Eat More 2 Weigh Less

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I REALLY need help

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irunsf85
irunsf85 Posts: 74 Member
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Okay, so here's the deal. At my lowest weigh in about 2 months ago, I was 119 pounds. I've been on EM2WL for over 2 months now. Today, I weight myself and I'm 126.6 lbs and increase in BF 2%. Last week, before I left for a 5 day vacation, I was 121 lbs. Now, I was on vacation so I didn't track food and probably ate mOre than I should have but not enough for this 5 lb gain. Okay... So maybe it's water retention and bloat right? Well, typically any bloat I have from over indulgence especially on weekends would have already gone away by Thurs/Fri.

Also, because I'm very active, I wouldn't think that having a few indulgent days would set me back so much. I run about 40 miles/week and try to fit in strength training when I can. My nutritionist, when I met with her about 2 months ago set me on a 1700 calorie meal plan but I've been eating about 2000 calories/day. It seemed like I was losing on 1700 but at 2000 calls, there hasn't been anything but gain.

I'm extremely frustrated and am planning on goin back to a lower cal diet. Please help!

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  • emgel9
    emgel9 Posts: 218 Member
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    ok, take a deep breath. It can take me more than a week sometimes to see the effects of a ONE day binge completely subside. I think (and this is just my own rational) our bodies get very very used to our routines: healthy eating, stable exercise etc... that we really can throw them out of whack by going on vaca, a bbq, a birthday party (not that this is bad and should be avoided!). You did NOT gain 5 pounds in a week. If you had eaten enough to do that you would have felt SICK. Go back to your 1700/1800 or wherever you felt best, stick with it for a week and see how you are feeling then. Other than the # on the scale, how are you feeling?
  • irunsf85
    irunsf85 Posts: 74 Member
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    I feel fat, heavy, and bloated however my runs have been getting stronger and faster. I am training for a Hal marathon and marathon so the increase in speed is good but the weight is not for a endurance runner.

    My typical diet is around 1900-2000 calories. I would go back down to 1700 as the nutritionist prescribed but that seems too low based on EM2WL standards. My BMR is 1470.
  • emgel9
    emgel9 Posts: 218 Member
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    It def sounds like water retention/bloat to me. I am also a half marathoner and find that when I am training for races I gain weight...it's like my body holds on to EVERYTHING and I always increase my cals when I am doing long runs (when not in training my long runs cap at 6 miles).

    You are right, while in training 1700 isn't enough, so go back to your 1900/2000 - or wherever you feel GOOD while training. Give your body a week to start feeling good again and go easy on yourself! It was just a vacation!
  • irunsf85
    irunsf85 Posts: 74 Member
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    It def sounds like water retention/bloat to me. I am also a half marathoner and find that when I am training for races I gain weight...it's like my body holds on to EVERYTHING and I always increase my cals when I am doing long runs (when not in training my long runs cap at 6 miles).

    You are right, while in training 1700 isn't enough, so go back to your 1900/2000 - or wherever you feel GOOD while training. Give your body a week to start feeling good again and go easy on yourself! It was just a vacation!

    emgel, would you mind me asking how many calories you eat per day and your height/weight? Would be interesting to know what other runners are eating.
  • emgel9
    emgel9 Posts: 218 Member
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    sure! I am 5' 1", SW: 147 (but my heaviest was 157...that was before I started training for my first race though and long before MFP), CW: 136 and I have been at a plateau for a while now. I eat no less than 1800 cals/day and often up to 2200, I have a BMF which puts my average TDEE around 2600, but I am also someone who only believes in eating when hungry and eating until full so I never stuff myself to get closer to TDEE-15%. I also eat all.day.long. I am a snacker.

    When I am training for a long race (like a 10 miler or half marathon) I always eat more carbs than normal and def my calories are probably closer to 2300-2500 as my average burn goes way up. Feel free to ask me anything else!
  • Noor13
    Noor13 Posts: 964 Member
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    Hi there.
    The weight you gained sure sounds like water weight.
    As for your cals-if you feel you can run longer and you are stronger I think you are on the right track.
    I def, don't think that 1700 cals are enough for you if you say that you are very active. You need to fuel your body.
    If anything I would up my calories a bit and see what happens, but I would not decrease. Also make sure to have your macros right
  • 120weeks
    120weeks Posts: 242 Member
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    If you are really close to your goal weight I think you need to eat 300 less per day than your TDEE. I think I recall that you have a BMF? If so, I'd stick really close to it until you find what works for you and what your sweet spot is. You are going to have to be really consistent. I'd only weigh in every month. If you haven't lost 2 pounds in that timeframe, then you can try going for a 400 cal deficit. You will get there and you need to fuel your runs. I'm not sure that the calculations would work as well for you given that you're training unlike many of us who "just" workout out the same amounts and intensities each week. Once you are done with the races, then perhaps make an educated guess as to what number you will eat at each day with a regular workout routine.

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