Week1: Over 10,000 Calorie Weekly Deficit and I GAINED 1 lb

[Snapdragon]

Week 1 complete and I have gained 1 lb! Where is my big water weight loss?

Here are the facts:

• I average over 17,000 steps daily
• I average over 120 Very Active Minutes daily (I usually walk at about a 3.8- 3.9 mph pace)
• I average about a 1500 deficit daily (I generally eat about 1300-1400 calories)
• I track EVERY bite and have measured every meal- except one
• I eat mostly fruit, veggies and have had no fast food, soda and only 1 sweet (1 cookie this week)
• I have exceeded my water goal each day
• I am trying to lose 100 lbs

I do have a bad thyroid and am on Levothyroxine. It was just tested about 3-4 months ago and it was normal, so I will go and have it tested again. Any thoughts on what can be happening? Anyone else have a similiar experience and over came it and how? I want to rule out human error before I start pushing for testing for  a medical reason.

[Ukase]

At the risk of coming off as a jerk, there's a lot of information I don't know. For starters, could you give us a list of what you've eaten this week? Also - can you verify that you've entered in the correct information on your fitbit setup?

For example, if you mistakenly told the form that you were 6'10 instead of 5'10", that could certainly account for a bmr error.

The reason I ask for a list of what you've eaten - you could have mistakenly assumed some incorrect data.

Such as, you may have assumed 1 package of food was a serving, but in fact, that package was 4 servings.

Now - the hardest part - if you're trying to lose 100 pounds, then you're probably not eating enough, but that's hard to say without knowing more information.

[Snapdragon]

Nope- you are not coming off as a jerk at all.

Breakfast- banana and either 1 Eggo or 1 packet of oatmeal made with water

Snack- 1 cup of fresh fruit (cantalope, strawberries, grape)

Lunch- 6 small meatballs in 2 tbsp of crushed tomato with a salad (vinegar as dressing), or BLT with 1 tbsp lite mayo and a salad w/vinegar or 1 cup of fresh fruit), or Peanut Butter and No sugar Jam with a salad, or a large salad with 3-4 oz of grilled chicken (no dressing- just vinegar)

Snack- Spicy V8

Dinner- Corn on the cob (lime- no butter) with a wedge salad w/homeade low fat bluecheese OR Large baked potato with 2 Tbls sour cream and/or butter OR Large salad with chicken breast with hot sauce and no dressing or cheese (kind of like buffalo style), and one night I had a party so I ate 1 pulled pork slider, 2 baby carrots and about 3/4 cup potato salad (this was the only meal not weighed or measured)

I know the V8 has a lot of salt in it and try to take in extra water to flush it out- but it fills me up and holds me over until dinner for very little calories (70 for the can) and is soooo tasty. For the meatballs- it was pre-packaged. I do pay attention to serving size on the labels and know what you mean about that (like a bottle of Coke is 2.5 servings and people may think it is one).

My setup is correct and I even measured my gait to make sure it matched the steps Fitbit said I took. I did this 5 times on different days and it was either spot on or off by one (which I think was me counting because I got interupted).

[1stepcloser]

I'm sure you have heard this before but I will say it and then deny it...muscle weighs more then fat...that is true and also false. So lets say you lost fat but gained muscle. You are excersing alot and eatting well, this could be what happened. Now heres why this statement is true and  false. The volume of a pound of fat is larger then a pound of muscle. So figure a pound of fat is the size of a full stick of butter(this is only an example) however a pound of muscle is half that size. A pound is a pound but a pound of fat takes up more space. While trying to lose weight don't always go by the scale. take measurements also!

[StefK]

When you are eating in a deficit you can NOT build/ gain muscle, so the argument that you are heavier because of more muscle is not true. The best you can do is retain muscle. When you work out a lot while dieting you might have water retention. You could also have water retention due to too much sodium.

It is quite often the case that people over-estimate their calorie expenditure due to exercise and under-estimate their calorie intake in form of food. Also if you do not have to lose a lot it takes longer.

Did you measure your waist, arms...with a tape measure? Sometimes you lose inches that do not show immediately on the scale. You might want to consider the 5:2 fast? Just google it.

Best of luck
Stef.

[Snapdragon]

I am using the calories burned that Fitbit tells me, so I am assuming it is somewhat accurate. I started to log my food in MFP instead of Fitbit so I can start looking at where my calaories are coming from. I have a tendency to be low on protein. But, the good news is, my food calories were pretty much spot on with what Fitbit reported. I am very good at measuring becuase I do not trust my eyeball. I was also pleased to see that my sodium level was 50% or less of the goal....so despite my V8 splurge, it is still in reason.

I did lose 0.2lbs this morning, so I do think that water is a factor (I drank 1 gallon yesterday). I still think my thyroid may be off, as I am extoridinarly tired and feeling chilled at times while walking in 80 degree heat. My last reading was slightly  off and he did not change my meds. So I am thinking the thyroid being off combined with water retention may explain some of it. I have not taken my measurements yet, but did plan on doing that today anyways since it was my offical weigh in day. I have noticed aslight difference in my legs.

[whome]

You say this is week 1 with the fitbit but is this week ! of calorie restriction? Your post implies that your calorie intake is only 50% (or less) of your total daily energy expenditure (TDEE). I would be concerned that such restriction can cause TDEE suppression and cause all your calculations to be essentially meaningless - see any of "Haybales" many posts on the subject 

If you just started the calorie restriction as well, then it is probably not the problem yet but I would still strongly advise you to read and pay attention to those posts -

Finally - are you female? premenapausal? - if so, you need to track your weight for at least 1 month to find out what is going on with cyclical weight fluctuations.

I assume you didn't put on the 100 lbs you want to lose in just one year - don't hurt yourself trying to take it off too fast

Good luck 

[Snapdragon]

Yes, this is week 1 of calorie restriction and I am female.  My weight tends to not fluctuate much- maybe a pound and usually always after drinking a beer the night before. I used to be obsessive about weighing myself, which I have stopped and try to only do it once per week.

I always had this problem when trying to lose weight- for many years (ie: 10-15 years). I give up after 3-6 weeks due to no or very little loss. My thyroid issue was only diagnosed a few years ago- and it was an ENT who caught it. But I know I was having symptoms for years before the diagnosis of Hashimoto's. While I know it is slower to take weight off at my age and with Hashi's, I just want to make sure I maximize my effort- and keep it sustainable so I don't burn out.

Funny you should mention "Haybales". I saw his post to Rowan yesterday after I posted this and am taking it to heart. Starting today I am lowering my steps to 10,000 and will increase the steps if needed to keep the caloric deficit at 1000. My plan was to add weight training this week, and then add yoga next week and then start interval training (Couch to 5k) the following week. That way I am not throwing everything at myself all at once.  I did skim a few of his posts and plan on sitting down tonight to go through all of his posts. I thrive on info and feedback and am willing to try anything to make it work. Thanks for replying!

[Miyth]

Out of curiosity, who is Haybales? I'd like to read those posts. I couldn't find anything my searching for that user name...

@SnapdragonI wish you all the luck in the world! I know it can be super frusturating when you've put so much work in and don't get to see the results right away, but don't let it discourage you! Just consider that your 1 week was worth it to learn more about your body and what you need to do to reach your goals in a healthy manner.

I'm afraid I don't have the technical knowledge to suggest a course of action, but I know you'll find a ton of great help here who can 🙂 .

[Snapdragon]

Thanks for the encouragement Myith. Haybales is another member who does a lot of posting about calories in/calories out and how it effects metabolism. Seems like a  very knowledgeable member.

[Heybales]

I'm a straw man!

Hay, get it ..... - ok, not a comedian.

Actually, it's well, there ya go - heybales - as in getting my attention.

I'd agree 1st week at deficit then isn't a problem yet with additional info, though it appears going that direction, so glad you are balancing out the workouts to not go that way.

I wouldn't do that 1500 cal deficit for longer than 2 weeks, pop back up to maintenance for a week after that, let your body know there is no need to slow down, and then go back to 1000 cal deficit until down to 50 lbs left.

so first week exercising, and lots of cardio.

Body's response - store more carbs for this endurance effort in the muscle.

Carbs store with water, to the tune of 500 calories weighs 1 lb. But that's only going to max out at 4 lbs after more endurance training, and unless totally sedentary, should have some stores in muscles already.

Likely also just muscle retained water for repair purposes since starting this workout.

And probably more cortisol elevated instead of spiked for new workout, so that retains water too.

All that is just masking fat loss.

And agree with above - no muscle mass gain with no lifting and not in a diet.

You've probably got enough walking muscle to go a long time at a fast pace before you'd need more, just gotta use it.

And as a woman, your BMR literally does change during the month, therefore you require a months worth of valid data before making any decisions on it.

Just confirm valid weigh-in days to minimize water fluctuations.

Morning after rest day eating normal sodium levels, not sore from last workout.

Walking average daily would be no exercise that would cause issues though, but a big huge day could, so rest day doesn't have to mean no walking.

[whome]

@Heybales - sorry about that - lol -

[josephz2va]

Mostly it's about the food you're eating. If you're eating bad foods (McDonald's, DD, Starbucks, Taco Bell, etc), that'll hold you back. Block them out. Type "Foods for Lean Mass" on Google and write down the foods you need to consume.

Compare your food choices. What's healthier? A 300 calorie sugar donut, 300 calorie muffin, 450 calorie Bistro Box from Starbucks, or a 300 calorie fruit salad bowl that you can eat a full pound?

[Snapdragon]

I did the "Hay" vs "Hey" bales thing too! Sorry- its the farmer in me coming out. lol

I am planning on working out with freeweights starting this weekend. I had planned on doing that earlier this week but I can't seem to get enough sleep- 10-14 hrs a night and still fall asleep during the day! Saw my doctor about my thyroid yesterday so we are running tests to make sure it is the thyroid and not the hypothalamus or adrenals (having trouble regulating my body temp- getting chills all the time- even when working out in the heat and various other symptoms).

I am probably going to skip my weigh in on Monday, as it won't be accurate. I started to retain massive amounts of water the past few days (ankles swollen they hurt and difficult to wear shoes). Its weird because my sodium intake is below 1500 on all days and below 1000 most days (and much less then my previous daily eating out).  Drinking 2-3L of water a day. Again- another possible sign my thyroid is out of wack.

As for the weight training, I plan on doing some heavy lifting with a trainer. I am adding yoga and a water aerobics class into my weekly routines. The water aerobics class is for fun, any physical benefit is a plus- I always find it a nice way to relax my mind and just enjoy doing it. I feel much better keeping my steps to 10,000-12,000 and I do get those steps in throughout the day. I try to take a 20 min walk break in the  morning, at lunch, in the afternoon and then a 45min-60 min one at night. I will probably have to switch the evening walk to the morning so after work I can do the weight lifting, yoga and water classes.

Thanks for everyone's input! I do take it very seriously and I am willing to try anything!

[Bigjs2014]

Wow your doing good but it sounds like you have what I have and that is Metabolic Syndrome or an extreme sensitivity to carbs. I know , I know, Atkins sucks but if you modify it and do 40 to 50 grams a day and drink water until your urine is clear initially, you will drop weight. get checked out first to make sure your healthy. I'm doing 40 grams a day and feel great. Not a pound of bacon with fried eggs and cheese all over it, that's niuts! But you could do three strips of turkey bacon with two boiled eggs, coffee or tea for breakfast. Then pack of almonds with an ounce of cheddar or string cheese for snack midmorning. Then lunch have a huge salad with oil and vinegar dressing or real bleu Cheese dressing ( it"s low in carbs!) with as much grilled chicken as you can stand. Have a protein shake about 4pm, use the Vitamin Shoppe brand, its also low in carbs and tastes great. Put two scoops in the blender with five ice cubes and two splendas or whatever artificial sweetener you like. This will fill you and kill those sugar cravings that make us go nuts! Then for dinner you could have whatever meat you want, long as its not fried in batter, such as grilled flank steak with another huge salad. Then for last meal, have two low carb wraps which are six grams a piece, and this is just a low carb projecttion as you could throw more carbs in to hit your forty mark. Drink 12 glasses of water, and have a multi everyday as this diet can be nutritionally incomplete if done wrong. Also take your fish oil and Glucosamine Chondroitin to protect our joints, because we are bearing extra weight while exercising, this is really important. I'm not an expert, but I do feel your pain when you are doing everything you can and still hitting the wall. If I'm coming off as a know it all, sorry, just trying to help.

[mydogruger]

[Edin_Lifter20]

I have gained 10lbs of lean muscle in 8 months while in a 1000 kcal a day deficit (sometimes more).  I'm also not the only person to have done this (look into it).  The measurements where taken from biometric scales measuring overall muscle mass, a licensed physician and several PT's.  In the same time period I lost almost 15% of my total body fat.  My before and after pictures are quite impressive. 10lbs of muscle is a significant change and this was done with a very high protein intake eg. 350g+ per day with over 5500mls of water daily.  I trained 6 days per week a mixture of isolation and full body workouts but very heavy.  The high protein intake keeps the bodies metabolism high, the water keeps the metabolism high too but mainly focuses on keeping the kidneys free from Protein build up.  I used a 50/50 mix of animal and plant proteins with added bcaa's.  I'm now quite a big lean guy with an overall body fat percentage of 13% and I currently weigh over 250lbs (I'm 5 10").  In the last 2 years I have remained continuously in a deficit of 500kcal per day to keep myself lean as bulking and cutting isn't necessary and I continue to build muscle to this day.  Muscle growth is about stimulus ie time under tension and not just the correct diet and protein intake but about when you eat, how much deep sleep you are getting and how efficient your glandular functions are. So I would say you are very, very wrong about muscle building in a caloric deficit........