This has NEVER happened before in my entire life. I'm 5 pounds under the lower limit of my goal range and most of the new pants I bought with such loving care are too loose on me. My BMI is also under 20. So, I decided I need to gain a few pounds. To this end, I ate about 3,000 calories today. It felt so strange to eat with the deliberate purpose of gaining weight. Of course I'm aware of the danger (i.e., getting used to eating more) and plan to taper off as soon as my weight hits the sweet spot again.
I just thought I'd share this strange phenomenon with you guys. Has anyone else gone through something similar?
Freelance
Last edited by freelancemomma; 03-25-2012 at 11:37 PM.
When I was trying to figure out my maintenance calories, I kept dropping weight, and it was the first time in my life that I didn't want to! (I look gaunt in the face when I get below 135 or so).
I'm trying to gain muscle weight so I understand eating to gain and how perplexing it is.
I have these internal conversations with myself all the time:
"Should I eat this? I mean I need to eat more..."
"Yes dummy, eat it."
"No wait. I'm not hungry. I'll eat something later."
"You're not going to get stronger unless you eat more. Go for it!"
"But what if I gain the weight back?"
"Then you'll lose it again. If you gain muscle weight, it's ok, remember?"
"Well...ok. I guess I'll eat"
Rinse and repeat. It's all healthy stuff I'm eating mind you, but I still argue with myself.
I'm trying to gain muscle weight so I understand eating to gain and how perplexing it is.
I have these internal conversations with myself all the time:
"Should I eat this? I mean I need to eat more..."
"Yes dummy, eat it."
"No wait. I'm not hungry. I'll eat something later."
"You're not going to get stronger unless you eat more. Go for it!"
"But what if I gain the weight back?"
"Then you'll lose it again. If you gain muscle weight, it's ok, remember?"
"Well...ok. I guess I'll eat"
Rinse and repeat. It's all healthy stuff I'm eating mind you, but I still argue with myself.
How did my little voice get in your head?!
Mine also says stuff depending on the scale-- I have a narrow window (my own fault) of what I like to see on the scale. I like to see around 117-119. At 120, I start to cut back. Below 117 (rarely happens), I feel like I need to gain. It is a delicate tightrope. Since you are so close to the bottom of the healthy range, If I were you I would try to gain (slowly) to have a five pound buffer over the bottom of the range.
Today my scale said 118. I'm happy today. Who knows what tomorrow will bring? I should really put my scale away for awhile but I'm kinda afraid to do so. Sigh....
Hasn't happened yet! Cannot even imagine! Maybe if I ever dip below 120... Which I know would still be healthy per BMI but Iay find to be top skinny for my taste...
Thats a good problem to have, I know you will figure it out.
I don't know what I would do. I want to say I would just increase by a couple hundred calories to experiment with what it takes to keep me where I want to be, but I totally understand wanting to get that 5 pounds back to get the clothes fitting better, you don't need that cushion with the weight you are at.
How much over does 3000 take you from what you were eating?
5 pounds x approx. 3500 calories = 17,500
Even at 1000 more per day than you were eating that would take you about a half a month! Wow that is eye opening to me.
How fast did the 5 pounds come off?
Don't mind me, I am just curious and I am, in my head, trying to figure out maintenance so I can be successful when I get there, something I have never been able to do before.
I'll confess to being envious and wishing I could find a new lifestyle level that creates that problem! I think it makes sense to make adjustments if you're uncomfortable with what the scale says, and your clothes don't fit. Same thing whether the number is too high or too low, really. You're healthy, have the knowledge, and can make changes.
I can vaguely remember what it was like to have to consciously eat MORE; 30 years ago when I burned 12,000 calories a day just maintaining during the swim season, I basically had to eat around the clock. And it did become a habit that caused me to have to fight with the scale going the wrong way (up) later on. Maybe it will be tough to throttle back again when you find your sweet spot - it seems like you have some company on that road!
Very gradually. I hit my goal of 145 lbs in early November, and my weight has been on a very slow downward trend (with some small zigzags) since then. For the past few months I've been eating about 2,000 calories a day, on average. I think it's the exercise I do that's causing the calorie deficit. I don't work out that much (maybe 4 hours per week), but when I do it's pretty intense.
Very gradually. I hit my goal of 145 lbs in early November, and my weight has been on a very slow downward trend (with some small zigzags) since then. For the past few months I've been eating about 2,000 calories a day, on average. I think it's the exercise I do that's causing the calorie deficit. I don't work out that much (maybe 4 hours per week), but when I do it's pretty intense.
Freelance
Well, it sounds like you are on the right track then. Do you tend to eat the same 2000 cals daily, or do you eat more when you exercise? Just for reference, I easily burn 2500 calories per day with just a normal day and an hour walk. If I happen to do any housework, shopping, gardening or a heavier workout (running, HIIT), I easily burn over 3000 calories a day. This is with a bodybugg, so take away 10% for errors sake and you get the picture. You are taller than me, but lighter, so you may be around the same burn. Not sure of your age, but that isn't a huge factor. It just gives you an idea of calories burned. I am not sure that will be what I need to maintain my weight, but it does give me a ballpark.
The tough part is wanting to gain the 5 back. If you didn't have to do that, it would be easy to just add a couple hundred daily or add a bigger chunk on the days you workout.
I am sure the problem isn't eating the extra, it is just figuring out how much, you certainly don't want to swing the pendulum in the other direction either. And just like weight loss, weight gain sometimes happens at a slow pace.
I think you are going to have to either do some serious eating, or take a workout break for a few weeks to make up the difference, or maybe both.
It is interesting, because as I think towards maintenance, I always imagined having to "play" with my numbers, but always to keep from gaining, I never imagined the other way around.
This happened to me. I gained back 11 pounds and it took me four months. I ate close to 3,000 calories on days that I lifted and around 2,500 on maintenance days. I ate more but made sure it was quality food and not junk. Happy to report that it was successful and I feel loads better. I'm fit and healthy.
Trying to gain a few pounds...very strange
