Gaining weight on 1200?

Ria2and1 wrote: »

I need some help.
I'm putting on weight when I'm eating only 1200 calories 5 days a week, 1500 on the rest. I'm 5'8" (F) at 59 kg.
Most of what I eat are veggies and fruits and some protein and fat sources, and I'm sure that my counting is correct. Did this happen to anybody? What did you do?
I workout 5 days a week with intensity ranging from moderate to intense.
I suffer from chronic constipation (since childhood) and retain a lot of water for some reason. I try to limit my salt intake and drink 3 liters of water daily but still? This has been going on for a couple of months now and I gained 5kg. Please help.

A couple of things...

First, if I'm mathing correctly, you are already at the bottom of the healthy weight range for your height. It really shouldn't concern you too much if you put on a little weight. If you are unhappy with how you look, perhaps a recomp, where you put on a little muscle without gaining appreciable weight, would be the answer:

https://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/discussion/10177803/recomposition-maintaining-weight-while-losing-fat/p1

First try to tighten up your logging and see how many calories you are really eating. There are lots of common logging errors we've all made. Use a food scale for all solids, double check that the database entries you are using reflect accurate calorie totals. When I started doing that, I realized I had been eating as much as 400 cals more than I thought I was!

Regardless, gaining 10 lbs in 2 months without a drastic change to your eating is unusual. If you feel like your constipation or water retention has been worse than usual in this last couple of months, coupled with the odd weight gain, I would get a checkup to be safe.

jeremytang1976 wrote: »

I'm going to suggest a different angle and assume you are already tracking everything correctly (indeed you may purchase and use the scale and confirm that after a couple weeks you're still eating 1200 Cal's and gaining weight).

Have you been at this regime for a long time now (5 months or more)? Do you do a lot of light/moderate cardio? Do you feel lethergic/weak often?

The two main common ways to decrease your metabolism is to stay in a deficit for a prolonged period, and doing a lot of cardio. Both will force your body to adapt to be more efficient with it's energy usage... Which is great for survival during a famine, but terrible for weight loss.

Basically if this is the case you have bottomed out your capacity and there's no where left to cut calories.

Your best bet to go from here is what some refer to as a reverse diet. This is designed to rebuild your metabolism with minimal weight gain. It's like an long terms investment and it takes time - but if done correctly you could be maintaining your weight at a much higher calorie intake (like 2000+).

Even if there was some adaptive thermogenesis, it is impossible that her metabolism has down regulated to the point where she is gaining 2 lbs per week on 1200 calories. That would make her TDEE 200, ie impossible.

Having said that, OP does seem to be struggling to maintain a low weight and could no doubt benefit from working to increase her NEAT. Reverse dieting and recomp often go hand in hand. But there is far more at play here than just too much dieting.

jeremytang1976 wrote: »

I agree there is a lot going on and many variables are at play: at any given day you may vary your caloric expenditure 250 depending on what you do. Or you may under estimate / your carloric intake -+250. Really the only thing that matters in the end is some form of consistency. So my point is precision really doesn't mean much, because in the end it's all a guess anyway.
What Im reading into is how the OP may be feeling... Which is overly deprived. I know of people in the exact same boat and have seen food psychologists for eating disorders. A little know fact: there are indeed anorexic people (known as atypical anorexia) that are overweight/normal weight. I don't expect anyone to take my word for it though - and I'm pretty sure there will be hoards of people calling BS. Regardless it is indeed possible and it does exist. Not suggesting that the OP is in this category per se. It is a spectrum.

I think focusing efforts in trying to nail down exact numbers is akin to plugging finger sized holes in a boat that has a major breach.

In order to make some large and sizable changes it's necessary to address the main and largest contributor to the issue (ie: the state of the body's metabolism) raher than focusing on the small stuff.

PS how did you arrive at the TDEE being 200?

The reason why atypical anorexia is distinguished from anorexia nervosa is because diagnoses are based on how the condition is treated. In this case, the diagnosis of anorexia nervosa includes weight gain as part of the treatment plan. Because those with atypical anorexia do not have to gain weight, as they are already within a healthy weight range, this treatment plan would not work. Saying that people who are of normal weight don't have anorexia nervosa is not meant to say they don't have an eating disorder, it's just meant to distinguish treatment plans to avoid inconsistent data and results, which makes improving treatment harder.

jeremytang1976 wrote: »

I agree there is a lot going on and many variables are at play: at any given day you may vary your caloric expenditure 250 depending on what you do. Or you may under estimate / your carloric intake -+250. Really the only thing that matters in the end is some form of consistency. So my point is precision really doesn't mean much, because in the end it's all a guess anyway.
What Im reading into is how the OP may be feeling... Which is overly deprived. I know of people in the exact same boat and have seen food psychologists for eating disorders. A little know fact: there are indeed anorexic people (known as atypical anorexia) that are overweight/normal weight. I don't expect anyone to take my word for it though - and I'm pretty sure there will be hoards of people calling BS. Regardless it is indeed possible and it does exist. Not suggesting that the OP is in this category per se. It is a spectrum.

I think focusing efforts in trying to nail down exact numbers is akin to plugging finger sized holes in a boat that has a major breach.

In order to make some large and sizable changes it's necessary to address the main and largest contributor to the issue (ie: the state of the body's metabolism) raher than focusing on the small stuff.

PS how did you arrive at the TDEE being 200?

Gaining 2 lbs per week would require eating 7,000 calories ABOVE your TDEE. According to the OP they are consuming 9,000 calories a week. 9,000-7,000=2,000 and 2,000/7=285. In short, the only way to gain 2lbs of true weight when only eating 1,200 to 1,500 calories a day is to have a TDEE of about 285 calories, which is impossible, like she said. It is very likely inaccurate logging, further supported by the fact that OP does not use a food scale. Better to at least try to patch the hole before buying a whole new boat, if ya get what I mean.

Teabythesea_ wrote: »

jeremytang1976 wrote: »

I agree there is a lot going on and many variables are at play: at any given day you may vary your caloric expenditure 250 depending on what you do. Or you may under estimate / your carloric intake -+250. Really the only thing that matters in the end is some form of consistency. So my point is precision really doesn't mean much, because in the end it's all a guess anyway.
What Im reading into is how the OP may be feeling... Which is overly deprived. I know of people in the exact same boat and have seen food psychologists for eating disorders. A little know fact: there are indeed anorexic people (known as atypical anorexia) that are overweight/normal weight. I don't expect anyone to take my word for it though - and I'm pretty sure there will be hoards of people calling BS. Regardless it is indeed possible and it does exist. Not suggesting that the OP is in this category per se. It is a spectrum.

I think focusing efforts in trying to nail down exact numbers is akin to plugging finger sized holes in a boat that has a major breach.

In order to make some large and sizable changes it's necessary to address the main and largest contributor to the issue (ie: the state of the body's metabolism) raher than focusing on the small stuff.

PS how did you arrive at the TDEE being 200?

Gaining 2 lbs per week would require eating 7,000 calories ABOVE your TDEE. According to the OP they are consuming 9,000 calories a week. 9,000-7,000=2,000 and 2,000/7=285. In short, the only way to gain 2lbs of true weight when only eating 1,200 to 1,500 calories a day is to have a TDEE of about 285 calories, which is impossible, like she said. It is very likely inaccurate logging, further supported by the fact that OP does not use a food scale. Better to at least try to patch the hole before buying a whole new boat, if ya get what I mean.

This is making the assumption that the weight gain is 100% muscle and fat. However as soon as you eat more than your TDEE, one's body begins to restore their average glycogen stores in their muscles - which comes with water. I regularly notice quickly gaining 5 lbs of water weight every time I eat slightly above maintainance myself. These 5 lbs also come off in the first week when cutting again.

So lets suppose for a minute that the OP has been incorrectly logging their input (given that she is already measuring volume already, I'm willing to bet her accuracy is probably already pretty good). But let's say for arguments sake she's really consuming 1500 Cal's a day. The common advice which I'm sure she'll hear after adjusting for this error will be : you need to eat less. Eating less/moving more when you're already have little room to go is just trapping oneself in misery. My point is you have to fix the breach.

jeremytang1976 wrote: »

Teabythesea_ wrote: »

jeremytang1976 wrote: »

I agree there is a lot going on and many variables are at play: at any given day you may vary your caloric expenditure 250 depending on what you do. Or you may under estimate / your carloric intake -+250. Really the only thing that matters in the end is some form of consistency. So my point is precision really doesn't mean much, because in the end it's all a guess anyway.
What Im reading into is how the OP may be feeling... Which is overly deprived. I know of people in the exact same boat and have seen food psychologists for eating disorders. A little know fact: there are indeed anorexic people (known as atypical anorexia) that are overweight/normal weight. I don't expect anyone to take my word for it though - and I'm pretty sure there will be hoards of people calling BS. Regardless it is indeed possible and it does exist. Not suggesting that the OP is in this category per se. It is a spectrum.

I think focusing efforts in trying to nail down exact numbers is akin to plugging finger sized holes in a boat that has a major breach.

In order to make some large and sizable changes it's necessary to address the main and largest contributor to the issue (ie: the state of the body's metabolism) raher than focusing on the small stuff.

PS how did you arrive at the TDEE being 200?

Gaining 2 lbs per week would require eating 7,000 calories ABOVE your TDEE. According to the OP they are consuming 9,000 calories a week. 9,000-7,000=2,000 and 2,000/7=285. In short, the only way to gain 2lbs of true weight when only eating 1,200 to 1,500 calories a day is to have a TDEE of about 285 calories, which is impossible, like she said. It is very likely inaccurate logging, further supported by the fact that OP does not use a food scale. Better to at least try to patch the hole before buying a whole new boat, if ya get what I mean.

This is making the assumption that the weight gain is 100% muscle and fat. However as soon as you eat more than your TDEE, one's body begins to restore their average glycogen stores in their muscles - which comes with water. I regularly notice quickly gaining 5 lbs of water weight every time I eat slightly above maintainance myself. These 5 lbs also come off in the first week when cutting again.

So lets suppose for a minute that the OP has been incorrectly logging their input (given that she is already measuring volume already, I'm willing to bet her accuracy is probably already pretty good). But let's say for arguments sake she's really consuming 1500 Cal's a day. The common advice which I'm sure she'll hear after adjusting for this error will be : you need to eat less. Eating less/moving more when you're already have little room to go is just trapping oneself in misery. My point is you have to fix the breach.

If OPs logging is so far off that she thinks she's gaining weight every week on 1200 calories, figuring out exactly where she is starting from is incredibly useful. As a smaller woman myself, I remember thinking I was eating next to nothing and not losing weight. It was frustrating and demoralizing. Getting my logging on point, I was able to look at my food log, see that part of the problem was that I was simply eating too many calories, and see where I could easily fix that. Then I could move forward and work on other stuff from a position of power with useful data.

Reverse dieting can be terrifying, especially as a woman considering the way our relationship with food and our bodies can be jacked up. Doing that with good data and an understanding of how much you are eating and how much you should add at each increased step is easier imho.

Measuring by volume can easily be off 300-400 calories, I know that from experience. Also keep in mind that as a woman, OP is no doubt dealing with hormonal water weight swings along with glycogen stores tied to exercise, and again as a smaller woman, I find that those swings can make discerning weight fluctuations and what they are caused by super tricky. Accurate and consistent logging gives you something else to focus on when the scale is confusing.

I think you are underestimating the level of accuracy a modicum of effort can lead to. While yes it's all an estimate, it's amazing how so many people here find the numbers work out exactly as expected when consistent logging, weighed portions, and carefully chosen database entries are prioritized.

I used to be very slim and all of a sudden I was gaining weight (30lbs a year on 1200 calories) and my diet hadn't changed. Many doctors later and it was confirmed that I had PCOS. I went to 3 medical dieticians and each one put me on a traditional diet of 1200 calories which is what I was eating already and I continued to gain weight.
The first time I took carbs and fruit out of my diet the weight stopped going up.
Talk to your doctor and ask them to check if you have pcos. If you do the switch your diet to keto or low carb.

Ria2and1 wrote: »

KetoZandra wrote: »

I used to be very slim and all of a sudden I was gaining weight (30lbs a year on 1200 calories) and my diet hadn't changed. Many doctors later and it was confirmed that I had PCOS. I went to 3 medical dieticians and each one put me on a traditional diet of 1200 calories which is what I was eating already and I continued to gain weight.
The first time I took carbs and fruit out of my diet the weight stopped going up.
Talk to your doctor and ask them to check if you have pcos. If you do the switch your diet to keto or low carb.

I do have low estrogen and progesterone levels, but I had a pelvic ultrasound and my ovaries were healthy. I also had my TSH tested and it was normal, but I'm still suspecting hypothyroidism as I experience most of its symptoms. Should I test my T3 and T4 as well?

have them refer you to an endocrinologist. my daugher has hypothyroidism and it took them almost 2 years of testing to find out she had it only because she had fluctuating levels. one test came out high while all others came out normal. she was referred to an endo and like I said and after the end of almost 2 years of normal levels her last test came out high again and every subsequent test was high. so she is now on meds to treat it. they should have tested your T3, T3RU, T4, and TSH levels and an thyroid antibody test too would be good too. They also tested my daugter for PCOS(as it can go hand in hand with thyroid issues). and her vitamin D levels which her D levels were low so she takes a supplement weekly for that.


I will also say that many people will call BS on the CICO issue. but my daughter had no appetite and she was eating less than 1200 calories most days it was less than 500. (we kept track and we weighed and logged everything here on mfp-she had an acct) I knew what she ate as shes a homebody and only time she left the house was when she was with me or her dad/brother. she gained weight over the years .

she is obese and has tried to lose the weight. even eating 1200 calories now she hasnt lost anything,in fact she has gained weight. her levels for thyroid say they are now in the normal range. its been 6 months and still no loss and shes working and on her feet 5-8 hrs a day and still no loss. There are still days she eats under 1200 and nothing.

her weight gain started when she was 9 years old(she was tested back then and tests were normal) and shes 23 now. its went up every year since then. it was stable for the last year and now shes gaining again. she should be losing being more active and not eating a lot but she isnt. and it shouldnt be water retention because in the last 2 months shes gained 20 lbs. she doesnt eat enough to gain 20 lbs in 2 months time.