I keep GAINING weight instead of LOSING!!

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Replies

  • bagge72
    bagge72 Posts: 1,377 Member
    What kind of exercise have you been doing? In 6 weeks, cardio will start to lose its effect. If you've been doing weights and hiit workouts, you can gain muscle and lose fat keeping the scales the same.
    I'd highly recommend doing measurements rather than looking at the scales - They can really make you lose your motivation. However, if you going to weigh yourself, do it at the same time each week.

    not happening if she is eating in a deficit. 6 lbs of muscle in a month isnt going to happen,even with slight newbie gains. it would be hard to build that much muscle in a surplus.shes not going to lose 6lbs of fat and gain 6lbs of muscle. muscle is not built that easily especially in females

    This is just semantics, and I know you aren't the one even talking about the OP gaining muscle, but actually it would be 12lbs of muscle gained if she lost 6lbs of fat! I mean we all know that didn't happened, she wouldn't have even gained 1lb of muscle on a deficit. But it's scary that people are telling this person that they could have gained that much muscle. This is the exact reason weight loss is so hard, too many people telling somebody how to lose weight!

    There should be required reading on this site, with a test at the end before you are able to reply to any post that isn't your own.

  • ritzvin
    ritzvin Posts: 2,860 Member
    Fluctuations due to water weight gain can be several pounds, especially if you had something very salty yesterday. It can be helpful to weigh more frequently and look for trends in the graphed data.

    If it isn't all water weight, then [1] make sure you are weighing at least the more calorie dense foods (it's very easy to be off by a LOT on things like mayo, salad dressing, peanut butter if you are trying to measure by spoonfuls); [2] makes sure your exercise calorie burn estimates are reasonable (and make sure you aren't adding in rest time).
  • RachaelIsLosingIt
    RachaelIsLosingIt Posts: 15 Member
    Oh my god am I being trolled? Is this my first troll? 2 days in to joining the community and I've had my first troll and mansplain. Amazing.
  • ritzvin
    ritzvin Posts: 2,860 Member
    ritzvin wrote: »
    Fluctuations due to water weight gain can be several pounds, especially if you had something very salty yesterday. It can be helpful to weigh more frequently and look for trends in the graphed data.

    For instance:
    f5pzjtiql1fk.jpg



  • malibu927
    malibu927 Posts: 17,562 Member
    Oh my god am I being trolled? Is this my first troll? 2 days in to joining the community and I've had my first troll and mansplain. Amazing.

    No. Even under the most optimal conditions (which include a calorie surplus, a progressive heavy lifting program, and adequate protein intake), a woman can only gain 1-2 pounds of muscle a month.
  • CorneliusPhoton
    CorneliusPhoton Posts: 965 Member
    But we sure can lose muscle if we are in a deficit, don't eat enough protein, and don't exercise!
  • CharlieBeansmomTracey
    CharlieBeansmomTracey Posts: 7,682 Member
    bagge72 wrote: »
    What kind of exercise have you been doing? In 6 weeks, cardio will start to lose its effect. If you've been doing weights and hiit workouts, you can gain muscle and lose fat keeping the scales the same.
    I'd highly recommend doing measurements rather than looking at the scales - They can really make you lose your motivation. However, if you going to weigh yourself, do it at the same time each week.

    not happening if she is eating in a deficit. 6 lbs of muscle in a month isnt going to happen,even with slight newbie gains. it would be hard to build that much muscle in a surplus.shes not going to lose 6lbs of fat and gain 6lbs of muscle. muscle is not built that easily especially in females

    This is just semantics, and I know you aren't the one even talking about the OP gaining muscle, but actually it would be 12lbs of muscle gained if she lost 6lbs of fat! I mean we all know that didn't happened, she wouldn't have even gained 1lb of muscle on a deficit. But it's scary that people are telling this person that they could have gained that much muscle. This is the exact reason weight loss is so hard, too many people telling somebody how to lose weight!

    There should be required reading on this site, with a test at the end before you are able to reply to any post that isn't your own.

    well the other person was saying that the OP replaced lost the fat and replaced it with muscle,which the OP says she gained 6 lbs. but either way that didnt happen.for most its not a 1:1 ratio or at least from what I have read its not. people believe some of the sites out there and those sites believe in old myths and its scary.
  • CharlieBeansmomTracey
    CharlieBeansmomTracey Posts: 7,682 Member
    Oh my god am I being trolled? Is this my first troll? 2 days in to joining the community and I've had my first troll and mansplain. Amazing.
    first time Ive ever been called a troll lol. as for being a troll,if giving the OP information that is correct and telling them something that has been noted on this site over and over is being a troll then I guess a lot of us who have been here for years are trolls lol
  • RachaelIsLosingIt
    RachaelIsLosingIt Posts: 15 Member
    Eugh - No I didnt. I said that she could stay the same. And don't call me "the other person" I have a screen name that I made up on the spot you know.
  • janejellyroll
    janejellyroll Posts: 25,763 Member
    Eugh - No I didnt. I said that she could stay the same. And don't call me "the other person" I have a screen name that I made up on the spot you know.

    But OP didn't stay the same -- she gained six pounds. So even if one could gain muscle in the way that you describe, your comment doesn't seem relevant to the situation.
  • Spliner1969
    Spliner1969 Posts: 3,233 Member
    OP will need to open her diary and give us stats (height/weight/age/activity level/type of exercise/duration of exercise/how often she exercises) to be of much help. But my guess is that if you're eating back your exercise calories as you should, then you're simply not being accurate logging (without weighing your food) or you're cheating on your diary. You should have lost weight otherwise you're either not in a deficit, or you have a separate health issue going on. It's not possible (without the help of enhancing drugs) to gain 6lbs of muscle in that short period of time, so it really can't be that.
  • fitmom4lifemfp
    fitmom4lifemfp Posts: 1,572 Member
    Oh my god am I being trolled? Is this my first troll? 2 days in to joining the community and I've had my first troll and mansplain. Amazing.

    No trolls. Just that your response was off base, so people wanted to correct that, for the OP.
  • CharlieBeansmomTracey
    CharlieBeansmomTracey Posts: 7,682 Member
    Eugh - No I didnt. I said that she could stay the same. And don't call me "the other person" I have a screen name that I made up on the spot you know.

    I was calling the OP the other person not you. no need for you to be rude either
  • bagge72
    bagge72 Posts: 1,377 Member
    bagge72 wrote: »
    What kind of exercise have you been doing? In 6 weeks, cardio will start to lose its effect. If you've been doing weights and hiit workouts, you can gain muscle and lose fat keeping the scales the same.
    I'd highly recommend doing measurements rather than looking at the scales - They can really make you lose your motivation. However, if you going to weigh yourself, do it at the same time each week.

    not happening if she is eating in a deficit. 6 lbs of muscle in a month isnt going to happen,even with slight newbie gains. it would be hard to build that much muscle in a surplus.shes not going to lose 6lbs of fat and gain 6lbs of muscle. muscle is not built that easily especially in females

    This is just semantics, and I know you aren't the one even talking about the OP gaining muscle, but actually it would be 12lbs of muscle gained if she lost 6lbs of fat! I mean we all know that didn't happened, she wouldn't have even gained 1lb of muscle on a deficit. But it's scary that people are telling this person that they could have gained that much muscle. This is the exact reason weight loss is so hard, too many people telling somebody how to lose weight!

    There should be required reading on this site, with a test at the end before you are able to reply to any post that isn't your own.

    well the other person was saying that the OP replaced lost the fat and replaced it with muscle,which the OP says she gained 6 lbs. but either way that didnt happen.for most its not a 1:1 ratio or at least from what I have read its not. people believe some of the sites out there and those sites believe in old myths and its scary.

    Ah gotcha! I see what I missed, the "other person" was just stating that she replaced any lost fat with muscle and stayed the same, ignoring the fact that the OP gained 6lbs.

    So apparently you are a troll, and I mansplained something to the other person, because we corrected her false information.

  • CharlieBeansmomTracey
    CharlieBeansmomTracey Posts: 7,682 Member
    bagge72 wrote: »
    bagge72 wrote: »
    What kind of exercise have you been doing? In 6 weeks, cardio will start to lose its effect. If you've been doing weights and hiit workouts, you can gain muscle and lose fat keeping the scales the same.
    I'd highly recommend doing measurements rather than looking at the scales - They can really make you lose your motivation. However, if you going to weigh yourself, do it at the same time each week.

    not happening if she is eating in a deficit. 6 lbs of muscle in a month isnt going to happen,even with slight newbie gains. it would be hard to build that much muscle in a surplus.shes not going to lose 6lbs of fat and gain 6lbs of muscle. muscle is not built that easily especially in females

    This is just semantics, and I know you aren't the one even talking about the OP gaining muscle, but actually it would be 12lbs of muscle gained if she lost 6lbs of fat! I mean we all know that didn't happened, she wouldn't have even gained 1lb of muscle on a deficit. But it's scary that people are telling this person that they could have gained that much muscle. This is the exact reason weight loss is so hard, too many people telling somebody how to lose weight!

    There should be required reading on this site, with a test at the end before you are able to reply to any post that isn't your own.

    well the other person was saying that the OP replaced lost the fat and replaced it with muscle,which the OP says she gained 6 lbs. but either way that didnt happen.for most its not a 1:1 ratio or at least from what I have read its not. people believe some of the sites out there and those sites believe in old myths and its scary.

    Ah gotcha! I see what I missed, the "other person" was just stating that she replaced any lost fat with muscle and stayed the same, ignoring the fact that the OP gained 6lbs.

    So apparently you are a troll, and I mansplained something to the other person, because we corrected her false information.

    yep.you hit the nail on the head lol
  • Jalexander33
    Jalexander33 Posts: 52 Member
    Hey OP what others have said is true if you aren't measuring out your foods it is quite possible you are eating more then you think you are. The thing that I found is I have to change everything when I run into weight lose roadblocks. I have had 2 periods maybe 3 where I was dropping and dropping and then suddenly I stop. My weight would go up 5 or 6 pounds and down 5 or 6 but I would stay there for few weeks.

    The first thing I would do is increase your cardio. If you are doing 15 minutes increase to 30 doing 30 increase to 45. Give it a week or 2 if you still don't see weight lose keep the cardio up and try adjusting things in or out of diet. I found that carbs don't like me and kept me from getting weight off. I had to limit them as much as possible. Sure enough after a bit of time the weight started rolling off again. Of course keep in mind too the things you take out aren't gone forever. You can reintroduce them back in later down the road just keep them limited if you know that was the factor.

    Another good thing to do is meet with a nutritionist. You're already a step ahead of the game b/c you can pull off a report that shows all the food you've been logging. Had that over to the nutritionist and they can provide you with the best suggestions and fixes for weight loss. But keep in mind you'll have to make return visits to them to adjust things.
  • CharlieBeansmomTracey
    CharlieBeansmomTracey Posts: 7,682 Member
    Hey OP what others have said is true if you aren't measuring out your foods it is quite possible you are eating more then you think you are. The thing that I found is I have to change everything when I run into weight lose roadblocks. I have had 2 periods maybe 3 where I was dropping and dropping and then suddenly I stop. My weight would go up 5 or 6 pounds and down 5 or 6 but I would stay there for few weeks.

    The first thing I would do is increase your cardio. If you are doing 15 minutes increase to 30 doing 30 increase to 45. Give it a week or 2 if you still don't see weight lose keep the cardio up and try adjusting things in or out of diet. I found that carbs don't like me and kept me from getting weight off. I had to limit them as much as possible. Sure enough after a bit of time the weight started rolling off again. Of course keep in mind too the things you take out aren't gone forever. You can reintroduce them back in later down the road just keep them limited if you know that was the factor.

    Another good thing to do is meet with a nutritionist. You're already a step ahead of the game b/c you can pull off a report that shows all the food you've been logging. Had that over to the nutritionist and they can provide you with the best suggestions and fixes for weight loss. But keep in mind you'll have to make return visits to them to adjust things.

    I would vote for a RD(registered dietitian)
  • abundantlyme
    abundantlyme Posts: 44 Member
    I just wanted to say -- don't give up. I was in the same place as you about six months ago, before I found MFP. I was trying to do keto and thought I was doing SO well and finally got on the scale but hadn't lost a thing. It discouraged me so much that I just gave up and gained more weight. Stay here, try the food scale, keep going. Don't give up.
  • cerise_noir
    cerise_noir Posts: 5,468 Member
    Oh my god am I being trolled? Is this my first troll? 2 days in to joining the community and I've had my first troll and mansplain. Amazing.

    Please tell me that you're joking. Someone corrected your misinformation. There's no way someone would put on that much muscle that fast. *shakes head*
  • CSARdiver
    CSARdiver Posts: 6,252 Member
    csbeesley wrote: »
    I haven't been using a food scale, I will start that.
    I've been using a scale that I've had for years, so maybe I should buy a new one.

    Thanks for some insight

    This is the best starting point. Check out some videos on how to log with accuracy and do this with everything until you get the hang of it.

    When the scale doesn't move and you feel like you're doing everything right - check you logging first, then check you behaviors. The most common errors are underestimating your caloric intake and/or overestimating your output. Bottom line are you hungry or are you adapting well to this?

    Stay positive and think marathon over sprint. It has only been a month - you are making changes for a lifetime. Focus on other gains you're experiencing - measurements, increased endurance, better sleep, etc.
  • ShareeEmma
    ShareeEmma Posts: 64 Member
    I would go on physical looks. I have been clean eating/ eating the naughties in moderation I only lost weight when I cut calories massively (not intended) I still weigh pretty much the same as I did at the beginning. It appears I've just replaced the fat with muscle as I'm way more toned and less 'boggy' than I was before my journey began. The worst thing you can do is rely on the scales. Take pictures or use clothing as a guide!!
  • CharlieBeansmomTracey
    CharlieBeansmomTracey Posts: 7,682 Member
    ShareeEmma wrote: »
    I would go on physical looks. I have been clean eating/ eating the naughties in moderation I only lost weight when I cut calories massively (not intended) I still weigh pretty much the same as I did at the beginning. It appears I've just replaced the fat with muscle as I'm way more toned and less 'boggy' than I was before my journey began. The worst thing you can do is rely on the scales. Take pictures or use clothing as a guide!!

    you dont replace fat with muscle. you can lose fat over the muscle and look more toned.you can build existing muscle up(in a recomp or surplus-a recomp is going to be much slower though.
  • ShareeEmma
    ShareeEmma Posts: 64 Member
    ShareeEmma wrote: »
    I would go on physical looks. I have been clean eating/ eating the naughties in moderation I only lost weight when I cut calories massively (not intended) I still weigh pretty much the same as I did at the beginning. It appears I've just replaced the fat with muscle as I'm way more toned and less 'boggy' than I was before my journey began. The worst thing you can do is rely on the scales. Take pictures or use clothing as a guide!!

    you dont replace fat with muscle. you can lose fat over the muscle and look more toned.you can build existing muscle up(in a recomp or surplus-a recomp is going to be much slower though.

    Ok so maybe my choice of wording wasn't spot on... I've burned the fat... gained muscle... still weigh the same... look different
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