Weight-Loss Gaining Weight?

Weight-Loss
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Sarin

New member
Hey guys,

Maybe a month 1/2 - 2 months ago, I went to the Casino Buffet. I decided to lower my calories for the week following just to get back on track. But the thing is, I am still gaining weight?

I usually stay between 126-127 but ever since I lowered my calories, I am having a really hard time getting below 129. I know it is a matter of a few pounds, but this isn't like me. I am comfortable at 126-127..

I usually eat 1300 calories a day. Lately I've been eating 1100-1250 to try to lose the extra couple pounds I've seem to put on. Is it possible that by lowering my calories, it's causing more harm than good?

I was hoping to be back at my "normal" weight by Easter, but it doesn't look like that'll happen.

Should I go back to 1300? Or keep at it at this level? Do you have any advice/suggestions?

I'm 5'3" and female, moderately active with work.


Thanks. :)
 
You should only lower your calorie intake by 500 to loose weight. But if you were consuming only 1300 I would stay at 1100 to 1200 calories for you. Try more exercise into your daily routiune. I would highly suggest increasing your cardio routine. If this doesnt work then I would say consume your 1300 calories and continue with exercise. Exercise has helped me a lot with losing weight and keeping it off so I encourage people to exercise as much as possible.
 
It looks like there is not much room to make changes in your dietary habits because your caloric intake is already at the end of tolerance. Weight loss boils down to a deficit between the calories you take in and the calories you expend throughout the day so you should at this point focus on expending more calories. Without knowing your age this is a very rough estimate but based on sex, height, and weight your resting metabolic rate (calories burned throughout the day without physical activity) is around 1390 calories. If you are only taking in about 1300 calories a day you should be losing weight without doing much moving at all throughout the day.

Are you getting the 1300 calorie intake figure from a food log or estimating based on the things you remember generally eating? If you aren’t already I would suggest using a food log like fitday, some people do not take into account beverages, sauces/condiments, etc and are surprised to see their actual caloric intake versus what they thought they were consuming.

If you are only taking in about 1300 calories a day (meals, snacks, beverages, sauces, condiments) you will need to focus on changes to your activity level. You did not mention any specific exercise routine you may participate in so I am guessing you do not have a set schedule for exercise. It is very common for most of us to make the excuse of “no time” when it comes to exercise but really we just need to work on time management. In an ideal world we will all be exercising AT LEAST 30-60 minutes a day (and at a moderate to high intensity for weight loss), but this can be averaged out over the week; if you can’t work out one day but have a few hours to spare the next put them to good use.

Another way to increase energy expenditure that I strongly support and intenerate into my own life is making a lot of little changes to normal daily activities. We have so many amenities that make life easier on us but they also rob us of the opportunity to challenge ourselves and remain more physically active. Small changes that can add up are parking at the far end of the lot when going to a store, using a hand basket instead of a shopping cart (unless a cart is absolutely needed), take the stairs rather than the elevator/escalator, stand when hanging out rather than sitting during relaxation time. Another great change that can easily add 15-30 minutes of physical activity is instead of sitting on the chair or couch while watching T.V. do some body weight workouts that require no special equipment or preparation; these include various crunches/ sit-ups/ planks, pushups, prisoner squats, lunges, anything to keep moving. All voluntary movement requires energy to produce, even the smalls changes can add up if you are really willing to make the change you desire.

Keep at it and you will reach your goal in no time!
 
Most people don't realize that if you eat less than a certain amount of calories you will not lose weight! Right now with the low calorie diet you have, your body is probably in starvation mode. This means every calorie you put in your body is going to turn into fat and store. This also can lead to wrecking your metabolism, which also will make you gain weight (the reason most people on extreme diets not only gain all the weight back and more).

Calories aren't the enemy, unhealthy food is. If you eat the right things not only will the calorie count naturally be at a good level, but the food you put in will actually help accelerate weight loss. If you want suggestions on what to eat, let me know :).
 
Thanks for the information guys. I've been reading and decided to up my calorie intake to about 1600.. Do you think that's too much?

I don't do much exercise, but every morning when I get up I make sure I do 5 minutes of cardio/strength and when I go to bed I do 5 minutes of stretching and strength. During the day I am on my feet at work 7-10 hours, sometimes 13. Nothing hardcore, just a sandwhich lady. :) When I have time, (2-4 times a week) I try to walk or bike ride for 30 minutes to an hour. Not much, but I am trying to get more activity in my life.

I ate out again yesterday for mother's day, and today I gained 3.5lbs. (I seem to gain a lot when I eat out.. I have a feeling this is because my body is in starvation mode so it sucks up as much as it can when I decide to 'cheat'?)

So.. I plan on eating 1600 calories, hopefully that will help. If I am gaining too much, I'll go down to 1200 for 2 or 3 days then back to 1600. This is what I've read is good to do to your body, shocking it almost.

Does this sound reasonable?

Thanks again.. :)
 
1600 is a good plan. Make sure those calories are nutritious. If you eat the right things 1600 will be more then plenty. If your metabolism has changed it might take a little bit for your body to re-orient itself. Don't stress you'll get there! Food should be a joy not a burden.

:).
 
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TheyCallMeRed said:
1600 is a good plan. Make sure those calories are nutritious. If you eat the right things 1600 will be more then plenty. If your metabolism has changed it might take a little bit for your body to re-orient itself. Don't stress you'll get there! Food should be a joy not a burden.

If you want specifics on food pm me :).
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That is exactly what I am aiming for. My body has been so used to eating low calories - that if I decide to even eat a little higher then I usually do.. I gain. A lot.. And it's difficult for me to lose it in a timely manner. I feel so deprived - I don't want to deprive myself any longer.

I always make sure I choose the healthiest things. Today I managed to get about 1500 calories.

I drink about 25 glasses of water a day, and have lots of fruit and veggies, as well as whole grains. I know I need more protein, however.

Thanks again.. If you have any more tips for me, let me know!
 
Great! Wow 25 glasses of water, your body doesn't need that much water especially because you said you don't exercise vigorously. I usually get 10 glasses a day which suits me (I tend to workout a bit) :). You might want to look up hyponatremia (water intoxication) if you have the symptoms you'd probably want to consult a physician.

The rest of the diet seems fine. The protein I eat is usually lean meat such as chicken and turkey. I also get protein from eggs, rice and beans, and edamame. Protein is great because it repairs muscles and keeps you full!

Hope this is helpful.
 
TheyCallMeRed said:
Great! Wow 25 glasses of water, your body doesn't need that much water especially because you said you don't exercise vigorously. I usually get 10 glasses a day which suits me (I tend to workout a bit) :). You might want to look up hyponatremia (water intoxication) if you have the symptoms you'd probably want to consult a physician.

The rest of the diet seems fine. The protein I eat is usually lean meat such as chicken and turkey. I also get protein from eggs, rice and beans, and edamame. Protein is great because it repairs muscles and keeps you full!

Hope this is helpful.
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Thanks for the tips! As for the water, I don't try to get that high. I just drink a lot of water naturally. If I don't, I feel quite dehydrated.

I really need to up my protein. I usually only have a few slices of deli meat a day. I try to cook 2-3 meals a week that includes either chicken or white fish, but that isn't always possible. I also try to incorperate lots of eggs in my diet because they are so easy and full of protein. But I doubt I am getting anywhere near what I should be getting a day.
 
Good luck!
 
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