weight is creeping up

lkeskih1
lkeskih1 Posts: 14 Member
edited December 2024 in Health and Weight Loss
I've been having a lot of anxiety because despite "doing everything right" I am seeing a slow/steady weight increase on my scale. I weigh my food, keep my calories around 1700 (low-isa carb, track macros). I am pretty active. I usually do cardio (elliptical/stair climber/run) 3x a week, I do workout videos on my off days. I get plenty of "active minutes" on my fitbit, and almost always hit 10,000 step goal.
I am feeling defeated when i weigh myself twice/week and it keeps going up, up, up. my waist measurement is pretty close to what it has always been but I feel like my body looks bigger. Historically i have had a lot of anxiety related to my weight and this feels pretty defeating.
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Replies

  • Seffell
    Seffell Posts: 2,246 Member
    What are your stats?
  • MaggieLoo79
    MaggieLoo79 Posts: 288 Member
    Are you a woman? It may be hormonal. Go to the doctor and get your hormones and thyroid tested.
  • lkeskih1
    lkeskih1 Posts: 14 Member
    gebeziseva wrote: »
    What are your stats?

    i'm 5'4" and 119lbs
  • courtneyfabulous
    courtneyfabulous Posts: 1,863 Member
    Yeah what's your weight. height, age gender, non exercise activity like?

    You might have calories set too high? You might not be tracking accurately- double check that the food entries you're choosing are correct calories
  • courtneyfabulous
    courtneyfabulous Posts: 1,863 Member
    Do you use a scale to measure food?
  • crzycatlady1
    crzycatlady1 Posts: 1,930 Member
    edited November 2016
    lkeskih1 wrote: »
    gebeziseva wrote: »
    What are your stats?

    i'm 5'4" and 119lbs

    You're already at the low end of a healthy bmi and that doesn't give you a lot of wiggle room. You should either be maintaining at this point or aiming for .5lb loss per week (and not trying to lose more then a few more pounds). You have to be incredibly precise with your data if you're trying to still lose weight, because you have almost no room for error.

    Also as a side note: there's all sorts of things that can cause your scale to show a gain, that's not related to actual fat gains. Sodium intake, hormones/time of month, digestion timing, water retention from exercise, constipation, scale batteries going dead, using a different scale, moving scale to a different location in your house, taking a shower before weighing etc etc etc.
  • TavistockToad
    TavistockToad Posts: 35,719 Member
    lkeskih1 wrote: »
    gebeziseva wrote: »
    What are your stats?

    i'm 5'4" and 119lbs

    why are you trying to lose weight?
  • lkeskih1
    lkeskih1 Posts: 14 Member
    TavistockToad wrote: »
    lkeskih1 wrote: »
    gebeziseva wrote: »
    What are your stats?

    i'm 5'4" and 119lbs

    why are you trying to lose weight?

    I'm not necessarily trying to lose weight as much as I am trying to lose fat/tone up. I know that muscle weighs more than fat, taking up less space. However I have a body fat scale and that number has been going up as well.
  • TavistockToad
    TavistockToad Posts: 35,719 Member
    edited November 2016
    lkeskih1 wrote: »
    TavistockToad wrote: »
    lkeskih1 wrote: »
    gebeziseva wrote: »
    What are your stats?

    i'm 5'4" and 119lbs

    why are you trying to lose weight?

    I'm not necessarily trying to lose weight as much as I am trying to lose fat/tone up. I know that muscle weighs more than fat, taking up less space. However I have a body fat scale and that number has been going up as well.

    scales are useless for measuring body fat.

    have you recently started a lifting programme? if you want to 'tone up' then you want a very small deficit and a decent strength/resistance programme.
  • lkeskih1
    lkeskih1 Posts: 14 Member
    courtneyfabulous wrote: »
    Do you use a scale to measure food?

    i use a food scale. I am 27, 5'4" and 119, woman. on the weekends i work as a server (very active job) during the week unfortunately i spend a lot of time sitting and driving as I am a student and have an office job. But i make sure to take walks at lunch, and i almost always get my "30 active minutes" and 10000 steps.
  • trigden1991
    trigden1991 Posts: 4,658 Member
    If you are consistently gaining weight over a long period 6+ weeks then you are eating more than your TDEE.

    However at your weight I would not advise losing any more weight.
  • courtneyfabulous
    courtneyfabulous Posts: 1,863 Member
    You don't need to lose weight
  • lkeskih1
    lkeskih1 Posts: 14 Member
    courtneyfabulous wrote: »
    You don't need to lose weight

    I may not NEED to lose weight but is like to not gain. And I'd like to lose body fat.
  • sllm1
    sllm1 Posts: 2,130 Member
    I would go back to, "Do you use a scale to measure your food?" The smaller you are, the more accurate you need to be.
  • courtneyfabulous
    courtneyfabulous Posts: 1,863 Member
    Maybe you should look into body recomposition. It's where you gain muscle and lose body fat. I believe it involves weight lifting and proper macros. Check bodybuilding.com or muscleforlife.com for help how to do this.
  • courtneyfabulous
    courtneyfabulous Posts: 1,863 Member
    edited November 2016
    This video might be helpful

    https://youtu.be/urtIhnqRlcs
  • courtneyfabulous
    courtneyfabulous Posts: 1,863 Member
    And if you are gaining weight your maintenance calories may be too high, you may actually be in a slight surplus. Try dropping your daily calorie goal by 100 calories and see if that stops the weight gain? Or you could keep calories the same but increase the intensity or amount of exercise. Try hiit cardio or plyometric exercises instead of the elliptical. Strength training/lifting weights is also really great for fat loss because it has an afterburn effect so you don't just burn calories as you're actively working out (like with cardio) but for hours later as well, and it takes calories to repair and build the muscle. Also having more lean muscle mass increases the metabolism because muscles require calories where as fat tissue does not. Don't worry about getting bulky either that's a myth. If anything having more muscle will make you look leaner even at the same body weight.
  • courtneyfabulous
    courtneyfabulous Posts: 1,863 Member
    Also how old are you?
  • Dnarules
    Dnarules Posts: 2,081 Member
    courtneyfabulous wrote: »
    And if you are gaining weight your maintenance calories may be too high, you may actually be in a slight surplus. Try dropping your daily calorie goal by 100 calories and see if that stops the weight gain? Or you could keep calories the same but increase the intensity or amount of exercise. Try hiit cardio or plyometric exercises instead of the elliptical. Strength training/lifting weights is also really great for fat loss because it has an afterburn effect so you don't just burn calories as you're actively working out (like with cardio) but for hours later as well, and it takes calories to repair and build the muscle. Also having more lean muscle mass increases the metabolism because muscles require calories where as fat tissue does not. Don't worry about getting bulky either that's a myth. If anything having more muscle will make you look leaner even at the same body weight.

    I find it hard to believe, given the information she has provided, that 1700 would be a surplus. I think it would be more likely she is eating more than 1700 due to logging issues. I would start there and not drop calories.

    My main question is (and sorry if I missed it).....how long has the gain been going on? Because if this is just a short term thing, there are all kinds of reasons the scale may move up.
  • lkeskih1
    lkeskih1 Posts: 14 Member
    courtneyfabulous wrote: »
    Also how old are you?
    I'm 27. Thanks that's all good advice. I'm nervous about dropping calories, I've been reading thing that make me think I maybe my metabolism is set low because of dieting for multiple months.
  • courtneyfabulous
    courtneyfabulous Posts: 1,863 Member
    lkeskih1 wrote: »
    courtneyfabulous wrote: »
    Also how old are you?
    I'm 27. Thanks that's all good advice. I'm nervous about dropping calories, I've been reading thing that make me think I maybe my metabolism is set low because of dieting for multiple months.

    Yeah I'm not a fan of going too low on calories either. Maybe you can keep those the same and just switch up the type of exercises you do and your macros ratios. I'm not an expert though, definitely do your own research.
  • stealthq
    stealthq Posts: 4,298 Member
    Dnarules wrote: »
    courtneyfabulous wrote: »
    And if you are gaining weight your maintenance calories may be too high, you may actually be in a slight surplus. Try dropping your daily calorie goal by 100 calories and see if that stops the weight gain? Or you could keep calories the same but increase the intensity or amount of exercise. Try hiit cardio or plyometric exercises instead of the elliptical. Strength training/lifting weights is also really great for fat loss because it has an afterburn effect so you don't just burn calories as you're actively working out (like with cardio) but for hours later as well, and it takes calories to repair and build the muscle. Also having more lean muscle mass increases the metabolism because muscles require calories where as fat tissue does not. Don't worry about getting bulky either that's a myth. If anything having more muscle will make you look leaner even at the same body weight.

    I find it hard to believe, given the information she has provided, that 1700 would be a surplus. I think it would be more likely she is eating more than 1700 due to logging issues. I would start there and not drop calories.

    My main question is (and sorry if I missed it).....how long has the gain been going on? Because if this is just a short term thing, there are all kinds of reasons the scale may move up.

    At 5'3" and 117lbs, my maintenance cals were mid 1400's (not including exercise).

    OP is 5'4", 119lbs. Her maintenance cals sans exercise are not going to be much higher than that given the activity indicated by her step count. Probably around 1500. Now add some cardio. Let's say every day since OP says she does a workout video on her 'off' days. With all of that she's likely right at 1700 total IF she doesn't skip any days.

    Question is, is OP actually eating 1700 gross, or is she eating 1700 net?

    Also, is OP logging accurately? Because if her goal is right on target, that means slightly but consistently underestimating calories could result in slow weight gain.
  • HealthyBodySickMind
    HealthyBodySickMind Posts: 1,207 Member
    Our stats are similar. I'm 31 y.o., 5'4.75" and 116 lbs. My advise would be to get started on a lifting program involving deadlifts, squats, bench, and overhead press and lift heavy enough that you can't get 12 reps in on your heaviest weight. I like 5/3/1. I have tracked my calories without trying to lose weight for several years now, before and during lifting, and before and after a pregnancy. My experimentally determined TDEE went up about 150 calories a day with regular lifting. I think if you continue to eat and track as you are now, and just add in the right lifting program it will make all the difference.
  • lkeskih1
    lkeskih1 Posts: 14 Member
    HealthyBodySickMind wrote: »
    Our stats are similar. I'm 31 y.o., 5'4.75" and 116 lbs. My advise would be to get started on a lifting program involving deadlifts, squats, bench, and overhead press and lift heavy enough that you can't get 12 reps in on your heaviest weight. I like 5/3/1. I have tracked my calories without trying to lose weight for several years now, before and during lifting, and before and after a pregnancy. My experimentally determined TDEE went up about 150 calories a day with regular lifting. I think if you continue to eat and track as you are now, and just add in the right lifting program it will make all the difference.

    This seems like good advise after looking at body recomposition posts and whatnot. do you have any recommendations for starting out lifting from home? like videos or programs to follow and what kind of weights i might need. a gym membership right now is sort of impossible as all the gyms with child care centers are really expensive in my area.
  • HealthyBodySickMind
    HealthyBodySickMind Posts: 1,207 Member
    lkeskih1 wrote: »
    HealthyBodySickMind wrote: »
    Our stats are similar. I'm 31 y.o., 5'4.75" and 116 lbs. My advise would be to get started on a lifting program involving deadlifts, squats, bench, and overhead press and lift heavy enough that you can't get 12 reps in on your heaviest weight. I like 5/3/1. I have tracked my calories without trying to lose weight for several years now, before and during lifting, and before and after a pregnancy. My experimentally determined TDEE went up about 150 calories a day with regular lifting. I think if you continue to eat and track as you are now, and just add in the right lifting program it will make all the difference.

    This seems like good advise after looking at body recomposition posts and whatnot. do you have any recommendations for starting out lifting from home? like videos or programs to follow and what kind of weights i might need. a gym membership right now is sort of impossible as all the gyms with child care centers are really expensive in my area.

    I started out lifting at home. I made myself a squat rack from this link: https://freckledlifter.wordpress.com/2012/09/11/diy-squat-rack/

    I picked myself up a bar and some plates at walmart, and did floor presses until I found a bench (and a better bar and more plates) on craigslist for about $25.

    You can build your lifting program here: http://www.strengthstandards.co/#/
  • HealthyBodySickMind
    HealthyBodySickMind Posts: 1,207 Member
    I just realized that link is no longer good for the squat rack. It was similar to this one though: http://www.endofthreefitness.com/crossfit-equipment-homemade-squat-bench-press-stand/
  • HealthyBodySickMind
    HealthyBodySickMind Posts: 1,207 Member
    edited November 2016
    This is mine4kugf10sa63v.jpg
  • Dnarules
    Dnarules Posts: 2,081 Member
    stealthq wrote: »
    Dnarules wrote: »
    courtneyfabulous wrote: »
    And if you are gaining weight your maintenance calories may be too high, you may actually be in a slight surplus. Try dropping your daily calorie goal by 100 calories and see if that stops the weight gain? Or you could keep calories the same but increase the intensity or amount of exercise. Try hiit cardio or plyometric exercises instead of the elliptical. Strength training/lifting weights is also really great for fat loss because it has an afterburn effect so you don't just burn calories as you're actively working out (like with cardio) but for hours later as well, and it takes calories to repair and build the muscle. Also having more lean muscle mass increases the metabolism because muscles require calories where as fat tissue does not. Don't worry about getting bulky either that's a myth. If anything having more muscle will make you look leaner even at the same body weight.

    I find it hard to believe, given the information she has provided, that 1700 would be a surplus. I think it would be more likely she is eating more than 1700 due to logging issues. I would start there and not drop calories.

    My main question is (and sorry if I missed it).....how long has the gain been going on? Because if this is just a short term thing, there are all kinds of reasons the scale may move up.

    At 5'3" and 117lbs, my maintenance cals were mid 1400's (not including exercise).

    OP is 5'4", 119lbs. Her maintenance cals sans exercise are not going to be much higher than that given the activity indicated by her step count. Probably around 1500. Now add some cardio. Let's say every day since OP says she does a workout video on her 'off' days. With all of that she's likely right at 1700 total IF she doesn't skip any days.

    Question is, is OP actually eating 1700 gross, or is she eating 1700 net?

    Also, is OP logging accurately? Because if her goal is right on target, that means slightly but consistently underestimating calories could result in slow weight gain.

    I actually mentioned logging in my post, so I agree there. And I said based on her information (exercising and hitting 10000 steps a day. So I still don't believe 1700 is the issue. I think it is more likely she is not really at 1700.
  • lkeskih1
    lkeskih1 Posts: 14 Member
    Dnarules wrote: »
    stealthq wrote: »
    Dnarules wrote: »
    courtneyfabulous wrote: »
    And if you are gaining weight your maintenance calories may be too high, you may actually be in a slight surplus. Try dropping your daily calorie goal by 100 calories and see if that stops the weight gain? Or you could keep calories the same but increase the intensity or amount of exercise. Try hiit cardio or plyometric exercises instead of the elliptical. Strength training/lifting weights is also really great for fat loss because it has an afterburn effect so you don't just burn calories as you're actively working out (like with cardio) but for hours later as well, and it takes calories to repair and build the muscle. Also having more lean muscle mass increases the metabolism because muscles require calories where as fat tissue does not. Don't worry about getting bulky either that's a myth. If anything having more muscle will make you look leaner even at the same body weight.

    I find it hard to believe, given the information she has provided, that 1700 would be a surplus. I think it would be more likely she is eating more than 1700 due to logging issues. I would start there and not drop calories.

    My main question is (and sorry if I missed it).....how long has the gain been going on? Because if this is just a short term thing, there are all kinds of reasons the scale may move up.

    At 5'3" and 117lbs, my maintenance cals were mid 1400's (not including exercise).

    OP is 5'4", 119lbs. Her maintenance cals sans exercise are not going to be much higher than that given the activity indicated by her step count. Probably around 1500. Now add some cardio. Let's say every day since OP says she does a workout video on her 'off' days. With all of that she's likely right at 1700 total IF she doesn't skip any days.

    Question is, is OP actually eating 1700 gross, or is she eating 1700 net?

    Also, is OP logging accurately? Because if her goal is right on target, that means slightly but consistently underestimating calories could result in slow weight gain.

    I actually mentioned logging in my post, so I agree there. And I said based on her information (exercising and hitting 10000 steps a day. So I still don't believe 1700 is the issue. I think it is more likely she is not really at 1700.

    I use a food scale for literally everything. I do not eat out, i prepare all of my food myself. I don't understand how I could be logging inaccurately, but if i am it's probably within 100 calories
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