Is something weird about my metabolism or is it just me?

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sandyyy712
sandyyy712 Posts: 94
in Food and Nutrition
About 3 months ago when I weighed 140 lbs I had no idea about any nutritional content or value of foods I ate. I just ate whatever I wanted when I wanted and felt fine. At that time I was swimming once a day with my team and doing 2 weight workouts a week. I didn't gain weight at all, I just stayed the same...

Now I weigh 120 and I find it an everyday struggle to maintain my weight...I'm always having to count the calories in everything I eat and force myself to be hungry and wait until my next meal or snack time because I'm never full. I'm eating basically the same foods I did then (if not healthier or lower calorie). I'm even working out harder than I did-2 and sometimes 3 workouts a day.

I know that because I'm 20 lbs lighter my body doesn't need as many calories to function...but I would atleast think that I could eat enough to not be hungry and not gain weight either. Even though I work out so freaking hard in swimming and running and lifting, if I eat a little over my calorie goal (which is 1200 + I eat back exercise) I start to gain.... is something messed up or am I just doing something wrong and not noticing?

Replies

  • delaney056
    delaney056 Posts: 475
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    Muscle burns more calories than fat, even when you're not moving. You may be gaining weight because you are not eating enough calories, and it is slowing your metabolism down. 1,200 usually is the bare minimum for most women, unless you're quite small. Try eating more and watch your sodium intake (can cause you to retain water) and see if that helps. There is no possible way you can gain any weight other than water weight unless you are eating at a surplus. Don't force yourself to wait until your next meal to eat. If you're hungry, eat girl! :)
  • tcdc86
    tcdc86 Posts: 14
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    I have a bag of small red delicious apples available all the time. If you start to have a craving eat a apple, if you know that is not going to be enough there is a shake at GNC called Total Lean Shake. They have vanilla, chocolate and strawberry. I really enjoy the chocolate, it fills me up, fights off my hunger and has no bad after taste!! only 170 calories and very low carbs and sugar.

    As for your metabolism, if you yo yo diet it will mess up your metabolism. You really have to try to stay consistent for a period of time for your metabolism to level out. Also take a vitamin once a day for women, that may help you as well.

    Hope this helped a little bit.
  • michellekicks
    michellekicks Posts: 3,624 Member
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    As soon as you start eating at a calorie deficit, the first weight lost is glycogen stores and water. Glycogen is the ready energy stored in the body for the muscles to use the moment they are required... kind of goes hand in hand with our fight or flight mechanism. When you diet, you deplete these stores. Glycogen is stored with water and can account for roughly 3-6 lbs in an average person. So the first week you cut calories you probably saw a big loss... that was those glycogen/water stores. After that, it would have been more moderate - maybe 1-2 lbs/week, right?

    Well, once you get to your goal weight and start eating at a maintenance calorie level, your body will seek to replenish those stores. It needs them. It will add them wherever you decide to maintain. So if you cut down to 120 and go to eat at a maintenance level, you will probably level out somewhere between 124 and 127 lbs. If you don't like that, you go and cut again, deplete your glycogen stores and feel better about the scale. Then you go back to maintenance and those pounds come back.

    Your body needs to store this stuff.

    If you want to maintain at 120 lbs, you need to cut down to about 116 lbs and then eat at maintenance. You should then bounce back up to about 120 once your glycogen stores are replenished. Then you won't have to worry about the scale.

    The weight you gain when you go to maintain isn't fat weight. It's water weight. It's normal and your body needs it.

    Personally, I want to be at my goal weight in the evening, wearing clothes and able to eat at full TDEE... but that's me.
  • MoreBean13
    MoreBean13 Posts: 8,701 Member
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    Welcome to womanhood. Seriously, you're 18, and at about your age a woman's body starts maturing, you get more curves and typically women put on weight right at your age. It's the reason for many women, getting back to their HS weight is unattainable, or at least very difficult. Proper diet and exercise can help prevent excess weight gain, but some of it is probably genetic.
  • KeishaK89
    KeishaK89 Posts: 40
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    Are you drinking enough water?

    Im starving when I do not get enough.

    you may also like to try a post workout snack.

    you are more hungry now because your working out harder.

    try to be patient with your body. 20lbs is a big change for it... you will start to feel less out of wack the longer you maintain the weight.
  • Anyaaaa11
    Anyaaaa11 Posts: 242 Member
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    I'm definitely not a pro but I must give you my opinion.

    First off how tall are you? I know your maintenence is not 1200 net. I'm 5'2 112lbs and I eat 1550 while sedentary. You mentioned your doing a lot of exercise? Well maybe your struggling to maintain because your body's trying to tell you it needs more food (your body could be trying to preserve energy, or hoarding food because of all the activity your doing).

    In other words, you need to find your true maintenence intake and maybe eat more protein.

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