Working out BUT gaining weight
AngelbabyJC
Posts: 27 Member
Here's a little background.....before I could care less about loosing weight, I ate what I wanted and when I felt like, 3 meals a day, didn't care about portion size and I was dropping weight like there was no tomorrow AND NOW......I'm on this health journey, I decided to live a more healthier lifestyle, working out, eating and snacking healthy but then what happens, I'm gaining weight!!!.....how backwards is that???.......I'm on a 1200 calorie intake and it hasn't been easy because I have to watch my portion size and I'm logging daily in my dairy and I'm trying not to go over 1200 but if I do when I log my workout then all is well.......recently my motivation for working out went down hill, I've been working out at home and I've been committed but now it's like when I think about it, my brain shuts down so to speak from the idea of exercise and plus gaining weight is making me think "why bother workout at all"
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Replies
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AngelbabyJC wrote: »Here's a little background.....before I could care less about loosing weight, I ate what I wanted and when I felt like, 3 meals a day, didn't care about portion size and I was dropping weight like there was no tomorrow AND NOW......I'm on this health journey, I decided to live a more healthier lifestyle, working out, eating and snacking healthy but then what happens, I'm gaining weight!!!.....how backwards is that???.......I'm on a 1200 calorie intake and it hasn't been easy because I have to watch my portion size and I'm logging daily in my dairy and I'm trying not to go over 1200 but if I do when I log my workout then all is well.......recently my motivation for working out went down hill, I've been working out at home and I've been committed but now it's like when I think about it, my brain shuts down so to speak from the idea of exercise and plus gaining weight is making me think "why bother workout at all"
First of all, "working out" is for overall health that's why bother
In terms of weight gain, how much over what period of time? 1 -
Believe it or not... you may not be eating enough calories to lose weight.... if you are not eating enough your body will go into starvation and prevent you from losing weight. Especially if you are very active. Your body needs fuel and if you are not giving it enough it will hold onto the fat!3
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joeysgirl10 wrote: »Believe it or not... you may not be eating enough calories to lose weight.... if you are not eating enough your body will go into starvation and prevent you from losing weight. Especially if you are very active. Your body needs fuel and if you are not giving it enough it will hold onto the fat!
YOu do not lose weight from eating two few calories. That's not how science works.
You're probably eating too much. Are you weighing all your food?12 -
OP, are you weighing your food on a food scale? Are you logging your exercise, and are you eating back the calories? How much weight do you have to lose? Your diary is closed and we don't know any of your stats, so it's hard to say what might be happening.
And just as a generalization - diet is for weight loss/gain, exercise for fitness. Exercise strengthens your muscles, joints, heart and lungs, it acts as stress relief, it will help you look better once you lose the weight, and it buys you a few extra calories. But for the most bang for your buck, making sure the calories you are eating are in line is the key.3 -
Do you eat back exercise calories? Because you should - at least start with 50% of them. Exercising and eating too little will cause your cortisol to raise making it difficult to lose weight.0
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Depending on your workouts - you might be gaining muscle (which is heavier than fat). I've been on the same weight for a REALLY long time (over a year) but the way I look has changed a lot. But then again - my goal is to lose fat and not weight (although I wouldn't mind that too ) 0
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hollyrayburn wrote: »joeysgirl10 wrote: »Believe it or not... you may not be eating enough calories to lose weight.... if you are not eating enough your body will go into starvation and prevent you from losing weight. Especially if you are very active. Your body needs fuel and if you are not giving it enough it will hold onto the fat!
YOu do not lose weight from eating two few calories. That's not how science works.
You're probably eating too much. Are you weighing all your food?
Just wanted to repeat this so OP doesn't miss it.
If OP is really eating 1200 cals per day, she is not building muscle. And eating too little does not stop you from losing weight, otherwise anorexics and starving children wouldn't waste away.7 -
So eat what you want and when you feel like it, and don't care about portion size. If it was working for you before, why break it?
I had a lot of water retention when I first started exercising. Like, 3-4 pounds of overnight scale gain. It took about a month to settle back out. Plus, my non-exercise activity level went down, because the part of my brain that says, "spend more time walking / standing / sitting" was like, "oh, I went to the gym, so my job here is done." Plus, exercise makes me less hungry immediately after, but more hungry over time, so my average consumption crept up. I personally have found it much easier to lose weight while doing no intentional exercise. I personally attribute that to willpower depletion - I find it easy to moderately restrict calories regularly, and easy to go exercise regularly, but less easy to do both regularly.5 -
joeysgirl10 wrote: »Believe it or not... you may not be eating enough calories to lose weight.... if you are not eating enough your body will go into starvation and prevent you from losing weight. Especially if you are very active. Your body needs fuel and if you are not giving it enough it will hold onto the fat!
That's like saying, I'm not putting enough gas in my car, that's why it's getting such great mileage!9 -
How long have you been "working out" and how much weight did you gain? Weight =/= fat and when you start a new exercise program, your body will likely retain water to help repair muscle. It's a good idea to measure yourself and not just let a scale dictate your body fat % since weight can fluctuate with a lot of different factors.4
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How long have you been "working out" and how much weight did you gain. Weight =/= fat and when you start a new exercise program, your body will likely retain water to help repair muscle. It's a good idea to measure yourself and not just let a scale dictate your body fat % since weight can fluctuate with a lot of different factors.
This^
Water weight is a good possibility. OP - a tape measure is also a great weight loss measuring tool.1 -
joeysgirl10 wrote: »Believe it or not... you may not be eating enough calories to lose weight.... if you are not eating enough your body will go into starvation and prevent you from losing weight. Especially if you are very active. Your body needs fuel and if you are not giving it enough it will hold onto the fat!
Starvation mode is a myth. It has been proven false under controlled study.9 -
AngelbabyJC wrote: »Here's a little background.....before I could care less about loosing weight, I ate what I wanted and when I felt like, 3 meals a day, didn't care about portion size and I was dropping weight like there was no tomorrow AND NOW......I'm on this health journey, I decided to live a more healthier lifestyle, working out, eating and snacking healthy but then what happens, I'm gaining weight!!!.....how backwards is that???.......I'm on a 1200 calorie intake and it hasn't been easy because I have to watch my portion size and I'm logging daily in my dairy and I'm trying not to go over 1200 but if I do when I log my workout then all is well.......recently my motivation for working out went down hill, I've been working out at home and I've been committed but now it's like when I think about it, my brain shuts down so to speak from the idea of exercise and plus gaining weight is making me think "why bother workout at all"
First of all, "working out" is for overall health that's why bother In terms of weight gain, how much over what period of time?
About 20lbs since the year started0 -
hollyrayburn wrote: »joeysgirl10 wrote: »Believe it or not... you may not be eating enough calories to lose weight.... if you are not eating enough your body will go into starvation and prevent you from losing weight. Especially if you are very active. Your body needs fuel and if you are not giving it enough it will hold onto the fat!
YOu do not lose weight from eating two few calories. That's not how science works.
You're probably eating too much. Are you weighing all your food?
Not exactly weighing my food but I log daily what I'm eating etc.0 -
OP, are you weighing your food on a food scale? Are you logging your exercise, and are you eating back the calories? How much weight do you have to lose? Your diary is closed and we don't know any of your stats, so it's hard to say what might be happening.
And just as a generalization - diet is for weight loss/gain, exercise for fitness. Exercise strengthens your muscles, joints, heart and lungs, it acts as stress relief, it will help you look better once you lose the weight, and it buys you a few extra calories. But for the most bang for your buck, making sure the calories you are eating are in line is the key.
Yes I log daily and as for exercise, maybe I need to do more, I work a lot and some times when I'm finally home I'm tired so I might save exercise for another time but my calorie intake is 12000 -
How long have you been "working out" and how much weight did you gain? Weight =/= fat and when you start a new exercise program, your body will likely retain water to help repair muscle. It's a good idea to measure yourself and not just let a scale dictate your body fat % since weight can fluctuate with a lot of different factors.
About 20lbs since year started...... I workout when I can, not everyday, maybe twice out the week I'll miss working out but when I do exercise I put in the work0 -
AngelbabyJC wrote: »hollyrayburn wrote: »joeysgirl10 wrote: »Believe it or not... you may not be eating enough calories to lose weight.... if you are not eating enough your body will go into starvation and prevent you from losing weight. Especially if you are very active. Your body needs fuel and if you are not giving it enough it will hold onto the fat!
YOu do not lose weight from eating two few calories. That's not how science works.
You're probably eating too much. Are you weighing all your food?
Not exactly weighing my food but I log daily what I'm eating etc.
And there it is. Fix this.11 -
StealthHealth wrote: »AngelbabyJC wrote: »hollyrayburn wrote: »joeysgirl10 wrote: »Believe it or not... you may not be eating enough calories to lose weight.... if you are not eating enough your body will go into starvation and prevent you from losing weight. Especially if you are very active. Your body needs fuel and if you are not giving it enough it will hold onto the fat!
YOu do not lose weight from eating two few calories. That's not how science works.
You're probably eating too much. Are you weighing all your food?
Not exactly weighing my food but I log daily what I'm eating etc.
And there it is. Fix this.
OK cool, thx0 -
I have been on a calorie reduction program to lise weight. I have always been moderatly active as I lice to walk and walk between 3 and 5 miles a day at a brisk pace (4m.p.h). I have reduced red meat consumption, increased fruit and vegetable, medditerranian diet. I have been logging meals, consuming about 1500 cal a day, burn about 300 during excercize. I started in mid april and I have not lost any weight. Zilch. I am 58. 5'7" 176 lb female and I am frustrated.0
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Lysbethskotzke wrote: »I have been on a calorie reduction program to lise weight. I have always been moderatly active as I lice to walk and walk between 3 and 5 miles a day at a brisk pace (4m.p.h). I have reduced red meat consumption, increased fruit and vegetable, medditerranian diet. I have been logging meals, consuming about 1500 cal a day, burn about 300 during excercize. I started in mid april and I have not lost any weight. Zilch. I am 58. 5'7" 176 lb female and I am frustrated.
And as asked and answered above, are you using a food scale?5 -
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Depending on your workouts - you might be gaining muscle (which is heavier than fat). I've been on the same weight for a REALLY long time (over a year) but the way I look has changed a lot. But then again - my goal is to lose fat and not weight (although I wouldn't mind that too )[/quote
Umm no! A pound of fat weighs the same amount as a pound of muscle or even a pound of feathers believe it or not. Because muscle is denser then fat the same weight takes up less space.2 -
If yr not weighing yr food, yr not really eating the 1200 cal you think you are. That happens to a lot of ppl. Estimating just doesn't work. You can get a scale from Amazon for like 15 bux. Use it for everything that is not a liquid; you can measure liquids with measuring cups. Measure everything that contains calories. It may seem annoying at first, BUT it will work.
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OP, when I started using the food scale, I was shocked. I was easily eating 300-400 cals more than I thought, every day.
Order one off Amazon for @ $15, and commit to a couple of weeks of weighing everything you can and logging EVERYTHING - food, beverages, condiments, cooking oil, everything. After a couple of weeks you will have an accurate picture of what's going on and I bet the answer will jump right out at you!5 -
Thank you guys, really appreciate it. Gonna purchase a scale and take it from there.10
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Good luck Angelbaby, I'm in the same position as you and have been reading this with interest 0
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joeysgirl10 wrote: »Believe it or not... you may not be eating enough calories to lose weight.... if you are not eating enough your body will go into starvation and prevent you from losing weight. Especially if you are very active. Your body needs fuel and if you are not giving it enough it will hold onto the fat!
No. No. So much no. If you are not losing weight, you are eating too many calories. If you eat too many calories, you gain weight. #science7 -
please come back and let us know if the food scale was the issue1
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MissusMoon wrote: »joeysgirl10 wrote: »Believe it or not... you may not be eating enough calories to lose weight.... if you are not eating enough your body will go into starvation and prevent you from losing weight. Especially if you are very active. Your body needs fuel and if you are not giving it enough it will hold onto the fat!
Starvation mode is a myth. It has been proven false under controlled study.
I agree with you, I fast 2 days a week and work out and lift weights on the days I fast. I know every body is different. Dr. Jason Fung has done definitive work on the subject? If you care to look him up.
I think the muscle theory I read is a good possibility. I would add that it may be what your eating. I know most people want to say a calorie is a calorie, which is true, but your body dosent use calories. Name one organ that uses calories for fuel. You body breaks the food you eat down into what it needs.
The question maybe which thing are you eating that is triggering your body to hold on to fat?1 -
OP if you are gaining weight then you are not in a deficit. You need to be more accurate with your diary and weigh all food you put in your mouth.
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