need some help/advice

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I've been on MFP for a few months and have slowly, but surely lost weight. I've learned that I need to increase my calories at least to my BMR (which I'm working on), but in the last month and a half, I've gained two pounds and cannot seem to make the scale go the other direction!! I did recently start more weight lifting which may attribute the two pounds, and I know I have a tendency to want to snack too much at night. Other than that is there anything else I can do?!

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  • wboswell88
    wboswell88 Posts: 31
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    please?? :)
  • taintedbutterfly18
    taintedbutterfly18 Posts: 189 Member
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    Muscle weighs more than fat. I can tell you that it is normal to fluctuate and get frustrated. Keep lifting weights. Your weight may increase from it, but it's the good kind of increase.
  • Jezebel9
    Jezebel9 Posts: 396 Member
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    I see the advice to eat at least, 1200 cals, and to eat back your exercise calories. And some nice person posted this (which I copied to examine further, later) from Jillian Michaels:

    1. Eat more: Ninety percent of the time plateaus are caused by your body’s survival mechanism of protecting against famine, which is triggered by calorie reduction. The best way to fix this quickly is to give your body a little more food so it feels secure. Varying your calorie intake is my best advice for keeping your body from plateauing: For the next three days vary your calorie intake between 1,800 and 2,400 calories. I know this may sound crazy, but trust me…I know what I’m doing. Then, after three days, drop back down to the calorie allowance that I have set for you through this program.

    2. Reduce your sodium and DRINK LOTS OF WATER: Keep your sodium under 1,500 mg a day at most for as long as you can manage. You can achieve this in part by cutting all processed food out of your diet for two weeks.

    I promise you that if you follow these tips to the letter, your plateau will be shattered by the end of week 2!
  • SeaChele77
    SeaChele77 Posts: 1,103 Member
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    Muscle weighs more than fat. I can tell you that it is normal to fluctuate and get frustrated. Keep lifting weights. Your weight may increase from it, but it's the good kind of increase.

    Muscle does NOT weigh more than fat. 5lbs of fat is equal to 5lbs of muscle. Muscle is more condense and takes up less room therefore 5lbs of muscle will look more lean and fit than 5lbs of fat!

    Take measurements and pictures. The scale may not move, but the belt loop may!

    Snacking is good through out the day, but try not to snack late at night - try to finish eating about 2hrs before bed.
    Get plenty of sleep - 6+ hours
    Drink lots of water
    Reduce sodium intake
    Increase protien - especially if you are lifting weights

    You don't have to eat back ALL of your exercise calories, but you should eat at least 50% of them as your body needs to refuel!
    Make sure your settings are correct on your BMR and TDEE!
  • Michele7091
    Michele7091 Posts: 256 Member
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    Muscle weighs more than fat. I can tell you that it is normal to fluctuate and get frustrated. Keep lifting weights. Your weight may increase from it, but it's the good kind of increase.

    Muscle does NOT weigh more than fat. 5lbs of fat is equal to 5lbs of muscle. Muscle is more condense and takes up less room therefore 5lbs of muscle will look more lean and fit than 5lbs of fat!

    Take measurements and pictures. The scale may not move, but the belt loop may!

    Snacking is good through out the day, but try not to snack late at night - try to finish eating about 2hrs before bed.
    Get plenty of sleep - 6+ hours
    Drink lots of water
    Reduce sodium intake
    Increase protien - especially if you are lifting weights

    You don't have to eat back ALL of your exercise calories, but you should eat at least 50% of them as your body needs to refuel!
    Make sure your settings are correct on your BMR and TDEE!

    ^^^^^THIS! Is great advice. Good luck! :smile:
  • tcunbeliever
    tcunbeliever Posts: 8,219 Member
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    If you are weight lifting and weren't before, then you probably need to eat more. Snacking is good when you are hungry, but you might want to consider eating larger meals if you are not happy with the amount you are snacking. Take basic measurements and track those if your scale is not being friendly. Chest, waist (natural waist and at belly button), hips, arms 6" from shoulder, legs 12" from hip, or whatever, just make sure your measurements are in clearly defined places so you can duplidate them without having to guess where exactly you were measuring before. Don't give up!
  • NNAhuja
    NNAhuja Posts: 669 Member
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    I see the advice to eat at least, 1200 cals, and to eat back your exercise calories. And some nice person posted this (which I copied to examine further, later) from Jillian Michaels:

    1. Eat more: Ninety percent of the time plateaus are caused by your body’s survival mechanism of protecting against famine, which is triggered by calorie reduction. The best way to fix this quickly is to give your body a little more food so it feels secure. Varying your calorie intake is my best advice for keeping your body from plateauing: For the next three days vary your calorie intake between 1,800 and 2,400 calories. I know this may sound crazy, but trust me…I know what I’m doing. Then, after three days, drop back down to the calorie allowance that I have set for you through this program.

    2. Reduce your sodium and DRINK LOTS OF WATER: Keep your sodium under 1,500 mg a day at most for as long as you can manage. You can achieve this in part by cutting all processed food out of your diet for two weeks.

    I promise you that if you follow these tips to the letter, your plateau will be shattered by the end of week 2!
    Really good advice! It sounds nuts but this is how I break all my plateaus.
  • SeaChele77
    SeaChele77 Posts: 1,103 Member
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    If you are weight lifting and weren't before, then you probably need to eat more. Snacking is good when you are hungry, but you might want to consider eating larger meals if you are not happy with the amount you are snacking. Take basic measurements and track those if your scale is not being friendly. Chest, waist (natural waist and at belly button), hips, arms 6" from shoulder, legs 12" from hip, or whatever, just make sure your measurements are in clearly defined places so you can duplidate them without having to guess where exactly you were measuring before. Don't give up!

    I disagree with larger meals - even more so if weightlifting.
    Our bodies can take up to 20+ min before we realize we are full - by that time we may easily overeat. Snacking throughout the day will decrease the chance of over eating during a "mealtime". Eating too much can make the body retain water - hence the feeling of being bloated and such after having a big meal. The last thing you want before or after weight lifting is the feeling of being bloated!
    Additionally, weight lifting causes our muscles to retain water as it is - so adding too much food on top of that will also add to the scale.
    Breakfast w/ good (high) carbs and proteins should be the largest meal.
  • ReneCSCS
    ReneCSCS Posts: 4
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    Muscle weighs more than fat. I can tell you that it is normal to fluctuate and get frustrated. Keep lifting weights. Your weight may increase from it, but it's the good kind of increase.

    Muscle does NOT weigh more than fat. 5lbs of fat is equal to 5lbs of muscle. Muscle is more condense and takes up less room therefore 5lbs of muscle will look more lean and fit than 5lbs of fat!

    Take measurements and pictures. The scale may not move, but the belt loop may!

    Snacking is good through out the day, but try not to snack late at night - try to finish eating about 2hrs before bed.
    Get plenty of sleep - 6+ hours
    Drink lots of water
    Reduce sodium intake
    Increase protien - especially if you are lifting weights

    You don't have to eat back ALL of your exercise calories, but you should eat at least 50% of them as your body needs to refuel!
    Make sure your settings are correct on your BMR and TDEE!

    ^^^^^THIS! Is great advice. Good luck! :smile:

    MOSTLY great advice...One pound of muscle obviously weighs the same as 1 pound of fat however an equal amount of muscle DOES weigh more than fat. Muscle is simple more dense...will appear smaller on the body. Compare a 140lb figure model to a 140lb inactive woman.

    Do know that unless you have an airtight mask on w/a tube connecting to something such as a Aprvo Medic machine at a test lab calculating EVERY O2 in and CO2 out...you will not know how many kcals you are expending on the cardio...& that is not necessary...The number of kcals expended is somewhat of a shot in the dark but that's ok. no worries. Don't stress. Get the weight training & cardio (or inc. daily activity in). Eat ATLEAST 1,200kclas a day (unless you are recovering from an eating disorder...in that case...seek professional help. NOT from your Dr, but from a Registered Dietician). Dr.s...even Dr. OZ does not have to have anything more than maybe basic nutrition under their belts. They study medicine..go to them for medicine...period.
  • wboswell88
    wboswell88 Posts: 31
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    I've been increasing my intake because before I was doing the whole 1200 cals a day thing. So its been a slow increase. How do you all eat enough calories without going over in fats and carbs, I'm also having trouble getting more protein!
  • SeaChele77
    SeaChele77 Posts: 1,103 Member
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    I've been increasing my intake because before I was doing the whole 1200 cals a day thing. So its been a slow increase. How do you all eat enough calories without going over in fats and carbs, I'm also having trouble getting more protein!

    Tuna/Chicken
    Greek yogurt
    String cheese
    Edamame
    Meat: Fish/Lean Burgers/Chicken (try to avoid Ham as it has the most sodium of the meats)

    And when I'm not eating a lot of protein in my foods I'll substitue with:
    Protein Shakes
    Protein bars
  • wboswell88
    wboswell88 Posts: 31
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    thanks!