Under calories and exercising loads but weight is going up!

leyland6
leyland6 Posts: 7 Member
in Health and Weight Loss
Please help!! I have been regularly under my calorie allowance per day and am doing a variety of exercise (cardio & strength) but I am gradually putting weight back on! I feel fab compared to what I used to - but how do I maintain that weight loss? TY

Replies

  • Sued0nim
    Sued0nim Posts: 17,456 Member
    More information

    Height, weight, calorie intake (how logged), calorie expenditure (how estimate)

    When did you move to maintenance?

    Are you carb manipulating

    What time frame we talking?
  • leyland6
    leyland6 Posts: 7 Member
    5' 3" - 156 pounds! I have been on a 'challenge' and with exercise and a clean diet have lost 18lb and over 20" off my body. Body shape has changed and I feel miles healthier however since stopping the restricted diet and just using MFP to monitor calorie and nutrient intake plus energy expenditure, I appear to be adding weight? I might be being a little too hasty however - 6 week challenge only ended last week! It has only been 5 days! What is carb manipulating? TY
  • mazdauk
    mazdauk Posts: 1,380 Member
    By "clean diet", cutting out junky snacks will help. But unless you are accurately logging calories you may be eating more than you are burning - for example a kitkat has fewer calories than a small packet of nuts and dried fruit! Make sure you weigh and log everything - that chocolate from the box your colleague offers, that "drizzle" of salad dressing, that "handful" of fruit added to a "bowl" of museli, even that cup of tea you're drinking while reading this :) They all have calorific values and its easy to underestimate. A good food scale is not expensive - Amazon has plenty. Keep at it!
  • Sued0nim
    Sued0nim Posts: 17,456 Member
    OK

    I have no idea how you defined clean eating so that's difficult to comment on really ...if you reduced carb intake and now are reintroducing them you'll have a water weight swing...it's not fat

    If you're using MFP to hit calories you need to know this

    1) you need to weigh (not use cups or spoons to measure) your food ..everything
    2) you need to log everything
    3) you need to double check every single entry against pack and other sources, a whole heap of the database is inaccurate (once you have confirmed a food you just pick it from your recent list this is only for first time usage)
    4) exercise calories can be grossly overestimated here, best to halve them (double click on number when entered) and see how you go
    5) monitor over the next 6-8 weeks and take an average and adjust from there eg eat more / less exercise calories

    HTH
  • leyland6
    leyland6 Posts: 7 Member
    Thank you both ... I had noticed that often the same foods had hugely different calorie values!! I think the next stop is Amazon for some scales!! Thanks again
  • leyland6
    leyland6 Posts: 7 Member
    And I think I need to work on it and be a little less impatient!! Lol
  • LivingtheLeanDream
    LivingtheLeanDream Posts: 13,342 Member
    Is this exercising a new thing by any chance?? how are your measurements??
  • leyland6
    leyland6 Posts: 7 Member
    Since I started the weight loss I have lost 18lbs and 20" ...
  • leyland6
    leyland6 Posts: 7 Member
    Sorry .. Exercising just started 6 weeks ago but I think I have the 'bug' now ... Attend classes at a local gym almost everyday! Mixture of cardio and strength...
  • LivingtheLeanDream
    LivingtheLeanDream Posts: 13,342 Member
    leyland6 wrote: »
    Since I started the weight loss I have lost 18lbs and 20" ...

    you have made progress :smile: but what has changed lately that this gain has happened? have you been tracking calories less accurately? could it be water weight from new exercise?
  • TavistockToad
    TavistockToad Posts: 35,719 Member
    increased your carbs, gained water weight and scale weight?
  • LivingtheLeanDream
    LivingtheLeanDream Posts: 13,342 Member
    leyland6 wrote: »
    Sorry .. Exercising just started 6 weeks ago but I think I have the 'bug' now ... Attend classes at a local gym almost everyday! Mixture of cardio and strength...

    well then, that's your answer, your body holds onto water weight when we start a new regime - that will disappear soon.
  • TavistockToad
    TavistockToad Posts: 35,719 Member
    RunRutheeRun wrote: »
    leyland6 wrote: »
    Since I started the weight loss I have lost 18lbs and 20" ...

    you have made progress :smile: but what has changed lately that this gain has happened? have you been tracking calories less accurately? could it be water weight from new exercise?

    OP went from following a strict 'clean' diet to eating normally again....
  • LivingtheLeanDream
    LivingtheLeanDream Posts: 13,342 Member
    TavistockToad wrote: »
    RunRutheeRun wrote: »
    leyland6 wrote: »
    Since I started the weight loss I have lost 18lbs and 20" ...

    you have made progress :smile: but what has changed lately that this gain has happened? have you been tracking calories less accurately? could it be water weight from new exercise?

    OP went from following a strict 'clean' diet to eating normally again....

    I must have missed that bit :blush: eating more carbs or sugar will certainly show a gain on the scales but its not real gain and will go eventually (unless eating above maintenance cals regularly of course)

    OP - when I have a takeout at the weekend that is inclined to be high sodium or extra carby I 'gain' 3lbs overnight, but its only temporary and not real gain, it takes 3 days for that to disappear.
  • formylover
    formylover Posts: 34 Member
    Other than the weight gain did you loose inches? if so could be that you are gaining muscles. Muscles are heavier than fat.
    if you feel measurements are the sames then could be your carb intake. ^^
  • RobD520
    RobD520 Posts: 420 Member
    formylover wrote: »
    Other than the weight gain did you loose inches? if so could be that you are gaining muscles. Muscles are heavier than fat.
    if you feel measurements are the sames then could be your carb intake. ^^

    No. OP did not gain muscle mass in 6 weeks.
  • Faythe57
    Faythe57 Posts: 6 Member
    Are you on protein powder?
  • leyland6
    leyland6 Posts: 7 Member
    Faythe57 wrote: »
    Are you on protein powder?

    Hi Faye ... I have been but recently stopped using that.
    Thanks for all the other responses .. Definitely some advice to consider - counting calories atm but not necessarily eating healthily all the time. I have definitely increased the carbs in the last 7 days so even though I have been within the calorie count the food has been different! I'll keep going ... TY

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