Dieting and exercising hard everyday. Gained 5 pounds and still gaining!
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No to starvation mode; it's not a real thing in the context it's being used.
Yes, excessive exercise will make your muscles hold onto extra water for repair. Excessive sodium and hormonal imbalances (stress, menstrual cycle, etc.) will also cause water retention. That sounds like most of the problem, doesn't it?
No to excessive cardio - it doesn't have any end benefits and can actually be detrimental. Chronic under-eating and too much cardio will lead to excessive muscle loss, something you do not want.
Take a deep breath and go back to what you were doing before and add in strength training. Slow and steady weight loss is the way to go. Your profile mentions sudden, drastic weight gains and losses in your history. Change the cycle. Lose weight in a more healthy way and learn to keep the weight off while you're doing it.0 -
Oh, sweetie, I just went back and read your profile. Gaining and losing big chunks of weight, over and over, wreaks holy havoc on your body composition. When you lose weight, you lose fat, but you also lose muscle mass. Everyone does. There are tricks to minimizing muscle loss, like losing slowly, lifting and eating adequate protein, but every time you lose weight, it's some fat and some muscle. When you crash diet and do a ton of cardio, you set yourself up to lose even more muscle. Then when you gain it back, unless you're doing things specifically designed to gain muscle tissue (like running a progressive heavy lifting program), it's almost all fat. So, over the years, you end up losing fat and muscle, then gaining fat, over and over, so over time you end up carrying more fat than if you didn't lose weight in the first place.
This is a really long-winded way to say: knock it off. What you described in your OP is an approach that will continue to guarantee bad results in the long term. You should try a different approach this go-around.0 -
Set more realistic goals - such as losing 1lb/week. If you lose more great, but make small changes and remain consistent. Biologics don't like drastic changes and you'll do much better with small changes over a long period of time. Use the tools MFP gives you and remember you're in this for life. It doesn't stop.0
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Oh, sweetie, I just went back and read your profile. Gaining and losing big chunks of weight, over and over, wreaks holy havoc on your body composition. When you lose weight, you lose fat, but you also lose muscle mass. Everyone does. There are tricks to minimizing muscle loss, like losing slowly, lifting and eating adequate protein, but every time you lose weight, it's some fat and some muscle. When you crash diet and do a ton of cardio, you set yourself up to lose even more muscle. Then when you gain it back, unless you're doing things specifically designed to gain muscle tissue (like running a progressive heavy lifting program), it's almost all fat. So, over the years, you end up losing fat and muscle, then gaining fat, over and over, so over time you end up carrying more fat than if you didn't lose weight in the first place.
This is a really long-winded way to say: knock it off. What you described in your OP is an approach that will continue to guarantee bad results in the long term. You should try a different approach this go-around.
I agree with this. This is a trend that all YOYO dieters do. You need to stop thinking of this as a diet but something that you can do and maintain forever. Yes you may lose the weight a little slower but once you reach your weight it will just be a normal way of life and you won't gain it back. That's why so many people on MFP say to eat what you want but just in smaller portions. Because if you do an extreme cut back and then eventually stop dieting and then you go back to your old ways you'll just gain all your weight back. You need to start training yourself how to eat smaller portions during meals, how to stop snacking all day and how to get on a normal exercise routine that you are comfortable doing for the long run. Learning how to make smarter food choices over a long period of time and finding new ways that you can get more exercise without feeling like hard labor everyday is what is really going to help you in the long run.0 -
In addition to going slow and steady and eating enough to fuel your workouts like a number of other people said, be sure those calories you are consuming are quality calories for the most part. Your diary has helpful suggestions for your mix of protein, carbs, fats, sugar and nutrients. Once your body gets accustomed to a new normal of eating healthier and regular moderate activity, you'll see the pounds start to fall. Everything in moderation; Patience is a virtue, and all of that stuff too.0
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It takes time to see results. I too wanted instant gratification but losing weight is not a race. Give it time, track your calories. You do not need to work out like a fiend. Your body has to get use to your new way of eating. It has to adjust and recalculate for lack of a better word. Once it gets what you are doing, it will say " ah ha , I get it" and start letting going of the weight. Time, time, time and perseverance, is your friend here.
Hang in there. Again, log your food, stay within your calorie limit, exercise decently (not crazy crap), make good food choices and get rest.
It will happen!!!.0 -
fightforfit13 wrote: »Your probably not eating enough calories. If you don't eat enough your body goes into starvation mode and holds on to what it can. 2-3 hours of cardio a day is crazy. Look up HIIT training. Spend 15-25 mins doing HIIT with your 20 mins of strength training while increasing your calories and I bet you'll see some results and probably feel better at the same time.
Seems like people are always looking for that magic bullet or that special fad training program. Listen there is nothing wrong with 2-3 hours of light to medium Cardio everyday, especially for older people who don't want to look like a freak and bulk up like the hulk. Our bodies were designed to walk all day long every day. The reason we are so fat as a nation is because people no longer need to walk, they sit on their fat *kitten*'s at work all day and drive everywhere they go..
I have the right to make fun of fat people because I used to be one. I lost 93 or so pounds walking between 3 to 10 miles almost every day, First thing I do when I get up in the morning is 100- 150 counter push-ups and 50 sit-ups I do these as I wait for water for my tea to boil. When I started doing push-ups I could barely do 5 now I don't break a sweat until I hit at least 100 and that's before my first cup of morning coffee or tea .
After my Tea which I drink standing up admiring the morning through the kitchen window , I refuse to get out of bed and then immediately sit down, I want to keep my heart and adrenaline pumping, If I sit down the next thing I know I will have spent 3 hours on the computer.
So after I chug my tea I grab my water bottle and take off out the door as the sun is coming up for a 3 to 4 hour walk. Depending on the walk About halfway through I will stop at McD's and get a cup of black coffee and maybe a bowl of oatmeal or I will stop at the store and grab some fresh fruit for a snack, Ill rest a a few min stretch a bit, this is usually on the longer walks. If I'm only walking 4 miles I wont bother stopping for coffee or a snack.
A year or so ago when I first started walking I could barely walk the 1/4 mile down my gravel driveway to check the mail, I was so lazy that I actually either rode tha ATV or took one of the horses, now I jog it. Back when I started walking I was chafing so bad that I was going through a bottle of talcum a week and my walks were barely a mile. Now I'm up to jogging a mile or two out of every walk.
The first 70 pounds I lost was through lots of "cardio" walking and a severely restricted diet, read 800 calories a day 5 days a week , with cheat days on Wednesday and Sundays, Even now I'm only up to about 1400 calories a day and I'm just .6 pounds away from breaking 200 pounds down from nearly 300 for the first time in 15 years. By the way my son and I wear the same 36 sized pants, a year ago barely fit into 48's . A year ago I was also facing High Blood pressure medication and diabetes, My blood pressure was regularly 160/100 with a resting heart rate of 80+
Today my DR. tells me that I'm an inspiration, that I have done something very few people ever manage to accomplish. He tells me I now have the heart of a teenager and my local Gym offered me a lifetime membership if they could use me in their Advertising, which I think is dishonest because I didn't lose a single pound going to that Gym I only went there for the showers and the hot tub..
Anyhow not to shabby for a man in his late 50's.. By the way my Blood pressure this morning was 112/62 with a resting heart rate of 49. With these results in mind I thinks it's very irresponsible to make the blanket statement that 2-3 hours of cardio a day is crazy.0 -
The most likely scenario is that you are adding back too many exercise calories and/or eating more calories than you think, OP. Weigh your food, and eat a set amount of calories regardless of exercise.0
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CaptBligh001 wrote: »fightforfit13 wrote: »Your probably not eating enough calories. If you don't eat enough your body goes into starvation mode and holds on to what it can. 2-3 hours of cardio a day is crazy. Look up HIIT training. Spend 15-25 mins doing HIIT with your 20 mins of strength training while increasing your calories and I bet you'll see some results and probably feel better at the same time.
Seems like people are always looking for that magic bullet or that special fad training program. Listen there is nothing wrong with 2-3 hours of light to medium Cardio everyday, especially for older people who don't want to look like a freak and bulk up like the hulk. Our bodies were designed to walk all day long every day. The reason we are so fat as a nation is because people no longer need to walk, they sit on their fat *kitten*'s at work all day and drive everywhere they go..
I have the right to make fun of fat people because I used to be one. I lost 93 or so pounds walking between 3 to 10 miles almost every day, First thing I do when I get up in the morning is 100- 150 counter push-ups and 50 sit-ups I do these as I wait for water for my tea to boil. When I started doing push-ups I could barely do 5 now I don't break a sweat until I hit at least 100 and that's before my first cup of morning coffee or tea .
After my Tea which I drink standing up admiring the morning through the kitchen window , I refuse to get out of bed and then immediately sit down, I want to keep my heart and adrenaline pumping, If I sit down the next thing I know I will have spent 3 hours on the computer.
So after I chug my tea I grab my water bottle and take off out the door as the sun is coming up for a 3 to 4 hour walk. Depending on the walk About halfway through I will stop at McD's and get a cup of black coffee and maybe a bowl of oatmeal or I will stop at the store and grab some fresh fruit for a snack, Ill rest a a few min stretch a bit, this is usually on the longer walks. If I'm only walking 4 miles I wont bother stopping for coffee or a snack.
A year or so ago when I first started walking I could barely walk the 1/4 mile down my gravel driveway to check the mail, I was so lazy that I actually either rode tha ATV or took one of the horses, now I jog it. Back when I started walking I was chafing so bad that I was going through a bottle of talcum a week and my walks were barely a mile. Now I'm up to jogging a mile or two out of every walk.
The first 70 pounds I lost was through lots of "cardio" walking and a severely restricted diet, read 800 calories a day 5 days a week , with cheat days on Wednesday and Sundays, Even now I'm only up to about 1400 calories a day and I'm just .6 pounds away from breaking 200 pounds down from nearly 300 for the first time in 15 years. By the way my son and I wear the same 36 sized pants, a year ago barely fit into 48's . A year ago I was also facing High Blood pressure medication and diabetes, My blood pressure was regularly 160/100 with a resting heart rate of 80+
Today my DR. tells me that I'm an inspiration, that I have done something very few people ever manage to accomplish. He tells me I now have the heart of a teenager and my local Gym offered me a lifetime membership if they could use me in their Advertising, which I think is dishonest because I didn't lose a single pound going to that Gym I only went there for the showers and the hot tub..
Anyhow not to shabby for a man in his late 50's.. By the way my Blood pressure this morning was 112/62 with a resting heart rate of 49. With these results in mind I thinks it's very irresponsible to make the blanket statement that 2-3 hours of cardio a day is crazy.
I wholeheartedly agree with most of the stuff you say, and I've pretty much done the same thing except for not yet graduating to jogging or running, and except for the fact that since I joined MFP in November I have been averaging 2100 to 2400 NET Cal IN a day to achieve similar results. Which makes me happy since I find 1750 (and much more so your 1400) quite restrictive for my tastes.
That being said, 90% of people who talk about 3 hours of cardio a day are NOT 280 or 300lbs at their start weight, and they are NOT talking about walking at 2, 3, or even 4mph.
We even have a running debate with Mr. Knight as to whether walking calories should be eaten back.
So please, when people say don't do three hours of cardio a day, don't think of it as don't walk/stand/move for three hours. Think of it as don't do 3 hours of zumba class!0 -
You're weighing yourself too often. You need consistent exercise, a healthy diet over time. A very forceful routine could cause injuries or poor nutrition. Be patient, take it easy regardless of what you're doing.0
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I am probably going to let myself have more calories. Especially if I work out hard I will have 1500. No workout or little just 1200. But I do want to continue to work out hard because it feels like an escape. I want to become someone who only has to eat a little bit each day. Otherwise I will binge. It's so much harder to eat a healthy amount of calories and not end up binging. And whenever I feel sad because of how I look or anxious it's like, oh well I can feel the pain of this diet. At least there's that.
Thanks for all the advice guys.
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I am probably going to let myself have more calories. Especially if I work out hard I will have 1500. No workout or little just 1200. But I do want to continue to work out hard because it feels like an escape. I want to become someone who only has to eat a little bit each day. Otherwise I will binge. It's so much harder to eat a healthy amount of calories and not end up binging. And whenever I feel sad because of how I look or anxious it's like, oh well I can feel the pain of this diet. At least there's that.
Thanks for all the advice guys.
I was in like Flynn till we started to talk about pain of diet.
I realise we're all different, happy unicorns, rainbows, all that; but, honestly? If I have a choice I would rather minimize pain, not maximise it!
Is losing weight easy? No, it won't always be easy, far from it.
But going out of my way to make it harder to remind me/punish me for needing to lose weight?
No. Just no.
Finding joy in making better and healthier choices... try that instead!
By the way, from what I've heard from others and observed in my self: the more restrictive you are and the harder you push the more likely you are to "crack" and binge.
But I guess we're all different!0 -
Barring a medical issue, it's all a basic math problem. Calories in - calories out = weight gain/loss.
Either
1. Calories in is wrong. This can happen if you're not weighing your food and you're relying on measuring cups/spoons, or worse, eyeballing. If you're not weighing food on a digital scale, you don't actually know how much you're eating.
2. Calories out are wrong. This can happen if you put incorrect info into MFP or a TDEE calculator by accident, so check your numbers. Also, this can happen if you eat back your exercise calories, and those were calculated incorrectly. Get a good heart rate monitor if you want to eat back exercise calories. The calculations on MFP are notoriously high. Or do what many people do and only eat back half.
3. Everything is fine and you're retaining water. This can happen if you changed or increased exercise, increased carbs or sodium, or with normal hormonal fluctuations.
Check out all those things first. If you're positive everything is correct and the water retention doesn't seem to fit the bill, make a doctor's appointment to test your thyroid and blood sugar.0 -
Wrong thread0
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While I am at my goal weight now, I distinctly remember those times during my weight loss journey when I ramped things up a bit liked you described. I, too, suffered setbacks and weight gain. When I do too much, my body rebels by retaining fluids. My muscles became inflamed and retained the fluid as a healing measure. There is nothing wrong with pushing yourself but you have to be smart about it. AND you need adequate calories to fuel everything you are doing. From what you described, I don't think you are.
My philosophy is to work smarter, not harder. I go for the biggest bang for my time where I can lose weight (or at this stage, maintain) and still reach goals. Right now, I do a least 45 minutes of cardio, six days a week and two days of weight training a week and give myself a day off. However, I also keep moving. Wearing my fitbit, I ensure that I always log at least 10, 000 steps beyond what I get in at the gym. So instead of a hard workout for hours a day, I work smart for my 1 to 1.5 hours in the gym and then keep moving for the rest of the day. I talk on the phone while marching in place or pacing; I step in place while standing in line; I eat a snack at the counter while doing toe touches, I watch TV and do high step marches at commercial break. I save my email reading to try and do it in blocks of time so I can march in place while I do it. I take advantage of those stagnant times and I often log 13,000 to 18,000 steps a day.0 -
I am probably going to let myself have more calories. Especially if I work out hard I will have 1500. No workout or little just 1200. But I do want to continue to work out hard because it feels like an escape. I want to become someone who only has to eat a little bit each day. Otherwise I will binge. It's so much harder to eat a healthy amount of calories and not end up binging. And whenever I feel sad because of how I look or anxious it's like, oh well I can feel the pain of this diet. At least there's that.
Thanks for all the advice guys.
To be honest with you, some of the comments you are making (bolded) above are a bit concerning.
Have you ever talked to a doctor about your eating habits? If you have struggled with disordered eating in the past, bingeing, etc; and feel like it is a success to work out hard or feel the pain of a diet to help you keep in control - that seems like you are trading one set of disordered thoughts for another.
I really don't have any experience in this area, and maybe I am reading too much into your words, but it seems like maybe you could benefit from talking to a doctor/psychologist that has expertise and can help you feel more in control of your diet and health.
Good luck.
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WinoGelato wrote: »I am probably going to let myself have more calories. Especially if I work out hard I will have 1500. No workout or little just 1200. But I do want to continue to work out hard because it feels like an escape. I want to become someone who only has to eat a little bit each day. Otherwise I will binge. It's so much harder to eat a healthy amount of calories and not end up binging. And whenever I feel sad because of how I look or anxious it's like, oh well I can feel the pain of this diet. At least there's that.
Thanks for all the advice guys.
To be honest with you, some of the comments you are making (bolded) above are a bit concerning.
Have you ever talked to a doctor about your eating habits? If you have struggled with disordered eating in the past, bingeing, etc; and feel like it is a success to work out hard or feel the pain of a diet to help you keep in control - that seems like you are trading one set of disordered thoughts for another.
I really don't have any experience in this area, and maybe I am reading too much into your words, but it seems like maybe you could benefit from talking to a doctor/psychologist that has expertise and can help you feel more in control of your diet and health.
Good luck.
And since I've participated in this thread... Co-Signed and Amplified.
This does not sound like a good headspace to be in.0 -
You're starving yourself! You can't workout that much and eat that little.
No, she's not, otherwise she would be losing weight.
OP, chances are you are understimateing your food intake and overestimating your calorie burns. If you open your diary, we can provide better feedback.
Do you weight food and log eveyrthing you consume?
Do you eat exercise calories back? If so, where do you get the burns from?0 -
Other than the utter falsity that activity level is the significant driver here, that's a strong argument.CaptBligh001 wrote: »The reason we are so fat as a nation is because people no longer need to walk, they sit on their fat *kitten*'s at work all day and drive everywhere they go..
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