Help! Started exercising... now gaining weight?!

kateraichu

Question for my wonderful MFP community!

Some back story— I am a 5'4" female who gets a lot of walking in each day (I live in NYC). My highest weight was around 130 and I'd like to get to 110. I've been hovering around 115 (that dreaded plateau) for the past few months. So, I finally joined a gym near my workplace. I've been going nearly every morning and doing what I've found to be a pretty enjoyable cardio routine, a combo of walking on the treadmill, elliptical, and stationary bike, plus a lot of stretching. However, the past few mornings, I've been waking up and weighing myself and panicking because I've been gaining instead of losing. Anyone know if this is normal? I can't figure it out, and it's driving me crazy.

My diet hasn't changed much since I've started exercising; that is to say, I certainly haven't been eating more. I'm trying to avoid night snacking, and I usually eat scrambled egg whites for breakfast prior to exercising for the energy. I typically have one Quest bar during the day around my other meals as a snack (love those things.) The only thing I can think of is that I should just reduce my calorie intake even further. Thoughts?

cokefloat1

Water retention in the muscles that you are using as they try to repair and possibly but probably not yet extra muscle mass. I wouldn't worry about weight as compared to your overall body image.

If you've added exercise most definitely don't reduce your calorie intake further. You'll most likely pass out as I nearly did when I first started logging!

Day to day weight will vary. Try staying off the scales for a couple of weeks whilst your body adjusts then see what the difference is. I'm sure it will have come down. I didn't lose anything for 3 weeks then dropped 5lbs in a few days after I first started exercise again.

malibu927

It's water weight from starting an exercise routine. It's normal and will drop off. Weight loss is not linear.

RoxieDawn

Oh yeah I know exactly what you mean. I am 5'4" and 115. Trying to get down to 110 is going to litterly mean I have to chop off a limb...

I do exercise (cardio 3 days and lifting 3 days) and I still weigh 115 and have for 3 months. But this is not all bad. I decided to exercise and eat a bit differently in order to s recomp!

For me my body loves to be 115 period. SOOOOOOO..... I forgave those last 5 pounds that will not come off (LOL) and working on changing it by building my current muscle mass and even increase it a bit so that I look leaner..

Again those last 5 pounds have finally been forgiven so I will deal with those differently and it is working. My upper body is more toned and a lot less fat and it is slowly working its way down. When I lose some more "body fat" my muscles are and will start to show through...

Edited to add, exercise no matter what you do will keep your body retaining more water and using the fuel you put it in differently so fluctuations are a bit more noticeable than if you were just eating less and no exercise... call me stupid.. but I have been doing this for 6 months and I only started with 15 pounds to lose.. Lost 9 and the last wont budge and I refuse to eat less....!!

cwolfman13

You just started exercising so your muscles are retaining more water than usual. It's a good thing...

Also, body weight isn't static and thus, weight loss is not linear. Even when you're dieting it's pretty normal to be up a Lb or two sometime during the week. Make sure you're weighing in on the same day, at the same time, and under roughly the same conditions. If you weigh multiple times per week you need to understand that you will see fluctuations...if you can't handle that then I wouldn't weigh in more than once per week...

If you're ok with all of that I'd still recommend having a day that is your "official" day. Mine is Wednesday because I'm usually my lightest day tends to be Thursday and my heavy day tends to be Saturday and Wednesdays are usually right around smack in the middle and more often than not I'll get at least one other day during the week at my Wednesday weight.

Just remember that trends are more important than the actual number. Also, with only 5 Lbs to lose it's going to be, and should be very, very, very slow. You simply do not have the fat stores to just drop the weight like a heavier person would.

RoxieDawn

I will add this... I am what you call "skinny fat" and no it is not just the visceral fat it really is both. I am small or deal size (I have never been over weight any time in my life) but I have tons of fat covering my bones and muscles if you know what I mean...

I do NOT need to lose weight... I need to lose fat so those muscles will come through and I predict most people our size that have reached our ideal weight deal with having too much fat/little fat left over and even skin after loosing weight no matter how much.

Could I crash diet to loose the last five? Yes absolutely and I could even lose 10 pounds doing this in a matter of a couple of months. But I know I do not need to loose pounds, I need to lose fat. And I will add losing 5 pounds will drop me into another size pant/dress.

So in your case, decide whether you want to exercise for health and to get leaner or to loose weight. Eat a deficit and exercise to burn calories to keep you in that deficit or learn to exercise and eat in order get leaner and maintain muscle mass and show some definition in your body (muscles, etc..)

HumboldtFred

When I weighed often I would see fluctuations from 5-12 pounds all the time (I was thrice your size). That is why I only weigh every 90 days now. By logging my food every day I am assured that I am losing weight. I used to give up every two weeks because of one of those 5 pound days. This is my best solution for keeping motivated and avoiding unnecessary disappointment.

pmm3437

As said, its retention cause your body needs it to repair from the new activity. Also, water is needed to store Glycogen in the muscles ... this storage will increase as the muscles are more active.

Additionally, you are on the scale too frequently, and obsessing. Typical recommendation is no more than twice a week, and under the same conditions each time.

kateraichu

Thank you everyone for the good advice. I know I need to weigh less often... I'll shoot for every week or every other week instead. Sighhh. I just set really specific goals for myself (both in regards to MFP and in daily life). But this is all good advice. I won't worry about it as much.