What is really Happening??

Please Help. Ok, I am 6' 1", 235lbs and my daily recommended calorie intake is 3100K. My daily consumption to lose weight is set around 2400k. I have been at this now for only about two and a half weeks and my average daily calorie intake has been right around 1900k. I also work out about twice a week and the average calorie burn is around 650k for both days. I have actually gained 2 lbs since starting this. I am determined to make this work so I am not giving in I am just not sure what is happening. I think my body might be storing fat because I am not eating enough. I do not feel that hungry so I can manage the calorie choices because truth be told I have been making much better food choices. 

Any ideas about how I can approach this differently and actually start to lose the weight. Thank you for any suggestions or help you can offer.

If you're supposed to eat 3100 to maintain and 2400 is a 700 deficit, then eating 1900 cals a day would put you at a -1200 calorie deficit.  Working out on top of that would put you even further below - in your case down another 650 to -1850.  This means that your body may have entered starvation mode.  What you should do is make sure your deficit is only between 500-1000 calories a day, including exercise.

do a search for a BMR calculator.......enter in your info and it will tell you how much you NEED to eat just to live.....as long as you are eating that much every day, you should be fine.

I have seen other people that gained a few before losing some, the body can be funny...stick with it, and try aiming for a 500 cal deficit daily, like mentioned above.

Also, if you have been lifting weights, it's possible you gained muscle and it will help in the long run.

Thank you both for your responses. I looked up a BMR calculator and interesting enough it said 2154k with out any exercise.  WOW, so it is possible to gain weight because I am storing fat due to not eating enough calories per day?

Thank you both for your responses. I looked up a BMR calculator and interesting enough it said 2154k with out any exercise.  WOW, so it is possible to gain weight because I am storing fat due to not eating enough calories per day?

Oh yeah.  Big time.  It's why people who are actually starving look kind of bloated.  Their bodies want the little fat they have and are gonna hang onto it.  You should shoot for around 1500-1600 if your burn meter is 2100 without exercise, and when you work out make sure you account for that.  Don't go below your 500-1000 deficit!  And never eat less than 1500 for men, 1200 for women.

If 2154 is your BMR, then your actual burn meter is around 2600. And that's if you're "sedentary". If you're active, you burn more. I think you should be eating around 2000-2100 on days you don't work out.

First - check and make sure in your profile that your activity level is set at sedentary.  Doing this will allow for more accurate numbers and calculations. 

I made this mistake when I first found CC. 

Give that a try to make sure all your recommended numbers were correct and if you have all of this set up already - then try increasing your intake to the 2400 recommended to lose weight.

Good Luck!

BTW - Check out the tools available on this site.  They are really good!

Starving people looking bloated is from edema, not belly fat.

If you're having trouble getting all those calories down with healthy foods look into calorie-dense foods like nuts, seeds, avocados, PEANUT BUTTER. If you search for calorie dense on the forums you should be able to find tons of info. And enjoy it while you can! Once your weight starts coming down so will your calorie allotment. Good luck with your journey :)

so make sure you are getting about 2100-2300 cals a day....and then make sure you are getting exercise and you should start seeing a loss!

Thanks everyone for all your great thoughts. I will raise my calorie count to make sure I am getting like vicki8seekers said around 2100 to 2300 kals. It does seem like there is a fine line between losing and gaining. Just changing my food choices have helped a ton (pun). I do like to exercise so that is not the issue. I have really focused on riding the bikes and trainers and still continue with the light weights. I am very determined and this is a great site and I appreciate all the helpful ideas and support.