Gained 8 pounds
stephbo4
Posts: 26
I understand that some people will gain a pound or two. I have gained 8. That's right, 8. I am so discouraged and about to go back to my 1200 calories a day. I feel like a pig and clearly my body thinks I am a pig too because it's gained 8 pounds. I've been doing this for I think around 3 weeks now. I don't think an 8 pound gain could be normal. Now my last 10 pounds I needed to lose has turned into 18 pounds. I am in tears because I feel like no matter what I do, eat less or eat more, I am still gaining. And no, I have not lost inches.
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Hello!
Dont sweat it. This is perfectly normal. I would check out the stickies at the top of the forum. There will be initial weight gain, but its not fat. Its almost impossible to gain 8lbs of fat in 3 weeks.
Think about this...8lbs of fat would be 28,000 calories on TOP of what you would normally eat in a day.
Your gaining water weight (you body stores water in your muscles along with Glycogen to fuel workouts and what not).
Can you post up your calorie numbers and how much exercise you are doing?
Mike0 -
I understand that some people will gain a pound or two. I have gained 8. That's right, 8. I am so discouraged and about to go back to my 1200 calories a day. I feel like a pig and clearly my body thinks I am a pig too because it's gained 8 pounds. I've been doing this for I think around 3 weeks now. I don't think an 8 pound gain could be normal. Now my last 10 pounds I needed to lose has turned into 18 pounds. I am in tears because I feel like no matter what I do, eat less or eat more, I am still gaining. And no, I have not lost inches.
:flowerforyou: Take a deep breath. It's gonna be OK.
Now, for a true 8 pound gain you would have had to have eaten and EXTRA 28,000 calories. Which is not what you did, right?
It is likely water weight gain, which is totally normal and will go down. You may even experience a day where you are tinkling for what seems like most of the day and the scale would reflect it the next day.
I know is seems weird, but drink lots of water to get rid of water and bloat. It really helps. Also, watch the sodium as it will cause retention as well.
If you'd like to post your stats, we can take a look and make sure you are on track. Are you doing a reset or doing a cut? Did you do vlcd before and for how long, etc.
We're here for ya!0 -
Hello!
Dont sweat it. This is perfectly normal. I would check out the stickies at the top of the forum. There will be initial weight gain, but its not fat. Its almost impossible to gain 8lbs of fat in 3 weeks.
Think about this...8lbs of fat would be 28,000 calories on TOP of what you would normally eat in a day.
Your gaining water weight (you body stores water in your muscles along with Glycogen to fuel workouts and what not).
Can you post up your calorie numbers and how much exercise you are doing?
Mike
LOL! Mike, you hit "post" before I did.0 -
Ditto what they said! Also, have you been working out at the level that you calculated your numbers at originally?0
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Well I have been aiming to stay between 1600 and 1800 NET calories per day. I was told zig-zagging would help as well, so I've been aiming for that 200 calorie fluctuation. I have been working out slightly less than normal, but have been counting my exercise accurately. I burn 300-450 calories per day with exercise, depending on the workout.0
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Try not to fret, Steph. I gained ten pounds in one week. Lost that plus another pound the next week. My point is not the time frame but that weight naturally fluctuates. Even when you are going to be 'done' and maintaining- your weight will never stay the same. It's perfectly natural to have a ten pound fluctuation.
Sodium levels, water retention in healing muscles, lack of proper sleep, stress, undigested food, un-pood poo- all of these have an effect on your weight. Sometimes- they all have an effect on your weight at the same time, thus bigger 'ghost gains' as I call them.
It's not real fat or weight gain. It's most likely just water as your body adjusts. Give it time and try to be gentle with yourself.0 -
Sorry, it might help to know that I am 29 years old, 5'8", and currently, if I use the scale reading from today, 163 pounds. I workout every day, but vary the intensity of the workouts. I do Jillian Michaels workouts. Doing a cut, not a reset, btw.0
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I gained 10 pounds in 1 week. It's not fat and it WILL go away.
Try to relax and remember that scale weight is a lie. It's not a measure of "fat" it's just what your weight is which is not relevant. Try to go based on mirrors and measuring tapes.
Bloat is normal we have all gone through it. We've pushed through and are now reaping the benefits of this program. I would do it 100 times over again.0 -
I'm no expert, but are you netting less than 1300 calories once you have done you exercise?0
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No, I am netting 1600-1800 at the end of the day, exercise included.0
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fab
when the experts come along they will probuably ask;
1. where you doing a VCL before you started the EMTWL?
2.Did you do a reset?
3. Whats are your TDEE/BMR & Cut
4. are you eating the right amount for your Cut (once you include in your exercise) (PS: i wasn't)
5. have you changed you exercise recently?
but i also agree with Brad, not possible to gain that in such a short time frame and its probably water0 -
No, I am netting 1600-1800 at the end of the day, exercise included.
Quite honestly, I don't think you are eating enough. Your body seems to be holding onto everything that you are eating. Prior to doing this were you always on a low calorie diet or on a high calorie diet? You might need the reset. I had to do the reset because my body was so confused. I tried to just eat at the cut amount, gained the initiall few pounds, and then maintained and wouldn't lose. So, I did the reset, and now this week I started at the cut amount and hoping to start seeing the loss soon.0 -
everyone else pretty much said it..is 1600 your BMR?
I know its hard not to look at the scale, but honestly, put it away for a few weeks and allow your mind to change before your body can. You cannot physically gain 8 pounds in three weeks eating what you are, so be assured, you did not gain them.
If you can calculate your tdee, your cut and your BMR, then you will have a better idea of where you should be. Depending on how long you were eating at 1200 calories, will determine how long it might take your body to adjust to the new food. If you were eating VLC for a long time, then it is highly recommended to do a reset at TDEE for a period of time, then cut down..
Remember, this way of losing weight is not a fast method. It is one that will assure you will never have to eat 1200 calories again. It is slower, longer but the rewards and benefits are so much greater.. Do it for your life... not for the last 10 pounds..0 -
I used fitness frog to come up with these numbers, let me know if there is a better site.
BMR - 1541
TDEE - 2388
BMI - 24.78
So, like I said earlier, I have been netting, (including exercise) 1600-1800 per day.0 -
have you tried the scooby calculator?
My TDEE is 2305 and i net (1959 15%cut or 1843 20%cut) but i also eat it consistently every day.
my activity is light
So your stats might be higher than mine (with your activity)0 -
I think I tried the scooby one too and it was similar. What is the site?0
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the first few weeks of my reset i was soooo discouraged also b/c i felt heavy, bloated and just crappy. i opened my diary up for people to see and i found that i wasn't the # of calories i was eating but WHAT i was eating that made me feel crappy.
the last week or so, i've been trying to stay as close to 40/30/30 (carb/fat/protein) and i've been keeping my sodium level in check and i feel A MILLION times better. like this week, i feel AMAZING. the bloat is gone, i feel stronger at the gym and overall, my body just feels happy. oh plus, the digestion problems i've had for YEARS seems to have....regulated itself. (sorry if that's tmi).
i find that keeping close to 40/30/30 and the sodium down is the key.
oh....and i had my husband hide my scale while i was at work one day. its been 5 days, and i haven't missed it!!
i know this process is really hard, but your body will thank you for it in the long run.
good luck!!!! *friend req sent*0 -
According to scooby
BMR 1541
TDEE 2388
Daily calories for a 20% calorie reduction - 19100 -
I agree.No, I am netting 1600-1800 at the end of the day, exercise included.
Quite honestly, I don't think you are eating enough. Your body seems to be holding onto everything that you are eating. Prior to doing this were you always on a low calorie diet or on a high calorie diet? You might need the reset. I had to do the reset because my body was so confused. I tried to just eat at the cut amount, gained the initiall few pounds, and then maintained and wouldn't lose. So, I did the reset, and now this week I started at the cut amount and hoping to start seeing the loss soon.
I am right there with you btw. I gained about 6-8 lbs and I only had little to lose. But that's perfectly normal. I actually really don't care. I have sabotaged my body for over a decade. Your body needs fuel in order to work well. I am 5'7 and started out with 140 lbs and when I am eating at my cut I still am eating 2000 kcal. I am doing reset and eating 2400 at the moment.
Hang in there-you will lose the weight. I am positive. But it needs consistancy and as pp said you need to eat more.
~Evelyn0 -
According to scooby
BMR 1541
TDEE 2388
Daily calories for a 20% calorie reduction - 1910
If your TDEE is 2388, than your cut amount is 2029.80. So you are still eating too few calories.0 -
According to scooby
BMR 1541
TDEE 2388
Daily calories for a 20% calorie reduction - 1910
You may also want to try a 10 or 15% cut if you are close to goal weight. You need to EAT 1910 every day. Don't worry about your net so much unless you consistently drop below BMR. If that happens then you should take a closer look at what you determined for your activity level--it may not be high enough and you need to eat more calories.0 -
that sums it beautifully upDo it for your life... not for the last 10 pounds..0 -
I want to be 10 pounds lighter for my LIFE, That's the whole point of me asking this. I am NOT HAPPY being this heavy. Not at all. I WANT and NEED this last 10 pounds. Sorry if you don't understand that, but that's how I feel.0
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I want to be 10 pounds lighter for my LIFE, That's the whole point of me asking this. I am NOT HAPPY being this heavy. Not at all. I WANT and NEED this last 10 pounds. Sorry if you don't understand that, but that's how I feel.
You are the only one that sees the scale. EVERYONE else sees the inches and how your clothes fit. Consider other fitness goals as well while you are working on the last 10 lbs. Know that the last 10 are the most stubborn. I too am on the last 10 lbs. I've lost 6 lbs in 3 months and this month I don't think I'll be losing anything.
However, I'm now fitting back into my size 8 clothes (goal size). And I can do 5 standard push-ups (goal is 12). And I can bench 75 lbs (goal is 130). And I can almost run for an entire 3 miles without any walking (my running goal). And I'm down to 26% bodyfat from 33% (goal is 23%). I guess what I'm saying is that the last 10 lb has become less important because I'm meeting all of my other goals.
The scale is a lying liar anyhow.0 -
When you were 8 lbs lighter you were just living depleted. Our bodies can easily store 8 lbs in glycogen and water... when we're on a diet we just deplete those stores and force our bodies to work without that safety and fuel. What you want is to be your goal weight WITH all your muscles rightly fueled.
If you're netting 1600-1800 I think you're on the right track. Give it more time. You've gone from low calorie to a cut without a reset. it may take a long time for your body to recognize that you're not going to starve it.
I'm doing extremely well with EM2WL since I wasn't on a low calorie diet before doing it... at least not really and not for long. I was half-heartedly doing weight watchers from January-April and lost 14 lbs but recognized that I wasn't eating enough so I'd give myself cheat days. As soon as I came to MFP I started netting over my BMR (about 1600) and the weight slid right off me! (8.5 lbs in 5 weeks)
For the last 2 weeks I went up to eating at maintenance (net 2000) to prepare for a running race. In those 2 weeks I gained a full 5 lbs of glycogen and water. I started my cut yesterday (race was Sunday) and am down 2 of those lbs already as of this morning. All I'm doing, though, is depleting those reserves.
In the end, we want to get to our goal weight with a healthy, fueled body that can take on any challenge it comes across, right? Keep going... you're doing a good thing.0 -
I want to be 10 pounds lighter for my LIFE, That's the whole point of me asking this. I am NOT HAPPY being this heavy. Not at all. I WANT and NEED this last 10 pounds. Sorry if you don't understand that, but that's how I feel.
The closer you get to goal the harder it's going to be to tweak those numbers usually and find that sweet spot because you have smaller parameters for error. It's going to take patience and trial and error. If you try to rush the process with large deficits etc, you will only gain it back once you start eating normally again.
So, that being said, I really encourage you to stick to a 10 - 15% deficit. Work on those last few pounds very, very slowly.
If you find that at 6 - 8 weeks, you are either still gaining or have stabilized but not losing weight or inches, then it's possible you need a reset to get past your plateau. If you have been yo-yo dieting or vlcd'ing for any length of time, this is usually something that needed. Or, at the very least, you may need to take a diet break for at least 2 - 4 weeks. (this is like a mini-reset, but if it doesn't work then you end up having to do a reset anyways, delaying cut losses). Diet breaks work great once you have your metabolism repaired and working at efficiency after a reset or if you are new to the diet world.
8 lbs is actually pretty normal. I am currently up 6 lbs (9 right now due to TOM). I gained 4 during the first 7 weeks of eating more but when I realized that I was stabilizing at 15% deficit, I began a full reset and my weight went up 1-2 pounds more. I'm in my 4th week of reset now and plan to cut at the end of 8 weeks.
This method is not a quick fix, easy method. It usually incorporates weight gain, tears, frustration, bloating, feelings of being overful, panic, etc at first. All normal reactions. The 8 lbs will come off. Right now you are trying to help your body understand that there is an abundant food source so that it'll stop trying to store it's own food supply. This requires patience and determination to stick with it.
If you want to lose those 10 lbs for LIFE, then you'll need to ask yourself if you are willing to do this the slow, healthy way. If you go for the quick fix, they'll just come back. A gain at first to lose it all for LIFE is a fair trade off in my opinion, but you need to dig down deep and prepare yourself to be patient.
We are all here to help you when you get frustrated and feel like you just can't keep doing it. We're here to help you tweak those numbers and get you where you want to be.
And, like the other poster said, the scale isn't really the best advocate for our fat loss goals. Use your tape measure and clothes to determine how you want to look. We have testimonies of people who lost very few pounds once they started lifting and eating more but lost a LOT of inches and clothing sizes. 0 -
I want to be 10 pounds lighter for my LIFE, That's the whole point of me asking this. I am NOT HAPPY being this heavy. Not at all. I WANT and NEED this last 10 pounds. Sorry if you don't understand that, but that's how I feel.
Don't worry, you are NOT going to stay this way! :flowerforyou:
Using the EM2WL system requires a person to stay off the scale for a period of time~ usually 6-8 weeks. The way I look at it is that this period is how long your body needs to "Heal". Patience with the process is a MUST!
Your weight will usually go up for however long your body needs to adjust to getting fed properly~ again, at least 6-8 weeks, we are all unique.
At a certain time determined BY YOUR BODY and not any other time schedule, you will level out and if you are eating below your TDEE, you WILL begin to lose again.
You are in week 3 if I recall correctly and in no way is that long enough for any of the goals of Eating More to be reached in your body.
PLEASE stay with this. STAY OFF THE SCALE~ I did for 8 weeks and broke a 40 year addiction!! :blushing:
I want this for everyone here and you, too!
:flowerforyou: 0 -
Feel free to look at my diary. I opened it for everyone to see. I am open to suggestions. I have logged consistently, except for this last weekend, I was camping and had no phone service, but I ate well and hiked a lot! 0
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Feel free to look at my diary. I opened it for everyone to see. I am open to suggestions. I have logged consistently, except for this last weekend, I was camping and had no phone service, but I ate well and hiked a lot!
I noticed that you've consistently went over in sodium. Sodium basically equates to water. So if you are eating that much sodium every day or almost every day, you will weigh more due to added water weight? Do you take measurements? Try to measure over the course of a month and see if you measurements are changing and try not to focus so much on the scale.0
