Eating 1 200 calories a day and gaining?

miainwonderland · January 2012

I'm really desperate and I need to get this off my chest.
So, I've been losing weight/ changing my lifestyle for six months now. I've had my ups and downs, in the end I did lose a lot of weight, and I didn't really do it the healthy way. So, to avoid starvation mode I decided to put my calorie goal up to 1 200 of healthy cals per day. I've been doing it for about 2 weeks. Eating a lot of fruit, veggies, fish, chicken, drinking a lot of water and green tea. I completely cut salt, sugar and dairy out. I've also been very active, doing cardio for 45 minutes every day at the gym or taking a 2 hour walk.
So, today was my weigh-in. And... I GAINED 5 pounds.
How is that possible?
I've been eating enough, drinking enough water, sleeping for 8 hours a day and being active.
It can't be muscle weight cause I don't do strenght training.
My scale is perfectly fine, it's not broken.
Does anybody know why did I gain? Thank you so much!

slay0r · January 2012

I've read about 20 articles on this from first hand experiences. Because you didn't do it right, your body is essentially filling up with everything it needs and still holding on to it (starvation mode style.)

The main one I remember was by a top Dietician. They said that they had to convince the person before hand that they would gain weight the first few weeks but it WILL go the opposite way, I think she gained almost 8 pounds (good ones though to be fair) and then she began to lose. I think she lost 2 stone in total after putting on 8. Just keep up what you're doing, you're doing it right and your body will love you for it!

ALSO: are you eating back what you burn through calories or just a flat 1200?

catcrazy · January 2012

What calories were you on previously? It may have been better for you to gradually up your calories so you didnt see a sudden gain but as you have already done it just keep at it. Its probably going to be a few weeks before you see the benefits to be 100% honest with you but your body will eventually see that its not in a famine and doesnt need to hold on to everything you put into it

miainwonderland · January 2012

Thank you for the reply:)
It's just that- when I said I didn't do it the healthy way, I didn't mean starving. I ate about 1000-1200, but those calories came from crappy food, not enough veggies and fruits, drinking A LOT of coffee and having only 2-3 big meals per day. I wouldn't eat breakfast, just drink coffee with milk and sugar. Then I'd have something like pasta with chicken for lunch, a huge portion. My dinner would be boxed cereal with full fat milk. And I didn't exercise at all. So it was basically horrible and I changed it, but gained.

Oh and I eat just a flat 1200. If I'm really hungry, I'd sometimes eat my exercise calories too.

inge88 · January 2012

I was like you as well! Ate 1000-1200... lost 2.5 kilos in a week and then stopped losing. I was really scared to up my calories. Have upped it to 1300 at first and now between 1300-1500. I am not losing yet, but am not gaining either.

Please keep doing what you are doing. It is so much healthier this way. It is logical that the scale will go up at first. Your body is thinking: "FOOOOOOD, better hold onto it in case she starts eating 1000 calories again." If you stick with it your weight will go down again, just give it another week or two. Good luck!

slay0r · January 2012

Yeah so if you were eating pretty unhealthily like that and skipping breakfast etc your body will be panicking thinking, well when am I going to get fed next and therefore holding on to everything you put in. Now you're in a routine your body will get used to it. Just make sure you eat some of your exercise cals back or you'll be back in starvation mode again by the sounds of it, because your eating 1200 but burning probably more than 200 so you're back below 1000 calories net (i.e. starvation)

siabevis · January 2012

1200 might be slowing ur metabolism

Eating 1 200 calories a day and gaining?

Replies

Categories