gaining weight and can't figure it out
Jerziegrl
Posts: 5
So I started MFP a month ago. First week I lost 1.6 lbs. Since then, I have gained that back plus another 3 lbs. I am out of my mind frustrated, to the point of giving up. I have maintained my weight for almost 3 years, now I start to diet and gain almost 5 lbs?????
My original calorie goal was 1910 with out exercise. I never ate the exercise calories back until I read you should. So week 3 started eating my calories back. I run 4 days a week and burn approx. 450 calories per workout with one day being my long run and I burn 750. Gained 2 lbs that week. Gained another 1 this week....and the scale keeps going up. I cut my calories to lose 2 lbs per week which end up being about 1400 calories plus exercise calories. In 2 days I have gained another 1.5 lbs.
I will admit, the 1900 calories is hard to do, and even harder when eating back the exercise calories. I have learned that over the last 3 years, I haven't been eating nearly enough. But what do I do now? Eat more? Less? Losing weight should be as simple as burning more than you are taking in....yet it's not working. *sigh*
My original calorie goal was 1910 with out exercise. I never ate the exercise calories back until I read you should. So week 3 started eating my calories back. I run 4 days a week and burn approx. 450 calories per workout with one day being my long run and I burn 750. Gained 2 lbs that week. Gained another 1 this week....and the scale keeps going up. I cut my calories to lose 2 lbs per week which end up being about 1400 calories plus exercise calories. In 2 days I have gained another 1.5 lbs.
I will admit, the 1900 calories is hard to do, and even harder when eating back the exercise calories. I have learned that over the last 3 years, I haven't been eating nearly enough. But what do I do now? Eat more? Less? Losing weight should be as simple as burning more than you are taking in....yet it's not working. *sigh*
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Replies
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I want to know too. Hopefully some experts will comment.0
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When you set up your data, did you include your exercise level? If you did your exercise calories are already figured in the calories they give you. If you then log your exercise you are doubling up your calories. I put down that I wouldn't exercise so when I log my exercise I can then choose to eat those calories or not. I usually try and eat at least half of them.0
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You are eating the exercise calories back, right? I think whether or not you should eat the calories back is a personal thing. If I eat back all my exercise calories, I gain. Maybe at first you should try and only reach your daily target and forget about the exercise calories. It might work for you.
Also I have one word for you that will make a world of difference: Water.
Drinking water helps you retain less water weight and maybe that is what you are seeing on the scale. Drink more than recommended.0 -
I am no expert.
Could your calorie burn goal be wrong? Have you gone to see a doctor? Thyroid? Low body temperature? Hormones out of wack? Peri-menopause?
How much carbs are you doing? Perhaps a lower (not no) carb diet might be better?
I did P90X last year. It is about as intense of a workout you can get. And, it was 1700 calories a day for women and 2,500 calories for men. And, I lost weight.
Talk with your doctor. Something is going on.0 -
It could be water weight, or you could very possibly be gaining muscle.
Make sure that you are weighing yourself at the same time, in the morning preferably.0 -
are you sure you're accurately recording your caloric intake? it's hard to recall everything you eat but remember that every little thing adds up. if you really are eating less than what you burn off, there's no reason you shouldn't be losing weight, much less gaining it...UNLESS you're putting on a TON of muscle mass...are you getting jacked?0
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Not to be funny or anything but is there a possibilty that you may be pregnant? That happened to me when I got pregnant with my son.0
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The eating back the exercise calories may not be for you. It doesn't work for me. Only you know your body and what feels right. Play around with the calories some, maybe only eat half or none of the exercise ones back. Also maybe switch up your routine a bit, your body might be "used" to your running.0
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i know right.....I dont get the math on that one either. I'm too scared to eat back my exercise calories.0
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So, for the past three years you've been eating what you think is under 1200 calories? If this is true, your body may now think you've discovered a rich food source is saving everything it can. Continuing with this, it will take time for your body to adjust before you start to lose weight.
If this is not true, it could be that your body is not accustomed to working out, so you are retaining water. Again, this will decrease with time.
Either way, keep with the program.0 -
I am not an expert, but do keep in mind that muscle weighs more than fat does, so if the only thing you're changing is exercising a lot more and eating the same or more to make back exercise calories chances are you might be gaining muscle mass. This is just a guess from what I have gathered about how it works. Are you noticing that the gain is making your clothes fit tighter? I find that with a loss or gain of just a few pounds (my weight has always fluctuated 5 to 10 pounds easily) my clothes will be much tighter when it's all fat. Hope that helped at all.0
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open you diary so we can see whats going on0
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I am thinking pregnancy also...0
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It would be easier to advise if you could open up your diary. Are you eating breakfast? Do you eat a lot of processed foods? Are you drinking plenty of water?0
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What's happening is that you're compensating for the calories you burn when you workout/run and that's not how to lose weight. You take in the amount of calories of your BMR (Basal Metabolic Rate) and that's IT! Think about it, why would you eat what you burn?? Just try that and see what happens but make sure to give it about 2-3 weeks to see the results and if you're still gaining weight, you might want to see your DR. to see what's happening. Good Luck!0
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My original calorie goal was 1910 with out exercise. I never ate the exercise calories back until I read you should. So week 3 started eating my calories back. I run 4 days a week and burn approx. 450 calories per workout with one day being my long run and I burn 750. Gained 2 lbs that week. Gained another 1 this week....and the scale keeps going up. I cut my calories to lose 2 lbs per week which end up being about 1400 calories plus exercise calories. In 2 days I have gained another 1.5 lbs.
After reading your question and looking at your profile I know that you're a 36 yo woman and you're aiming to lose only 36 lbs (a relatively small amount). Without knowing how tall you are or any other extenuating circumstances I think that 1910 calories sounds like a very high caloric baseline. When you signed up and filled in your activity level, did you include your workouts in your amount of activity? If so, then you're double-counting your work outs. Your "normal daily activity" should NOT include your workouts... It should only include the activity that you do as a regular part of life. If you work in front of a computer in an office, then you would put "sedentary". If you're a stay-at-home mom or a salesman, you should list your activity level as "lightly active," etc, etc.
I hope this helps.0 -
Without being able to see your diary, it is pretty much impossible to comment, but 1900 calories seems like a lot unless you live a very active lifestyle. What did you enter when you were setting your goals as far as daily activity?0
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O.k. Well I made my diary public so you all can see it. I am very careful about logging things. I feel it is pretty accurate. As I do with my exercise. I am 6 ft tall and currently weigh 221.6 (that includes the recently gained weight). I am not pregnant. 100% sure about that.
I am a SAHM. My daily activities are vacuuming and folding laundry and running errands. I changed my settings to sedentary (not including exercise) and it dropped my calories to 1700 for 1 lb per week. 1200 if I want to do 2 lbs per week. 1200 seems low to me, but at this point what have I got to lose.
I drink 2-3 quarts of water per day, although I don't always log that.
Thanks so much you guys. I so appreciate your input. I am totally at a loss and frustrated beyond belief.0 -
Your sodium is really high, you have a lot of processed foods in your diary. First off, I would add sodium and (maybe) sugar to your tracked settings.
Then I'd start reducing your processed food intake. Try eating more homemade whole foods, with higher fiber.
ETA: you would also probably be okay with the next level of activity, (not sedentary)0 -
I was only able to take a quick look at your diary - but one thing I would take a look at is your sodium level - you can add it as a 6th column to the food journal. Too much sodium can wreak havoc0
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I don't eat my exercise back. I figure I worked hard for it and will not give it up to any food. I know others are about to pounce on me for this BUT it is a feeling I have that calories spent makes for weight loss. And how do I know that my calorie count, as careful as I am is accurate.0
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I'd say to give it a little more of a chance. If you're like me, your metabolism takes a while to adjust to changes. So, if your metabolism is re-gearing, you may gain weight for a few weeks, then you'll lose.0
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Your sodium is really high, you have a lot of processed foods in your diary. First off, I would add sodium and (maybe) sugar to your tracked settings.
Then I'd start reducing your processed food intake. Try eating more homemade whole foods, with higher fiber.
ETA: you would also probably be okay with the next level of activity, (not sedentary)0 -
Something fun I learned, muscle don't weigh more than fat. BUT They do hold water while they're healing. especially if you consume to much sodium. Try measuring yourself. are you losing inches? If so, kick the scale to the curb buy a hot pair of jeans two sizes to small and go for gold!0
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In terms of settings, it sounds like listing your activity level as sedentary and then entering your exercise each day would be the best fit.
You don't have to stick to the MFP numbers - you might prefer to pick a number between 1200 and 1900 (say 1500 for example) and see how you go with this as a net calorie goal. This just means that your weight loss goal will be somewhere between 1 - 2 pounds a week.
You might also find some of the info in this article useful :
http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/208407-how-to-repair-a-damaged-metabolism-stavation-mode-
(Don't be put off by the reference to "starvation mode", I though it had some really good advice for all of us women who have spent most of our adult years "dieting" and don't really know how much we should be eating or exercising any more.)
I haven't looked at your diary, but I agree that reducing processed or pre-prepared foods is a great help in cutting down salt and sugar, and means that you are getting more bang (nutrition) for your buck (calories).0 -
Sorry for my last post - I was falling asleep as I wrote it, so it came out as mostly gibberish. I was trying to say that you should add the sodium column to your diary so that you can keep track of your intake. By my quick look, your sodium intake seemed like it would be high. Currently, you only have 5 columns, and since the diary can handle 6, you won't have to move anything you're currently tracking.
Here is an old thread that you may find helpful in sorting out your MFP calories...
http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/61706-guide-to-calorie-deficits
Best of luck!
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Edited to add:
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Someone mentioned possibly tracking your sugar intake. I think this is great in theory, but isn't very helpful in practice. That's because what we should really be tracking in processed sugars, but the MFP diary lumps natural sugars(from fruits, etc.) and processed sugars altogether. So, if you have a single piece of fruit in a day, you're likely to be "over" your sugars - when really, you're not over the sugar level you should be concerned about. Our bodies can handle the natural sugars better than it can the processed ones.0 -
you guys have been incredibly helpful! I feel like I am not alone is this craziness! *sigh* I added my sodium to my diary.
Here's hoping for a good week. *fingers crossed*0
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