Why do I gain weight even after only one day of going over 1500 calories??

Every day that I eat more than 1500 calories, I gain weight.  I exercise 4-5 times a week for an hour.   I drink plenty of water, but can't seem to lose any weight and keep it off unless I eat under 1500 calories a day consistently and always seem to be hungry.  I'm 5'4" and weigh 120 lbs.  I only want to lose about 5 lbs, but can't seem to do it because of this issue.  Anyone have any suggestions???

I think maybe your body likes where it is, i.e., this is your ideal weight for your body.  Your BMI is in the middle of BMI range (more toward low end, right?). 

Do you do weight lifting or cardio?  You may more focus on getting toned.  You will look like 5 lbs thinner once you are more toned.  After all, muscle is denser than fat.

When do you weigh yourself?

Are you saying that the day after you eat 1500 cals, you weigh a little more the very next day, but then are back to where you were? Or if, of 7 days, you have one day that you eat 1500 cal, your weight will go up perceptibly (more than just daily fluctuations).

If it is the first scenario, you really need to not base Tuesday's weight on what happened on Monday - the scale isn't that precise. You could weigh in the exact same every day for a week, drop a pound on Sunday, but have had your biggest meal Saturday night - there are so many things that go into your morning weight that it is important not to get confused and ascribed it all to yesterday's total cals.

How much are you normally eating (on the non-1500 days), and how much are you burning on average (including, but not limited to, exercise)?

I was wondering if you weighed yourself everyday?  I weigh myself once a week on the same day at the same time (sometimes that is hard because I want to know if what I am doing is working but if I wait until Monday morning its better).  If i weighed everyday I would go crazy with the daily fluctuations and get really bummed out and stop trying to lose weight.

I weigh myself every morning as soon as I get up.  I take 3 spinning (stationary bicycle) classes at the gym a week and 2-3 weight training classes at the gym a week.  I burn between 550-700 calories during each workout which lasts an hour.  Say I eat 2000-2300 calories one day, then the next day I've gained a pound.  Then I have to eat less than 1500 calories for at least 5-7 days just to get rid of that pound.  I've been working out off and on for years and don't think I'm that toned.  I think I need to cut back on weighing myself to once a week, but I'm kind of obsessed with it.  I just want to know why it seems that I have to starve myself just to lose 1/2 a pound and then keep starving myself to keep it off!!!

"Say I eat 2000-2300 calories one day, then the next day I've gained a pound"

-Since you need to eat 3500 calories more than you burn to gain a pound of fat, any weight-gain after a 2300 calorie day is mostly water weight and you shouldn't worry about it.

How many calories are you burning per day? Not just how many are you burning at spin class, but how many total?

Hi busy mom,

I can't agree with you more. The very same thing happens to me.  I also weigh myself the same time every morning. Tonight, I ate a lot more because we had a get-together and I am so scared of going to the scale tomorrow. I wish someone had a more concrete answer. I am not sure how much more is coming on. The last time I ate a lot, I gained 3 pounds over night and it took 10 days to get back to my original weight. It has become like a back-and-forth thing. The you have to starve yourself to get back there. I am 5'3 and weigh 120. And no, I can't weigh myself once a week. I have to see how I progress daily, frustrating as it may be.

one word SODIUM!.

more food usually equals more sodium.. check your sodium intake and the pounds will magically drop ;) 

Hi!

im very new on here..but read your comment, and I too have the same problem.

Im 33, 5'5, and several years ago..I went on the diet drug, phentermine. I ate one big meal a day, worked out like crazy, and dropped 15 pounds. I finally started realizing though...that I didnt want to be taking phentermind forever.Though I continued to exercise, the pounds started creeping back on.

Very recently, Ive been on no diet pill aids, Im running 3-4 miles several times a week, trying to stay within 1500 calories, and Im up to 140 pounds.

Im very discouraged.

Does anyone have any suggestions?

Im worried that Ive ruined my metabolism with the phentermine.

Id love to weigh 125.

I am happiest at that weight.

It sounds like you've slowed your metabolism down by bad dieting.  How can you do that?

* Fad diets where you drop weight fast

* Dropping more than 2-3 pounds a week

* Eating too few calories for your body's BMR plus your exercise.

* Diet drugs that attempt to manipulate your metabolism artificially.

* Concentrating exclusively on cardio and ignoring weight training.

 If you eat a balanced diet with the right amount of calories, you stay away from dieting drugs, and you start weight training, over time your body will begin to lose weight.  If you've slowed down your metabolism, it will take time to "retrain" itself on its own if you put more effort into weights and less into cardio.  You should also be eating 5 mini meals (women), and 6 for the men. 

Give it time and be patient.  You didn't damage it overnight, so it's going to take a little while for it to bounce back.

thanks for the tips!

 

i agree.

i  think i have done some of these things mentioned.

 

its hard to do it "right"

but......honestly the sweating my guts out and trying to be more healthy

just truly makes me feel much much better!!!!