I’m in a deficit but I’m gaining weight, why?

Answers

  • cmriverside
    cmriverside Posts: 34,649 Member

    "In a deficit" by definition means you are eating less than you need to maintain your current weight.

    So.

    You're not eating in a deficit. You're either not logging correctly, or not using the correct calorie amount.

  • Jon4189
    Jon4189 Posts: 14 Member

    Simple answer is water. Once you start burning fat, those fat cells will hold on to the water in them for a while. If the water is still in the cells but the fat is gone, they still weight the same amount. Your body adapts to the new situation and your body likes to have water in it. We are water bags after all. So until your body decides you aren't going to fill those fat cell back up again it won't drain the fat cells. So you are going to weight more. That is why have a single weight measurement doesn't tell you anything. You need to weight yourself every few days and watch the trend. We want to have a downward trend. Three days ago I was 208.5, yesterday I was 212, and this morning I was 211. I started losing weight starting in early April at around 216, and I have been as high as 220, and my low is 207… But my trend is down. That is the important part.

    I know the first time I went on this journey I was expecting wow yesterday I burned 1000 calories and I only ate 1500, so I should lose 1/2 lbs tomorrow, yet when I weighted myself I was up 2 lbs.

    Now the other mistake people make is NOT drinking enough water, (wait I want to lose the water). Your body needs water it makes up +50% of us. Being well hydrated means the body won't want to hoard water. So keep deficit and keep drinking water and it will trend down… (ups will still happen) just keep being honest in your food diary and keep moving forward.

  • tomcustombuilder
    tomcustombuilder Posts: 2,477 Member

    how long have you been in a "deficit" ?

  • pridesabtch
    pridesabtch Posts: 2,693 Member

    What is your height, weight, gender, etc. and how long have you been logging your food to determine a deficit?

  • AnnPT77
    AnnPT77 Posts: 36,409 Member

    MFP, so-called "calorie calculators", even fitness trackers: They can give you a starting estimate of calorie needs and deficit calories. It's a statistical projection, in common English, a good guess.

    For most people, that starting estimate will likely be close to reality. For a few, it won't. In rare cases, it can be off by hundreds of calories daily.

    How do you know whether the starting estimate is close to accurate for you?

    Your body is the thing that actually measures calorie needs and calorie deficit. Stick pretty close to your starting estimate, maybe +/- 50 calories on average daily, for 4-6 weeks. Women who have menstrual cycles should compare body weight at the same relative point in at least 2 different cycles. The average weekly weight trend over that long a time period will give you a personalized estimate of calorie needs, more useful and reliable than any calculator or fitness tracker.

    If you don't see weight loss in the trend, but it hasn't been that 4-6 weeks or one cycle, the results can be distorted by shifts in water retention or digestive waste. Those are routinely multiple pounds/kilos from one day to the next, and likely bigger if eating patterns or exercise has changed. Fat loss is more gradual, smaller from day to day, so can play peek-a-boo on the scale.

    So, if shorter time period, stick in there and wait long enough to see a valid trend.

    If it's already been that long, and you're seeing literally no loss, you're not in a deficit - high, high odds that's true.

    That could be because the starting estimate was inaccurate for you, or because you're over-estimating activity level/exercise calories, or because food logging is inaccurate, or because of unlogged cheat meals/days or off-plan oopsies, among other potential causes.

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  • LouisaMcCann3408
    LouisaMcCann3408 Posts: 3 Member

    You cannot gain weight on a deficit, it's simple math. You are likely not logging calories correctly, not burning as many as you think, or are eating the wrong things. I suggest my thoroughly logging and tracking your calories

  • tomcustombuilder
    tomcustombuilder Posts: 2,477 Member

    until you answer the question regarding how long you think you've been in a deficit, any opinions are strictly a wild guess on what you should be doing and what the problem is.

  • tenishak34
    tenishak34 Posts: 29 Member
    edited May 16

    I happen to know that if you eat in a deficit and you are not losing or are gaining, it is more likely you are having too many calories in one sitting/meal and probably eating at the wrong time. Does not matter how long the deficit is. If you eat 200 calories for breakfast, and lunch, and then 1000 for dinner, you will store the excess calories as fat. Especially if you are sedentary.

  • paperpudding
    paperpudding Posts: 9,460 Member
    https://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/discussion/comment/48612488#Comment_48612488

    How many calories is eaten at each meal or when the meals are consumed is irrelevant

    it is the overall calories per day, on average, that counts- not when or how you spread them through the day.

  • _Joe_Jow_
    _Joe_Jow_ Posts: 6 Member

    Not a professional here, but just to point out, if the deficit is super drastic then your body's probably going to think there's not enough available food and will store everything as fat for later uses. If you're not using a calorie deficit correctly (Ex. you immediately lower calorie intake by hundreds without a gradual decrease) that could be the reason? It really does depend on how long you've been in your deficit.

    However if you're on a correct deficit, I think you should consider external factors such as stress and sleep. If you continue to stay at the same weight or gain even more from now then it could be an external factor but yeah.

    Also sorry if this completely missed the mark. Have a nice day!

  • paperpudding
    paperpudding Posts: 9,460 Member

    Not a professional here, but just to point out, if the deficit is super drastic then your body's probably going to think there's not enough available food and will store everything as fat for later uses.

    NO, that really isnt the reason. If the deficits is super drastic OP will still lose weight - not healthily but weight loss nevertheless.

    You know, like people suddenly in super drastic deficits because of POW camps or famines or anorexia - their bodies didnt store everything as fat for later uses.

  • sophiaadamico9099
    sophiaadamico9099 Posts: 2 Member
    https://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/discussion/comment/48610591#Comment_48610591

    I’ve been eating well (only Whole Foods) for about a month but I’ve been consistently tracking only for the past two weeks. I work out most days, I run, and I do gymnastics. Typical day looks like: run in the morning, smoothie for breakfast in which everything this measured, egg whites and spinach for lunch, again, everything is measured, and chicken salad for dinner. Snacks are typically just fruit.

  • tomcustombuilder
    tomcustombuilder Posts: 2,477 Member
    edited May 16
    https://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/discussion/comment/48612871#Comment_48612871

    ok

    Not long enough to know if youre in a deficit or not. It takes a month so to let the body find equilibrium with water and current calories. Also understand that your weekly calorie amount is what matters as calories vary day to day so its imperative to track EVERY DAY and not cherry pick days to count where your calories are low.


    say your daily target is say 1,800. If your total weekly numbers are more than 12,600 you're over your daily target of 1,800

    Total weekly calories divided by 7 is your actual daily amount. If you go to the NUTRITION button on the side it gives you your 7 day average

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