Weight going up with 1600 calories a day and 3 times a week working out with weights

sktx
sktx Posts: 5 Member
in Health and Weight Loss
I'm working out 3 times a week with weights (20 reps, 3 sets, slightly less weight so the last set I feel some burn) for over an hour each time I go to the gym; keeping calories under 1600 a day, and my results: Weight went up by 2 lbs; But, my pants are looser in the waist and my upper body and legs feel much stronger.

If my calorie intake was higher, I'd understand the weight gain, but this appears back to front to me. Any suggestions as to what I might not be doing.. My goal is to lose weight.

Replies

  • tinkerbellang83
    tinkerbellang83 Posts: 9,129 Member
    Fluid retention! When you start or increase the intensity of your exercise your body holds onto fluid to help repair itself. It can take a couple of weeks for this to flush out.

    Please ignore the comment about muscle weighing more than fat, you won't have built 2lbs of muscle in a short period of time whilst eating in a deficit. If you're actively trying to gain muscle (i.e. eating in a surplus, working out specifically to increase muscle, getting adequate rest, etc) a man can generally gain 0.25-0.5lbs per week, however you're not, you're in a deficit.

  • GrumpyHeadmistress
    GrumpyHeadmistress Posts: 666 Member
    sktx wrote: »
    I'm working out 3 times a week with weights (20 reps, 3 sets, slightly less weight so the last set I feel some burn) for over an hour each time I go to the gym; keeping calories under 1600 a day, and my results: Weight went up by 2 lbs; But, my pants are looser in the waist and my upper body and legs feel much stronger.

    If my calorie intake was higher, I'd understand the weight gain, but this appears back to front to me. Any suggestions as to what I might not be doing.. My goal is to lose weight.

    Just checking that you are weighing all your solids and measuring all your liquids? If not you could easily be eating more than 1600, potentially more than maintenance.
  • ChaelAZ
    ChaelAZ Posts: 2,240 Member
    sktx wrote: »
    I'm working out 3 times a week with weights (20 reps, 3 sets, slightly less weight so the last set I feel some burn) for over an hour each time I go to the gym; keeping calories under 1600 a day, and my results: Weight went up by 2 lbs; But, my pants are looser in the waist and my upper body and legs feel much stronger.

    If my calorie intake was higher, I'd understand the weight gain, but this appears back to front to me. Any suggestions as to what I might not be doing.. My goal is to lose weight.

    How long have you been doing this? When people start they fixate on too short of time periods and don't allow the process and changes to happen with consistency over time. If you had been doing this program for a good month or so, truly sticking to 1600 calories and it is a decent caloric deficit, and doing solid workouts, the inches lost are the positive result no matter the weight really. A body will shift 2-5 pounds daily based on lots of things, so any weekly weigh-in can be skewed and only several weeks of logging will be able to show real losses and gains.

    So a couple things to check:
    • Make sure you have your caloric deficit calculations correct and 1600 calories *IS* a deficit
    • make sure you are actually eating less than the 1600 and are logging properly
    • Make sure to continue consistently doing things for several weeks, then make small tweaks if needed in caloric intake to start seeing losses.
    • Make sure to go a few weeks again after any tweaks.
    • Make sure you are not over-estimating caloric burn if you are eating calories back.

    All the best.
  • NoExcusesFromNowOn
    NoExcusesFromNowOn Posts: 76 Member
    SAME!!!!! I'm tracking 1200 and tracking it meticulously. Weights 1.5 hours and swimming almost daily. Losing inches but weight goes up or stays the same. I think I'm just going to quit weighing.
  • sktx
    sktx Posts: 5 Member
    All good info. I'm thinking the comments about water retention make a lot of sense. Going to try increasing water intake and reducing sodium and see if that changes things. The food tracker is indicating my sodium intake is higher than it should be.

    Thanks for the suggestions.
  • RollTideTri
    RollTideTri Posts: 116 Member
    crimewriter92 wrote: »
    In the same way that a kilo of lead will fit in a shoe box while a kilo of feathers will fill your duvet.

    That's a difference in density and volume, not weight. They both weigh a kilo. Technically lead isn't "heavier" than feathers, it's just more dense. But we all know what someone means when they say muscle weighs more than fat :)
  • sktx
    sktx Posts: 5 Member
    A couple of replies assumed I'd been working out for 3 weeks, thats not quite correct, I've been hitting the gym 3 times a week for the last 6 weeks. Still, I'm pretty sure its not 2lbs of muscle. I'll post something else here once I've tried the increase in water and reduction in sodium approach.
  • try2again
    try2again Posts: 3,562 Member
    https://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/discussion/10634529/why-did-the-number-on-the-scale-go-up-this-week-heres-why/p1
  • malibu927
    malibu927 Posts: 17,562 Member
    If it's been six weeks then water retention may not be the issue. Do you mind opening up your diary?
  • sktx
    sktx Posts: 5 Member
    I don't mind. How do I share it with you?
  • annaskiski
    annaskiski Posts: 1,212 Member
    RollTideTri wrote: »
    crimewriter92 wrote: »
    In the same way that a kilo of lead will fit in a shoe box while a kilo of feathers will fill your duvet.

    That's a difference in density and volume, not weight. They both weigh a kilo. Technically lead isn't "heavier" than feathers, it's just more dense. But we all know what someone means when they say muscle weighs more than fat :)

    Technically lead isn't heavier than feathers? So nothing in the universe is heavier than anything else?
    Please don't start this nonsense again. I thought it died.
  • yirara
    yirara Posts: 9,943 Member
    annaskiski wrote: »
    RollTideTri wrote: »
    crimewriter92 wrote: »
    In the same way that a kilo of lead will fit in a shoe box while a kilo of feathers will fill your duvet.

    That's a difference in density and volume, not weight. They both weigh a kilo. Technically lead isn't "heavier" than feathers, it's just more dense. But we all know what someone means when they say muscle weighs more than fat :)

    Technically lead isn't heavier than feathers? So nothing in the universe is heavier than anything else?
    Please don't start this nonsense again. I thought it died.

    You can't say something is heavier than something else unless you add the density or volume to it. So no, lead is often not heavier than feathers.
  • WholeFoods4Lyfe
    WholeFoods4Lyfe Posts: 1,518 Member
    annaskiski wrote: »
    RollTideTri wrote: »
    crimewriter92 wrote: »
    In the same way that a kilo of lead will fit in a shoe box while a kilo of feathers will fill your duvet.

    That's a difference in density and volume, not weight. They both weigh a kilo. Technically lead isn't "heavier" than feathers, it's just more dense. But we all know what someone means when they say muscle weighs more than fat :)

    Technically lead isn't heavier than feathers? So nothing in the universe is heavier than anything else?
    Please don't start this nonsense again. I thought it died.

    A pound of lead weighs the same as a pound of feathers, what about that is so difficult to understand? A pound is a pound is a pound is a pound.
  • Silentpadna
    Silentpadna Posts: 1,306 Member
    sktx wrote: »
    All good info. I'm thinking the comments about water retention make a lot of sense. Going to try increasing water intake and reducing sodium and see if that changes things. The food tracker is indicating my sodium intake is higher than it should be.

    Thanks for the suggestions.

    This response makes me believe that something is worth repeating:

    Do not try to solve fluid fluctuation issues. Unless you have a pronounced medical issue (edema - excess abnormal swelling), trying to control fluid fluctuation is pointless with respect to fat loss. Your fluid retention levels have changed up and down every day your whole life whether you've noticed or not. And it will continue to do that. It is independent of whether you are gaining or losing fat. If you want to limit sodium for other reasons, knock yourself out. It has no bearing on fat loss.

    It just helps to be aware of it because unfortunately the scale does not differentiate between the components that make up weight. If you lose 2 pounds of fat in two weeks, but gain 4 pound of fluid over the days around your weigh in, you'll be fooled into thinking your not losing fat when you are. (The converse is also true - you may weigh less while gaining fat because of fluid loss). This is why long time periods are important when it comes to scale readings. You could make the wrong adjustments if you focus too much on the short term.

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