What am I doing wrong?

nikipantsmulder
nikipantsmulder Posts: 6 Member
in Fitness and Exercise
Hello people,

I need a little help. I am a super active person who is trying to shed around 10-15lbs.
The more I exercise , the more weight I'm gaining.
Anyone have any insight on this?
I run x2 week
Spin class x2 week
Hot yoga x2-3 week
Plus around 8hrs walking a week since I do not drive.
The scale keeps creeping up. This isn't fair.
I average around 1300-1500 calories a day plus 2 days IF.
So what gives?

Replies

  • 3dogsrunning
    3dogsrunning Posts: 27,167 Member
    Will you open your food diary?

    How long has the scale been creeping up? By how much?

    How do you measure your food intake?

  • autumnblade75
    autumnblade75 Posts: 1,661 Member
    Things I would assess: How do you calculate exercise calories (if you eat them back)
    Do you weigh your food?
    Are you choosing correct entries in the database (match your food labels) and entering your own recipes?
  • mbaker566
    mbaker566 Posts: 11,233 Member
    I would guess that you are eating more calories than you think or that you are overestimating your calorie burn
    weigh all your food
    if you eat your calories back from exercise, eat only half and if you still gain, try eating 25 percent

    also consider weight loss is not linear, time of the month is annoying, sodium intake, not being at this too long. I've heard muscles temporarily hold on to water when a large change in activity level is made.
  • 3dogsrunning
    3dogsrunning Posts: 27,167 Member
    autumnblade75 wrote: »
    Things I would assess: How do you calculate exercise calories (if you eat them back)
    Do you weigh your food?
    Are you choosing correct entries in the database (match your food labels) and entering your own recipes?

    Agreed, which is why I asked for the diary. It is much easier for people to spot if you are choosing bad entries or overestimating exercise calories.
  • nikipantsmulder
    nikipantsmulder Posts: 6 Member
    I try not to eat back any exercise calories- unless it's the weekend when I'm a little more laid back and I am most likely to allow a cheat.
    I consume very little packaged products so I know my sodium intake shouldnt be a problem.
    I measure my exercise calories with my Fitbit..avg daily burn 500-800 calories but since I try not to eat back any calories I ignore those as just a deficit.

  • 3dogsrunning
    3dogsrunning Posts: 27,167 Member
    nikipantsmulder wrote: »
    I try not to eat back any exercise calories- unless it's the weekend when I'm a little more laid back and I am most likely to allow a cheat.
    I consume very little packaged products so I know my sodium intake shouldnt be a problem.
    I measure my exercise calories with my Fitbit..avg daily burn 500-800 calories but since I try not to eat back any calories I ignore those as just a deficit.

    So no answer to the rest of the questions?
  • nikipantsmulder
    nikipantsmulder Posts: 6 Member
    Opened up diary.
    I'm a flight attendant and have been away a lot lately so my diary is scattered and missing days....
    However this isn't a new problem. The scale has been creeping up for around just over a year now by about 9lbs.
    I don't weigh my food.
    Just calorie estimating.
  • queenliz99
    queenliz99 Posts: 15,317 Member
    nikipantsmulder wrote: »
    Opened up diary.
    I'm a flight attendant and have been away a lot lately so my diary is scattered and missing days....
    However this isn't a new problem. The scale has been creeping up for around just over a year now by about 9lbs.
    I don't weigh my food.
    Just calorie estimating.

    bingo
  • autumnblade75
    autumnblade75 Posts: 1,661 Member
    If you're just estimating your calories instead of weighing them, that's likely to be your biggest source of errors, right there.

    You'll be shocked how much you're actually eating once you start weighing.
  • oh_happy_day
    oh_happy_day Posts: 1,137 Member
    nikipantsmulder wrote: »
    Opened up diary.
    I'm a flight attendant and have been away a lot lately so my diary is scattered and missing days....
    However this isn't a new problem. The scale has been creeping up for around just over a year now by about 9lbs.
    I don't weigh my food.
    Just calorie estimating    .

    That is likely the problem. Portion creep is real! You're probably eating more than you think. Start weighing and logging consistently.
  • editorgrrl
    editorgrrl Posts: 7,060 Member
    nikipantsmulder wrote: »
    I measure my exercise calories with my Fitbit..avg daily burn 500-800 calories but since I try not to eat back any calories I ignore those as just a deficit.

    Your Fitbit burn is TDEE (total daily energy expenditure), the calories necessary to maintain your current weight. If you eat less than that, you will lose weight.

    Connect your accounts at http://www.myfitnesspal.com/fitbit

    Set your goal to .5 lb. for every 25 lbs. you're overweight: http://www.myfitnesspal.com/account/change_goals_guided

    Enable negative calorie adjustments: http://www.myfitnesspal.com/account/diary_settings

    In the MFP app, go to More > Steps and choose Fitbit.

    Ignore your Fitbit calorie goal and follow MFP's, eating back your adjustments. No need to log any step-based activity—your Fitbit is tracking it for you. Log non-step exercise (like swimming or biking) either in Fitbit or in MFP—never both. Exercise logged in MFP overwrites your Fitbit burn during that time.

    You can learn more in the Fitbit Users group: http://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/group/1290-fitbit-users
  • nikipantsmulder
    nikipantsmulder Posts: 6 Member
    Alright- I'll give it a shot.
    Thanks!
  • nikipantsmulder
    nikipantsmulder Posts: 6 Member
    However I've never weighed my food. And this is a new problem.
    I am no more hungry then normal and my diet hasn't changed- I am certain I'm not eating more then normal. I plan pretty much all my meals and snacks.
  • nikipantsmulder
    nikipantsmulder Posts: 6 Member
    editorgrrl wrote: »
    nikipantsmulder wrote: »
    I measure my exercise calories with my Fitbit..avg daily burn 500-800 calories but since I try not to eat back any calories I ignore those as just a deficit.

    Your Fitbit burn is TDEE (total daily energy expenditure), the calories necessary to maintain your current weight. If you eat less than that, you will lose weight.

    Connect your accounts at http://www.myfitnesspal.com/fitbit

    Set your goal to .5 lb. for every 25 lbs. you're overweight: http://www.myfitnesspal.com/account/change_goals_guided

    Enable negative calorie adjustments: http://www.myfitnesspal.com/account/diary_settings

    In the MFP app, go to More > Steps and choose Fitbit.

    Ignore your Fitbit calorie goal and follow MFP's, eating back your adjustments. No need to log any step-based activity—your Fitbit is tracking it for you. Log non-step exercise (like swimming or biking) either in Fitbit or in MFP—never both. Exercise logged in MFP overwrites your Fitbit burn during that time.

    You can learn more in the Fitbit Users group: http://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/group/1290-fitbit-users



    Thank you so much! I'll do that.
  • editorgrrl
    editorgrrl Posts: 7,060 Member
    nikipantsmulder wrote: »
    However I've never weighed my food. And this is a new problem.

    I am certain I'm not eating more then normal.

    If you're not logging everything you eat & drink accurately & honestly, then you have no idea how much you're eating. And the smaller you are, the smaller the margin of error.

    Exercise for fitness; log to lose weight.
  • oh_happy_day
    oh_happy_day Posts: 1,137 Member
    nikipantsmulder wrote: »
    However I've never weighed my food. And this is a new problem.
    I am no more hungry then normal and my diet hasn't changed- I am certain I'm not eating more then normal. I plan pretty much all my meals and snacks.

    It doesn't take much though. A bit of extra avocado here, an extra tsp of peanut butter there, to create an excess amount of calories which can lead to slow weight gain. I'm not saying you're going nuts with food, just that if you're gaining weight then you are eating more than you burn and tightening up your food is usually a good place to start.
  • Allterrain_Lady
    Allterrain_Lady Posts: 421 Member
    queenliz99 wrote: »
    nikipantsmulder wrote: »
    Opened up diary.
    I'm a flight attendant and have been away a lot lately so my diary is scattered and missing days....
    However this isn't a new problem. The scale has been creeping up for around just over a year now by about 9lbs.
    I don't weigh my food.
    Just calorie estimating.

    bingo

    "Just calorie estimating" We most likely have a winner. Weigh your food for a week. I'd bet a lot than you're in for a surprise.
  • mbaker566
    mbaker566 Posts: 11,233 Member
    weigh your food. eyeballing is rarely a good estimation
  • editorgrrl
    editorgrrl Posts: 7,060 Member
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  • Sam_I_Am77
    Sam_I_Am77 Posts: 2,093 Member
    queenliz99 wrote: »
    nikipantsmulder wrote: »
    Opened up diary.
    I'm a flight attendant and have been away a lot lately so my diary is scattered and missing days....
    However this isn't a new problem. The scale has been creeping up for around just over a year now by about 9lbs.
    I don't weigh my food.
    Just calorie estimating.

    bingo

    LOL! The calorie value you see in nutrition facts is already an estimate; it's not exact by any means. So to further add guess work into it is detrimental to your progress. You have to get in the habit of weighing your food somehow. I've seen small food scales that you could travel with in your profession.

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