Exercising and eating right but gaining weight

TraningForLife

For the past 3 weeks I have been doing insanity following the 6 day a week calender and trying to keep my calorie intake at about 1200 a day however I have currently gained 3 pounds. I have been trying to drink a gallon of water a day so I was thinking that maybe I'm just holding on to water? Any tips to lose weight I'm trying to have a flat stomach in the next two month which I think will have me at around 120 and I'm currently at 138.

aFootballLife25

You must be eating more than you think.

Raeontherun

Age? Height/weight? Are you eating back your exercise calories?

TraningForLife

I'm 20 and 5'1" and started out at 135 I do not eat back the calories I burn doing insanity but if I also go on a run on the same day I will. Earlier this year I lost 20lbs and the only thing I was doing differently was not working out as much and not drinking as much water.

Marshmellin

Maybe you're gaining muscle? Try measuring your progress in inches, not lbs. If you get a tape measure (super cheap at any store) and mark your progress, give it a week, and try again, you might notices some serious shift in your fat/muscle ratio.

Raeontherun

Since that program is pretty intense you would probably benefit in upping your calories / eating back your calories burned. 1200 is meant to be your net for the day after eating your exercise calories back.

TraningForLife

Thanks for the tips. I have noticed my stomach being a little smaller I'm just not seeing anything on the scale and I don't want continue with something that is not going to work. Won't eating more make me just gain that much more? I also just moved to near sea level and before I was at 5,000ft I don't know if elevation would change anything or not except for that I can run 3 miles much much easier.

herblackwings39

Not if you got your calorie goal through MFP. That number is without doing any exercise. You're supposed to eat back exercise calories that way.

Raeontherun

Quite the opposite. I suggest you search previous posts regarding "eating back exercise calories"

I eat around 2200 calories a day, in case you were curious.

Good luck

grimendale

If you recently started exercising for the first time or at a significantly higher intensity, you could be retaining water in your muscles. When you first start exercising, you generate microtears in you muscles that your body treats as injuries. This results in inflammation and water retention, which can cause a lack of weight loss or even weight gain for the first two to three weeks of exercise. If you're seeing losses on the tape but not the scale, this could definitely be a factor. Trust the tape. It gives a much clearer picture of what is actually happening.

nattfoxx

i am having the same problem i have been excerisisng everyday for almost 3 weeks and eating 1200 calories and am gaining weight. what i happennning!!

dunnodunno

I would definitely up your calories if you're not eating your exercise calories back. Do you measure your food on a scale? I've found that measuring almost everything has helped me lose a lot of weight.

bunnybutler29

Me too, this just happened to me. I wonder if coming close to that TOM( time of month)or on it has anything to do with it. One day im still on a losing streak the next day the scale said I gained 3lbs?????? Im lost.

brynnsmom

In past experience, I've gained weight after starting an intense exercise program. Could be water retention or your calorie intake is underestimated.

nattfoxx

yeah i weigh out most of my foods, but even if they werent exact i still wouldnt go over the 1200 as i try to eat around 1100 and dont eat back my workout calories unless on a rare occasion i eat out or somthing? im guessing it is to do with toning and building muscle? however its really strange to me. and im not used to using a measuring tape!! i guess just keep sticking at the workouts and clean eating and hope to see some results?! i often gain weight around a certain time of the month-my doctor told me thats usually just bloating and hormone levels changing

amie709

Insanity comes with a nutrition guide-it was put together specifically for that program. Follow the nutrition information in the guide. If that desn't help contact your Coach-that is what they are there for!!

SLLRunner

Nattfox:

If you are doing such intense workouts, you must eat more than just 1,000-,1,200 calories, even if you choose not to eat back all your exercise calories.

Someone mentioned you could be eating more than you think, and I think that's the biggest possibility of all.

I try so hard to eat all my exercise calories but I just can't. However, with the running and weight lifting I do, and brisk walking on the other four days of the week, it would be dangerous to my body to not eat anything back. As such, I have generally been eating between 1400 and 1500 calories, but sometimes a bit more on my running/lifting days. The only reason I don't eat them all back is because I leave room for error regarding both calorie estimations and calories burned, and because I simply don't get that hungry. However, I do eat three meals a day and healthy snack in between.

I also think you need to be patient with yourself and give it time. I've lost 21 pounds. I have not lost anything at all over the last few weeks, but I notice my clothes are a bit looser. That is good news to me.

Try and not depend on the scale so much because the numbers simply do not count. The tape measure is a good indicator.

nattfoxx

susan:

thanks so much for advice. i have noticed getting alot more hungrier after finishing a workout. i will take my measurments again in two weeks and see if there is much difference. i guess i have been so used to weighing myself after going to regular weigh ins at weight watchers and loosing a large amount of weight i see this as the top indicator around weight loss but obviously this is not true.

thanks for your help!!

saltqueen99

I am the same height so I know how hard it is for our weight loss to show. Unfortunately our weight gain shows all too easily. The water is good. Do try to measure or at least try on something that you haven't worn in a while and see if it is looser. You could also be overexercising. It is possible. It is actually called exercise bulimia. Good luck.

laurenh729

im having the EXACT same problem! week 3 of insanity and ive gained 3 lbs! Extremely frustrating when the program isnt easy. i read that it could be water retention trying to replenish the muscles from the tiny fibers that tear when you are starting a new excersize program using muscles you are not used to using! i got some useful info on this post ty!

birk0176

I'm sure you are eating healthier and the exercising enough since you are doing Insanity! Keep in mind that muscle is much more dense than fat (just try squeezing your fat and your muscle and your muscle is undeniabiy more dense). Yes, 1 pound of fat equals 1 pound of muscle, but by exercising and eating right, you are burning fat AND building muscle, so it is not at all uncommon for people to gain weight when they first start working out. If you keep it up, you might start losing pounds compared to how much you weigh now as you burn more fat. Stop paying attention to the scale - pay attention to how much leaner your body is looking!

Also pay attention to the time of day you weigh yourself. For example, only weigh yourself in the morning before you eat/drink anything and after you go to the bathroom. This will be the most consistent way to weigh yourself. By midafternoon most people way 2-3 pounds more than they do in the morning just because of water weight and they ate food! I hope this helps.

itsjustdawn

You should probably look into increasing your calories - you're eating far too low for a) life and b) Insanity

mccbabe1

yeah i weigh out most of my foods, but even if they werent exact i still wouldnt go over the 1200 as i try to eat around 1100 and dont eat back my workout calories unless on a rare occasion i eat out or somthing? im guessing it is to do with toning and building muscle? however its really strange to me. and im not used to using a measuring tape!! i guess just keep sticking at the workouts and clean eating and hope to see some results?! i often gain weight around a certain time of the month-my doctor told me thats usually just bloating and hormone levels changing

your body could be in starvation mode... and holding on/gaining... u need to eat more

mccbabe1

You should probably look into increasing your calories - you're eating far too low for a) life and b) Insanity

bump

cwolfman13

Thanks for the tips. I have noticed my stomach being a little smaller I'm just not seeing anything on the scale and I don't want continue with something that is not going to work. Won't eating more make me just gain that much more? I also just moved to near sea level and before I was at 5,000ft I don't know if elevation would change anything or not except for that I can run 3 miles much much easier.

1200 is the minimum gross calories for a sedentary female...it's based on yo being sedentary...no exercise or anything. It's also a massive deficit from you maintenance level of calories. Most women who don't even workout maintain at around 2,000 calories...ever wonder why they have 2,000 and 2,500...because most women maintain around 2000 and most men around 2500.

I would suggest doing a little research on how this tool is used and understand that it is a NEAT method calculator which makes any exercise an extra activity. Failure to properly fuel your body causes all kinds of ****ty problems.

Also go ahead and grab a dictionary and look up the word GOAL....

rizzod206

I am in the same boat, though instead of insanity workouts I have been doing 90min cardio sessions 4-5 days a week in my optimum caloric burn range as determined by two sets of metabolic testing. I am also exercising on the off days but it is not fat targeting (things like tennis, flag football, or lifting). I eat 1000-1400 calories per day, extremely careful measuring and of only the highest quality organic farmer's market meats and veggies (Oh and my favorite Califa Farms Almond milk w/ protein shakes recommended by my personal trainer). Its been 4 weeks now and I have gained 2 lbs, no inches lost. I can tell you I 'feel' a bit lighter, less weighed down.

I also have seen a doctor and ran every metabolic and thyroid type test available- all normal.

Not sure what the deal is here but I'll just continue working through it.

flashovernow

I have had the same issue for the last two or three weeks. I even experimented with eating lunch and dinner at a restaurant, to bump UP my calories, and that was the only day I lost weight. I'm a little confused about plateaus, starvation mode, told my doctor I thought I might not be eating enough, after what I have read here about eating back your exercise calories (or half those calories in case they are exaggerated). Can anyone suggest healthy fat content? Does having a fat deficit do anything negative or does the body just use carbs, protein, instead?

nattfoxx

what is insanity??

Mystikdragon

I've been having this same issue, although not with such a rigorous exercise program. I was getting basically no exercise during the summer (I still tried to jog occasionally, but it was my first summer living alone, so I had way bigger concerns than eating organic or exercising 5 days a week). Now that I'm back at school, I'm at the gym 5 days a week and trying to do some mild cardio and stretching even on my rest days. I've started tracking my calories again, and eat around 1200 (I usually aim for about 1100 to leave some margin for error), and I eat back some of my exercised calories, usually in the form of an egg for some protein.
Overall, I'm taking much better care of myself now than I was before.... and I've gained 6.5 pounds and 1.5 inches around my waist in three weeks! Granted, I am much, much more stressed now than I was at home, and I'm wondering if that's a factor. Still, yesterday alone I ate 1300 calories, burned about 200 with some mild cardio and as many strength reps as I had time for (I rarely have time for more than 30 minutes at the gym), and I weighed myself today, same time, same clothes... and I'd gained half a pound?
It's incredibly frustrating, especially since I'm now a higher weight and the same measurements than I was my freshman year of college - previously the unhealthiest I've ever been, when I was paying no attention to what I ate and had never even thought about exercising. What the heck is going on????