Having a hard time

skuhns92

I started my journey a little over 2 weeks ago. I thought by now I would see a few pounds difference but I've done nothing but gain weight. I am at the gym 3-4 times a week, watching portions and types of foods I'm consuming. I don't understand how I can work so hard and gain weight while doing more for myself than I ever have before.

carolalicia

You know I have the same trouble , I’m logging everything I eat , I even dropped to 1000 calories a day but still am not losing weight. I cycle 6 miles a day to and from work and excersise twice a week at the gym , but nothing . I am 5.4 and 13 stone .! It’s stupid either I starve myself or give up

jennifermartini

Muscle ladies! It weighs so much more than fat and will eventually help you burn fat. Do your clothes fit a bit looser?

snowflake954

First of all are you weighing and measuring all your food and drink with a digital food scale? If not--start there. Second, if you're new to exercise you will absorb water in the beginning because your muscles need that to recuperate. Keep going and it will eventually even out and you'll have a drop in weight. Exercising doesn't burn as many calories as people think, it's good for you physically and mentally. You need to concentrate on your calorie intake. As for muscle, it takes a long time for females to build muscle--2 weeks? Nah. Good luck.

Dilvish

Want to lose weight without exercising or counting calories?

Realistically you should always do both. Caloric restriction and exercise are both beneficial for weight loss and overall health. Understand though that unless you are exercising at an athlete level (2-5 hours of intense exercise 4 times a week) you will likely only burn up to 10% of your daily calories through exercise. That's proven by numerous studies. Regular exercise is more beneficial for overall health rather than weight loss.

Consider trying the ketogenic diet instead of what you are doing now. There is strong evidence that it is the preferred diet for weight loss and has been around for almost a century.

Some people won't do it because they love their carbs and won't give them up. Others find it far easier because although carbs are very restricted, portion sizes of meals are not.

Links from trusted sources:

https://www.healthline.com/nutrition/23-studies-on-low-carb-and-low-fat-diets

https://draxe.com/guide-to-keto-diet-for-beginners/

Panini911

if you have recently increased your exercise routine your muscles are likely holding onto extra water to repair themselves which could mask weight loss. this will flush out eventually and you will see progress then if this is the case.

weight loss is a long long journey. stick to it and think long term.

but yes besides that, use a food scale for all foods
https://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/discussion/10634517/you-dont-use-a-food-scale/p1

sk1998mfp

I have the same problem 😣 add me and let’s work togther🙃

snickerscharlie

skuhns92 wrote: »

I started my journey a little over 2 weeks ago. I thought by now I would see a few pounds difference but I've done nothing but gain weight. I am at the gym 3-4 times a week, watching portions and types of foods I'm consuming. I don't understand how I can work so hard and gain weight while doing more for myself than I ever have before.

Your answer lies somewhere in this chart:

kimny72

skuhns92 wrote: »

I started my journey a little over 2 weeks ago. I thought by now I would see a few pounds difference but I've done nothing but gain weight. I am at the gym 3-4 times a week, watching portions and types of foods I'm consuming. I don't understand how I can work so hard and gain weight while doing more for myself than I ever have before.

Welcome

You really didn't give us much detail to go on, but generally the problem is usually logging errors and lack of patience. You are probably carrying some extra water weight from the new exercise and eating plan. It will ease off over time.

If you'd like targeted advice, please let us know your height, weight, calories logged during this time, and if you're willing to temporarily set your diary to "public" so we can help you find the issues.

Otherwise, check out these threads:

https://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/discussion/1080242/a-guide-to-get-you-started-on-your-path-to-sexypants/p1

https://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/discussion/10634517/you-dont-use-a-food-scale/p1

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

You did NOT gain muscle in two weeks, you do NOT need to lower carbs or do keto if you don't want to. These forums are full of people who have succeeded in losing weight by logging to get into a calorie deficit. :drinker:

mmapags

Dilvish wrote: »

Want to lose weight without exercising or counting calories?

Realistically you should always do both. Caloric restriction and exercise are both beneficial for weight loss and overall health. Understand though that unless you are exercising at an athlete level (2-5 hours of intense exercise 4 times a week) you will likely only burn up to 10% of your daily calories through exercise. That's proven by numerous studies. Regular exercise is more beneficial for overall health rather than weight loss.

Consider trying the ketogenic diet instead of what you are doing now. There is strong evidence that it is the preferred diet for weight loss and has been around for almost a century.

Some people won't do it because they love their carbs and won't give them up. Others find it far easier because although carbs are very restricted, portion sizes of meals are not.

Links from trusted sources:

https://www.healthline.com/nutrition/23-studies-on-low-carb-and-low-fat-diets

https://draxe.com/guide-to-keto-diet-for-beginners/

No there is not actually. Many studies and meta analyses have shown that it has no metabolic advantage over any other method of calorie restriction. Bottom line is: the best diet is the one you can stick to for the long haul.

OP, I agree with those that say you are experiencing water retention that is masking you weight loss from starting a new exercise program. Weigh, measure and log food accurately and be patient.

garystrickland357

Listen to @kimny72 and @snickerscharlie I understand the mental effort it takes to change your habits; congratulations for making the hardest step. Now you need to realize that it takes both time and patience to see results. You need to settle into some changes that are sustainable over a long period of time. As others have pointed out there is a learning curve to logging food and exercise accurately. We all believe that we are being accurate until we get a food scale and learn just how far off our logging really was.
Also, new exercise can cause water retention as your body adapts to the new work load. Be patient. Stay the course. Stay on the forums and ask for advice. You can be successful.

elliej

skuhns92 wrote: »

I started my journey a little over 2 weeks ago. I thought by now I would see a few pounds difference but I've done nothing but gain weight. I am at the gym 3-4 times a week, watching portions and types of foods I'm consuming. I don't understand how I can work so hard and gain weight while doing more for myself than I ever have before.

Welcome! And great work on making this decision and taking steps to a healthier you. Just remember that fit and healthy don't have weights, so try to focus on non-scale victories as well as that number on the scale. Like do your clothes fit better? Can you run further/faster/longer? Can you lift heavier weight? Do you get less out of breath climbing stairs? Take joy in every win.

The chart above is a great reference guide, but I really hear where you're coming from. I've suddenly found in my 30s I can't just drop a few pounds like I could in my 20s and it's really annoying. Two weeks is no time at all though, it's a marathon not a sprint!

Re above posts: Please don't do keto! And you have not magically gained muscles in two weeks, sorry.

I've found that I'm drinking loads more water, and from all the exercise my body is holding more water, if I take a few rest days and reduce my water intake BOOM I've lost weight, but then the cycle repeats, this will be a slow process and that's fine, I don't like it but I accept it.

I'd also suggest rather than portion control you need to get strict and actually weigh (not measure) all your food. Cups and tablespoons are easy to fudge but digital grams or ounces don't lie!

vim_n_vigor

My first 2 weeks I gained weight as well. Just keep working at it. I am 13 weeks in now and I'm now down 25 pounds. Just keep working at it. You'll get there.

Carlos_421

snickerscharlie wrote: »

skuhns92 wrote: »

I started my journey a little over 2 weeks ago. I thought by now I would see a few pounds difference but I've done nothing but gain weight. I am at the gym 3-4 times a week, watching portions and types of foods I'm consuming. I don't understand how I can work so hard and gain weight while doing more for myself than I ever have before.

Your answer lies somewhere in this chart:

This.

Carlos_421

jennifermartini wrote: »

Muscle ladies! It weighs so much more than fat and will eventually help you burn fat. Do your clothes fit a bit looser?

dtmwed

I third the chart. Two weeks is still really new. You should try to take up your water consumption. Helped me a ton. I am doing at least 80 oz of water a day. Plain water. At first, it was a little difficult now it's a breeze. As others have said there could be many factors, but giving it more time will help. One day you'll wake up and the scale may something very different.

anl90

There are so many different factors which can be contributing to it. Building muscle, water weight, inaccurate portioning, etc. I think you need to give it a little more time - it will start happening. Patience is key! Keep up the hard work!