WHY am I gaining weight??

Options
2»

Replies

  • jlr_12
    jlr_12 Posts: 170 Member
    Options
    Question...how many calories do you eat daily? You said you ate an EXTRA 200-300 on the weekend, but were still under your net. Does that mean that you regularly eat 200-300 calories less than MFP tells you you should? Are we talking the original number they gave you, or including your exercise calories? If you aren't eating your exercise calories AND are stopping 2-300 short of your daily goal, then there's a very good chance your problems stem from not eating ENOUGH. It seems as though you have a pretty rigorous exercise schedule, so you really should be eating quite a bit. I know it seems counter-intuitive, but it really does help. You might gain for a week or 2, but then it'll start coming off again, and you'll have an easier time reaching the 120s. If you're going to train like an athlete you need to eat like one.
  • LindsayE007
    LindsayE007 Posts: 212 Member
    Options
    Yes, I weigh myself naked every morning. GAH! I just don't even know where on Earth 2 pounds could come from! I am so frustrated because I seem to keep losing and gaining the same 2 pounds. I got down to 131, went back up to 133, got back down to 131, and now it's back!!! And for no obvious reason (like overeating). Seriously if it takes me all week to get back down to 131 I am going to cry. I want to see the 120's so bad, it's just a giant tease!

    It is very likely water weight. Stop freaking out. A person's weight can vary several pounds because of thing that have nothing to do with fat, this is why the scale is such a back measure of success.

    I agree. I just bought a new scale that measures body fat (new toy!) and have taken all my measurements. I plan on doing those once a week so I can see improvements in those areas even if the scale is not budging. So I will do all that again next Friday.
  • LorinaLynn
    LorinaLynn Posts: 13,247 Member
    Options
    .... because I had a 7 mile run Saturday...

    You will be holding onto water while your muscles repair after your run.

    Bingo!
  • LindsayE007
    LindsayE007 Posts: 212 Member
    Options
    Question...how many calories do you eat daily? You said you ate an EXTRA 200-300 on the weekend, but were still under your net. Does that mean that you regularly eat 200-300 calories less than MFP tells you you should? Are we talking the original number they gave you, or including your exercise calories? If you aren't eating your exercise calories AND are stopping 2-300 short of your daily goal, then there's a very good chance your problems stem from not eating ENOUGH. It seems as though you have a pretty rigorous exercise schedule, so you really should be eating quite a bit. I know it seems counter-intuitive, but it really does help. You might gain for a week or 2, but then it'll start coming off again, and you'll have an easier time reaching the 120s. If you're going to train like an athlete you need to eat like one.

    I am eating between 1200-1600 total depending on the day. I know that is probably under, but some days I just don't feel like eating more. I eat a ton of fruits and veggies that fill me up. I try to eat meat but I can only do about 3 ounces at a time, generally on a salad. I also eat a lot of eggs and greek yogurt to keep my protein up. I also bought some protein powder this weekend to start making to ensure my I am getting enough protein.
  • LindsayE007
    LindsayE007 Posts: 212 Member
    Options
    Next
    Breakfast Calories Carbs Fat Protein Sodium Fiber
    Big Sky Bread - Whole Wheat Bread, 1 Slice 100 0 0 0 0 0 Ico_delete
    Deleted Duplicate Banana - Medium (7" to 7-7/8" Long) (118g), 0.88 banana 7" - 7 7/8 92 24 0 1 0 2 Ico_delete
    Smuckers - Organic Peanut Butter Creamy, 1 tbsp 100 3 8 4 25 1 Ico_delete
    Homemade - Strawberry Freezer Jam (Sure Jell Recipe), 0.67 tbsp 30 8 0 0 0 0 Ico_delete
    Generic - Boiled Egg (White Only), 3 egg white 45 1 3 11 165 0 Ico_delete
    Add Food
    Quick Tools
    367 36 11 16 190 3
    Lunch
    Muir Glen Organic - Fire Roasted Diced Tomatoes , 0.25 cup 15 3 0 1 145 1 Ico_delete
    Spaghetti Squash - Spaghetti Squash, 1.5 cup (155g each) 63 6 2 2 42 3 Ico_delete
    Add Food
    Quick Tools
    78 9 2 3 187 4
    Dinner
    Cream Balsamic Vinaigrette, 1 serving(s) 72 11 2 2 380 0 Ico_delete
    Athenos - Natural Feta Cheese- Chunk Traditional, 1 ounce 70 0 6 5 340 0 Ico_delete
    Marketside - Organic Spring Mix, 4 1/2 cups (85 g) 15 3 0 2 50 2 Ico_delete
    Salad - Cherry Tomatoes, 0.75 cup 20 5 0 1 6 2 Ico_delete
    Generic - Sirloin Steak Grilled, 3 oz 166 0 6 25 0 0 Ico_delete
    Raw Honey - Honey, 2 Teaspoon 40 0 0 0 0 0 Ico_delete
    French's Dijon W/Chardonnay - Mustard, 1 tsp 5 0 0 0 130 0 Ico_delete
    Sweet potato - Cooked, baked in skin, without salt (Sweetpotato), 0.88 large 142 33 0 3 57 5 Ico_delete
    Ardoino - Extra Virgin Olive Oil, 0.67 Tbsp (14) g 80 0 9 0 0 0 Ico_delete
    Add Food
    Quick Tools
    610 52 23 38 963 9
    Snacks
    Generic - Blueberries Frozen, 0.5 Cup 40 9 1 1 0 2 Ico_delete
    Fage - Fat Free Greek Yogurt Total 0%, 149.82 g (1 cup) 86 6 0 15 56 0 Ico_delete
    Laughing Cow - Mini Babybel Cheddar, 1 piece 70 1 5 5 140 0 Ico_delete
    Apples - Apples With Skin Raw, 4.2 oz 63 16 0 0 0 4 Ico_delete
    Braum's - Chocolate Frozen Yogurt, 1 cup 240 34 9 6 100 2 Ico_delete
    Add Food
    Quick Tools
    499 66 15 27 296 8
    Supplements
    One A Day - Women's Multivitamin, 1 tablet 0 1 0 0 0 0 Ico_delete
    Generic - Otc Medication, Probiotic, Culturelle, 1 Capsule, 1 capsule 0 0 0 0 0 0 Ico_delete
    Nature Made - 1000mg Fish Oil Capsule - Supplement, 3 SOFTGELS 30 0 3 0 0 0 Ico_delete
    Gu Energy Gel - Jet Blackberry (2x Caffeine), 1 package 100 25 0 0 45 0 Ico_delete
    Add Food
    Quick Tools

    I know this is an awful copy and paste, but I can't figure out how to do it right. I also had 12 cups of water today.
  • LorinaLynn
    LorinaLynn Posts: 13,247 Member
    Options
    With as few pounds as you want to lose, and especially with half marathon training, you should be eating more than you are. Be sure your goal is set to a half pound a week, and eat most of the exercise calories.

    With a low calorie intake and a fairly low protein intake, plus a lot of cardio... you're on a path to lose muscle mass.
  • jlr_12
    jlr_12 Posts: 170 Member
    Options
    The healthiness of your meals won't make a difference if you're not getting enough calories, though you look like you have a great diet! On days where you run, do you eat your exercise calories? 23 miles a week would burn a lot of calories...and if you're not eating some or most of those back, then your deficit is too large..which would cause your weight loss to stall. I'm guessing you burn more than 400 calories during a 7 mile run, right? So even when you're eating 1600 calories, you're still not netting enough (you don't want to be lower than 1200 NET at the end of the day). If you try to add more calories into your day (extra protein shake, nuts, good fats, more snacks..) then you'll see improvements. At this point any strength training you do isn't really helping you because there's not enough fuel to go around in your body, so your muscles cannot build. If you eat more, you will notice improvements with your energy, muscle mass, and weight loss. It's just one more thing you can try if you find this plateau to be a persistent problem.
  • pumpkin_mel
    pumpkin_mel Posts: 13
    Options
    bump
  • gremlet
    gremlet Posts: 21 Member
    Options
    I see someone else mentioned putting on weight after a run... just FYI after I ran a marathon last year, I 'gained' nearly 7lbs the following week.

    It all came off the week after. Don't sweat it.
  • LindsayE007
    LindsayE007 Posts: 212 Member
    Options
    The healthiness of your meals won't make a difference if you're not getting enough calories, though you look like you have a great diet! On days where you run, do you eat your exercise calories? 23 miles a week would burn a lot of calories...and if you're not eating some or most of those back, then your deficit is too large..which would cause your weight loss to stall. I'm guessing you burn more than 400 calories during a 7 mile run, right? So even when you're eating 1600 calories, you're still not netting enough (you don't want to be lower than 1200 NET at the end of the day). If you try to add more calories into your day (extra protein shake, nuts, good fats, more snacks..) then you'll see improvements. At this point any strength training you do isn't really helping you because there's not enough fuel to go around in your body, so your muscles cannot build. If you eat more, you will notice improvements with your energy, muscle mass, and weight loss. It's just one more thing you can try if you find this plateau to be a persistent problem.

    I totally see what you are saying. I will try to get my calories up eating some healthy calorie dense foods like you mentioned, nuts, shakes, etc. Hopefully that will get the scale moving!
  • funkycamper
    funkycamper Posts: 998 Member
    Options
    The healthiness of your meals won't make a difference if you're not getting enough calories, though you look like you have a great diet! On days where you run, do you eat your exercise calories? 23 miles a week would burn a lot of calories...and if you're not eating some or most of those back, then your deficit is too large..which would cause your weight loss to stall. I'm guessing you burn more than 400 calories during a 7 mile run, right? So even when you're eating 1600 calories, you're still not netting enough (you don't want to be lower than 1200 NET at the end of the day). If you try to add more calories into your day (extra protein shake, nuts, good fats, more snacks..) then you'll see improvements. At this point any strength training you do isn't really helping you because there's not enough fuel to go around in your body, so your muscles cannot build. If you eat more, you will notice improvements with your energy, muscle mass, and weight loss. It's just one more thing you can try if you find this plateau to be a persistent problem.

    Totally agree with this and was going to post about upping calories with all the exercise OP is doing. Thank you for saying it so well and saving me the trouble. Just copying it to emphasize how important this is.
  • LindsayE007
    LindsayE007 Posts: 212 Member
    Options
    It's gone today!!!! Thanks do much for everyone telling me I retain water after long runs. I wasn't upset and going to throw my sucker in the dirt and quit. Not at all! I was trying to figure out physiologically how it was possible my body was doing this. Now I know, thanks!
  • jsong11
    jsong11 Posts: 8 Member
    Options
    Thanks for posting this question and the answers. I was wondering the same thing because yesterday I had an intense workout that included about 7 hours of intense activity. I was wondering why this morning I gained 1.5 lbs, when yesterday I wasn't able to eat my calorie deficit and had almost a 2000+ deficit for the day. I had a huge meal after my workout and was so thirsty when I got done, I downed tons of liquids, much more than I usually drink. But I literally couldn't force myself to eat the rest of my calorie deficit.

    The water retention due to muscle repair makes sense to me. I also have one of those body fat scales but I don't think it's that accurate to be honest. For the longest time, it has listed my water weight as 51%...which seems strangely low. I could literally feel my muscles in that sort of restless pain you get after a hard day's work.

    I know a lot of people say not to weigh yourself everyday, but I don't think there's anything to wrong with it. It's actually been more useful for me to weigh myself everyday and see the fluctuations for myself from day to day but see overall how my eating/workout changes have made a difference over time. As long as you don't freak out and feel hopeless because it's not showing you what you want, and as long as you take the number with a grain of salt, knowing that it's not necessarily the perfect or only indication of your progress, it's ok.

Categories