Excersise Actually Making Me Gain????

[Thamm 46]

I have a dilemma... Went to dr and she said the amount of Excersise and calories I consume is actually putting me in starvation mode??? Ain't we suppose to Excersise??? I started out walking 2 miles daily on treadmill then I added Zumba 3 days a week.. I lost 17 pounds in a month. I keep my calories 1200 or below and use my fitness pal... Well this last month I started kickboxing twice a week and Zumba three times a week and also a cardio/ weight class ( ripped) twice a week and still walk 2 miles daily on the treadmill and I didn't lose one damn pound?!!! I'm working my butt of literally and still staying with 1200 calories or less. Fitness pal says I need to have 2000 calories for my weight but that's too much and the dr says be patient????

[elcee 3,341]

If you are able to do that much exercise on the amount of food you eat and have enough energy then I don't see that it is an issue. Your body won't lose every single week, sometimes it has lost so much already that it needs time to stop and catch up. Do not eat the amount of calories recommended on mfp or any of those other sites, they generally overestimate .

[bornready 42]

Your doc is totally right! Your body will freak out and think that you are starving and will shut down all systems and keep it's fat stores. Also, think of this, if your body is gripping tight to that fat and you are working out like mad, all your calories are building muscle. I know that it goes against everything in your being, but every three days, throw in a high calorie day, it doesn't necessarily need to be ice cream and cake, but eat some potatoes with butter, that kind of thing. Your body will snap out of it. I noticed that my most major weight loss came after I had a bad day or two and then got back on the nutritious food wagon. Did some research about why this is and found out some interesting things. Do some research, check out the MFP community pages for some answers to your work out questions, skinny people can be smart too. =)

[bornready 42]

Elcee, I have lost a pound a week on 1880 calories, and I got that info from MFP.

[Thamm 46]

Thank u for the great advice... I like the ideal of a cheat day :-) I have been feeling tired lately and thinking of adding a B12

[Thamm 46]

Thank u for the great advice... I like the ideal of a cheat day :-) I have been feeling tired lately and thinking of adding a B12

[Thamm 46]

Thank u for the great advice... I like the ideal of a cheat day :-) I have been feeling tired lately and thinking of adding a B12

[MellioM 116]

Elcee' date=' I have lost a pound a week on 1880 calories, and I got that info from MFP.[/quote']

I'm reading that now. I'm slowly upping my calories and sticking to the right macros and I'm still losing eating more than I was when I had a plateau a couple of months ago.

That being said, it is between u and your doc and nutritionist.

[Thamm 46]

Thank u for the advice... I love the ideal of a high calorie day!! I have been tired lately and thinking of adding a B12

[Thamm 46]

Sorry for the multiple post... Dang iPhone!!!!

[NWgirl 574]

I try to keep my calories around 1200 and I do allow myself more calories on the weekend. Slow and steady.

[lilbrigy 46]

okay guys,,, so the first few weeks i was loose steady weight,, as soon as i started exercising my weight loss stopeed completly WTH HELP.. am i doing too much too soon,, am i not eating enuff,, am i eating the wrong thing :/ i feel like im failing so soon in the game as im only just over 3 weeks post op

[MellioM 116]

Everyone is different. For me, I had to increase my calories in order to begin losing again. I exercise 5-6 days a week and include strength training. More important than just calories is the type of calories. I try very hard to do 30% Protein 30% fat and 40% carbs (this includes veggies so don't go thinking you need to load up on pasta!).

Keep trying to find what works for you.

Nevermind everything I said. You are only 3 weeks post op!!!! Just concentrate on healing right now!!!!!

[DELETE THIS ACCOUNT! 12,703]

Everyone is different and loses best under different circumstances. Some do great on only 900 calories a day, others do great on 1200 a day. Some do low carb, some (like me) don't count carbs at all. It's all a matter of what works best for you.

With that said, plateaus are a normal part of weight loss. I actually am just coming off a 3 week plateau myself. It's frustrating as hell, and more than once I wanted to throw my scale into the lake, but it happens. You simply cannot expect to lose every single week. The human body is an amazing thing but it's not a machine and you can't expect it to always function exactly like you expect.

As far as "starvation mode", that's a horrible name for what is actually happening with the body. You're not starving. Sometimes when you're consuming too little calories it can slow your metabolism down because your body doesn't have enough to sustain itself. However, basic math dictates that if you're burning more calories than you consume, you WILL lose. Plateaus can't and won't last forever.

With that said, don't listen to what calories MFP tells you. It's an app, not a person who specializes in dealing with bariatric patients. I personally think 1200 calories a day sounds about right for you, however if you think you need to do something differently, see a nutritionist. That's the only way you're going to get an educated and reliable response to how many calories you should be consuming based on your activity level.

Best wishes.