Lost a little weight, now gaining...

[HaphazardHen]

I put on some weight after breaking my leg skiing in January.  I had a bit to lose before I broke my leg so being immobile didn't help. I got a fitbit and started tracking my food intake to help drop some lbs and help me feel better again.

I am a 36 year old female who is 5'11" with asthma who 5 years ago weighed 130lbs.  Since then I have started taking a daily steroid for my asthma and an SSRI and my weight has steadily gone up.  I also changed jobs from being on my feel all day at 8000ft above sea level to sitting all day at 4500ft. 

I am trying for a 750 calorie deficit and have averaged a little more than that for the last month.  I started at 186 and was down to 180 for a few days but am back up to 183.  I know this could be water weight but I am frustrated.  I have been taking measurements and my waist after one month is 1.25" smaller.  My goal is to get down to 155lbs.  I do not eat out or eat any pre-packaged foods.  I make all of my own food. I input my recipes in MFP along with serving sizes and accurately track all of my meals.  I drink about a gallon of water each day and I don't drink soda. I walk, play raquetball, mtn bike and dance around my kitchen while I cook.

Any tips, suggestions, advice or recommendations?

[WendyB · Accepted solution]

Depending on how active you are youmight need to eat a bit more.

Sounds like you are doing things right

[HelenaFitbit · Accepted solution]

I'd go for a smaller caloric deficit, since the amount of weight you need to lose is not very drastic.

[SunsetRunner · Accepted solution]

Did your body fat % increased or decreased with the 'weight gain?'.

If weight went up (due hormones, natural fluctuations, food remnants (of previous day(s)), muscles growing stronger..) but body fat % decreased, that's a good sign (getting leaner).

It's possible to use URL: https://trendweight.com

To see your weight / body fat / body fat mass / lean mass trend over time, rather than the daily weight / fat % measured since these can vary slighty also depending on hydration.. or standing on the scale a bit differently..

[HaphazardHen]

I am not sure I understand how eating more will help me lose weight.  I understand if I am way too low my body will want to store fat as it goes into starvation mode.  I eat more on days I exercise more and less on days I move less.  My daily calorie burn ranges from 1700-3000 depending on how I feel. To achieve my goal weight losing muscle mass may be required so I might have to adjust my goal weight.  For me losing muscle mass is not ideal or even an option.

I don't have a fancy scale to measure body fat.  I am not sure the cost/benefit ratio is worth it for me to buy one at their current cost.  I don't have a ton of discretionary funds.  I know my belly fat isn't going down but my chest is getting noticeably smaller.  Thanks for the link to TrendWeight I will use that try to help keep me motivated.

[RivalDealer]

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@HaphazardHen wrote:

I don't have a fancy scale to measure body fat.  I am not sure the cost/benefit ratio is worth it for me to buy one at their current cost.  I don't have a ton of discretionary funds.  I know my belly fat isn't going down but my chest is getting noticeably smaller.  Thanks for the link to TrendWeight I will use that try to help keep me motivated.

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You could use a skinfold caliper like this http://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B00SJ4CWHS to take body fat measurements, probably better than using those scales anyway.

[HaphazardHen]

I am considering the calipers because I am skeptical of the accuracy of the
body fat scales. I have only ever used displacement measurements and
calipers.

[Heybales]

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@HaphazardHen wrote:

I am not sure I understand how eating more will help me lose weight.  I understand if I am way too low my body will want to store fat as it goes into starvation mode.  I eat more on days I exercise more and less on days I move less.  My daily calorie burn ranges from 1700-3000 depending on how I feel. To achieve my goal weight losing muscle mass may be required so I might have to adjust my goal weight.  For me losing muscle mass is not ideal or even an option.

I don't have a fancy scale to measure body fat.  I am not sure the cost/benefit ratio is worth it for me to buy one at their current cost.  I don't have a ton of discretionary funds.  I know my belly fat isn't going down but my chest is getting noticeably smaller.  Thanks for the link to TrendWeight I will use that try to help keep me motivated.

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Your body doesn't store fat in starvation mode.

When actually starving yes, not starvation mode.

That mode makes your body slow down though, burn less than it could otherwise.

Now it's easier to eat over maintenance, and of course eating in surplus does indeed store fat.

But if you believe a bigger deficit is better - why not stop eating and really get it over with fast?

Because it's a stress, just like too big a deficit is a stress on your body.

And a stressed body is not going to work as easy with you to lose fat weight, will include muscle mass too if not careful.

An unstressed body is will to burn more, and allow workouts to be better.

A better workout transforms the body more, and burns more during recovery and repair.

500 deficit with only 30 to go is better, at 15 lbs make it 250 deficit.

Watch an unstressed body lose weight. Besides, did you gain it fast?

[HaphazardHen]

@Heybales wrote:

But if you believe a bigger deficit is better - why not stop eating and really get it over with fast?

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Heybales,

You had me until this comment: But if you believe a bigger deficit is better - why not stop eating and really get it over with fast?.  It has stuck with me.  I feel it is rude, unhelpful, destructive, hurtful and generally unacceptable in this arena. If this is the advice I can expect from the fitbit community I will stop asking questions.

This is a place where people should be able to go to get help and support.  Instead you have basically told me to kill myself.  

I certainly hope you have not given this advice to others.  I wonder if you actually care about anyone but yourself?  Your statement indicates  NO.

[HelenaFitbit]

Guys, I'm jumping in to this thread to remind you to keep it courteous! This is a place for support and advice, we wouldn't want anyone to feel any less than this on the boards. 

[Heybales]

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@HaphazardHen wrote:

@Heybales wrote:

But if you believe a bigger deficit is better - why not stop eating and really get it over with fast?

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Heybales,

You had me until this comment: But if you believe a bigger deficit is better - why not stop eating and really get it over with fast?.  It has stuck with me.  I feel it is rude, unhelpful, destructive, hurtful and generally unacceptable in this arena. If this is the advice I can expect from the fitbit community I will stop asking questions.

This is a place where people should be able to go to get help and support.  Instead you have basically told me to kill myself.  

I certainly hope you have not given this advice to others.  I wonder if you actually care about anyone but yourself?  Your statement indicates  NO.

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Well, if you notice I didn't give a recommendation or a suggestion or advice to follow.

That question mark made it a question. I asked a question.

One to make someone think more about believing that bigger is better.

And from your comments, you would likely answer no to that question, perhaps adding that it would be unhealthy.

Well - guess what a large deficit is also? Unhealthy.

Which is exactly my point.

[Trooper]

My scale drives me crazy!!!! I have a digital one. One day it tells me that I weight about 218 and the next I am back up to 220. I know that I did not gain 2 pounds in 24 hours. Don' t worry about the scale!!! You might need to adjust your caloric intake to make up for inactivity for that day. That should help your weight start dropping again. Also remember, the body will shut down your metabolism or make it go real  slow to try to keep you from losing the body fat that you have store for so many years.Sometimes I think it is something the mind and body are doing together to make you leave your diet and return to what it considers "Normal" Looking at the scale is discouraging when it does not move. Been there and done that!! Do not worry about it.  Just keep counting the calories and move on. 

[Heybales]

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@Trooper wrote:

My scale drives me crazy!!!! I have a digital one. One day it tells me that I weight about 218 and the next I am back up to 220. I know that I did not gain 2 pounds in 24 hours. Don' t worry about the scale!!! You might need to adjust your caloric intake to make up for inactivity for that day. That should help your weight start dropping again. Also remember, the body will shut down your metabolism or make it go real  slow to try to keep you from losing the body fat that you have store for so many years.Sometimes I think it is something the mind and body are doing together to make you leave your diet and return to what it considers "Normal" Looking at the scale is discouraging when it does not move. Been there and done that!! Do not worry about it.  Just keep counting the calories and move on. 

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Sure you can gain or lose 2 lbs of weight in 24 hrs.

Try 4 hrs even.

But you may be thinking correctly that it's NOT fat weight - and that is true.

Fat is not fast, gain or loss.

Water weight fluctuations should be expected, and only weigh on valid days to minimize the effect.

Or log daily for about 1-2 months to really get a sense of what direction you are going, to even out all the noise.

[josephz2va]

For starters I don't recommend a 750 calorie diet. Many diets actually consist of 1,200 to 1,700 calories with moderation to weight loss. Also checking your fitness level helps. I see walking, raquetball, mountain bike, dancing. Light exercises on two of those, but not moderate or physical.

One suggestion is to sign up for a fitness program. There's a few online that are free. Some are pay to use. A few exercise programs have a modifier included like trading jumping jacks for foot taps. Jillian Michaels is one you can look into. Fitstar is part of Fitbit now.

[HaphazardHen]

750 deficit. Reading comprehension is key here. I have selected a solution, thanks.

[I-train-hard]

I like your quote

"I am not FAT. I just feel FAT. Changing the way I feel is the hard part."

You already know the answer to your question. Diet has nothing to do with it.