Running 3 miles, eating small fruit meals. Gaining weight??

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Replies

  • myfitnessnmhoy
    myfitnessnmhoy Posts: 2,105 Member
    Will someone layout what is a good daily diet? I work an office job do I sit on my bum all day till my run :/

    Here's what I eat - feel free to use it as a baseline or ignore it. I also work in an office, and my food is based on not requiring refrigeration and being easy to eat.

    Breakfast:
    - 1/2 cup plain oatmeal with cinnamon (sometimes a few raisins or something to flavor it up, but usually just the cinnamon)
    - One whole fried egg.
    - Coffee (black. no sugar).

    Lunch:
    - 1 large thermos of coffee to sip on through the morning.
    - 1 whole wheat tortila with turkey or roast beef and a slice of cheese, and a generous dollop of spicy mustard.
    - 1 apple
    - 1 banana
    - 1 half-filled quart bag of raw vegetables (broccoli, carrots, cauliflower, celery, cucumber, whatever), cut into bite-sized pieces for easy nibbling.
    - One small tupperware container (the teeny ones) filled with unsalted almonds.

    The banana and almonds are my "after-workout" snack if I work out that day. The rest is eaten in small increments throughout the day.

    Dinner:
    - My wife cooks, so whatever is on the table, portion size tuned to my calories that remain with a small allowance for dessert and a glass of wine.
  • Dragonfly1996
    Dragonfly1996 Posts: 196 Member
    Can't see your diary but I'm guessing you're not eating enough for your activity level.

    You may also be eating too much sodium and retaining fluid. Add sodium to your tracking items and try to stay under 2500mg a day.

    If neither of the above sound appropriate to your situation, visit your doctor and have them check your thyroid, blood sugars and any other factors that they think may influence your gain.

    ^^^^ This!!! If your not eating enough your body will panic. A few pieces of fruit & a low carb dinner doesn't sound enough to me. I would not have the energy to go to the gym let alone run 3 miles a day on this intake!!
  • RyanDanielle5101
    RyanDanielle5101 Posts: 533
    Hello

    Here is my guess....
    Muscle weighs more than fat.....
    Stop running and just walk at a fast pace.

    No, it doesn't :noway: 5lbs of muscle weighs the same as 5lbs of fat!!! The volume of 5lbs of muscle is smaller than 5lbs of fat!!
  • psuLemon
    psuLemon Posts: 38,388 MFP Moderator
    Hello

    Here is my guess....
    Muscle weighs more than fat.....
    Stop running and just walk at a fast pace.

    No, it doesn't :noway: 5lbs of muscle weighs the same as 5lbs of fat!!! The volume of 5lbs of muscle is smaller than 5lbs of fat!!

    it doesn't matter which weighs more because she isn't gaining muscle since she isn't eating more calories than she burns. You can't gain muscle on a deficit (especially a large one).
  • sjohnny
    sjohnny Posts: 56,142 Member
    Hello

    Here is my guess....
    Muscle weighs more than fat.....
    Stop running and just walk at a fast pace.

    No, it doesn't :noway: 5lbs of muscle weighs the same as 5lbs of fat!!! The volume of 5lbs of muscle is smaller than 5lbs of fat!!

    Regardless of what weighs more than whom, she's not building muscle running three miles, barrel racing, and not eating so the point is moot.
  • azbarrelracer1323
    azbarrelracer1323 Posts: 26 Member
    Will someone layout what is a good daily diet? I work an office job do I sit on my bum all day till my run :/

    Here's what I eat - feel free to use it as a baseline or ignore it. I also work in an office, and my food is based on not requiring refrigeration and being easy to eat.

    Breakfast:
    - 1/2 cup plain oatmeal with cinnamon (sometimes a few raisins or something to flavor it up, but usually just the cinnamon)
    - One whole fried egg.
    - Coffee (black. no sugar).

    Lunch:
    - 1 large thermos of coffee to sip on through the morning.
    - 1 whole wheat tortila with turkey or roast beef and a slice of cheese, and a generous dollop of spicy mustard.
    - 1 apple
    - 1 banana
    - 1 half-filled quart bag of raw vegetables (broccoli, carrots, cauliflower, celery, cucumber, whatever), cut into bite-sized pieces for easy nibbling.
    - One small tupperware container (the teeny ones) filled with unsalted almonds.

    The banana and almonds are my "after-workout" snack if I work out that day. The rest is eaten in small increments throughout the day.

    Dinner:
    - My wife cooks, so whatever is on the table, portion size tuned to my calories that remain with a small allowance for dessert and a glass of wine.


    Seems doable! Thanks!!! I have grown up with lots of stomach problems... I tend to eat what I know will not upset my stomach while at work... I know I am fine eating chicken and eggs... Don't know why I was leaving these things out :/ thanks again for all the help, and not being too hard on me!! As said above... "Stupid Human"
  • dinosnopro
    dinosnopro Posts: 2,179 Member
    The op never actually gave the amount of calories they are eating a day. My guess would be too much, if gaining consistently .I would say the op needs to keep better track of what they are eating.
  • azbarrelracer1323
    azbarrelracer1323 Posts: 26 Member
    The op never actually gave the amount of calories they are eating a day. My guess would be too much, if gaining consistently .I would say the op needs to keep better track of what they are eating.

    Based on the replies... I am not eating near enough. I don't even want to say!!!
  • yoovie
    yoovie Posts: 17,121 Member
    an apple, an orange, a snack, a coffee and dinner - with at least 45 minutes of exercise a day - that must be one HUGE snack and one massive dinner if its reaching 1600-1800 calories, though, right?
  • azbarrelracer1323
    azbarrelracer1323 Posts: 26 Member
    an apple, an orange, a snack, a coffee and dinner - with at least 45 minutes of exercise a day - that must be one HUGE snack and one massive dinner if its reaching 1600-1800 calories, though, right?

    See my post above. Please don't be snarky. I already feel like an idiotic stupid girl :)
  • yoovie
    yoovie Posts: 17,121 Member
    an apple, an orange, a snack, a coffee and dinner - with at least 45 minutes of exercise a day - that must be one HUGE snack and one massive dinner if its reaching 1600-1800 calories, though, right?

    See my post above. Please don't be snarky. I already feel like an idiotic stupid girl :)

    um, I was truly not being snarky in any way shape or form. I was asking dinospro a question in a discussion, which I thought was cool, since he's on my friends list.

    Thanks for the unnecessary public slap in the face, I'll refrain from trying to help. Youre just.... seriously so nice. Jesus.
  • azbarrelracer1323
    azbarrelracer1323 Posts: 26 Member
    an apple, an orange, a snack, a coffee and dinner - with at least 45 minutes of exercise a day - that must be one HUGE snack and one massive dinner if its reaching 1600-1800 calories, though, right?

    See my post above. Please don't be snarky. I already feel like an idiotic stupid girl :)

    um, I was truly not being snarky in any way shape or form. I was asking dinospro a question in a discussion, which I thought was cool, since he's on my friends list.

    Thanks for the unnecessary public slap in the face, I'll refrain from trying to help. Youre just.... seriously so nice. Jesus.

    Then I am sorry.
  • Captain_Tightpants
    Captain_Tightpants Posts: 2,215 Member
    OP, calorie calculators online are hit and miss. I would recommend doing the math yourself.

    1. Estimate your BMR
    Harris Benedict equation for Women is: 655.1 + (9.563 x kilograms) + (1.850 x centimeters) – (4.676 x age)

    2. Add a 1.2 multiplier to find approximate sedentary TDEE
    BMR x 1.2 = Sedentary TDEE

    To maintain your weight, try to eat close to your TDEE every day.

    On days you exercise, try to eat back most of your exercise calories (note online calorie burn calculator are usually too high, if you can afford a heart rate monitor you will get more accurate results).

    The numbers are always just guesses because everyones metabolism is different and there are countless subtle factors involved. The above math just gives you a good starting point - weigh in every month and adjust your calorie intake up or down slightly depending on if you gain or lose. Eventually you will discover your own personal balance point.

    And if you want to tone, running is not going to do it for you. I would suggest taking some of that time you spend running and spending it in the gym lifting heavy instead.

    Hope that helps.
  • artbkward
    artbkward Posts: 238 Member
    Hello

    Here is my guess....
    Muscle weighs more than fat.....
    Stop running and just walk at a fast pace.

    No, it doesn't :noway: 5lbs of muscle weighs the same as 5lbs of fat!!! The volume of 5lbs of muscle is smaller than 5lbs of fat!!

    @RyanDanielle5 Nice ticker pic :)
  • dinosnopro
    dinosnopro Posts: 2,179 Member
    an apple, an orange, a snack, a coffee and dinner - with at least 45 minutes of exercise a day - that must be one HUGE snack and one massive dinner if its reaching 1600-1800 calories, though, right?


    Or a lot of small ones. On some days my snacks will be more calories than lunch. If the op only tracks what they want instead of everything that passes their lips they can't say that they are not eating enough. I don't know if she has opened her food log yet but without seeing that it's hard to say.

    That being said I do agree with water weight gain, it could be that. but if weight is going up consistently from week to week then it is probably too many calories being consumed.

    OP if you do decide to raise calories, do it at about 200 a week. If you have stalled and slowed your metabolism by eating to little for too long you will gain weight, but it will even out over time.
  • skbohanon
    skbohanon Posts: 15 Member
    Figure out how many calories you NEED from here:

    http://www.fat2fitradio.com/tools/bmr/

    or

    http://scoobysworkshop.com/calorie-calculator/

    And then don't eat below that.

    I went to both of these sites and did the calculations... there was a 481 calorie variance and 286 BMR variance between the 2 sites (using the exact same stats). So frustrating.

    different sites use different BMR calculations, I'm afraid, there are so many different formulas out there.

    I use this site for my TDEE as it matches my FitBit and therefore I can only assume it is more accurate

    http://www.health-calc.com/diet/energy-expenditure-advanced

    OOOOO... now I like this calculator!! This seems a bit more accurate and in line with other feedback I've received. And it just seems more logical to me as well.

    Thanks for sharing this one!

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