eating less and gaining

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crossky0723
crossky0723 Posts: 4
in Introduce Yourself
Help! I've been on mfp for 2 weeks. Weighed myself this morning and i've GAINED 2 pounds! My daily calorie goal is 1200, so that was a struggle in the first week but i never week more than 1400 calories. this week i added brisk walking and i've managed to stay around 1200 even with the added calories from exercising. Can anyone tell me why i'm gaining. i know it's early but it's VERY discouraging.

FYI: I gained all the weight I'm trying to lose just this year. Until January, I was a 3-5 mile a day walker and was in very good shape. Fell in love, got off my routine, started eating late with my guy when he came home from work, and the weight started creeping on. Now, we're BOTH on mfp, trying to lose the weight and become healthy again. btw, i turned 50 in july.

Thanks for reading, and you guys have an awesome day! I'm headed to the river to walk.
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Replies

  • MissMaryMac33
    MissMaryMac33 Posts: 1,433 Member
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    Can't see your diary, don't know your stats so any answer is really just a guess.

    In general, 1200 is too low for most people unless you are super tiny or have 100+ to lose.

    I don't lose weight at that number, but I do when I raise it to 1400 and at least half of my exercise calories back.
  • glitzier
    glitzier Posts: 4
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    You may have actually added muscle weight. I recommend getting a scale that will show you your pounds in muscle, fat percentage, and hydration level as well as pounds. My trainer uses a Tanita scale. I actually gained a pound this week but lost body fat. You can get Tanita's via amazon.com
  • glitzier
    glitzier Posts: 4
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    You may have actually added muscle weight. I recommend getting a scale that will show you your pounds in muscle, fat percentage, and hydration level as well as pounds. My trainer uses a Tanita scale. I actually gained a pound this week but lost body fat. You can get Tanita's via amazon.com
  • jculbertson1
    jculbertson1 Posts: 2
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    I don't have an answer for you, but feel the exact same way as you.

    I bike to/from work but the weight is just creeping on. I have just started really charting my food so we'll see what happens. I have just started a couple days ago.

    You don't say how old you are. I just went to see my doc for my yearly exam and she gave me this news - 56 year old women - the body loves to pack on the weight *lovely*. She said that in reality my body probably only needs 500-700 calories per day!!!! THat isn't much.

    All I can say is look at your carbs - are you going heavy there?

    Let me know how you are doing....:flowerforyou:
  • crossky0723
    crossky0723 Posts: 4
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    I thought the 1200 was too low, but that was the number mfp put me at when i put in how much i wanted to weigh. i haven't put in any stats other than my weight, which was 188 when i started. today it's 190.
  • crossky0723
    crossky0723 Posts: 4
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    I need to update my profile. i turned 50 in July!
  • MissMaryMac33
    MissMaryMac33 Posts: 1,433 Member
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    I thought the 1200 was too low, but that was the number mfp put me at when i put in how much i wanted to weigh. i haven't put in any stats other than my weight, which was 188 when i started. today it's 190.

    That's becaue it will NEVER give you a number lower than that no matter what you change your settings to. If you end up with that number, its probably because you put yourself as sedentary and aiming to lose 2lb a week -- which is pretty unrealistic for most people. Try changing your goals to 1/2 or at most 1lb a week and see what it says.
  • Alisha_countrymama
    Alisha_countrymama Posts: 821 Member
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    What is your carb intake? If you lower your carbs you may see some results.
    Just a suggestion...
  • dls06
    dls06 Posts: 6,774 Member
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    It takes time. It took a long time to gain all the weight and it will take even longer to take it off. Don't get discouraged. Take your time. The slower you lose, the longer you will keep it off because it means you are learning to eat right for the long haul.:flowerforyou:
  • MissMaryMac33
    MissMaryMac33 Posts: 1,433 Member
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    You don't say how old you are. I just went to see my doc for my yearly exam and she gave me this news - 56 year old women - the body loves to pack on the weight *lovely*. She said that in reality my body probably only needs 500-700 calories per day!!!! THat isn't much.

    Wow I think your doc needs to update her credentials -- that is ridiculous. Does she have stock in the anorexia division at the hospital or something? I hope you're ignoring her.
  • McKayMachina
    McKayMachina Posts: 2,670 Member
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    I know this isn't what you want to hear, but you're going to have to give it more time. A week in weight loss time is like a second in normal time. Stick with it. You'll see those long-term trends pan out. I promise!
  • meli_medina
    meli_medina Posts: 594 Member
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    1. How aggressive is your weight loss plan? Do you have it set too high? If you have it set at more than 1 pound per week, try lowering it to that, since you only have 25 pounds to lose, anything more than that could be too aggressive.

    2. Are you measuring your food? Estimating by eyeball is going to kill you every single time. If you're not measuring, you could be over doing it and not even realizing it, which will throw off your calorie count in a major way.

    3. Are you measuring your body? Even if you have a gain in the scale, you could still be losing inches (though I do find it hard to believe one could gain 2 pounds of muscle in 2 weeks from walking... it could be water weight, though). Tracking your inches is a more effective means of knowing your progress than the scale.

    4. What does your sodium intake look like? Try to stay to ~1500 mg per day and not exceed 2000 mg per day. Higher sodium intake can cause water retention.

    5. What does your water intake look like? Despite what some people say, water is integral in weight loss. Water + oxygen = fat burn. :)
  • flutterqueen04
    flutterqueen04 Posts: 278
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    I thought the 1200 was too low, but that was the number mfp put me at when i put in how much i wanted to weigh. i haven't put in any stats other than my weight, which was 188 when i started. today it's 190.

    That's becaue it will NEVER give you a number lower than that no matter what you change your settings to. If you end up with that number, its probably because you put yourself as sedentary and aiming to lose 2lb a week -- which is pretty unrealistic for most people. Try changing your goals to 1/2 or at most 1lb a week and see what it says.

    Agreed. I think people get on here and see the 2lb a week goal and immediately go to that without realizing it might not work for them with their activity rate. Put in 1lb-1/2lb and see what happens. And don't be discouraged. Just because it says your aiming to lose 1/2lb a week doesn't mean you will ONLY lose that. You always have a chance to lose more. MFP doesn't know your body's personal metabolism rate and such so it can't accurately give you a good daily goal, only a good estimate. Just try it for a month or two and see what happens. Good weight loss is slow and steady. Only doing this for 2 weeks and not seeing results is NORMAL!!!!! DON'T give up!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
  • mardec28
    mardec28 Posts: 12 Member
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    I've been having the same issue -- I've been working out HARD for a month, and with a couple of slips, have kept my daily calorie intake in check. For the record - my calorie intake is usually less than 1200 calories, but I only have 10 lbs to lose and I am petite (only 5'3"). So I need less calories that someone who is 5'7" and 180 lbs with the same activity level.
    This morning I was freaking out because I've only lost 1.9 lbs in a month, while 3 yrs ago when I dieted I was losing almost that per week - the difference is that at that time I was only dieting, not working out.
    I did some research and came up with this: 1) some weight gain may be muscle as other people have mentioned. I know in my case this is true because I've been strength training and kickboxing. 2) some may be due to water retention, especially if you are not drinking enough water - and I am definitely guilty of that one! I've resolved today to keep refilling my water bottle and sipping water throughout the day.

    Good luck to you!
  • lizbarrattbrown
    lizbarrattbrown Posts: 1
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    Dont give up! Its awful when you know youve been good all week only to find you have gained?

    Its the usual thing. Watch the carbs, fats and sugars. I double check my daily schedule to see what foods I am eating that could be making it harder for the weight to come off.

    Ive cut out all carbs this week. Not felt hungry at all and not missed the bread, rice or pasta. Ive also been walking for an hour each day and trying to get some cross training in, even if its only 15 minutes. Most days I have approx 400 calories spare - that includes the exercise I have done.

    Its harder to lose weight as you get older we all know that - but dont give up - keep going!!!

    Liz
  • Jenniebean16
    Jenniebean16 Posts: 1 Member
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    Ok, first of all, the 1200 is your NET calorie goal for the day.
    When you first set up your account (as I just did), it tells you it's the total calories you are left with after food + exercise.
    So for me, 1200 calories is the net goal.
    Yesterday, I ate 1359 calories and burned 550. I entered both, then went back to my food page and hit the green button.
    It told me I had 300+ calories I could have used.
    1200 is too low, and MFP isn't telling you to eat that little, if you see what I mean. I hope you do. If we eat too little, our bodies hold onto the fat we have, thinking we are entering a famine and need those fat stores to survive. If you give your body a little more, it will be comfortable enough to let go of what it's got. Maybe try adding another 100-200 to your days for a week and see what happens.
    Also, if you were at all sore from working out when you stepped on the scale, you can be retaining as much as 5lbs of water as a result of lactic acid buildup in the muscle.
    You don't build muscle in lbs that quickly, maybe over the course of 3-4 months, but the water retention due to muscle soreness can definitely account for a gain like that.
  • crossky0723
    crossky0723 Posts: 4
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    YOU GUYS ARE AWESOME!!! I'll change my settings, update my profile and post a pic when i return from walking. Thanks for taking to time to reply. And, i won't give up!
  • Junpaku
    Junpaku Posts: 1
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    Can anyone tell me why i'm gaining. i know it's early but it's VERY discouraging.

    Well, depending on what you are eating, plus the fact you are working out.
    1. if you don't eat enough nutrition and don't eat three times a day at curtain times a day, your body will enter a feast and famine mode which is where it tries to store as much fat as it can. Eating three times a day, small meals such as a sandwich plus having a snack in between meals, like fruits or something healthy can help to get your body to start loosing weight. Some may think that eating more will make you gain and eating less will make you loose when in truth sometimes eating less makes your body work against you and hold on to the weight.

    2. If you haven't been working out before this than your body is gaining muscle which weights 2 times that of the fat. So at first you will gain weight but slowly over about a month or two you should start to loose again, now this won't remain constant, it's natural for your body to gain then loose then gain than loose, it's your bodies way of equalizing it self out on a healthy schedule. Just don't give up and over the long run you should start to see it in your clothing size.

    3.If you are trying to loose to fast, your body will yet again go into a feast and famine mode, try to set your settings just a bit higher so that your body doesn't enter that and you should start to see results. Keep in mind you won't see them right away.

    PS: Hope this helps. Just keep it up you can do it. :smile:
  • mardec28
    mardec28 Posts: 12 Member
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    Forgot to mention - even though the scale shows only a 1.9 lb loss for the month, I'm getting into jeans I couldn't get into before and see a big difference in muscle definition in my midsection, arms and shoulders -- my bf says my butt is also tighter.
    The training I'm doing is P90X type and I am working with a personal trainer 2X a week plus kickboxing once a week to make sure that my excercise and form is correct.
  • Lizzy_Sunflower
    Lizzy_Sunflower Posts: 1,510 Member
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    Welcome!

    I suggest you start learning as much as you can... you can find a wealth of information here:

    http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/23912-links-in-mfp-you-want-to-read-again-and-again

    I particularly like the one titled your bodies thoughts on calories

    Good luck on your journey and happy reading!

    :drinker:

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