How could I possibly eat less and exercise a sh*t ton more, and actually gain weight??

@youngwolf The body fluctuates a lot week to week especially in women. Its common to have some strange weights early on as there's so many variables and your body is adjusting to a new regime. Keep at it and realise that this is a marathon not a sprint.
 
@youngwolf You said you are feeling stronger, maybe you are growing muscle. Such a small fluctuation really isn’t enough data to go off of. I lift weights consistently and the scale can fluctuate 5lbs in either direction depending on what I ate, how hydrated I am, or how full my muscles are that week.
 
@youngwolf
  1. Where are you in your cycle? If this is week three or four, you could be bloated? Then again you've been a woman your whole life (I assume) and you've lost significant weight before so I'm guessing you would have accounted for bloating by now.
  2. Your metabolism may have slowed from significant calorie restriction in the past? What was your calorie goal before when you were losing weight?
If you only weighed in on April 1st and today, I would think that there is a fluke in here, you are retaining water right now, or you were especially low at the initial weight for some reason.

If your calorie tracking is truly accurate and you are not losing weight, you could try cutting calories a little bit lower, or seeing a nutritionist or doctor ( thyroid levels checked?). I'm not really sure what to suggest if you have lowered your metabolism from previous weight loss. Were you intentionally maintaining between the previous weight loss and now?
 
@youngwolf I think that I would spend some time researching how to heal/increase metabolic rate. I would continue exercising if the amount that you are doing feels sustainable and enjoyable. I would prioritize sleep and water intake, and gut health (regular BMs, good digestion, etc). I don't think it's a reasonable option to try to severely restrict (under 500 calories for example), and if you find yourself tempted to go that route again I think I would seek professional help with dieting and metabolism.

This might take some time to get sorted, but it's worth doing it the right way. Just wanted to take a moment to remind you that you are a lovely and worthwhile person at any weight. It's frustrating and doesn't make sense that you are putting all this effort in and not losing weight. Keep making healthy choices, and don't be afraid to ask a professional for better advice.
 
@youngwolf I know that 75 Hard requires you to drink a certain amount of water as one of the requirements so water weight is a reasonable possible explanation for the weight gain.

If it’s not that, then I would suspect (if you are confident in your calorie tracking as you seem to be) that you have over estimated your activity level. Despite working out regularly, I always use sedentary for my activity level and I NEVER track calories spent on exercise.

I would also keep in mind that tdee provides good estimates, but they are estimates and do vary a bit from person to person. This is generally very small for healthy people, but can be 100 calories or so. So if your tdee is on the lower side for whatever reason, and you are in a small deficit, you may not be in enough of a deficit to see the weight loss you expect.
 
@youngwolf What time in your cycle is it? Because I can track my cycle in my weight loss chart. I always “gain” a few lbs in the luteal phase and hold onto them until after my period. Then there is a big drop.

Another possibility is that your fitness tracker is assuming you burned more than you did, so your deficit isn't as large as you think it is. This is a common problem.

Another could be that you're not weighing something like coffee creamer that adds up fast. For a while I thought I was adding in 1 tablespoon, maybe two. But it was really 3-4.
 
@youngwolf I have PCOS and if I eat at a deficit and don’t exercise I lose but if I exercise and do anything with strength training I build muscle immediately . Like my overall size gets smaller but the weight does not . Not sure why this is but it happens every time. My guess is something to do with testosterone even though I’m on BC and take anti androgens . Just in a month there will be a noticeable difference . Have you been tested for any hormone imbalances ?
 
@youngwolf Tracking your real weight is hard, you need a moving average.

https://calorietracker.io/

Weigh yourself neked every morning after you pee.

Will only start getting real accurate about 50-60 days in. Might be a good idea to delete first month of data after a few months as it skews things a little.

Add your existing weights if you have a note of it.
 
@youngwolf It's just water being retained in your cells. At your weight you can fluctuate 5 lbs in a day just through normal activity. Im over 300 and I've seen even bigger swings just because i was outside doing too much shit and got all dried out. Also, if you take something like creatine it causes more liquid to store in your muscles which means weight gain.

Weight over short timescales means almost nothing, just track it so you can monitor long term trends over months and years. Pay more attention to how your clothing fits, where it is tight and where it is loose. That will tell you a ton about where you are on your fitness journey.
 
@youngwolf I weighed 203 Saturday morning. I weighed 202 Sunday morning. I weighed 211 Sunday night after eating a really high sodium meal and drinking a ton of fluid. I weight 204/205 this afternoon. I’ll wake up at 202 again tomorrow morning. “Water weight” has a lot to do with it depending on your diet. Do the right things and over the long run your clothes will fit better.
 
@youngwolf Are you putting your exercise in the Lose It app? I have found that Lose It really overestimates how many calories are burned by exercise so it gives you way too many back. Try not tracking your exercise in app and see if that helps.
 
@kenanga No, my Apple Watch tracks everything which I know is not reliable either. With it measuring my heart rate, I assume it is more personalized than LoseIt would be though.
 
@youngwolf Eh. It’s complicated. First guess, 1500 calories is kinda low. You might actually be under eating a bit. Evaluate how you’re feeling and how you’re recovering. If you’re doing good energy wise, disregard this part.

As far as the scale moving it can be tricky at first. You might be putting on a bit of muscle, or depending on what your starting condition was, your body may just be adjusting to a new lifestyle. Also pay attention to when you’re weighing in. Your weight fluctuates a lot during the day and the month depending on water intake food intake. You’re a female so your cycle will complicate it as well.

Now as far as actual useful advice lol.
You say much less sugar. Evaluate really just how much sugar. And check and see if there are any sugar substitutes you’re consuming that you don’t know about.

And snacking is a really sneaky way to add in extra calories that you didn’t get quite right.

I would say take a look at what you’re actually consuming. You mentioned your diet isn’t that restrictive. That is a bit of a flag for me. Most people underestimate just how bad their diets are.

Dont get discouraged. It’s a journey. My personal mantra is that “I have failed my way all the way to success” lol. I’ve done it wrong just about every way you possibly can. And somehow I still hit my goals.
 
@lucymarie I question the 1,500 calories based on her self reported gender, weight and exercising daily for 90 minutes.

We don’t know her height but even if she’s only 5’ and only doing the exercise routine she described 4-5 days a week that 1,500 daily calories would put her in, roughly, a 1,000 calorie daily deficit (or more if she’s taller and exercising 90 minutes/7 days a week) and she should be losing app. 2 pounds/week.
 
OP here. It may be worth mentioning that I lost 60 lbs in 2023. Been stable at 185 without any effort for the last 6 months. I was walking 30-45 minutes on my desk tread most days before this challenge and was loosely tracking my intake just to monitor.
 
@youngwolf You’re converting muscle to fat. This is normal. But ultimately, the bottom line is that if you are gaining weight, you are consuming too many calories. It’s almost always that simple
 
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