Eating Healthy, Working out & Gaining Weight

jojo1371
jojo1371 Posts: 33 Member
edited September 28 in Health and Weight Loss
Hi all,

I'm hoping to receive a little bit of insight as per my topic post. Just to give you a little bit of background about my self. I'm a short gal (5'1). My heaviest weight was 152, and managed to get down to 134 by eating 1200 cals a day and working out 4-5 times a week doing both cardio and strength- this was exactly a year ago and have plateaued ever since then.

I have read all of the forums re: plateaus etc. So I have recently totally changed my workout routine (started the 30 day shred and some really intense landscaping). I've also been sticking to the 1200 cals a day, but...i've been gaining all the weight exponentially (back up to 140). I also know that muscle does weigh more etc... and thus I should be eating more cals a day to make up for all of the working out.

I know some of your may have been in my situation, where yo've tried everything, but please share with me what you've done to get your loss back on track. I've still got about 10 lbs more to lose, but I am okay with condition and shedding off some inches.

Thanks for listening!

Replies

  • Naomi_84
    Naomi_84 Posts: 197 Member
    I'm sorry I don't have the answer but I'm very interested to hear what others have to say so I'm gonna come back to this later. Hope you find the information you're looking for :)
  • kdiamond
    kdiamond Posts: 3,329 Member
    When you say recently, how long is that? It takes a good 2-3 weeks to establish a good routine and see the benefits.

    I've done 30-day Shred and I don't think it burns more than 150-175 calories or so (guestimate for you since you're small). But are you adding a few extra calories for that?

    I'd say you should probably start at 1500 calories a day and see how that goes. 1200 isn't a magic number, most people need more than that.
  • chevy88grl
    chevy88grl Posts: 3,937 Member
    Have you considered that you aren't eating enough? Our bodies get used to what we do - eating, working out, etc. If you're working out pretty hard and not losing - I would try upping my calories for 2-3 weeks to see what happens. You don't have to do a HUGE jump - just go a couple hundred calories. See what happens. If it doesn't work - you can always go back to 1200.

    As we lose weight and our bodies change - we have to adjust our weight loss programs too.
  • sammys1girly
    sammys1girly Posts: 1,045 Member
    Are you eating back at least some of your exercise calories? I am also 5ft 1 and started at 135 (my highest ever except when pregnant) and slowly but surely have lost 6.5 lbs in the past two months. I eat back most of my exercise calories and weight loss has been very consistent, about 1/2 lb a week once it started. If you are working out but just eating 1200 calories a day, your body is gonna hang onto fat b/c it thinks you need to eat more. Also I found that I love lifting weights and the extra muscle from those helps you burn off more calories while resting, and you also will look more toned.
  • JDMPWR
    JDMPWR Posts: 1,863 Member
    Hi all,

    I'm hoping to receive a little bit of insight as per my topic post. Just to give you a little bit of background about my self. I'm a short gal (5'1). My heaviest weight was 152, and managed to get down to 134 by eating 1200 cals a day and working out 4-5 times a week doing both cardio and strength- this was exactly a year ago and have plateaued ever since then.

    I have read all of the forums re: plateaus etc. So I have recently totally changed my workout routine (started the 30 day shred and some really intense landscaping). I've also been sticking to the 1200 cals a day, but...i've been gaining all the weight exponentially (back up to 140). I also know that muscle does weigh more etc... and thus I should be eating more cals a day to make up for all of the working out.

    I know some of your may have been in my situation, where yo've tried everything, but please share with me what you've done to get your loss back on track. I've still got about 10 lbs more to lose, but I am okay with condition and shedding off some inches.

    Thanks for listening!

    As your weight drops so should your caloric intake. The problem with this is that I think from the get you were too low on your caloric intake and now your body is expecting even less. What I tell people the wisest thing is to find your lbm(ean body mass akak muscle) and times it by 15.

    So lets say 110x15=1650 that is about your bmr which i tell most people to eat at.

    More importantly what is your macro breakdown like protein/carb/fat 40/40/20? where is your settings at? If your carbs are too high then I would bring it down. Also can I get a look at your food diary?
  • kimmerroze
    kimmerroze Posts: 1,330 Member
    First of all....

    Weight lifting wont add on weight that fast...

    Second

    if you are working out relentlessly and burning massive amounts of calories, are you eating some of your exercise calories back? have you tried upping your calories?

    Third

    When working out, are you estimating your calories burned? if so could you be estimating high, and therefore eating waaay too much?

    Fourth

    What does your diet look like? have you tried eating a higher protein diet? are you eating too many carbs? could you be eating processed foods? When you get close to your goal weight, diet matters more and more, not just calorie count, but the actual composition of the foods

    Fifth
    How long have you been doing this work out? are your muscles sore? If so the gain could be water weight, your muscles will hold onto water until they are healed.

    Sixth
    have you measured yourself? you may see a gain on the scale, but you could be losing inches. This happens a lot

    Seventh
    Do you do tons and tons of cardio? burning an upwards of 500 or more calories per session? THis will only further deteriorate your muscle, along wiht fat, but when you get closer to your weight, it is importation to back off on cardio and up the weight lifting.

    Check the link in my signature, it is a ladies blog post. It will help you decipher where your are going wrong. There is three key factors to a plateau... you just have to figure out which one you are doing wrong.
  • Mommyof3texans
    Mommyof3texans Posts: 347
    I can tell you for me, I lost a bit initially with 1200 but it wasn't until I went up to 1300 that I started losing more consistently, especially if you are exercising regularly. I would give that a try, add 100-200 calories and give it a few weeks to see if that makes a difference.
  • Jessabelle12
    Jessabelle12 Posts: 145
    Interested in this. bump
  • texasladysv
    texasladysv Posts: 103 Member
    I would keep up with measurements & size at this point~ nice job keepin goin!
  • swayzine
    swayzine Posts: 6
    what is the 30-Day Shed? I'd like to try it? Maybe, I will loose faster
  • jojo1371
    jojo1371 Posts: 33 Member
    Thank you all for the help and feedback. It is definetly much appreciated.

    I think the general consensus is that I should be eating more calories. I generally do not eat back my exercise calories. So I think i'll start aiming at eating 1300-1500 calories a day. I'm just sooo worried that doing this will cause me to gain more weight. Also, on the days that I don't work out..should I be eating the 1200 or stick to the 1300-1500 range?
  • MinnieInMaine
    MinnieInMaine Posts: 6,400 Member
    Just an additional FYI - any time you start incorporating strength training (which is part of 30 day shred), you may see either no loss or a slight gain. This is not due to an increase in muscle as that takes some time, but due to water retention as part of the healing process the muscles go through. Make sure you're drinking at least 8 cups per day and keep up the good work!
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