Confused about Calories

nickyjl81
nickyjl81 Posts: 66
in Food and Nutrition
I'm really confused about how many cals I should be eating. I'm 5ft 7 and 174lbs with a target of 154lbs.

I was sticking to 1200 a day a couple of months ago, doing very minimal exercise and I lost 11lbs over around 7 weeks.

I've now joined a gym and am doing workouts every day burning 400-600 cals (mostly cardio but with some weights) but still trying to eat 1200 (plus my exercise calories) but I've gained 2lbs in the last week since starting this routine. Surely this gain cannot be fat???

My BMR is around 1500 and TDEE is around 2000 so should I up my intake to 1500 or stick at 1200 and wait for the scale to start moving again?

Replies

  • IveLanded
    IveLanded Posts: 797 Member
    I would bump to 1500 and stick with that for a week or so and see what happens.
  • iheath
    iheath Posts: 7 Member
    IF you are excersicing you should try to hit at least 1800 calories. And just because you gained weight doesnt mean its fat. It is most likely muscle.
  • erickirb
    erickirb Posts: 12,294 Member
    most likely you are seeing water weight gain due to the increase in activity. Since you only have 20 ish lbs to lose I suggest setting your goal to lose no more than 1 lb/week and eat back the cals burned from exercise.
  • ChristyRunStarr
    ChristyRunStarr Posts: 1,600 Member
    I agree with iheath-when I first started at the gym I gained weight but my clothes fit better because I was lost fat but gained muscle (and remember, muscle does weigh more than fat)
  • IronPlayground
    IronPlayground Posts: 1,594 Member
    most likely you are seeing water weight gain due to the increase in activity. Since you only have 20 ish lbs to lose I suggest setting your goal to lose no more than 1 lb/week and eat back the cals burned from exercise.

    ^This! You won't gain muscle in a week eating at a deficit. What you gained is water and you will see this subside after a week or two.
  • diannethegeek
    diannethegeek Posts: 14,776 Member
    I definitely think you should be eating more if you're burning so much, but the weight gain you're seeing was likely going to happen despite your diet. Our body floods sore muscles with water to help them heal, so it's not at all unusual to see a couple of pounds extra when we start a new workout routine. Drink lots of fluids to help flush out the excess and the mystery pounds should disappear soon.

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