Working out almost every day but gaining weight

ComingUntrue

Your adrenals are suffering. Seriously. I am in late stage adrenal fatigue (among other things) and trying to get my life back. Google it. Learn about your hormones and how they work. Have your cortisol levels tested. I'm only sounding harsh because it's a serious issue and I think you need to make yourself aware of how hard you are taxing yourself. It isn't all calories in, calories out. In fact, go to thepaleomom.com and check out her recent post about adrenal/hormonal health. There is a wealth of information online about this, so I'll leave it at that. I really wish you luck!

SLLRunner

How long have you been dieting and exercising? If you started a new program, some could be water retention.

If you have gained weight, then you are eating too much, because that's how a person gains weight. You can exercise all you want, but if you eat more calories than you burn you will gain weight.

Do you log your calorie intake and, if so, do you ensure you are using correct entries?

Do you weigh your food?

Do you log every single thing you put in your mouth.

SLLRunner

Is it 5lbs of muscle? It sounds like you are doing too much, maybe its water retention.

No as to muscle. Maybe some water retention.

SLLRunner

I guess I better start tracking better again.
Just really blows my mind that he eating could be that bad that it would counter balance all the training.

Is this pretty common?

Balance is when you know how many calories you are consuming and how many you are burning, and then you make adjustments in order to lose the weight. Knowledge is power.

SLLRunner

Your adrenals are suffering. Seriously. I am in late stage adrenal fatigue (among other things) and trying to get my life back. Google it. Learn about your hormones and how they work. Have your cortisol levels tested. I'm only sounding harsh because it's a serious issue and I think you need to make yourself aware of how hard you are taxing yourself. It isn't all calories in, calories out. In fact, go to thepaleomom.com and check out her recent post about adrenal/hormonal health. There is a wealth of information online about this, so I'll leave it at that. I really wish you luck!

Nothing but conjecture and a way to push a certain type diet.

Sarauk2sf

SLLRunner already asked...but when did you start working out?

Also, have you changed the nature/frequency/intensity of your workouts.

Over what period was the weight gain?

ana3067

It very likely could be the eating habits causing this.... I know my eating isn't perfect but I just thought that with this much exercise I should at least maintaining and not gaining.

Typical day for me is bananna and yogurt for breakfast,
Then lunch Is often a turkey and tomato sandwich on wheat with an apple, cheese string and maybe banana
Then dinner is something like homemade pizza, or chicken stir fry, or BBQ chicken and pasta salad or whole wheat pasta with chicken. And sometimes frozen yogurt for dessert.

Then on the weekends we usually go out to eat at least once and te usually not the best.. Something like pizza or typical restaurant food and a couple beer.

But even so on most days my calorie intake is never more than 1900.

1900 calories is way too much for someone your size. Try to stick to 1400-1500 calories a day.

.... no. I'm 5'7, with exercise 1900 is a reasonable deficit, possibly even too low. Assuming 150lbs.

skittle316

WEIGHT DOES NOT EQUAL FAT.
Measure your body before loosing weight. Your body likes to retain water but no way have you consumed over 20000 calories for it to be fat. It's probably water weigh, decrease your carbs to like 120g or stop working out so much. With all the workouts you should be drinking a good 3L of water a day and 3g of sodium. What are your macros?

SLLRunner

WEIGHT DOES NOT EQUAL FAT.
Measure your body before loosing weight. Your body likes to retain water but no way have you consumed over 20000 calories for it to be fat. It's probably water weigh, decrease your carbs to like 120g or stop working out so much. With all the workouts you should be drinking a good 3L of water a day and 3g of sodium. What are your macros?

Mmmmm.....perhaps she is consuming over 20,000 calories. Her diary is not open, so we would not know that.

veredit

its all about calories in and calories out. track how much you are burning and how much you are eating n adjust accordingly

This. It is really that simple.

Pixt

Honestly, without really tracking, you can't know what the culprit is, you can only guess.

Some steps you can take to start getting accurate data that can point you at real, accurate, answers about what's going on for you:

Take measurements periodically: waist, hips, arms, etc.
Take pictures: even if you don't show them to another person, comparing pics of today to three months ago can often be as significant an indication of change as the number on the scale.
Begin measuring your food and accurately logging it. Measure it with a scale (by weight) instead of with a measuring cup or spoon (by volume) unless it's liquid. (Seriously, it makes a difference).

Don't just shoot for keeping your calories under a certain amount (though do that as well) ... also watch your macros (carbs, fats, proteins) and make sure you're getting a good mix, you need some of each, and make a conscious effort to err on the side of more protein whenever possible.

Chevy_Quest

Have you looked at the thread, "LINKS in MFP you want to read again (and again)"?

Hi OP
Here is the link the above poster was talking about.

http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/1069275-links-in-mfp-you-want-to-read-again-and-again

stephe1987

1. You're probably eating more than you think. Be sure to weigh solids and measure liquids. Log everything because there is no such thing as a "free" or "negative" food.

2. You're probably not burning as much as you think. MFP and gyms usually overestimate how much was burned. So if you "eat back your exercise calories" you're probably eating back more than you actually burned. And if you're only estimating how much you're eating then you're eating back a lot more than you burned. If you aren't sure how much was burned or don't own a food scale, I usually recommend eating back up to half of those exercise calories to be on the safe side.

3. "Enjoying yourself on weekends" is a bad idea. Not that you can't eat/drink what you like, but having 1-2 (or 3 if your weekend starts on Friday evening) binge days can easily throw off your weight loss efforts from the rest of the week. I recommend staying under your goal every day. If you go over by a little on one day, make up for it by eating less the next day. Keep your diet at something sustainable: 80% healthy foods (carbs, proteins, fats) and 20% indulgent (foods that are high in sugar or sodium) but eat smaller portions so you consistently stay under your calorie goal, because staying under your calorie goal is the only way to lose weight.

4. If your weight loss gets stalled for a couple of weeks, that is a normal part of weight loss. If you stay at the same weight for more than a few weeks, chances are you're at maintenance meaning you're no longer eating at a deficit and need to adjust your calorie intake accordingly.

caracrawford1

I guess I better start tracking better again.
Just really blows my mind that he eating could be that bad that it would counter balance all the training.

Is this pretty common?

Lol. Lets just say my 7th marathon I did 5 20mile runs in addition to running 40 miles a week...and you guessed it I gained. Thought all that exercise would offset things. Learned the hard way I was wrong.

SLLRunner

WEIGHT DOES NOT EQUAL FAT.
Measure your body before loosing weight. Your body likes to retain water but no way have you consumed over 20000 calories for it to be fat. It's probably water weigh, decrease your carbs to like 120g or stop working out so much. With all the workouts you should be drinking a good 3L of water a day and 3g of sodium. What are your macros?

Mmmmm.....perhaps she is consuming over 20,000 calories. Her diary is not open, so we would not know that.

Isn't it amazing how much random information is popping up. Seems like more than the usual lately.

Yep.

RaggedyPond

Over estimating calories burned thus eating too much and gaining weight. Pilates and yoga probably only burns 100 calories in that 45 mins.

SherryTeach

It very likely could be the eating habits causing this.... I know my eating isn't perfect but I just thought that with this much exercise I should at least maintaining and not gaining.

Typical day for me is bananna and yogurt for breakfast,
Then lunch Is often a turkey and tomato sandwich on wheat with an apple, cheese string and maybe banana
Then dinner is something like homemade pizza, or chicken stir fry, or BBQ chicken and pasta salad or whole wheat pasta with chicken. And sometimes frozen yogurt for dessert.

Then on the weekends we usually go out to eat at least once and te usually not the best.. Something like pizza or typical restaurant food and a couple beer.

But even so on most days my calorie intake is never more than 1900.

1900 calories is way too much for someone your size. Try to stick to 1400-1500 calories a day.

I'm almost 60 years old, 5'1" and 104 pounds. I could never eat 1900 calories without gaining weight. My intake is more like 1350-1400 to maintain with moderate exercise. And if I didn't track it, my eating would gradually creep up. It is very easy to eat an extra couple of hundred calories without realizing it.

mandez19

Over estimating calories burned thus eating too much and gaining weight. Pilates and yoga probably only burns 100 calories in that 45 mins.

I don't think yoga and pilates burn any calories. You are just stretching and breathing.