eating under maintenance and gaining size?

[SlyCamaro]

So this is my first week really trying to figure out my cals and carbs. I dont know how I have made so much progress under eating as much as I have all these years! Found out I have been eating 1500-2000 cals a day MAX for a long time, now I have been eating 2400 cals a day this week, low carbs... no more then 150g and I GAINED 3 lbs! According to what I can find, my maintenance is 2700ish... how did I gain wieght, I actually can tell in the mirror I look a bit bigger and more solid also I feel stronger. Unreal what happens when you eat right, but why gain wieght at this point. I am not upset with my progress this week but my plan is to cut some fat????

 

[OnionKnight]

first off, id be willing to bet youre counting wrong. unless youre using a scale for the first few months, youre more than likely off.

now did you measure youre weit at different times of the day? you can easily gain 5 lbs more towards the end of the day from water and food than you would be right after waking up and taking a piss

 

[SlyCamaro]

I always weigh myself right after the gym at 5:30 pm. My weight was 194 spot on for the last few, checked on monday and kept off it all week till today... 197 today! I am using a phone app and it even scans the bar codes on food, so I am know I am getting close. My buddy even said today that I look like I put some size on in the last few days.

 

[OnionKnight]

I always weigh myself right after the gym at 5:30 pm. My weight was 194 spot on for the last few, checked on monday and kept off it all week till today... 197 today! I am using a phone app and it even scans the bar codes on food, so I am know I am getting close. My buddy even said today that I look like I put some size on in the last few days.

but you arnt weighing the food so you could be messingup the serving size when you put it in the phone. and do you drink in a measured cup? or count cooking oil?

 

[SlyCamaro]

Well allot of my food intake has not really been made with cooking oil. Really the only time I use oil is in my salad for lunch, and I go by table spoon. My eggs are cooked with cooking spay, although I have not added cals for that. Everything else I eat is like oat meal, veggies, canned food like tuna or chicken, grilled chicken and broiled stake. I would think i have to be close to what I am entering. Would it make sense that from under eating for so long, that my body was use to it?

 

[Danb2285]

I have a feeling your going to be surprised once you start weighing your food. I was way under estimating my cals when I first started. Chicken Brest can be especially deceiving haha.

 

[SlyCamaro]

Ya thats the thing, I have been eating clean for a pretty long time. Very little junk food, fried food ect. and I try and stay away from too much bread and such but have always kept my protein high. But from what it seems is that even though my food choices have been smart, I am not eating enough, that would explain why I have been in a rut for a wile too and not really getting anywere. For the most part I bet my lunch would only be about 200 cals max!

 

[Jiigzz]

How did you figure out your maintainence? What you have to consider is that online calculators are only an indicator only, so the fact that you may be growing (i.e. reflected by a constant increase in scale weight over a prolonger period) may be indicitive that perhaps you overestimated your calorie intake.

 

[SlyCamaro]

I am using an app called myfitnesspal , it ask your weight, activity level, and goals to estimate your cals. Right now I been sitting at 194ish for a wile and have been working on recomp all winter from my lean bulk over the summer. I made some good progress but I really want to lean up even more till I have nice abs, visible top abs but I need to lose the little layer of fat at my waist! I am totally new to counting cals, I need a book for dummy's on this or something lol!

 

[Jiigzz]

I am using an app called myfitnesspal , it ask your weight, activity level, and goals to estimate your cals. Right now I been sitting at 194ish for a wile and have been working on recomp all winter from my lean bulk over the summer. I made some good progress but I really want to lean up even more till I have nice abs, visible top abs but I need to lose the little layer of fat at my waist! I am totally new to counting cals, I need a book for dummy's on this or something lol!

The myfitnesspal calculator is ony a rough estimate as it doesn't take into account LBM, levels of exercise exertion etc. and so use it and tweak it according to how fast you want to grow.

 

[JRob23]

With all of the great advice already mentioned, I would also like to add (sorry if I missed it and this is a repost) that you should "always" weigh "yourself" first thing in the morning after you wake up. Go to the bathroom if you have to, strip down and take your weight 3 times.

I never take my weight and go with the first number it throws at me. I hop on again and then again to make sure it's on and accurate.

When you weigh yourself later in the day, there are so many variables that play in to creating a difference in the outcome. Some include the body part you've trained, the amount of carbs you ate, amount of water you've had, amount of water you've excreted, stress levels etc...all throughout the day will most likely be different.

This is where weighing yourself first thing in the morning comes in because this is when your weight will be the most consistent.