Frustrated doesn't even begin to cover it

parkscs

Can someone explain how upping exercise can cause weight gain due to glycogen storage? Or point me to a source that will? I'm thinking maybe this is why I haven't lost as much weight since increasing my exercise amounts and would like to learn more. Thanks!

It's worth keeping in mind that this sort of water gain is finite in nature and you won't continue to accrue 5, 10, 15+lbs of water weight from working out. I would guess that even 5 lbs is pushing it unless you're taking something like creatine, but it will vary between individuals.

If you've been on a plateau for 6+ weeks after starting the gym, I'd say that odds are it's not just extra water weight offsetting your fat losses. But, it's not uncommon at all to see someone on the forums "freaking out" they gained weight after starting a fitness routine due to their muscles retaining a bit of extra water.

luvmypuggle

I don't eat a lot that I would have to weigh. If there is something then like I said, I would overestimate. Anyhow, no need beating a dead horse. I know most think I am failing to track correctly. That is fine. I may not be perfect at it, but I know I am pretty dang accurate most the time. So, I get your point. No need harping on.

_HeartsOnFire_

Thank you for the positive comments! I appreciate encouragement not being told how I am doing everything wrong.

No one has actually said you are doing everything wrong. They have advised you things that would actually HELP you. Things that you should check on or see about tweaking.

I just bought a food scale at Target, $40 (it does solids and liquids). I've been amazed and shocked at just how different things are and how wrong I was before I got the scale. It really is eye opening. I thought I was pretty close to logging accurately before, yeah, I was wrong and so far this week, I've been losing weight again, after not losing weight for some time...

_HeartsOnFire_

I don't eat a lot that I would have to weigh.

To really know what you are eating you really should weigh everything you eat. I really was amazed at what I thought was a serving size vs what actually was a serving size.

smn76237

I don't eat a lot that I would have to weigh. If there is something then like I said, I would overestimate. Anyhow, no need beating a dead horse. I know most think I am failing to track correctly. That is fine. I may not be perfect at it, but I know I am pretty dang accurate most the time. So, I get your point. No need harping on.

If what you're doing isn't working, why would you keep doing it? Insanity is doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results.

I'm not sure what you mean by "I don't eat a lot that I would have to weigh;" do you mean prepackaged meals? A food scale costs $20. Maybe change around your diet and buy things that you need to weigh like fresh fruit, vegetables, and lean meats and actually weigh a log your food for a few weeks. Even if you think it's pointless, I promise you, it's not. Seeing your daily breakdown of carb/protein/fat may also encourage you to eat differently, instead of just quick adding calories. It will also help having an accurate record of your food in case your weight loss still stalls and you need to see a doctor to rule out medical conditions that could hinder weight loss.

ladycadaverous

I don't know if this helps but the first thing my dietician said not to hit was the quick add.

bwogilvie

Lol to end this. Get a hrm with belt and watch, wear it for one day without exercising and there's the calories u burned. Now see if you are at a deficit.... I use my hrm all the time ... Cardio machines are usually off by a lot of calories, just putting it out there

That's not going to help much. HRMs are great at letting you know how fast your heart is beating. To go from that to energy expenditure (calories burned), they use equations that were developed for steady-state cardio at moderate or greater intensity - at least a brisk walk - without much changing. They can be inaccurate for interval training, and once your heart rate is below 100, the estimates they provide are useless. Firstbeat, a Finnish company, claims to have a more accurate formula that can better assess energy expenditure, including in interval training, but their formula is used in only a handful of Garmin and Suunto HRMs.

HRMs aren't a panacea even for continuous cardio. One study of the Polar F6 showed that, even calibrated with subjects' actual VO2max and HRmax, it overestimated energy expenditure by 27% (http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/21178923). An earlier study showed that the Polar S410 overestimated energy expenditure in women by 12% (http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/15292754). Another study found that the Polar S810i overestimated expenditure when exercising lightly but not moderately (http://www.jssm.org/vol9/n3/21/v9n3-21abst.php). The research seems to suggest that HRMs are less accurate for women than they are for men.

bwogilvie

Oh, one more thing: food labels can be inaccurate. This short film by Casey Neistat is an eye-opener:

http://www.nytimes.com/video/opinion/100000002061153/calorie-detective.html

Ang108

Finally, someone who understands me and where I am coming from! I am def going to add you as a friend. We can keep each other motivated as we are in the same boat it seems. It is frustrating that everyone keeps telling me what I am not doing when I know I am doing it. That is very FRUSTRATING! I do need to measure inches because I can tell a little that my legs and arms are toning up. My belly...that is a whole other issue! I am doing progress pics as well to try and stay motivated and encouraged.I fully intend to keep on keeping on as well. Exercise can't hurt me and I have races to train for. I am going to go by the calories the calculator someone posted for me and see how that works out. Do better at logging the foods and not quick adding. If nothing else...I can't be getting less healthy, right?!

I really don't want to tell you which friends to make here on MFP, but my suggestion is that for support it is generally much better to surround yourself with successful people instead of those that are just as frustrated as you are.
Good Luck !

Ang108

I don't eat a lot that I would have to weigh. If there is something then like I said, I would overestimate. Anyhow, no need beating a dead horse. I know most think I am failing to track correctly. That is fine. I may not be perfect at it, but I know I am pretty dang accurate most the time. So, I get your point. No need harping on.

Is it possible that you don't have to weigh because you eat McD's hamburgers, french fries and a package of beef jerky ( today's log ) and similar food in general ? While the quality of the food has nothing to do with weight loss, it definitely is not the diet for someone training for several difficult races and all the salt and additives might make you retain water.

kickassketo

The obvious thing to do is to stop having a cheat day.

MrsTits

If you are weighing food correctly and not under estimating, it could be that you're not eating enough to fuel your exercise, perhaps slowing down your metabolism in the process. Looking at your diary, you do use a lot of quick add calories. Whilst there's nothing wrong with this, it makes it a little harder to offer advice as no one has any idea on the types of food you're eating. Whilst in theory it's the cals that count rather than the types of food, the likes of McDonalds offers nothing that's nutritionally beneficial, but not sure if that's a regular thing or a one off.

Personally I would start logging properly, it doesn't take that long and once you build up a "menu" of stuff you eat regularly, it's there in your list so you only have to tick the box to add it, rather than searching every time. Weighing stuff is another good idea...unless you've been weighing for long enough to be able to "eye ball" correctly, you would be really surprised at the difference in "guesstimates", I know I've been caught out a few times with that.

You mentioned not really eating stuff that you would need to weigh...this would suggest to me you eat a lot of processed foods that are pre packaged and pre weighed. Do you not like stuff like vegetables or have the time to cook meals from scratch? Again, just guessing here as there's not much info to go on in your diary.

Eating some exercise cals back (if not all) would be good too otherwise your net intake is going to be very low. Your body needs fuel when exercising. Your deficit really shouldn't be too much under what MFP tells you, or else you have no where to go...like once you do shift a few pounds, your cals will go down to adjust for your loss, but if you're already eating very low, you can't reduce any further...if that makes sense?

angelycar

Hey,
Don't give up,I think i was in the same position 2 weeks back but i got loads of encouragement from my MFP friends and realized its more a lifestyle change than losing the pounds quickly.It takes a while to gain weight and it will take a while to get it off however everything your doing is on the right path to getting where you need to be.Just keep going,you may start to see results in 6 months,but when you do,it will be for good

1Cor1510

Finally, someone who understands me and where I am coming from! I am def going to add you as a friend. We can keep each other motivated as we are in the same boat it seems. It is frustrating that everyone keeps telling me what I am not doing when I know I am doing it. That is very FRUSTRATING! I do need to measure inches because I can tell a little that my legs and arms are toning up. My belly...that is a whole other issue! I am doing progress pics as well to try and stay motivated and encouraged.I fully intend to keep on keeping on as well. Exercise can't hurt me and I have races to train for. I am going to go by the calories the calculator someone posted for me and see how that works out. Do better at logging the foods and not quick adding. If nothing else...I can't be getting less healthy, right?!

I really don't want to tell you which friends to make here on MFP, but my suggestion is that for support it is generally much better to surround yourself with successful people instead of those that are just as frustrated as you are.
Good Luck !

Wow, really? Just because you found your "sweet spot" before I did that makes you more worthy of being a MFP friend? Interesting. I thought we were all here to learn from and support each other. In my post, I said I've lost 10 inches, I was just frustrated with the scale, and someone was VERY helpful and gave me another factor to consider to help me along. 10 inches isn't success to you?

luvmypuggle

Ang108 That was the first time I had McDonalds in two months. It isn't a regular occurrence. I know I am not the healthiest eater because I am not a big veggie or fruit person, but I am trying to incorporate that more. I eat a lot of sandwiches, grilled chicken with onion and bell peppers, hamburger meat (extra lean), brown rice and cheese. Those are common foods I eat.

WBB55

I don't eat a lot that I would have to weigh

So that means you eat a lot of things with labels. Prepackaged. Highly processed. And you eat out fairly regularly. (Not judging, I do it too.)

I know a lot of people have given you advice. I know you said you're going to buy a scale. But let me ask you something. Why are you losing weight and exercising "like crazy"? Is it to just LOOK good. Or is it to actually BE healthy.

There is absolutely nothing wrong with eating some of your meals at restaurants and from pre-packaged, processed foods. But if you're really doing this as often as I suspect, then my guess is you will be healthier and happier in the long term if you start respecting your body and the things you put into it. Whole foods, foods without labels, foods you have to weigh... making these your staple foods -- and the other foods as treats/once-a-week kind of things -- really WILL help you feel better (and it'll help the scale move more predictably, if you eat at a reasonable deficit) and BE healthier.

luvmypuggle

1Cor1510 I will take friends like you who are encouraging and don't put other people down or discredit them any day! You are doing fabulous!

_EndGame_

Take measurements. I get frustrated when I don't see a result on the scales, so I've learnt to appreciate the fact my clothing is getting baggier - constantly.

As others have mentioned, you usually see results within the first few weeks, due to water weight.

Drink water, keep an eye on your sodium - don't weigh yourself the day after a high sodium/salt day - give it a few days.

Good luck!

luvmypuggle

bwogilvie WOW, I knew they didn't have to be exact, but wow, those calories could add up fast. Thank you for sharing!

osothefinn

You are incorrect. I log my calories very precisely.

quick add

Mmhmm.