Gaining weight on 1400 calories!
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Daydreamangel
Posts: 126 Member
So, I restarted my weight loss journey a few months ago and I eat about 1200 calories a day with cheat days and little exercise (I have very low metabolism). Yesterday I did exercise some (body revolution and took a short walk) and ate 1400 and today I gained .6 pounds. Tbh, I only lost 1 pound since April. What am I doing wrong?
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Replies
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Ho much do you "cheat" on your cheat days?6
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Are you weighing (in grams or oz) ALL solid food on a scale, including packaged food?3
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OP, if you don't mind, I'm going to ask some follow up questions to get you a better answer:
Do you log your cheats?
Why do you say that you have low metabolism?
What are your stats and maintenance calories?
How do you measure your calories in? (measuring cups, food scale, etc)3 -
I could eat anywhere between 1500 to 2000 on my cheat days (once a week). I don't have a scale.4
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Daydreamangel wrote: »I could eat anywhere between 1500 to 2000 on my cheat days (once a week). I don't have a scale.
Are the "cheat" calories enough to wipe out any progress you may have made?
How do you measure your calories in if you don't have a food scale?5 -
Do you log your cheats? Yes
Why do you say that you have low metabolism? I always gain when I eat above 1300
What are your stats and maintenance calories? 5'6, 136 pounds, my maintenance should be 1600 but I'd gain if I eat that much
How do you measure your calories in? (measuring cups, food scale, etc) Measuring cup1 -
For one thing, your body weight isn't static...it's always in flux up or down for a myriad of reasons. Secondly, you don't gain weight (fat) overnight from the calories you ate the previous day...your body doesn't work that way...if you ate more than normal, you have inherently more waste moving through your system...also additional calories could result in water weight, particularly if you ate more carbs than usual.
Beyond that, regular cheat days have the potential to substantially remove any deficit you may have for a week depending on how big they are calorie wise...also, how accurate is your logging? Do you vet your entries from the database for accuracy...do you use a food scale to weigh out portions or at least measuring devices (not as accurate) or are you just eyeballing and logging whatever and guessing?
If you've only lost 1 Lb since April, you are eating more than you think you are and aren't in any kind of consistent deficit or you need to go see the doctor.8 -
Daydreamangel wrote: »I could eat anywhere between 1500 to 2000 on my cheat days (once a week). I don't have a scale.
In that case I would suggest to start there. If you're not weighing, you don't really know how much you are eating. It's likely more than 1400, and more than 2000 on cheat days which can wipe out your deficit.
Many people have this issue in the beginning - I certainly did - but if you are eyeballing, using "serving sizes", guessing quantities, it's so easy to eat more than you think.10 -
Daydreamangel wrote: »I could eat anywhere between 1500 to 2000 on my cheat days (once a week). I don't have a scale.
These two things, the cheat day(s) and not having a scale are the issues. The best thing you can do for your logging efforts and success at weight loss is buy a food scale.3 -
I am going to invest in a scale. It might be that I am underestimating my intake.
Maybe I need to stop my cheat days and see how that goes, I don't want it to wipe out my progress.7 -
You are possibly eating more calories overall if you aren't measuring. Even on your "regular" days.0
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ETA: ^^^^0
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Daydreamangel wrote: »I am going to invest in a scale. It might be that I am underestimating my intake.
Maybe I need to stop my cheat days and see how that goes, I don't want it to wipe out my progress.
This..
the food scale will be the best investment you buy for your weight loss efforts. The cheat days are not weighed so they are most likely more than the 1500-2000 calories you described.1 -
I swear by my food scale. I recommend getting one that plugs in v/s running on batteries. The batteries run out really fast, and the one I had before used 9V, so the batteries were more expensive to boot! I think I got mine for ~$30 on Amazon. Scales are awesome, because using measuring cups can be misleading. For example, the oatmeal I eat for breakfast says a serving is 1/2 cup (48g), and that's 190 calories. 48g is actually 1/3 cup plus some extra, so 1/2 cup is more like 250 calories! And that is the norm rather than the exception. I've seen very few foods where the calorie count is lower when using a measuring cup v/s the weight.4
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What do you guys thinking about eating at night. I have an apple at 9pm every day, is that too late?3
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I think calories are calories, no matter what time you eat them. My biggest concern would be eating a large amount of food late at night, which can raise your heart rate and make it harder to fall asleep, plus you risk acid reflux from eating and then lying down. But I think an apple for an evening snack is totally fine.5
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Daydreamangel wrote: »What do you guys thinking about eating at night. I have an apple at 9pm every day, is that too late?
There is a perpetuated myth out there that says that if you don't eat after a certain time, you will lose weight. It's a myth, and just a way to encourage people to not snack. Many of us snack after dinner due to boredom or just being at home and around the kitchen.
Get a food scale, log your food ACCURATELY, and you'll see results.4 -
Daydreamangel wrote: »What do you guys thinking about eating at night. I have an apple at 9pm every day, is that too late?
Nothing wrong with a snack at night!!!1 -
I love my scale. It comes with a book so I can look up items.
https://www.amazon.com/Greater-Goods-Nourish-Portions-Nutritional/dp/B00O5U4NDQ/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1505333506&sr=8-1&keywords=food+scale+with+nutritional+calculator
What activity level setting do you have? I have mine at Sedentary because I have a step tracker that syncs with MFP. With getting over 10k steps per day, the calories earned are about 200-400. If you are eating back exercise calories, and your settings are already set to light activity or more activity, MFP thinks that you are burning more calories than you actually are.
How often do you weigh in? Same time of day? Are you recording Measurements?
Do you have any Non Scale Victories? Clothes fit better, you have more energy, etc.
Also I want to say major Kudos to you for only losing 1lb and still sticking with it for this long. That is amazing! Change things up a bit, redo your settings and make sure that everything is accurate.2
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