Putting on weight but staying within calorie limit??

baymondle
baymondle Posts: 4 Member
edited November 2024 in Health and Weight Loss
Hi!
First time I've posted so thanks in advance for any advice!
This is the first time I've seriously tried to loose weight, not loads just noticed it's been creeping up for a long time. I rarely go over my calorie limit and was loosing approx 0.5kg per week for a few weeks but in the past 2 weeks I've gained 1.5kg. I'm a bit sceptical that my calories gained can be generous (over 1000 extra the other day for 15000 steps?!), or perhaps I previously underestimated how active I am, I tend to average around 7000 steps. I don't work out I just walk alot and I'm a nurse so run round like crazy when I'm at work! I tend to drink around 2 litres of was plus probably too much tea/coffee.
Any advice will be helpful!
Thanks
Leah

Replies

  • Lillymoo01
    Lillymoo01 Posts: 2,865 Member
    edited October 2017
    How are you logging your food? Unless you weigh all solids (including prepackaged food which can be up to 20% more than indicated on the packet) with kitchen scales and use measuring cups for liquids then you are probably eating more than you realise. You should also check your entries against the USDA database or package information as some entries here are very inaccurate.

    Also I doubt that you would be burning over 1000 for 15,000 steps. It takes me closer to 20,000 to burn 500 calories. I know it would be higher for you as I am only 100 pounds but it gives you a rough idea.
  • upbeatbirdieRD
    upbeatbirdieRD Posts: 8 Member
    One thing that can cause weight gain is water retention due to female cycle or too much salt or sugar if your body is sensitive to those. Do you add sweeteners and things into your tea or coffee? I have been told by others that this app is not entirely accurate on Calorie counts for food or activities. I never eat all of the extra Calories it says I have earned.
  • baymondle
    baymondle Posts: 4 Member
    I try to hold back on the sugar and never use artificial sweeteners (that I know of) but salt isn't something I really consider . Never even thought about relating my weight to my cycle, most women experience bloat and weight gain right?? Perhaps I'm being a little hard on my self. Thank you for giving me other things to consider :-)
  • TavistockToad
    TavistockToad Posts: 35,719 Member
    Are you eating back the exercise cals from your fitness tracker? or are you manually adding exercise cals for daily activity?

    what are your stats and calorie goal?
  • deannalfisher
    deannalfisher Posts: 5,600 Member
    are you weighing/measuring everything?

    when you weigh yourself, are you doing it once a week or how often? maybe consider using a trending app (libra, happyscale) - then you can see overall how your weight is doing without potential daily spikes from salt/cycle etc
  • Jancandoit7
    Jancandoit7 Posts: 356 Member
    edited October 2017
    There are roughly 2112 steps in the average person’s mile.
    Each mile that a person walks burns roughly 100 calories.

    I think you're not burning as many calories as you think- your average 7000 steps would burn around 325 calories, so 15,000 would burn around 650- not sure what you're eating for calories so hard to say what's going on, but my weight frequently goes up and down a pound or 2- as long as your overall trend is downward I wouldn't worry about it. Like many others I also using a weight trending app (Happy Scale).
  • baymondle
    baymondle Posts: 4 Member
    Thanks everyone! I do weigh/scan EVERYTHING, and I agree my calorie counter can't be right, I use Pacer to count steps and sync it with fitness Pal. I don't add any other excercise manually, I think it's too tricky to count karate class, vacuuming and the tons of pottering I do lol! Also ill take the advice to weigh myself more frequently to create a trend, instead on my 'whenever I feel slim' weigh days. X
  • Noreenmarie1234
    Noreenmarie1234 Posts: 7,492 Member
    edited October 2017
    Jancandoit7 wrote: »
    There are roughly 2112 steps in the average person’s mile.
    Each mile that a person walks burns roughly 100 calories.

    I think you're not burning as many calories as you think- your average 7000 steps would burn around 325 calories, so 15,000 would burn around 650- not sure what you're eating for calories so hard to say what's going on, but my weight frequently goes up and down a pound or 2- as long as your overall trend is downward I wouldn't worry about it. Like many others I also using a weight trending app (Happy Scale).

    Yes this. For example I only burn 50 calories per mile of walking. So 100 per mile is huge overestimate I used to make.
  • ashliedelgado
    ashliedelgado Posts: 814 Member
    What is your activity level set at? If it is sedentary, MFP could absolutely give you 1000 calories for synced 15,000 steps. I'm not saying eat them, just that if your activity level is the bare minimum that is probably why.

    And yes, each month I can shoot up as much as 8lbs over night that hang around for 5-8 days, so knowing where in your cycle can be helpful.
  • quiksylver296
    quiksylver296 Posts: 28,439 Member
    Some things that cause water weight:

    1. Menstruation/Ovulation
    2. Excess sodium/carbs
    3. Travel/flying
    4. Excessive outdoor temperatures
    5. New exercise

    Unless you ate ~11500 calories over your maintenance, that 1.5 kg is not fat, it's water weight.
  • aeloine
    aeloine Posts: 2,163 Member
    quiksylver296 wrote: »
    Some things that cause water weight:

    1. Menstruation/Ovulation
    2. Excess sodium/carbs
    3. Travel/flying
    4. Excessive outdoor temperatures
    5. New exercise

    Unless you ate ~11500 calories over your maintenance, that 1.5 kg is not fat, it's water weight.

    Sounds like TOM bloat.
  • cwolfman13
    cwolfman13 Posts: 41,865 Member
    That's well within normal body weight fluctuations...especially if TOM is in town or you have traveled, eaten more sodium, eaten more carbs than normal, eaten more in general and thus more inherent waste in your system, etc...
  • baymondle
    baymondle Posts: 4 Member
    Calorie counter must be double counting then, I can half it easily enough. Well I've had the breakout so hopefully mostly TOM weight then! You've all been really helpful thank you x
  • cbelc2
    cbelc2 Posts: 762 Member
    I don't eat my exercise calories. I eat the right amount of calories and I also exercise, but I lose faster if I don't mesh the two.
  • deannalfisher
    deannalfisher Posts: 5,600 Member
    cbelc2 wrote: »
    I don't eat my exercise calories. I eat the right amount of calories and I also exercise, but I lose faster if I don't mesh the two.

    if you are using MFP's calorie goals, then its expected that you eat back a portion of your workout calories - it doesn't count purposeful exercise in the calculation
  • Maxxitt
    Maxxitt Posts: 1,281 Member
    If you are menstruating, you need at least 30 days to confirm the impact of your current calorie intake and outgo.
  • mandrewes
    mandrewes Posts: 24 Member
    There is a table of calories burned per hour walked (or steps or distance) at https://www.verywell.com/walking-calories-burned-per-minute-3887138

    It is dependent on how much you weigh. The second thing is that it is only NET calorie burn that counts you would be using some calories anyway say 100 an hour (or more) as it is during waking hours and one is probably less active generally after walking more.
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