Counting calories and put weight ON! :'(

[harriet2802]

I need to lose 2 stone. I am 11st10 at the minute and feel awful. I go on holiday in 7 weeks and desperate to shift a stone if I can. For the past fortnight I've been calorie counting very strict, eating around 900-1000 calories a day and running 3k most days on a morning. I lost 2lb the first week, but this also coincided with a sickness bug, and then today I have weighed myself and I've actually gained 4lb?!

I have been logging all my food and I promise I haven't cheated! I thought it was basic science that if you burn more than you eat then you will lose weight. I'm so upset and frustrated. I feel like I've worked my backside off for nothing.

I am changing my diet again next week to more protein based foods and no carbs. please tell me this will be more successful?

I have tried everything. Slimming world doesn't work for me either and it frustrates me that people I know never step foot in a. Gym and eat chocolate on diets such as sw and ww but lose more than me when I'm barely eating and in the gym 5 days out of 7 :( I am so upset.

Any help is appreciated. I'm dreading my holiday now.

[KeithRichardsPetCat]

I'm in the same boat. I'm getting my Mirena coil out on Tuesday as it's the only thing I have left to blame. I'm eating three meals a day to total 1,200kcal, zero snacking. Water and green tea for liquids. PT three times a week and yet I've lost 4 measly lbs and that's it.

It's horrible. I'm 25

[Hopelass]

I am by no means an expert but two things come to mind from your op; you may not be eating enough, 900-1000 calories seems very low to me.
Also, with the running you could be gaining muscle which weighs more than fat I believe but happy to be corrected.
If I were you I'd up the calories to 1200 a day and see how it went from there.

[harriet2802]

Ive stopped taking my pill too. I drink around 3L a day. It's so frustrating, I was 9 stone 6 last year and I really let myself go. I've had my head screwed on recently though but it just isn't going anywhere. I feel stuck now and it's honestly getting me down!

[harriet2802]

What could I eat to increase my calories? I'm petrified of eating more in case I gain more weight, it's a vicious circle

[Jimjamjoos]

How are you logging your calories? Have you measured yourself too. I'm on week 3 of 1500 calories per day and have "only" lost 3lbs but I have listed 2" from my waist already. I recommend MFP and eating a bit more. It must be water/hormones. But stick with it!

[Jimjamjoos]

Bloody autocorrect!

[BitOutOfPractice]

Definitely not eating enough!!!

[DropZoneOne]

That's not enough calories, sounds like you're body thinks the food supply has been cut off and is hanging onto fat to survive. Increase protein calories as this will help your muscles repair - exercise damages muscles and your body may retain water as a result.

Also consider your cycle - I gain up to 2lb in the 2-3 days before my period just through water retention, even with food /exercise being exactly the same.

Have you tried 5:2? It's working for me and there's so much advice and support over on the intermittent fasting board.

[GraysAnalogy]

If you're running 3k you are absolutely not eating enough. You need to be eating much more than that, high protein.

You'll be gaining muscle which weighs more than fat, so you would be better off measuring yourself or getting a tool that enables you to check your body fat percentage

[RunnerOnTheRun]

Running doesn't build muscle ( resistance/ weights do). Running causes the body to panic ( imagine running away from a lion in the paleo era!) it thinks you're going to die! So it clings to that fat to save you from starvation. Accompanied with such horribly low calories and you have your answer!

Fuel your body, don't starve it.

[waitingimpatient]

Have you had your thyroid checked ? If it's under active it can make weight loss v hard/nearly impossible

[Perfectlypurple]

You are not eating enough.

I need to lose 5 stone. I was happily eating 1200 calories then I saw a personal trainer. I have to eat 1650 a day at least as I am exercising a lot. In under 2 weeks I have lost 6 lbs. that surprised me as I am used to depriving myself to lose weight.

Your body needs fuel to burn fuel. You need to eat a lot more.

[Perfectlypurple]

And use your calories for healthy stuff too. So bananas are good. I have spinach in a lot of things, like omelettes. I will have snacks like 24 almonds which is 160 calories. Try to use the calories for actual food not snack stuff like cereal bars or crisps.

[fishonabicycle]

All good sense. Don't starve yourselves. I've tried it and it doesn't work. Eat more, but eat well. Do some resistance training.

[lanky1]

Muscle doesn't weigh more than fat. A pound of fat weighs the same as a pound of muscle.

Stick with it, it's bound to work eventually.

[fishonabicycle]

The Same volume of muscle does weight more than fat. so you can be more compact but heavier. Obviously a pound of fat weighs the.same as a pound of muscle or a pound of feathers - they all take up.a different amount of space though.

You won't be gaining muscle by running though.

[HappenstanceMarmite]

Ah. The good old "starvation mode" theory. 🙄Wondered how long that would take to rear its head 🤡

[madmoon]

I don't mean to question the starving mode but I don't get it , why and how is it that people can be come so thin they are close to death , yet my body doesn't get enough food so holds on to fat !?
I been eating healthier than I have done for year ( since end of Feb) and lost 8lb. I work out using weights and I am sad and beginning to resign my self to be fat for ever.
I need serious education

[fishonabicycle]

What does happen is that the less food you eat, the less energy you have, so everything slows down. You do less. Obviously if you just maintain a big calorie deficit you will lose weight but it's not necessarily very healthy. And it's hard to maintain - hence why people struggle to stay on diets and end up stuffing themselves with crap - they are so hungry that it's very difficult to control.

[Whatsername17]

Have you been tracking everything? Drinks and little nibbles? It all adds up. Are you eating a lot of carbs? Perhaps you need to rethink the type of calories you are eating? I lose weight quicker with few weeks carbs

[Whatsername17]

With fewer carbs^

[Desmondo2016]

Starvation mode is a myth. It doesn't exist. People wouldn't die of anorexia if it did. The nost common reason in your situation is inaccurate logging. You need digital scales and to weigh everything that passes your lips. Drinks included. When you first start exercising your body will hold onto more water so it's very likely water weight you are noticing. Get your calories up to 1200 a day, eat back half your running calories on top of that, drink shit loads of water and be patient. There's no magic secret but you do have to be anal with your calorie counting, remembering to log the day that things are cooked in and the milk in your tea too etc

[HappenstanceMarmite]

Starvation mode is a myth. It doesn't exist. People wouldn't die of anorexia if it did.

👆🏼This

[babybat]

If you're using MFP, don't just look at your overall calorie intake, try to keep an eye on your nutrition breakdown. Don't cut out carbs completely, you'll need them if you're running and staying active. Do try to up your protein intake (I aim for around 90g per day, split between 3 meals), keep an eye on your sugar and fat intake. I agree that 1000 calories sounds too low, try to keep it around 1200. 10lbs in 7 weeks is doable, and you will get there, but do it sustainably and healthily.

[AndieNZ]

I don't agree with the starvation mode theory OP. If it was true, what about people who drop massive amounts of weight on VLCD via gastric bands? Also, what about the very successful Blood Sugar Diet where the calorie intake is 800 calories per day?

I've always been told that if you aren't losing weight via calorie counting, then you need to look at how accurately you are logging your foods. Do you weigh and log every single mouthful that passes your lips? The little extras from not logging correctly or forgetting to track, really do add up.

Head on over to myfitnesspal and read the stickies on there with regards to working out your TDEE and how many calories you need to eat per day to lose weight. There's a tonne of valuable info on that website.