Working out for a month so why are my skirts even tighter??

Aumu95

I started exercising on July 1st in hopes that I would lose some weight and feel better. Well I seem to be gaining weight and my clothes are fitting worse then before. I've read that it may be normal to have some weight gain when starting a new routine, but I'm getting frustrated and de-motivated by the fact that I can't wear anything that I own comfortably. I don't want to buy any new clothes in a bigger size since I'm TRYING to get smaller. WHAT IN THE WORLD?????
I started off walking 3 days/week and doing a 30 minute workout with weights twice a week. Did that for two weeks then switched it to walking 2 days & weight workout 3 days. I take weekends off. I'm also being more careful about what I'm eating. I haven't been keeping a record of my food but I'm snacking less and limit my "treats" to one a day.
Any ideas or suggestions or similar experiences would be appreciated. I'm almost getting depressed about it!

chubaway

Are you tracking everything you eat and drink?

mschelle

Every time I start a new workout program I gain a few pounds first. I think it's partly due to rebuilding deconditioned muscles before the fat actually starts shrinking, and maybe water retention.

Also, when you work out, you might eat more - either mentally justifying "deserving" extra, or because you truly create a deficit and are hungrier. Most people don't realize how few calories exercise actually burns compared to how easy it is to eat it all back (and then some!).

I would strongly suggest tracking your food. It can really surprise you how all the little things add up.

chubaway

Every time I start a new workout program I gain a few pounds first. I think it's partly due to rebuilding deconditioned muscles before the fat actually starts shrinking, and maybe water retention.

Also, when you work out, you might eat more - either mentally justifying "deserving" extra, or because you truly create a deficit and are hungrier. Most people don't realize how few calories exercise actually burns compared to how easy it is to eat it all back (and then some!).

I would strongly suggest tracking your food. It can really surprise you how all the little things add up.

^^^ This ^^^ That's why I asked if they were tracking their food and drink. You explained it well.

ThePaintingLady

Maybe it's just the wrong week of the month to be trying on your skirts? I get serious bloating and water weight (about 7 lbs) the week before my period. I've learned to just stay off of the scale and not try on new clothes that week:)

born2drum

You're probably eating to much or you've been washing your clothese. Happens with my jeans after very wash, lol

zipnguyen

^this or can be genetically predisposed for leg growth

Aumu95

I'm not trying on new skirts...they're the skirts I already own that I need to wear pretty often. And it almost seems like its getting worse. :-( Frustrating! I'm enjoying my workouts, but some positive results would be nice...

mschelle

Hang in there! It's not an exact science. You will find what works for you.

Do you feel yourself gaining strength and stamina? A couple winters ago, I was getting discouraged, too, after working out really hard every day. Then one day, I was at the hardware store and put a 40lb bag of salt (ice-melt) in my cart with no effort. I was so surprised and excited! That's called an NSV - non-scale victory.

Up your water intake, and track your food. Be honest with yourself, even log the weekends and any alcohol. If you want to make your diary public, a lot of folks on here are willing to review and give nutritional advice. If you don't want to do that though, you don't have to.

micheleb15

If you haven't been keeping track of what you are eating other than "snacking less" then there's a good possibility you could be overeating. A good workout doesn't override excessive calorie intake. At the end of the day, it's all about a calorie deficit. Figure out your calories and track your food.

ETA - Because I disagree with another comment - You don't have to cut out your treats to one a month; fit them in your day. Make this sustainable for your life. I eat candy, cakes, cupcakes all of the time, as do a lot of others who have lost weight. Just track your calories.

Bridgysmalls

I think I have identified your problem!!

You have limited treats to one a day - Try limiting to one a month! and seriously knuckling down and burn some serious calories. This will ensure you loose weight..start the bar high, and then notch it down when you are getting lighter and maintain..

Track your food & calories, as it is surprising how much calories you eat, even when thinking you are cutting back,

It takes a good few months to really shake the pounds, however water loss at the early stage is pretty common, and you should have lost a bit?

Ask yourself this question...are you really pushing yourself?

Aumu95

I know combining cardio and strength is a good thing, but which is better for losing inches? I will take all the advice about calorie counting. I get frustrated by it sometimes becuz I don't always want to spend a lot of time inputting my food and it takes a while when you have to enter things that aren't already listed. (I know, I'm whining now - sorry!)
Thank you all for the encouragement!!

mschelle

Strength training will help lose inches as it compacts the muscles. Calorie deficit is the only way to lose fat, though. Cardio burns more calories.

If you want the most bang for your buck, interval training (HIIT) is fantastic because it combines cardio and strength. My best results have been from interval training like Jillian Michaels' videos. I also have really good success with Zumba (and other dancing) because dance is basically lunges, calf raises, and core exercises set to a beat (but much more fun!)

However, exercise alone won't usually drop the weight. Diet is very, very important. Personally, my biggest difficulty is with the food, but once I started tracking every little thing, it helped me learn to plan my meals and even helped keep snacking in check (Can I afford these donut calories with what I've done and eaten today? What if I just eat half?)

If you have the MFP app on your phone or ipod, it makes it easier.

SteveTries

Strength training will help lose inches as it compacts the muscles.

I would not agree with that.

Calorie deficit is the only way to lose fat, though. Cardio burns more calories.

I would certainly agree with this.

It's all about the deficit. Everything else is body condition or fitness improvement. Plenty of health benefits from working out too (strength and cardio both) but the weight loss comes from burning fat stores which occurs when you expend more than you take it.

Hang in there with the logging. It's take a week or two before this becomes second nature and is longer a pain in the *kitten*. You might find that when you log faithfully how much you consume you are taking in more than you think.

Another pitfall is overestimating burn during exercise. Some calculators grossly overestimate caloric burn and if we rely on those it can be easy to *think* we are creating a deficit when in fact we are not.

SoDamnHungry

I think I have identified your problem!!

You have limited treats to one a day - Try limiting to one a month! and seriously knuckling down and burn some serious calories. This will ensure you loose weight..start the bar high, and then notch it down when you are getting lighter and maintain..

Track your food & calories, as it is surprising how much calories you eat, even when thinking you are cutting back,

It takes a good few months to really shake the pounds, however water loss at the early stage is pretty common, and you should have lost a bit?

Ask yourself this question...are you really pushing yourself?

Good advice, although I disagree that you have to cut yourself down to treats once a month. As long as it fits in my calories, I'll have treats every day (and sometimes multiple times a day!). One doesn't have to eat chicken breast and kale exclusively to lose weight and be in good shape.

Cheeky_0102

I'd you are already small exercise will make you bigger, you have nowhere to go but out! Not sure if this is your case