Gained 3 pounds - Re-evaluating my exercise routine, help?

NewMrsCarlson

Good afternoon!

Alright, so I have been on this journey for 70 days, and have barely lost...14 pounds. I was at 17 pounds last week, and then gained 3 over the weekend. I pushed myself hard in the gym last week than I have in the past, thinking I was doing better. I exercise three days a week (Monday/Wednesday/Friday), due to my Plantar Fascitis. (I do wrap my foot in KT tape prior to working out for extra precaution) Anyways, I start out with cardio every time. I do a mile to a mile and a half, depending on how my foot is feeling. After I am done with my cardio, I go do weights. I am doing weights straight out to my side without bending my arms, 20 pounds on each arm (This is up from my barely lifting 10, weak, I know, so i am a little proud of that), but I can do usually at least 3 sets of 12 of these before my arms feel like they're going to burst out of my skin. Once I am done with that, i will do squats, at least 12 on each leg, with 15 pound weights in each hand. Last week I started to throw in crunches, and was doing at least 2 sets of 12 on those. I am doing all of this in my gym, and I can't believe I gained three pounds. I am on Contrave as well, which has curbed my appetite quite well, but I don't know what else to do. I feel like i'm already kicking my *kitten* like crazy at the gym as it is, in comparison to my sedentary lifestyle before. Does anyone have any schedules they use for each part of the body they work on each day? Like 1 day is leg day, another is arm day, ab day, etc? Or what is the best way that I can utilize my time in the gym to make sure I am getting the best workout for myself. Thank you all so much!

sammyliftsandeats

If this exercise is new, you may be seeing a water weight increase from the activity.

This goes away with time.

cammaxton

I'd check what you're eating first off, gym might help tone the body, but if you're 90% of the work comes from nutrition

NorthCascades

3 pounds is a small amount.

100 % of your energy intake comes from food. I don't know what % goes to deliberate exercise, but I know it's much less than 100 %. That should tell you where to focus your efforts, I think.

upoffthemat

Agree that this could be temporary water gain with muscles looking to heal themselves. In the long run a good thing, give it time and patience. Like 3 more weeks at least time. If you are starting to do more at the gym and not gaining more than you are having a healthier body and the weight is likely to come off in 3 weeks if not sooner. This is just another stage of getting healthier and fitter. You will be happier with the body you have when you are done with your weight loss if you stick with it.

TeaBea

samanthaluangphixay wrote: »

If this exercise is new, you may be seeing a water weight increase from the activity.

This goes away with time.

This^

3 pounds is 10,500 calories. It's not your workout.

If it's 3 pounds in one week, it's not your logging either....unless you forgot to log a whole cheesecake.

lorrpb

I've gained 3 lbs since this morning. Fluctuations are normal, even more so if you are of the age when you have a menstrual cycle.

Philtex

Congratulations on losing the 14 pounds. That is about a pound and a half per week. You are doing great! Think long-term, this isn't the biggest loser.

kimny72

14 lbs in ten weeks is great progress - that's well over 1 lb per week - congratulations!

sharondjs

CICO calories in calories out - you can exercise till the cows come home but if you don't know how much your consuming then ??? log into mfp set your calories and weekly loss if you haven't already of course buy a set of scales weigh every single thing you eat theres no such thing as free foods weigh in grams not cups and spoons to inaccurate do this for at 30 days most of us on here all track track track , As for the gym part most gyms have a 1 off free session where they will set you up with an exercise plan as it sounds like you are missing quite a few different exercises & it's hard to come up with this stuff by your self or go to a class like Body pump thats an awesome weights class good luck

cabwj

OP, I don't know your stats but 14 pounds in 10 weeks seems like a healthy rate of weightloss.

dragon_girl26

Don't sweat the weight fluctuations. They are normal. TOM, new exercise, increase in sodium, all can show temporary gains on the scale. Unless you ate a LOT the past few days, it's not fat gain.

rybo

If you are going to stick to strength training (which you absolutely should), find a beginner full body program. Also, be careful getting that PF to heal if you are continually running on it.

jemhh

Reevaluate your expectations, not your exercise routine. Losing 1.4 pounds per week is fabulous. In addition, weight loss is not linear. You will have weeks when you lose, weeks when you maintain, and weeks when you gain. Even once you hit your goal, your weight will fluctuate.

http://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/discussion/10084670/it-is-unlikely-that-you-will-lose-weight-consistently-i-e-weight-loss-is-not-linear/p1

middlehaitch

As others have said 14 lbs in 10 weeks is great.
If you haven't already; reevaluate your calorie goal; as we lose weight we need fewer calories.

Here are some full body routines. Have a read through them and choose one that suits you. You will get better results than making up your own routine.
They all start at a low weight or bodyweight so are not as intimidating as they initially look. Concentrate on form first, then increase the weights. Remember you are lifting what is heavy for you and not the guy next to you.

Cheers, h.
http://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/discussion/10332083/which-lifting-program-is-the-best-for-you/p1

cwolfman13

14 Lbs in 10 weeks is about 1.5 Lbs per week...I think you might have some very unrealistic expectations...that's pretty solid. Beyond that, body weight isn't linear and fluctuates day to day and throughout the day...you have to look at over trends over weeks.

Dano74

cwolfman13 wrote: »

14 Lbs in 10 weeks is about 1.5 Lbs per week...I think you might have some very unrealistic expectations...that's pretty solid. Beyond that, body weight isn't linear and fluctuates day to day and throughout the day...you have to look at over trends over weeks.

Yep! This process is one of sanity checks. You're getting one now because you are doing AWESOME.

One thing I'd add- your weight routine seems a little lopsided. The lateral raises you're talking about are focused on the medial delt (middle shoulder muscle- shoulders have 3 muscles... hence, the name "delt" from "delta") and then you're going to squats. You're missing your back, remainder of shoulders and arms. Definitely check into a resistance training program that's more holistic to avoid imbalances and ultimate injury.

And that's just part of the journey... as has been noted, you're kicking trash. Now it's time to round it out.

All that said, what is your current weight and what are you aiming for? At some point, weight becomes a non-issue and will only frustrate.

Golbat

You're probably retaining water, maybe due to your cycle, or eating something with a ton of salt, or something like that. Try not to sweat one or two weight-checks that are outside of a trend.

BeeerRunner

Count your calories. I tried exercising without dieting and i gained weight. Once i started counting calories and staying in my limits, the weight fell off so easy. Ive lost 40 lbs and kept it off so I'm proof it works!!

jessef593

1st of All. Most likely just a weight fluctuation. Weightloss is not linear. Also, 14lbs in 70 days Is actually an elevated weight loss. Generally you should aim for 1 pound a week. Thats almost 1.5lbs a week.
Secondly, get onto a legitimate lifting program. You're missing 95% of your body. From your description it sounds like lateral raises and lunges. Since a squats are a multilateral movement, not a single leg movement. Get onto either strong lifts or strong curves and slow down on your weight loss slightly. It takes a long *kitten* time. Coming from someone who cuts weight 2-3x a year.