I''m cutting, and yet gaining weight! - JP Fitness Forums

Buddybot111 · 05-10-2008, 09:22 AM

Literally the subject. Here''s a short version of my history. I''m 18 years old and 6 months ago I weighed 210 pounds at a height of 5''6". Today I weigh 153 pounds. Basically all I did was eat less and less and less while on/off gym. At around 160 pounds simply eating less was no longer really helping so I got advice from one of the gym trainers. I upped my calories to around 1500-1700 or so and started weight lifting. I dropped down to 156 where I stayed for a while. My goal is to be 140-145, so I still was not satisfied.
I then went online and researched and was told to eat more as my current intake of calories was "starving" myself. I followed that advice around 2 weeks ago. I also started a log around this time. FitDay.com - Diet and Fitness journal for mcFreid
Now, At first it seemed to be working but recently I''ve been going up! I thought it was a one-day thing, but it doesn''t seem to be going away.
To give a quick summary of my routine these days if your not interested in looking at the detailed fitday log, it is this.
Food: 2000-2100 cal split to 50%prot/30%fat/20%carb
Exercise: Mon/Thurs-Vigirous Lifting
Tues/Wed/Fri: Combination of HIIT/7-8min Mile/Mod Intensity Cardio
Sat/Sun: Whatever exercise I can fit in.
Please help me out and tell me what''s going on with my body!

gobbla · 05-10-2008, 09:35 AM

Problem = you're eating too much

Solution = eat less

Buddybot111 · 05-10-2008, 09:48 AM

According to all the various methods of calculating my BMR + activity it puts me at around ~2600 calories for maintance. To cut it was sugested to do 20% or so of that which comes out to around 500, which is what I'm eating. Could you give me more detail on WHY you think it's me eating too much? I have absolutetly no problem with eating less, hell I was eating 800 calories a day for around a month to get down to the level I'm at now compared to when I was 200+ pounds. So if that's what it takes, I'm easily up to it... It's just thats what I WAS doing and it wasn't working once I hit around 155.

Fulmen · 05-10-2008, 10:21 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Buddybot111

According to all the various methods of calculating my BMR + activity it puts me at around ~2600 calories for maintance. To cut it was sugested to do 20% or so of that which comes out to around 500, which is what I'm eating. Could you give me more detail on WHY you think it's me eating too much? I have absolutetly no problem with eating less, hell I was eating 800 calories a day for around a month to get down to the level I'm at now compared to when I was 200+ pounds. So if that's what it takes, I'm easily up to it... It's just thats what I WAS doing and it wasn't working once I hit around 155.

You gotta remember BMR and all that BS is theory. You can't always go by it. Just remember, you eat x amount of calories and you're gaining. You have to eat over your maintenance level to gain, so just like gobbla said you need to eat less. Use the mirror and scale, not theortical formulae.

Of course I don't know why you would want to be 140 at 5'6"..I'm 180 at 5'6 and still feel small.

Buddybot111 · 05-10-2008, 10:52 AM

The problem is when I was eating less I hit a wall and couldn't keep losing, that's why people told me I wasn't eating enough. It seems like I'm going in a yo-yo here on how much to eat. Looking in the mirror doesn't really work because apparently it takes your body time to adapt to diets so it could give me false positives or false negatives on the actually effects of the diet. As far as why I want 140-145... I guess I was so used to being "big" even if it was mostly fat that the idea of being lean and mean is very appealing now.

jvernacchio · 05-10-2008, 11:04 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Buddybot111

I guess I was so used to being "big" even if it was mostly fat that the idea of being lean and mean is very appealing now.

You mean tiny and skinny at 5'6" and 140lbs there is no "lean and mean". A strong wind will blow you away.

I am 5' 6" and 190 I was 140 in the 8th grade 25 years ago...

gobbla · 05-10-2008, 11:07 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Buddybot111

Could you give me more detail on WHY you think it's me eating too much?

Because you're gaining weight.

Buddybot111 · 05-10-2008, 11:22 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by gobbla

Because you're gaining weight.

But, before I increased my calories to 2000 from 1500-1700 I wasn't losing weight either. How much should I have to eat to lose weight?

gobbla · 05-10-2008, 11:54 AM

No clue. Try lowering by 200cal every two weeks until you find out.

If you're gaining weight then you're eating too much, that's just how it works. There isn't a way to say "this is the right amount", you'll just have to put in the time and effort to find it. Keep in mind that you might go for a week or two or three or four in a stall...that happens too. Just take your time and make very small adjustments over an extended period of time. You "will" get to what ever your goals are but it's going to take time.

I. Kay · 05-10-2008, 02:38 PM

When was the last time you went about 5 days straight without calorie counting? When was the last time you just had a blow-out day, cheating, etc.?
When was the last time you took a week off from lifting, and when was the last time you switched your lifting routine? What is your lifting routine?

Buddybot111 · 05-10-2008, 03:40 PM

I only started really calorie counting around 2 weeks ago. Before then I just sorta estimated it. Once I started counting I realised I was at 1500-1700 daily and then upped it to 2000-2100 (the recommended amount from various different formulas). I don't do the whole blow-out day, cheating thing: just don't feel any need for it. I no longer get those hamburger, pizza, whatever cravings anymore. I took a week off from weight lifting around 3 weeks ago. Ever since then I've been steadily switching from my previous isometric machine assisted movements to compound barbell and dumbbell movements. It's all written in my journal entries for my fitday profile, but heres an outline.

Squats
Deadlift
Bench Press
Bent-Over Dumbbell Rows
Dumbbell Bicep Curls
Tricep Extension with Rope on Pully Machine
Standing Dumbbell Shoulder Press
Abs (curls, various other exercises, etc..)

I. Kay · 05-10-2008, 03:56 PM

From what you've said (I'm not getting a good picture of the timeline... that could be my fault though!

) you started putting on weight after you started eating 300-500 calories more every day. Is that right? If that's the case, then you need to drop the cals back a bit. Maybe not back to where you were (1500?) but somewhere lower than you are now.

As for the workouts, you may very well need to just ramp up the intensity. Go all out free-weights, and do some research into fat-loss related routines (read stuff by Cosgrove, etc.) Lifting weights is great, but simply lifting them without a goal-oriented plan will have its limitations.

Buddybot111 · 05-10-2008, 04:22 PM

I think you got it right with my timeline, but here it is just to get rid of any confusion.

Sep 2007: Started lower calories
Weight 210

Jan 2008: Began "starvation" diet
Weight:170

February 2008: Began weight lifting and switched calories to around 1500-1700
Weight:158

Late-April 2008: Weight lifting routine switched to free weights with compound movements. Started doing a 1mile run instead of some HIIT sesions. Increased calories to 2000-2100. Also P.E. in school started around this time and its for an hour every other day. I'd describe it as moderate intensity.

May 10 2008: noticed unchanging weight or even weight gain in fitday profile weight chart from the past 2 weeks
Weight: 151.4

I. Kay · 05-10-2008, 05:24 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Buddybot111

I think you got it right with my timeline, but here it is just to get rid of any confusion.

Sep 2007: Started lower calories
Weight 210

Jan 2008: Began "starvation" diet
Weight:170

February 2008: Began weight lifting and switched calories to around 1500-1700
Weight:158

Late-April 2008: Weight lifting routine switched to free weights with compound movements. Started doing a 1mile run instead of some HIIT sesions. Increased calories to 2000-2100. Also P.E. in school started around this time and its for an hour every other day. I'd describe it as moderate intensity.

May 10 2008: noticed unchanging weight or even weight gain in fitday profile weight chart from the past 2 weeks
Weight: 151.4

So it's been a pretty short time since you began lifting more, and an even shorter time since you increased the cals.

Stick with the more intense weight-training for a few more weeks, and think about cutting back your calories a bit and give it some time. You had a great weightloss last fall, but after that initial big drop, things always go more slowly. Don't expect to drop at the same rate.

Buddybot111 · 05-10-2008, 05:43 PM

Ok, thanks for the input. I'm gonna try switching to around 1900 calories or so. According to the calorie calculaters that means a cut of around 700 or so.

I. Kay · 05-10-2008, 08:02 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Buddybot111

Ok, thanks for the input. I'm gonna try switching to around 1900 calories or so. According to the calorie calculaters that means a cut of around 700 or so.

Forget the calorie calculators. Have you been eating 2000-2100 calories the last few weeks? If so, then a cut to 1900 isn't much. Try 1700. If you've actually been eating 2600, then that's a different story.

Also, to make the most of your weight workouts:
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Buddybot111 · 05-10-2008, 08:29 PM

Nope definitly was eating 2000-2100 calories. I'm pretty exact when it comes down to measurements. 1700 calories is nearing what I WAS eating before I switched to 2000-2100, so it seems sort of pointless to go back to that level because the whole reason I switched was to lose more weight (as I wasn't losing anymore with 1500-1700 calories).

Aoife · 05-10-2008, 11:40 PM

If you've been under-eating for a while and managed to screw yourself, you probably WILL gain weight when you eat again. Especially if it's only been a few weeks and you upped your calories quickly. If you managed to slow your metabolism while you kept cutting down and cutting down and cutting down some more. It'd take a bit to ramp back up after that.