thousand calories to gain more than a pound or two. If you come back a pound or two heavier, cut your calories back for a couple of weeks and lose them. No big deal.

mwebster01 · July 2015

youre caloric intake of 1700 - 2000 is too high for you to maintain your weight.just don't eat over 1500 calories. btw, what your husband suggested is not true, bc the more you eat and go over your maintenance intake, the more you gain weight.

breakyoface · July 2015

Well the only reason my husband said that was because I haven't gotten my period for the past 2 months. So he thinks I might not be eating enough.

breakyoface · July 2015

I only eat 2000 on monday-friday when I work out and burn 800-900 calories working out

mccindy72 · July 2015

then your original post was not accurate. If you account for your exercise calories, you are only netting 1200 or so calories total. That's not maintenance. In maintenance, you eat back exercise calories to your maintenance calorie goal.
At 137 lbs, and 5'8", your weight isn't low enough that I'd expect your periods to stop. I'd check with a doctor at this point to see what is going on.

MelissaPhippsFeagins · July 2015

Asking the obvious question: no period for 2months, are you pregnant?

breakyoface · July 2015

No, not a possibilty!

vivmom2014 · July 2015

Husband and I just went to the beach for an anniversary trip. We fell into a pattern of eating only one meal (usually dinner) out, and the other two meals were an apple or banana in the hotel for breakfast, then packed the cooler for the beach w/ nuts, string cheese, crackers, water, etc. We walked to & from the beach each day, about 4 miles.

Dinners out were enjoyed, and yes I ate dessert. I came home from this vacation having lost a pound. Yippee!

Don't know where you're going on vacation, but maybe this might help (?) I am 5'8" at 1800 calories a day, 2 lbs. from goal weight.

Bottom line: enjoy your vacation!!

terar21 · July 2015

I'm a little confused because you're saying several different things about your calories. You eat differently on days you work out, right? So Monday - Friday you eat at one level. Saturday-Sunday you eat at one level.

Exactly how many calories are you consuming for each set of days? Not how the amount before exercise, but the total amount of calories you eat those days.

breakyoface · July 2015

Well my goal is 1700 and then I exercise and burn 800-900 a day and then I only put in 60 minutes of workout which is about 560 calories burned so thats like 1000-1200 net monday-friday. Technically less since I don't count about 200-300 of the calories burned since I'm afraid to eat back all of the calories incase my polar heart rate is wrong.

mccindy72 · July 2015

trust your HRM. That's why you have it. Eat back most of the calories.

AsISmile · July 2015

It is almost physically impossible to gain a pound of fat in a day. Those are very natural fluctuations.
Maybe your period is about to start? Those hormones definitely cause extra water retention.
I wouldn't worry about that.

Also, you use a heart rate monitor? Those are from what I've heard more reliable than MFP calories burned. I would eat back more than 50% of the calories indicated by your hrm.

As to your period, go see a doctor. Just to make sure.

Finally, just enjoy your holiday. Don't eat to crazy and consume too much alcohol and you will be fine.

tibby531 · July 2015

I had to up my calories. a lot. initially, you DO gain weight. but then your body adjusts, and it comes back off. until you find your ACTUAL maintenance thresh hold. my body took three weeks of new calories to adjust. hopefully yours won't take as long.

but it's definitely worth it!

terar21 · July 2015

vancurenmama wrote: »

Well my goal is 1700 and then I exercise and burn 800-900 a day and then I only put in 60 minutes of workout which is about 560 calories burned so thats like 1000-1200 net monday-friday. Technically less since I don't count about 200-300 of the calories burned since I'm afraid to eat back all of the calories incase my polar heart rate is wrong.

I'm still thrown off by what you're saying. In your first post you said you eat calories to put you at 2000. So I don't get this 1000-1200 net. Or are you saying you no longer eat back your exercise calories since you switched to 1700 as your goal? So technically you would've decreased calories.

I'm just trying to understand what the initial amount netted was and what it is now.

breakyoface · July 2015

The 2000 is a total for the day..not my net..my net would be 2000 minus 800-900

finny11122 · July 2015

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3BVhKKLe1eA

AsISmile · July 2015

vancurenmama wrote: »

The 2000 is a total for the day..not my net..my net would be 2000 minus 800-900

So that is net 1100-1200 calories. That is too low to maintain.
I am slightly larger and slightly heavier (5'10' 145 lbs) and I maintain at net 2090 calories. You should really consider eating back some exercise calories.

RaspberryTickleChicken · July 2015

Everyone's normal weight flux range is a little different.

I have seen some are 3-5 lbs flux while others about 1-2 lbs flux.

Also, the time of the month needs to be taken into account. Even if you don't actually have flow, the body still goes through the 'process' as if it was which can cause a weight flux beyond the norm range.

There can be any number of other reason for the flux outside of your typical wt flux range ... try to review your food logs, look at the macros, & see if you noticed up tick in the usual culprits, like sodium, carbs, & sugar.

But as others have mentioned I wouldn't put too much energy fretting over it unless the scale continues to creep up.

Best of luck to you!

need some advice

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