How am I gaining weight?

therealnerwin

Wow, I didn't think poop really weighed that much. There have been days when I have gone to the bathroom and noticed the difference on the scale.

Thanks for the article, going to bookmark that one.

Its possible that's what it is and I'm probably not gaining any fat back. I just got a little discouraged from seeing the numbers go up on the scale. But It shouldn't stop me from working out and its only been 2 weeks and I have a long road ahead of me and there will be a lot of lifestyle changes along the way, the toughest part is finding the right foods that I enjoy and that are healthy.

The other problem I need to work on is to stop looking at my scale! Its tempting every time I get off the treadmill..but I just need to stop that and just weigh myself at the end of the week.

Capt_Apollo

Wow, I didn't think poop really weighed that much. There have been days when I have gone to the bathroom and noticed the difference on the scale.

Thanks for the article, going to bookmark that one.

Its possible that's what it is and I'm probably not gaining any fat back. I just got a little discouraged from seeing the numbers go up on the scale. But It shouldn't stop me from working out and its only been 2 weeks and I have a long road ahead of me and there will be a lot of lifestyle changes along the way, the toughest part is finding the right foods that I enjoy and that are healthy.

The other problem I need to work on is to stop looking at my scale! Its tempting every time I get off the treadmill..but I just need to stop that and just weigh myself at the end of the week.

therealnerwin

dude, snowshoeing is a huge calorie burn!!!

I know I avoided gym in school..but on the days we did snowshoeing..I was ahead of everyone! I don't know why..but I just love snow shoeing and being out in nature.

The time is right..last week..we got around a foot and half of snow..and my birthday is today..so I might just take my birthday money and buy some nice snow shoes!

jennegan1

Wow, I didn't think poop really weighed that much. There have been days when I have gone to the bathroom and noticed the difference on the scale.

Thanks for the article, going to bookmark that one.

Its possible that's what it is and I'm probably not gaining any fat back. I just got a little discouraged from seeing the numbers go up on the scale. But It shouldn't stop me from working out and its only been 2 weeks and I have a long road ahead of me and there will be a lot of lifestyle changes along the way, the toughest part is finding the right foods that I enjoy and that are healthy.

The other problem I need to work on is to stop looking at my scale! Its tempting every time I get off the treadmill..but I just need to stop that and just weigh myself at the end of the week.

It helped me. At first I wasnt loosing anything either took me over 4 weeks to lose. I sky rocketed at 192 and then I started reading articles and came to realization to have patience and to keep on going at it. It takes time so I needed to relax and still do so and then when I finally started to see the weight came off it really sunk in.....

therealnerwin

It's only been TWO weeks!!!!! Like others have said, have some patience. Also, don't rely so heavily on the scale alone; take measurements of your body, so you can keep your ego boosted when the scale is not being your friend.

^^ THIS ^^

At times, the mirror can be a better friend than the scale.

I'm just looking toward the day when I notice my pants are getting too big to wear.

sassyjae21

You probably just need to poop.

:laugh: :laugh:

sometimes you do though. lol

sweetpea03b

Big question.... you're staying within your goal but you're probably burning atleast 200cals at your workout... are you eating those back? you need to. Also.... you said you just weighed yourself this week.... STOP WEIGHING EVERYDAY! It will fluctuate. Now... I don't practice what I preach... I weigh every day but I only record it once a week.

Water weight fluctuations will cause you to go up and down. Pick 1 day / week to be your "weigh in day" and don't worry about what the scale says the other days.

therealnerwin

Does anyone have any suggestions for strength exercises? I've been doing cardio a lot lately my legs are just sore and its probably from those calves works out. I'm sore in general because I moved a TON of snow yesterday and I have to move more today. So I don't know if I should force myself to get on the treadmill today, I don't know how far I'll make it.

I don't think shoveling snow is a bad work out either.

But I am willing to try some strength exercises today and see what I like. Keep in mind that I don't really have any weight equipment.

Capt_Apollo

dude, snowshoeing is a huge calorie burn!!!

I know I avoided gym in school..but on the days we did snowshoeing..I was ahead of everyone! I don't know why..but I just love snow shoeing and being out in nature.

The time is right..last week..we got around a foot and half of snow..and my birthday is today..so I might just take my birthday money and buy some nice snow shoes!

i also love being outside. i can't do the treadmill for more than a half mile. but outside, even in the cold and with snow everywhere, i can run and lose myself.


and here is a beginner body weight work out. http://www.nerdfitness.com/blog/2009/12/09/beginner-body-weight-workout-burn-fat-build-muscle/

therealnerwin

dude, snowshoeing is a huge calorie burn!!!

I know I avoided gym in school..but on the days we did snowshoeing..I was ahead of everyone! I don't know why..but I just love snow shoeing and being out in nature.

The time is right..last week..we got around a foot and half of snow..and my birthday is today..so I might just take my birthday money and buy some nice snow shoes!

i also love being outside. i can't do the treadmill for more than a half mile. but outside, even in the cold and with snow everywhere, i can run and lose myself.


and here is a beginner body weight work out. http://www.nerdfitness.com/blog/2009/12/09/beginner-body-weight-workout-burn-fat-build-muscle/

This spring I tried to go for walks outside, but on my road..you are lucky if you will make it back alive. People drive so damn fast..I already had a few close calls. Nothing like walking on the side of the road with cars passing 50-60mph only a foot away! And yeah..its a secondary road. Its not worth losing my life over it. I hope to stay active this winter and be able to do some hiking next year.

ChristiH4000

I'm very regular with my exercise (about 5x/week with a mix of cardio/yoga/weights), but someone once told me that 80% of weight loss is diet, and that is where I struggle all the time. I find that to be very true and know that I do better when I weigh food, log everything, and plan my meals and snacks as well as I can ahead of time.
Now, if I could just listen to my own advice and put down the christmas cookies, I'll be on my way to a smaller pants size and a faster run time.

*ETA - eating the right amount is very important. Eating too little can be as detrimental to your progress as overeating. Find your happy medium and stick with it. I never struggle with under-eating so I always forget to mention that little bit. Nobody has to be psycho about hitting goal everyday - I enjoy food too, but keep an eye on your weekly averages.

jennifer_417

Fluctuations are normal. Get used to it; it'll cause you less stress in the long run. As long as the generalvtrend is downward, don't worry about it.

DebbieLyn63

Looks like you have fallen into the very common cycle that many of us do when we first start a weight-loss program. You lose a lot of weight the first 2 weeks, then the 3rd week it stops, or even rebounds a little. Keep going and you should see a loss next week.
A lot of the first weight lost is water weight. After the first month, you will get into a more reasonable weight loss rate. Do NOT expect to lose more than 2 pounds max per week after the first month. Especially if you only have 25 lbs to go.

Be happy with a 1 lb a week loss at this point. If you are willing to accurately measure and log your food consistently, then you may can pull off a bit more, but don't expect the weight to fall off if you aren't willing to log your food accurately. Most people on this site cannot lose serious weight by just 'watching what they eat' or 'cutting back a bit'. Those of us who have battled our weight for years have all tried and failed, and finally come to accept that we MUST log our foods for this to work long term. It sux. But it works.

We all know that 'diets' don't work long term. We have to make permanent changes in our thinking and lifestyles to get the weight off and keep it off.
But many many people on this site have proven that it can be done! But you gotta want it badly enough.

RGv2

It could also be that you are gaining muscle. Don't let it get you down, just keep at it. Log all food taken in, log all exercise. It will come off if you continue to be within your calories and are exercising.

Thanks, I don't see how some people can be dead on perfect with their calorie goals. I'm either slightly under or a little over..but I don't see that being a big deal. But I think I might have to watch my macros a little bit more closely..I think I am eating a little to much salt and carbs.

But dang..today is my birthday and calories isn't going to bother me today!

You're not gaining muscle. 40 min on the treadmill isn't going to do that. You might have some MINIMAL gains, but nothing that is going to stall the scale out, let alone make it go up.

8 cups of water isn't that much. If you're working out 40 minutes a day and "sweat is dripping off", I can guarantee you need more water during the day.

What kind of stretching/calf exercises do you do before you run? This can actually be a hindrance to your cardio workout.

klaff411

I've been doing cardio exercise for the past 2 weeks. I'm on the treadmill for 40 minutes 5 days a week and I tell you, the sweat is just dripping off me and I feel great after and everything seemed like it was going fine, I was losing weight and I got down to 227 early this week and as of yesterday I was back up to 229 and its been staying there.

I don't try to overeat, I try to stay within my calorie goal and I've been doing pretty good watching what I eat. I do have a protein bar every morning before I work out, because I can't walk/jog on a empty stomach, I just don't have the energy too.

Also before I get on the treadmill, I do stretches and calves exercises.

I drink plenty of water as well, could it just be water weight? Maybe there is too much sodium in my diet?

It was nice seeing the numbers go down on the scale, but when they are going back up..its really discouraging to me. It seems like every time I want to lose weight and get fit, it never works out..maybe I'm destine to be fat?

I really wish I could do some strength exercises, but I just don't have any weight lifting equipment yet. I'm not trying to over do it like my cousin did and end up destroying his shoulder because he over worked himself. I just want to slowly lose weight and get down to a health weight.

Am I doing something wrong? I know its only been 2 weeks..but I need a sign that I'm losing weight.

Easy --

1. Less cardio more weights

2. Do your macros and find out what your BMR is and then set a 500 calorie deficit. Example would be - a sedinatry person at my weight 180ish would be 1988kcal so I would want to cut 500cals off that. I eat about 1350kcal a day.

3. You should try to think about changing your diet to low CARB. Eating under >50 carbs a day would also help. Higher fat/protein.

4. NO PROCESSED FOODS. They contain hidden additives. Cook for yourself. Lots of veggies like Kale, Chard, Spinach, peppers, tomatoes, mushrooms, squash, etc.

5. Don't eat protein bars. Eat real food. Those things don't fill you up.

6. Drink at a MIN. 8 glasses of water a day.


MOST important - weight loss takes time and constant behavior changes -- commitment. I've been doing this since April 2013. I've lost a bit more than what my ticker says since I started at 250lbs. You can do it.

1princesswarrior

I haven't read through all the responses so I apologize is this is repetitive.

1. You need to weigh all of your solid food and measure all of your liquids if you aren't already.
2. You need to get a heart rate monitor or fitbit, etc. for a more accurate calorie burn while doing cardio.
3. Your protein macro is set really low, I would recommend at least doubling it or maybe trying to get around 175g of protein a day.
4. On the days you did log completely your sodium was extremely high and that can cause water retention.

When you say you drink lots of water, how much is lots? I try to drink 1 gallon or 4 liters a day to prevent water retention.

Finally don't worry about a 3lb fluctuation, that's water retention or you do need to poop (I read that one). I fluctuation by as much as 5lbs a day. Weight loss is not linear.

themedalist

In school, I avoided physical education..even in high school. I hated it and to be honest..I'm not much of a fan of exercising still to day but I am trying to best I can.

Im starting to think that maybe it just isn't for me.

I beg to differ! I understand where you've been. I have mild cerebral palsy and walk slowly and with a limp. Hated gym in school. But in adulthood, I've learned what an incredibly amazing feeling it is to push my body and reap so many benefits. I can fly on the arc trainer or elliptical and leg press weights that keep my leg muscles strong and my joint healthy.

I still walk really slowly. So what? A mile walked became a 5K, which led to a 10K which became a half marathon. I'm likely the only person in the US who flies across the country to walk in half marathons where she will invariably come in last place. Again, so what? I'm still lapping the legions of people sitting on the couch.

I'm Denise and becoming an Adult Onset Althlete has changed my life. It's truly one of my proudest accomplishments in life. You can too!

forestrose910

I have read that losing weight isn't a consistant thing anyways..but you might be right..next week I could get down to 225 or something and then go back up the week after. I know our bodies can fluctuate because sometimes I weigh less at night and weighed heavier in the morning or vice versa.

I'm not going to lie, I love food..who doesn't? There might be some days every now and then when I kind of eat more than I should..especially when I go out to dinner..those meals are about half of my calorie goal..haha. But I don't see that making me gain weight when I eat out a couple times a month?

Today is my birthday..so I don't really plan on counting my calories. I just want to enjoy my day. But I'm still going to work out anyways because I'm trying to make it a habit.

I don't try to under eat because I know that can make you gain weight too..I'm usually right at my goal or if not..slightly over.

I know I don't log everything..I just find it time consuming or I either forget. But I do log it in my head and I've learned how much I can have.

logging in your head is not reliable or consistent. this is a process and a lifestyle change and planning and logging is the best path to get to that goal. that being said, all of the cardio is wonderful to have you fit. but if your goal is weight loss then your decision is how you want to achieve that. eating within your daily limits and macros will help, patience will help and trial and error on what you can and can't do when you go away from your plan will help.

lastly, if it isn't helping you to weigh yourself every day, then do it once a week. some people need the daily weigh in to keep them on track and others do better to just track it once a week. if you think having a strong day exercise and calorie wise is going to give you an immediate result on the scale the next day, then you are setting yourself up for disappointment. good luck with your plan.

therealnerwin

Thanks everyone, I can't believe the responses I've got on this.

But someone shared this and I'm really interested in trying this out. http://www.nerdfitness.com/blog/2009/12/09/beginner-body-weight-workout-burn-fat-build-muscle/

Maybe doing 40 minutes of cardio..even though it is interval, it might be just too much cardio and not even strength training.

I know its going to take time before I see some results, I just want to make sure I am doing something right.

I do need to watch my macros..something I didn't really pay attention to before..my the app on my phone doesn't show them for some reason. There also have been times when I added a food and all that was added was just the calories and none of the nutritional info. Its just a pain in the butt, in my opinion. But I'll keep giving it a try and friday is my shopping day so I will see if I can figure out some better healthy foods.

The other hardest part is on the weekends, I spend time with my father and he always likes going out and doing stuff on the weekends, so we always eat out..and he likes the fast food type stuff and when I say I want to eat that..he gets all upset..its just hard to make a lifestyle change when no one else in my family is willing to.

ThriceBlessed

I've been doing cardio exercise for the past 2 weeks. I'm on the treadmill for 40 minutes 5 days a week and I tell you, the sweat is just dripping off me and I feel great after and everything seemed like it was going fine, I was losing weight and I got down to 227 early this week and as of yesterday I was back up to 229 and its been staying there.

Occasional gains are normal. I've been losing weight for six months, but I have a lot of weeks where I lose nothing, and a few weeks where I gain before the loss continues. It just happens. It could be water weight, some muscle increase, or even fat if you have eaten more than you have burned.

I don't try to overeat, I try to stay within my calorie goal and I've been doing pretty good watching what I eat. I do have a protein bar every morning before I work out, because I can't walk/jog on a empty stomach, I just don't have the energy too.

I don't think anyone TRIES to overeat, that is unless they are super skinny and trying to gain. Whether you have a protein bar before working out is up to you, but log the bar and keep you total calories within your limit.

Also before I get on the treadmill, I do stretches and calves exercises.

Stretches are good, but won't effect the numbers on the scale, they help prevent injuries and minimize stiffness. Its best to do stretches after a brief warm up of light cardio, it isn't good to stretch cold muscles.

I drink plenty of water as well, could it just be water weight? Maybe there is too much sodium in my diet?

Too much sodium is a distinct possibility, it is one of the hardest things to keep within the limit for me. Are you tracking EVERYTHING you eat? If you are, make sure sodium is one of the nutrients being tracked, then you will know if you are getting too much.

It was nice seeing the numbers go down on the scale, but when they are going back up..its really discouraging to me. It seems like every time I want to lose weight and get fit, it never works out..maybe I'm destine to be fat?

You are only destined to be fat if you have a bad attitude that says a couple of weeks of gaining means that you should quit. Again, are you tracking EVERY SINGLE BITE you eat? And every caloric drink? Exclude nothing, and measure carefully. Want peanut butter? Either use a digital scale and weigh the serving, or if you use a measuring spoon take the back of the knife blade (the perfectly flat edge) and scrape straight across the top of your measuring spoon so that the PB is completely level with the top of the spoon, same with measuring cups, the stuff in the cup should completely level with the measuring line, or even slightly below it, but never even a "hair" above it. And there is nothing that you should eat without logging it. The only "freebie" is water.
Also, even though they are calorie free, diet sodas can make you retain water, so limit them or eliminate them.

I really wish I could do some strength exercises, but I just don't have any weight lifting equipment yet. I'm not trying to over do it like my cousin did and end up destroying his shoulder because he over worked himself. I just want to slowly lose weight and get down to a health weight.

You don't need weightlifting equipment. Pushups are a great form of strength exercise, so are squats, pull ups, or if you can't do pull-ups (I can't) then Australian pull ups. If your cousin destroyed his shoulder overworking himself he must have been being excessive, but doing 10 pushups, 30 squats, 10 triceps dips, 10 hip ups, is not over doing it. Just look up the exercises and make sure to use correct form, you are more likely to get injured from doing an exercise incorrectly than by doing too much.

Am I doing something wrong? I know its only been 2 weeks..but I need a sign that I'm losing weight.

Its hard to answer that, I have limited information. When you say you've been doing cardio for two weeks, does that mean you have only been trying to lose weight for two weeks? Or have you been trying for months and just ran into a problem in the last two weeks?

When you say you were at 227 early this week and then went up to 229 and stayed there, does that mean your starting weight was 227, or was it higher and went down to 227?

How often do you weigh yourself? Weight often fluctuates up and down by 5 pounds or more, so even if you step on the scale daily, recording once a week and only being concerned with that comparison is best. For example, I sometimes step on the scale midweek, but I record my weight every saturday, and its only the saturday numbers that I am concerned with in regards to my progress.

Also, weigh at around the same time a day with each weekly weigh in.

If you really want someone to answer what you are doing wrong, if anything, you must answer some basic questions.

1. When did you start trying to lose.
2. What was your starting weight.
3. Do you log everything you eat?
4. How many calories do you eat every day, both "net" calories and total intake?
5. Your height, gender, and age influence your calorie burn, so we need to know those too.
6. How do you log your exercise?
7. Do you eat back exercise calories?