To the people who gained 20+ pounds on the reset
Leigh14
Posts: 871 Member
Please message me!! Or reply here!! I need to talk to someone who has gained this much on the reset. I've currently gained 23 pounds. I went from a low of 213 to 236. I am in the 8th week of resetting and am starting my cut next week. I just feel a need to talk so someone - anyone? - who has gained this much and hasn't had to be put in the loony bin! :ohwell:
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What is the reset?0
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What is the reset?
Reset it eating at your TDEE for 8 weeks to reset your metabolism before cutting.0 -
Hi, Leigh. I've just been doing reset for a little over two weeks. But I am wondering how you could gain that amount of weight (23 lb in 8 wks) while eating EXACTLY what your body is burning each day (TDEE with your exercise factored in).
Perhaps something else is going on. To gain 23 lb it equates to eating 10,062 calories a week (or 1,437 every day) extra above your TDEE.
My guess is that either you figured your exercise level too high or you have something else physically going on. Perhaps it's time for a visit to your doctor.
Either way, hang in there as you are starting your cut very soon.
(((HUGS)))0 -
Perhaps something else is going on. To gain 23 lb it equates to eating 10,062 calories a week (or 1,437 every day) extra above your TDEE.
My guess is that either you figured your exercise level too high or you have something else physically going on. Perhaps it's time for a visit to your doctor.
I wasn't sure how to say it but I was thinking the same thing... There's gotta be something else going on and I hope you figure it out soon!!0 -
bump0
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Was the 23 pounds gained pretty quickly and then maintained? or was it gradual every week over the last 8 weeks?
Like others have said, 23 is a lot to gain in 8 weeks.. TDEE is maintenance, so it is normal to have a few gains in the beginning, but if you are at TDEE, then you should stabilize and not gain or lose anything.
If the gain hit and then you levelled off, then your TDEE sounds correct and its just unfortunate to have a high gain. The good news is you have your TDEE and once you cut, the weight should come off really quickly.
If you have been steadily gaining over the past 8 weeks, then your TDEE is incorrect, and you are eating above it. YOu might want to recalculate your activity levels and see.
Also, are you on any medications? Weight training programs? Anything that might cause you to gain or bloat that much?0 -
Was the 23 pounds gained pretty quickly and then maintained? or was it gradual every week over the last 8 weeks?
Like others have said, 23 is a lot to gain in 8 weeks.. TDEE is maintenance, so it is normal to have a few gains in the beginning, but if you are at TDEE, then you should stabilize and not gain or lose anything.
If the gain hit and then you levelled off, then your TDEE sounds correct and its just unfortunate to have a high gain. The good news is you have your TDEE and once you cut, the weight should come off really quickly.
If you have been steadily gaining over the past 8 weeks, then your TDEE is incorrect, and you are eating above it. YOu might want to recalculate your activity levels and see.
Also, are you on any medications? Weight training programs? Anything that might cause you to gain or bloat that much?
I agree with this.
I think if it was a steady gain the whole time, if it were me, I would take a little more time to find my true TDEE. I might drop by only 100 calories the first week to see if I maintain there. And then maybe 50 more if I am still gaining. The only thing that doesn't make sense is the amount you are gaining. One hundred extra calories per day, if that is it, is still only one fifth of a pound a week, 200 too much per day, about a half a pound a week. Something just doesn't add up? Are you sure your calorie calculations are right? Do you weigh/measure food?0 -
Have you ever had your thyroid checked? This sounds very similar to an under producing thyroid.0
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I've been told that people have gained as much as 25 pounds, so I thought this was "normal" for some - I was just seeking them out! lol!
My weight jumped almost immediately about 17 pounds, then it leveled off. I kept the calories the same, the exercise the same, everything ... and I've gained more, steadily, the past few weeks. But I've been at 23 pounds gained for 2 weeks solid.
Here are my stats: 27 years old, 5'5", 213 pounds (starting off), BMR ~1700, TDEE w/ moderate exercise ~2700. I do an upper body/lower body split two days a week (approximately an hour each day), lifting heavy. I do a spin class (approx. an hour) another day and a half-hour circuit another day. The past month I've also been doing mad crazy yardwork on the weekends.
When I weighed 236 in the past, I was wearing a size 18/20 pants. My size 16 pants still fit, though they are a bit snug. My bras no longer fit comfortably, however, and I am wearing a sports bra every day. Most of my shirts fit a bit snug, but not 23 pounds snug!
I had some of you look at my diary before and tell me to lower my sodium, hit my macros and add in more natural foods. That is something I'm working on.
I have hypothyroidism and am on medication. I have my blood checked regularly.
I am going to go back and add up the calories I've eaten over the past 8 weeks, then add up my exercise calories over the past 8 weeks, then compare them to my TDEE calories and see what I come up with. I thank you guys for the replies.0 -
I feel like this must just be your body hanging on to water with the extra calories and heavy lifting.
If your clothes are still fitting and just a bit snug than it's most likely bloating.0 -
I've been told that people have gained as much as 25 pounds per week, so I thought this was "normal" for some - I was just seeking them out! lol!
My weight jumped almost immediately about 17 pounds, then it leveled off. I kept the calories the same, the exercise the same, everything ... and I've gained more, steadily, the past few weeks. But I've been at 23 pounds gained for 2 weeks solid.
Here are my stats: 27 years old, 5'5", 213 pounds (starting off), BMR ~1700, TDEE w/ moderate exercise ~2700. I do an upper body/lower body split two days a week (approximately an hour each day), lifting heavy. I do a spin class (approx. an hour) another day and a half-hour circuit another day. The past month I've also been doing mad crazy yardwork on the weekends.
When I weighed 236 in the past, I was wearing a size 18/20 pants. My size 16 pants still fit, though they are a bit snug. My bras no longer fit comfortably, however, and I am wearing a sports bra every day. Most of my shirts fit a bit snug, but not 23 pounds snug!
I had some of you look at my diary before and tell me to lower my sodium, hit my macros and add in more natural foods. That is something I'm working on.
I have hypothyroidism and am on medication. I have my blood checked regularly.
I am going to go back and add up the calories I've eaten over the past 8 weeks, then add up my exercise calories over the past 8 weeks, then compare them to my TDEE calories and see what I come up with. I thank you guys for the replies.
Okay. Fellow hypo gal here. What thyroid medication are you on? What levels are tested when you get your blood drawn? Do you still experience hypo symptoms - low body temperature, cold all the time, losing hair, fatigued, mood swings, muscle aches, etc...? If so, your thyroid would be the first suspect. I gained 40 pounds in 3 1/2 months or so when my thyroid functioning dropped way down.
If you feel this might be the issue, there's a website/book I'd highly recommend.
http://www.stopthethyroidmadness.com0 -
That's good that things have leveled off the last couple weeks. Maybe it just took your body that long to rev up. It was used to the vlcd and was still functioning there for several weeks initially. And of course, some of that initial spike was water, fluids and other things your body was replacing when it got fed.
Sorry you didn't get the people you wanted to get with this thread, but I hope you find some answers with your numbers. I am curious, so do tell us what you come up with.
One thing that stuck out to me in your last post was that for the last month you have been doing lots of yardwork, which probably increased your TDEE, but your weight leveled off. Maybe that is the calorie difference you needed. Perhaps you are a couple hundred too high in your daily cals.
Glad you found your sweet spot and will be excited to see what happens when you cut!0 -
I've been told that people have gained as much as 25 pounds per week, so I thought this was "normal" for some - I was just seeking them out! lol!
My weight jumped almost immediately about 17 pounds, then it leveled off. I kept the calories the same, the exercise the same, everything ... and I've gained more, steadily, the past few weeks. But I've been at 23 pounds gained for 2 weeks solid.
Here are my stats: 27 years old, 5'5", 213 pounds (starting off), BMR ~1700, TDEE w/ moderate exercise ~2700. I do an upper body/lower body split two days a week (approximately an hour each day), lifting heavy. I do a spin class (approx. an hour) another day and a half-hour circuit another day. The past month I've also been doing mad crazy yardwork on the weekends.
When I weighed 236 in the past, I was wearing a size 18/20 pants. My size 16 pants still fit, though they are a bit snug. My bras no longer fit comfortably, however, and I am wearing a sports bra every day. Most of my shirts fit a bit snug, but not 23 pounds snug!
I had some of you look at my diary before and tell me to lower my sodium, hit my macros and add in more natural foods. That is something I'm working on.
I have hypothyroidism and am on medication. I have my blood checked regularly.
I am going to go back and add up the calories I've eaten over the past 8 weeks, then add up my exercise calories over the past 8 weeks, then compare them to my TDEE calories and see what I come up with. I thank you guys for the replies.
There have been some accounts of people gaining as much as 25lbs during the course of their reset but not each week! I believe I've seen accounts of water gains causing a 10lb jump as well overnight, but again....water. Although not common, your larger gain may be completely normal for you - especially if you have leveled off...you should be stabilizing by the end of a reset from what I've been able to understand. The amounts gained will/can vary from person to person.
Since you do have hypothyroidism, this may have definitely attributed to your larger gain than most, both through meds and the thyroid issue itself. However, it sounds like you've leveled off now and you are preparing for your cut right away. If you find that at 10% (or 15%) that you don't see a loss in inches/weight, then we definitely need to check through your numbers and you may need to speak to your dr. Medications can be a real stumbling block to weight loss sometimes.
Also, some of the suggestions here are good regarding scale vs cup measurements for food to more accurately track cals in. Do you have a HRM for your workouts? Or some other device to help you get the most accurate reading for calorie expenditure? It could be some simple things like this where the numbers are out just enough...0 -
jyska - I didn't mean I'd heard of people gaining 25 pounds per week! Ooo, typo. Embarrassing! I meant during the 8 weeks they reset. Sorry about that! And, yes, I have an HRM. A Polar F6 that has been the best.purchase.ever.
Sweatpants - I'm on 50mcg of levothyroxine. I don't have my blood results here beside me, but I am no longer having the symptoms of hypothyroidism ... well, except for some hair loss, but I just dyed my hair a few weeks ago, haha. I am going back to have my blood done in a couple weeks. I'm going to ask for the full panel. Thank you SO much for that link; I will have to check it out in depth!
Okay, amazingly-supportive-people-that-I-really-need-right-now, I've done some math! I'm a journalism major, so this was interesting. :laugh:
My TDEE with moderate activity is 2700. Over the past 52 days, at 2700 per day, I would've taken in 140,400 calories. I've actually taken in 145,931 calories. That's a difference of 5,531, or an average of 106 per day. My average gross intake has been 2806 per day. After subtracting my exercise calories over the past 52 days, I've netted 2609 per day.
If I calculated with light activity instead of moderate, my TDEE would be 2413. In 52 days, at 2413, I would've taken in 125,476. That's a difference of 20,455 from what I've actually taken in. Even then, it would only be 393 over per day with an approximate weight gain of 6 pounds.
The only time I do not weigh or measure my food is when I go out to eat, but I always try to get items that I know the calorie count for.
I can't wait until I start my cut next week. I just feel icky. I feel like my back fat has multiplied and so has the fat above my belly button. I don't see fat increases anywhere else but there! Weird. Twenty-three pounds is a lot. It's pretty devastating seeing that on the scale.0 -
Welp, two more days at TDEE, then I am cutting 15%! I can't wait, but I'm also a little anxious. I've really gotten used to eating this much, haha, but I am NOT on good terms with the scale or my body right now! I used my new weight (236) to determine my new TDEE w/ moderate activity (2875) and got 2444. That's only a cut of ~300 calories per day from my 2700 TDEE at 213. Yay! My new BMR at 236 is 1855, up from 1755. I'll recalculate everything when I start losing. Ugh, PLEASE let me lose!!!! lol
This has been much harder, mentally, than eating at 1200 calories per day.0 -
Leigh~
PLEASE hang in there, hon.
I WISH I knew about EM2WL when I was 27. It would have changed the course of my entire life and I am NOT being dramatic.
I am 51 now and have battled my weight since I was around age 10~ so over 40~ FORTY~ years. The entire time I used VLCDs and anything that even hinted it would work to lose weight.
I am STILL at least 200 pounds at only 5'0".
THINK about what I just said: you will be ME in 24 years if you go back to low calorie eating..
.PLEASE DON'T, OK?
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Leigh~
PLEASE hang in there, hon.
I WISH I knew about EM2WL when I was 27. It would have changed the course of my entire life and I am NOT being dramatic.
I am 51 now and have battled my weight since I was around age 10~ so over 40~ FORTY~ years. The entire time I used VLCDs and anything that even hinted it would work to lose weight.
I am STILL at least 200 pounds at only 5'0".
THINK about what I just said: you will be ME in 24 years if you go back to low calorie eating..
.PLEASE DON'T, OK?
Rosie - I am DEFINITELY NOT going back to a VLCD. Ever! LOL, I was just musing about how this mentality is actually harder than thinking, "Hm, if I eat less or don't eat at all, I'll lose weight!" That's been ingrained in me for SO long ... this is just so new and it's so hard to see and feel myself gaining weight. Hopefully next Friday I'll have happy scale results!0 -
Definitely hang in there.
So there are a couple of things that could be the culprit, and you say you have eliminated the first one so thats:
1. Something medically going on (eliminated)
2. Water retention. You say you were coming from a very low carb/VLCD diet if I recall? To me this sounds like the most likely culprit. I bet during this time you were not drinking a lot of water as well?
You could have been in a semi-perpetual state of dehydration. While your body tried to maintain as much water as it can, it will still deplete your bodies water stores at some point (and glycogen stores in your muscles from working out). This all can lead to substantial weight loss. Think of it like what wrestlers do when the cut water from there body.
I wish you had your BF%/Water content before starting this. I bet your BF% has moved much but your Water % went up significantly.
As soon as you upped your diet/added in more carbs your body would immediately start storing glycogen in your muscles for fuel. For every 1g of glycogen your body will store up to 3 - 4 g of water along with it. This right here can increase weight severely, and even increase inches a bit.
Also if you were dehydrated and added in some water (not a lot) your body will start retaining water like crazy. If you are event remotely dehydrate your body will hang on to every last drop
Compound those two and you can see significant weight gain on the scale.
My advice:
Drink 80oz of water a day (10 8oz glasses). This will help rid your body of excess water.
Also, you should shed some water weight pretty fast when you start your cut.
Hang in there, it will get better! Lets see how things goes after a couple of weeks on your cut, then we can look at some adjustments
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Evidently a hangover makes one sound smart....0
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Evidently a hangover makes one sound smart....
Bwhahahahaha!! I think it's probably your brain struggling to do something other than hurt at the moment.
I'm just kidding. You're pretty smert!
I WAS doing a VLCD, but not low-carb. Ugh. I tried that and couldn't last three days, haha. I have also been drinking water like a fish for several years now. I'm affectionately known as the-girl-that-always-has-to-pee. I drink at least 64 ounces of water each day, along with about 40 oz. of coffee.
BUT, now that you brought up the dehydration factor ...
I *was* taking Diurex for several weeks. I stopped taking it last Monday ... but my weight had already ballooned up. I'm still taking in the same amount of fluid every day, though. Sometimes more.
I'm just ready to see what this cut does. I got my jeans buttoned and zipped this morning and they're relatively comfy ... this is the weirdest thing EFFAR.0 -
Evidently a hangover makes one sound smart....
Bwhahahahaha!! I think it's probably your brain struggling to do something other than hurt at the moment.
I'm just kidding. You're pretty smert!
I WAS doing a VLCD, but not low-carb. Ugh. I tried that and couldn't last three days, haha. I have also been drinking water like a fish for several years now. I'm affectionately known as the-girl-that-always-has-to-pee. I drink at least 64 ounces of water each day, along with about 40 oz. of coffee.
BUT, now that you brought up the dehydration factor ...
I *was* taking Diurex for several weeks. I stopped taking it last Monday ... but my weight had already ballooned up. I'm still taking in the same amount of fluid every day, though. Sometimes more.
I'm just ready to see what this cut does. I got my jeans buttoned and zipped this morning and they're relatively comfy ... this is the weirdest thing EFFAR.
Well like we always say, the Scale is not friendly nor right all the time.
You might actually be walking around at a more normal weight for yourself now that you have both proper hydration and proper fuel.0 -
Well like we always say, the Scale is not friendly nor right all the time.
You might actually be walking around at a more normal weight for yourself now that you have both proper hydration and proper fuel.
Very true! Darn scale.
I thought about that, actually. I thought ... wow, what if this is what I *really* weigh and the 213 was just a result of my starvation? I guess it's possible! We shall see what happens with the cut next week! 0 -
How low were your calories previously Leigh? And how long did you eat that way0
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How low were your calories previously Leigh? And how long did you eat that way
I joined MFP in 2008, averaging around 1200-1400 calories per day, not eating my exercise calories back. Sometime in 2009 - I think - I started to eat most of my exercise calories and then all of them. Over the next few years I bounced around between 1200-1600, upping to 1800 once for a couple weeks. I lost 65 pounds and was STUCK for-ev-er (over a year) at 215. I worked my bum off and lost two more pounds, settling at 213. I couldn't go any lower than that, no matter what I did. I would eat at a very low calorie amount, be extremely hungry, end up binge eating, then punish myself by eating little or nothing the next day. So ... I guess it's been 4 years of a steady VLCD ... but I've been dieting on and off ever since I can remember. I'm 27, I'll be 28 next month. I can't remember a time in my life where my family didn't have me on a "diet" or I wasn't putting myself on one.0 -
I know that feeling, for sure.
Has your weight stabilized or are you still gaining?0 -
It appears to be pretty stable. I haven't stepped on the scale today, but I'm going to check in the a.m. out of curiosity. 0
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Just out of curiosity, what site do you use to calculate your TDEE?
I'm looking to re-calculate mine / possibly adjust calories...I'm stuck, too...about 2 mo now of barely any movement on the scale. Inches are still moving, but more slowly and I KNOW I am more active than I was 6 months ago. LOL0 -
Leigh, with how strongly your body reacted to the increase in calories, if it were me... I wouldn't attempt a cut until you had a good couple weeks of being stable.0
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Evidently a hangover makes one sound smart....
OMG I was just thinking that!! (my freakin hungover hero)0 -
Leigh, Thanks for all the math earlier! It really makes me think you couldn't have really put on that much 'lasting' weight. Will you please be sure to measure before you cut!!! I think it is of huge importance that we all stop using the scale. We know we are adjusting/changing our metabolisms, especially if you lift- measure with a tape You know your body is a bit larger but not 23lbs worth! To me that says a lot about your body making positive changes.
Interesting notion Saelina - I assume your concern is that her actual TDEE may not be established.. And even though she is frustrated now if she went to the full cut without a proper TDEE, and THEN didn't lose weight, that would be enraging! Part of me feels like she's done her time, she should cut, and another part of me thinks she should try a smaller cut just in case her TDEE is off.
I'd love to hear other thoughts!0
This discussion has been closed.