How is this possible staying the same weight I mean...?

When I hit 120 pounds I decided that I was going to try to maintain my weight. According to calorie count if I eat about 1553 calories a day with light exercise I should maintain my weight. My thing is I have kind of let the fact that I can eat more get the best of me and I have been eating more than that. I'd say I eat an average of at least 1700 every day. On a day where I am really hungry even 1800.

My question is how is it possible that for the past four weeks when  have stepped on the scale I am still basically the same weight? I was 121 two weeks in a row. And today it was 121 as well. That's 3 weeks in the row of the same. Now believe me I am not complaining that I have somehow managed to maintain my weight. But shouldn't I be gaining? Aren't I eating too much?

In a way it sort of irritates me because if I can eat 1700-1800 calories a day and maintain a weight between 119-121 then I actually could have been eating more food the whole time I was dieting.

Anyone else experience this? Should I stick with what I am doing or am I gonna wake up one day and be 5 pounds heavier? I was eating 1200-1300 while dieting. Not really any exercise while maintaining (just running after my 1 year old if you count that) I exercised about twice a week for one hour while dieting.

I'm just kinda confused why would the site tell me 1553 if I can eat 1753 and maintain? I guess I just also feel kinda weird about jumping up that far in my calories. I have a voice in the back of my head telling me I'm eating too much.

No you have simply gained muscle my exercising. Mucle is more dense than fat, meaning it weighs more. So you have lost fat, gained muscle, and you metabolism has increased due to exercise, which is why you are able to eat more. Hope this helps!

AidenWin

Foreclosure

Original Post by aidenwin:

No you have simply gained muscle my exercising. Mucle is more dense than fat, meaning it weighs more. So you have lost fat, gained muscle, and you metabolism has increased due to exercise, which is why you are able to eat more. Hope this helps!

 

AidenWin

Foreclosure

 So the exercise while I was dieting gave me more muscle and made me hungrier. But now with no exercise I am still able to maintain with 1700-1800 because of the extra muscle gained?

You're probably more active than you're giving yourself credit for.  In my book, running around after a 1 year old (and I'm guess picking up and putting down said 1 year old over and over) is not "light" activity.  It's "moderate" at least.

Original Post by dolphinclick:

You're probably more active than you're giving yourself credit for.  In my book, running around after a 1 year old (and I'm guess picking up and putting down said 1 year old over and over) is not "light" activity.  It's "moderate" at least.

 Wow! I didn't even realize.

yes because you have trained your body to use energy more efficiently

Original Post by aidenwin:

yes because you have trained your body to use energy more efficiently

 Awesome. And that's good because you're right my appetite has increased a lot since I reached 120 that's why I decided to maintain. I was going to try to get to one 115 but I just got hungry all the time so I decided 120 was good. lol.

I don't think you need to lose any more weight. You look great!

Original Post by cardioqueen1227:

I don't think you need to lose any more weight. You look great!

 Thanks I'm glad because I'm not losing anymore. :)

well if your trend line isn't moving your maintaining so that is a good thing!  Your probabally more active then you think if that's the case =)

you look really good!

Thanks for the adivice everyone. I guess I'll just have to get used to eating more calories. It's a big adjustment after dieting.

I think maintaining while counting calories is tough, if you don't know how many calories you really expend in a day. The site numbers aren't perfect and don't conform to you uniquely. But if your output is really 1550, and you eat 1700, it may take a long time to gain that one pound of fat, especially when you take into consideration the normal fluctuations. I ate above what I thought was my maintenance for a couple-month period and didn't realize the 1-2 pounds I gained for weeks after. So it may be that your daily calorie expenditure is higher than you think, or it could be that the 150 calorie difference isn't big enough for you to see a gain yet. Or that you're making up for an excess by having a deficit on another day.