Hard Exercise and Weight Gain....that didn't go away...

Pocket__Cthulhu
Pocket__Cthulhu Posts: 134 Member
edited November 29 in Fitness and Exercise
Hello again forum...

So last week I posted about how I seemed to gain weight overnight, and I felt reassured by the good advice I got. However, I jumped from 172 to 178 and when I went back to my normal routine I only can seem to get back down to 175. Such a fluctuation wouldn't bother me at all if it weren't for the fact that I'm awfully heavy for a woman of 5'5 to begin with.

I'm eating back some of my exercise calories, but not all. Does anyone have any advice? Or should I just stay the course with sticking to the log that MFP offers and assume that the scale will start going down again. Over the past couple weeks it keeps going up. I have always struggled to lose even the smallest amount of weight, and it took me two months just to lose 5lbs on the 1,400 calorie budget without exercise.

I'm aware of the "starvation mode" warnings, however, if I eat more than 1,700 calories I end up gaining weight. I know, I've tried.

Thanks for the help!

Replies

  • CassidyScaglione
    CassidyScaglione Posts: 673 Member
    Forgetting weight for a moment, have your measurements changed?
  • MommyMeggo
    MommyMeggo Posts: 1,222 Member
    edited February 2016
    Hi there! I am 5'4 and 175 today. Im trying to lose this baby weight!
    I use a TDEE calculator to decide my calories. I need to eat 1420-1490 to be in the 20% loss range. (this is actually an under estimation somewhat as I am probably more active than I entered into the calculator) This amount INCLUDES my estimated exercise so I dont eat back anything or log. I find this method more accurate than the MFP exercise log.

    I dont think starvation mode exists in the way that people refer to it. However there is a minimum your body needs to function and it is not recommended to go below that amount.

    Do you weigh and measure all your food?

    (edited for a typo)
  • jemhh
    jemhh Posts: 14,261 Member
    Could you give a bit more of a timeline? By that I mean, how long ago did you go from 172 to 178, how long did it take you to 175, how long have you been at 175?

    Keep in mind that water weight often doesn't come off as quickly as it goes on. It varies from person to person but I've found that it can take a months to lose the water weight that I gain over a day or two.
  • MommyMeggo
    MommyMeggo Posts: 1,222 Member
    jemhh wrote: »
    Keep in mind that water weight often doesn't come off as quickly as it goes on.

    Truth. My scale hasnt really moved since early January. However I started 5x5- I so I know some of that is due to water retention. But I have lost nearly 2 inches on my waist. I retain water very easily so I have to monitor my sodium intake and remember to drink drink drink.
    I have also found not being super strict with measuring and weighing my food creates lies within my diary and disappointment on Monday mornings. LOL.


    OP, 5lbs in two months isnt bad. Its a slow loss but thats not a bad thing!! Roughly .5 per week
  • JoRocka
    JoRocka Posts: 17,525 Member
    1700 calories is a lot for someone who is 5'5"

    at 5'8" and 165 pounds- I maintain at 1650 calories- and I work out 3 times a week and dance for upwards of 15 hrs weekly.

    So I'm guessing you're straight eating to much.
  • DizzyMissIzzy
    DizzyMissIzzy Posts: 168 Member
    JoRocka wrote: »
    1700 calories is a lot for someone who is 5'5"

    at 5'8" and 165 pounds- I maintain at 1650 calories- and I work out 3 times a week and dance for upwards of 15 hrs weekly.

    So I'm guessing you're straight eating to much.

    That's not necessarily true, I'm 5'3.5" (and 140lbs) and it's true that I lift heavy and supplement with good cardio (elliptical, dancing, 100 8 count body builders, etc) but I have to eat around 1800 a day just to eat enough to lose 2lbs a week.

    It all really depends on the person how much activity you are doing and if you are meeting your macros. Calories are certainly important, but macros are what is going to change your body composition the most effectively! Plus, if you meet the macros you'll almost certainly be under the calories.

    My food diary is public if you'd like to take a look at what I mean.

    It is true that water weight takes longer to come off than put on. Are you tracking your sodium levels? Sodium is important for when you're working out but too much in your diet will make you retain more water weight. Just keep drinking as much water as possible! (At least a gallon a day).



  • KathleenKP
    KathleenKP Posts: 580 Member
    If you are talking about a couple days, then yes, it's probably still water weight. It takes me 4-5 days of virtual inactivity (rare for me) before it will come off. But then it comes right back on with my first heavier workout. So it's pointless for me to worry about that water weight.

    If you are talking about this happening over weeks, then yes, the calorie burn is probaby overestimated. I have this problem, too. Even when I cut the burn in half, I was still overeating. My personal experience with this was over 1.5 years of intense training.
  • Pocket__Cthulhu
    Pocket__Cthulhu Posts: 134 Member
    Wow, thank you for all the Replies,

    Cassidy, I'm not sure if my measurements have changed because I never took a measurement when I started to exercise...although that should have been a no-brainer. I will have to get a tape measure to be sure, because I'm not sure if my jeans are loose or I'm just stretching them out from wearing them more than one day.

    Mommy, I do not generally weigh my food, but I do measure it before putting it on my plate. I do not eat out very often at all, because cooking is a hobby I enjoy. I have a lot of control over what goes into my mouth. And although cooking like Paula Deen got me into this mess, I also know what I should be avoiding and how much is a "serving." I'm not sure what a TDEE calculator is. Could you elaborate for me?

    Jemh, This has been a couple of weeks. I went from 172-178 literarily overnight after doubling my martial arts classes I was attending. I wasn't too worried about it, but two weeks have passed since then. I have continued to exercise 3-4 times a week at the gym with 45 minutes of weights and 30 minutes of jogging since then, plus two 60 minute martial arts classes back to back on the weekend. The scale seems to be hoovering at 175 with no change. I figured if it were all water weight it would have come off by now, right?

    JoRocka. I'm not eating 1700. I'm eating 1400. I know from logging through the years that if I start to relax and eat more than 1700 I will gain. I mentioned 1700 calories because I'm trying to find a balance between 1200, which is maddeningly difficult and 1700 which is the point I start to gain.

    Dizzy, I'm not tracking my sodium, but salty food is more a weakness for me than sweets are so perhaps I should pay more attention to that. I cook a lot of my own food and am liberal with my "pinches." I'll try adding less and see if that helps. I do actually drink quite a lot of water. I work a very active job where my handy dandy garmin watch tells me I walk about 4-5 miles a day, and I'm drinking water to prevent myself from mindlessly snacking when I'm bored.

    Kathleen, thanks, I hate to admit it but its not outside the realm of possibility. I've been getting mixed advice from people on whether or not I should be eating back calories on exercise days, and on some of those days I'm just finding myself too hungry to care. What's a good balance of what to eat on exercise days versus sedentary days?

    Thank you for all the help! It's very encouraging.
  • Spliner1969
    Spliner1969 Posts: 3,233 Member
    1) Get a good scale and start measuring your food in grams if possible, ounces if not. You'll be surprised how much you are probably under-estimating your calorie intake.
    2) Consider, for a month or two, trying the calculators at iifym.com. It'll help you adjust your macros and include exercise for a more accurate calorie adjustment. You will probably need MFP premium to adjust your macros in this way, but it's helped me quite a bit.
    3) You're probably just in a plateau. How much weight have you lost so far and how much is your goal?
    4) Drink a gallon or more of straight water a day (on top of other crap you drink like diet sodas). It'll really help.
    5) Watch your fiber intake and keep it to the daily recommended amount or more.

    All of those things have helped me get out of a 2 month plateau.

    I set out to lose 100 lbs when I started. I'm 6'2" tall and started at 305 lbs. I used the free MFP at first, and simply used the wizard to set myself at 2lb per week loss. It put me somewhere around 1650 calories a day without exercise. I then, exercised my *kitten* off, mostly by walking at first, to the tune of 500-1000 calories a day. I always figured the apps I was using likely over-estimate calorie burn by 30% so I subtract 30% of their burn, then eat back up to half of that in protein (only in protein) to help muscles tone and lose fat. It worked great for about 70 lbs worth over 8-9 months. There were a couple of plateaus in there, mostly because of sodium intake and holidays, but for the most part it worked great. Then when I got within 20 lbs of my goal the real plateaus started. So I subbed to the premium MFP, and started using iifym.com to adjust my macros. I still don't enter my exercise when using their calc to adjust my macros, so I allow myself to eat back up to half of my exercise calories, but the weight loss has severely slowed. I'm now close to my goal (within 1 lb of 205) and likely hit my goal some days, but the weight loss does get harder the closer you get to your goal. I'm now set at around 1850 calories a day, and eat back some of my exercise so up to 2100 calories a day or so max, but really I try to keep it under 2000. My height has some advantages of course, and my frame size, but do take the time to try out other calculators to get a feel of what you should be eating. Then stop weighing so much. Maybe 1-2 times a month and stay where you set your goals. For a while you'll probably start trading fat for muscle (not a lot of muscle in a deficit, but just toning) and won't change weight. It's all good though.

    Also, remember, you can gain 5lbs or more just from sodium in a single day. Start tracking it and stay under the recommended daily amount (and weigh your food) and I'll bet you'll start dropping weight again. Processed food is the devil.
  • blues4miles
    blues4miles Posts: 1,481 Member
    Pocket__Cthulhu wrote: »
    Jemh, This has been a couple of weeks. I went from 172-178 literarily overnight after doubling my martial arts classes I was attending. I wasn't too worried about it, but two weeks have passed since then. I have continued to exercise 3-4 times a week at the gym with 45 minutes of weights and 30 minutes of jogging since then, plus two 60 minute martial arts classes back to back on the weekend. The scale seems to be hoovering at 175 with no change. I figured if it were all water weight it would have come off by now, right?

    How long has it been at 175 with no change?

    I would reiterate to get a food scale and start weighing your food. I know you think you understand serving sizes well, but we all wouldn't be here if we REALLY understood serving sizes well. It's been eye opening for me.

    Also definitely take measurements. I like the MFP definition of a plateau though - 3 weeks with no weight change. So unless it was 3 weeks ago to the day that you dropped back down to 175, you just need to give it more time. Sometimes even when we are losing 1 lb a week, it won't show up for 2-3 weeks instead.
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