what's going on?

i'm a 20 year old female who does 6-7 days a week of cardio (running/ walking with intervals) for 45 minutes and eats about 1300/1400 calories a day. over the past week i have been especially tired and have not been sleeping well, i also have been experiencing headaches on a daily basis. my question is, for the past few days i have weighed .5- 1 pound more then i normally do and i'm not sure why i would have gained any weight. i am not expecting my period. occassionally i eat more then 1300 calories but never more then 1700, and thats usually on days i eat a little more peanut butter or cereal as i am a vegetarian and rarely eat meat or any junk food at all. could i be gaining muscle from not resting a day a week from cardio? or why would this be happening? any imput would be SO appreciated!

Hi Elle,

Have you tried upping your calories on the days you work out and see how you feel?  Also, are you drinking enough water?  I think a break is well deserved for you.  :)  Take a couple days off, eat more and see how you feel. 

By the way, how tall are you and how much do you weigh?  Depending on your weight, you might not be eating enough. 

Have you also checked out the vegetarian forum.  I bet they can give some great advice on more calorie dense healthy food for the days you need higher cals (workout days). 

i'm 5'5 almost 5'6 ;) and weigh 106 pounds. while i realize this is thin, i have a small bone structure and am comfortable at 105. my expediture is 1800 calories a day, at 5'5 106 pounds and lightly active... how much should i be eating on days i do cardio?

Currently you have a BMI of 17.1 which puts you at current weight that is underweight.

A healthy weight for 5'6" is 117lbs - 154.7lbs.

The best recommendation I can give to you is that if you truly feel 105-106lbs is your best weight then consult your doctor.  There are some people who are naturally thin (no dieting) and "underweight" according to BMI standards but this should be discussed and checked out with your doctor to verify that you are at a healthy weight.

Your expenditure of 1800 calories at light activity is to maintain so that is what you should be doing on light activity days.  If you are doing 45 minutes of cardio daily though, I would suggest upping your calories 2000 calories (moderate activity).

Take Care! :)

Hmm, I'd say it sounds like you're either not eating enough, gaining muscle(?), or you could be pregnant :O

thank you guys for all the advice, i made an appointment with a nutritionist to talk about a healthy expenditure because i have struggled with eating disorder behaviors in the past and wanted to do it right this time. i really think this webite is very helpful for support and reassurance.