Increased calories and lost now gaining

walsh0502
walsh0502 Posts: 2 Member
edited November 2024 in Health and Weight Loss
Any advice would be great but please be kind.

I followed a low calorie diet of 1200 calories for a while. Big mistake. It got me down to 138 (I’m 5’7) but I lost muscle and so I got to be a size 9 meaning my bodyfat is still pretty high for my weight.

In the past I would just keep dropping pounds as I find every 5 I drop is a pant size but then I end up tiny with no muscle. My goal is to remain the same weight but have muscle. So I would be smaller but weigh the same.

I upped my calories to 2000 and lift heavy weights 4x a week and go for 20-40 min. walks daily. Initially I lost 5 lbs and a pant size. Now my size is remaining the same but weight is slowly increasing. I don’t really want to cut calories again because my lifts have never been better but I don’t want to be gaining.

Replies

  • jemhh
    jemhh Posts: 14,260 Member
    What kind of time frame are we talking about? Please tell when you upped calories, how long it took to lose five lbs, and how long you've been gaining as well as how much you've gained.
  • MelanieCN77
    MelanieCN77 Posts: 4,047 Member
    I recommend measuring as well as weighing while you're trying to build muscle, it'll give you a better overall picture of what's happening. A straight switch of fat for muscle with no scale movement is an unrealistic goal in my opinion. I have been in maintenance for 6 months or so and have found an extra 200 cals or so above maintenance helps build the muscle and takes care of the extra hunger I get from lifting. What are your maintenance stats?
  • walsh0502
    walsh0502 Posts: 2 Member
    I lost the 5 lbs in 3 weeks then in the next 3 gained 2 back.

    I’m not sure what my maintenance is. According to calculators. It could be from 1800-2100. I do have days when I’m hungrier and have eaten more like 2200-2300
  • MelanieCN77
    MelanieCN77 Posts: 4,047 Member
    I really feel you - I lost a ton of muscle tone with my last 10lbs or so of loss, and the transition to building it back and trying to get my head around the weight loss mentality was really difficult. It's not nearly as straightforward as the mindset for loss, which isn't even that simple itself.
  • ck2d
    ck2d Posts: 372 Member
    Muscle is heavier than fat. Ditch the scale and start using a measuring tape to chart your progress.
  • Meghanebk
    Meghanebk Posts: 321 Member
    Measure inches in a wide variety of spots.

    If you find out you're putting on inches at 2000, drop it to 1800 for a couple of weeks and see if that helps. Don't forget to measure your progress lifting too - how many/how much/new exercises. It may not be visibly apparent/show the way you expect on the scale, but you know you're getting more muscle if you can lift 20% more.
  • SCoil123
    SCoil123 Posts: 2,111 Member
    What does MFP give you for maintenance calories? I would suggest for 4-6 weeks setting that as your goal while lifting heavy and see what results you get.

    I personally am in my last 10lb loss and started a recomping program a little early (15lb from goal). I calculated maintenance for my goal weight and that's what I eat everyday. I try to leave 100-200 calories earned from exercise uneaten to account for any logging errors. On days where I increase weight for lifting I actually do the opposite and add a small surplus. This has been working for me.

    I'm 37 year old female, 5'7.5" 160lb and a size 6/8 US. My body fat percentage is estimated between 25-26% and my goal is 20-22% with a weight closer to 150lb
  • psuLemon
    psuLemon Posts: 38,458 MFP Moderator
    walsh0502 wrote: »
    I lost the 5 lbs in 3 weeks then in the next 3 gained 2 back.

    I’m not sure what my maintenance is. According to calculators. It could be from 1800-2100. I do have days when I’m hungrier and have eaten more like 2200-2300

    That's a pretty substantial jump in calories. Keep in mind that you will increase glycogen stores and increase food waste and water from working out.

    I'd see how it goes for another couple of weeks to see if it' s levels out. If not, taper down to 1800 to see if that helps.
  • lorrpb
    lorrpb Posts: 11,462 Member
    Gaining back 2 lbs is within the range of normal fluctuations.
This discussion has been closed.

Categories