Hopeless

ANewton401

I have been a member of MFP for awhile now and I can’t believe my first post will be one of defeat and not success. For months now I have been hitting the gym doing and hour of cardio or spinning 4 or 5 times a week and eating balanced meals but I have GAINED weight. What’s the matter with me? What am I doing wrong? I am 5'9 and 173lbs. I know im not ‘obese’ but these pounds have followed me for years and I cannot, CANNOT, loose them, I feel bad even complaining because I know there are people out there with much harder battles to fight. Any suggestions/motivation/support/similar stories would be welcomed.

gangstagirl625

you should take measurements

monica208

do you track your sodium? that can maybe be the issue...

tifanieb

You could be gaining muscle. The old saying goes "it gets worse before it gets better". i am starting to hit a stall in my weight loss but i measure myself as well and i am losing inches not weight. it is slightly disappointing, but my clothes are starting to get lose now after a month and a half so it is encouraging me to continue. And your sodium intake really does affect it a lot though. you might want to do less sodium with more water.

cmbneeley

maybe try taking your body measurements. in my experience, the scale can't tell you the whole story. when i first started going to class at a gym, i gained weight too. but i also took my body measurements and they had shrunk. it confused me, until someone sent me this site (http://www.livestrong.com/tools/body-fat-calculator/). it told me my body fat % based on body measurements. when i did the math, i realized that i had lost over 5 lbs of "fat" but i had also gained 6-7 lbs of muscle. after 3 weeks, i finally started to see the scale move downwards. it was hard to stay motivated when the scale didn't tell me what i wanted to hear, but my sticking to it, i really was getting healthier and started to see results.

here's the math
calculate you body fat %
multiply that % by your total weight on the scale to get your "fat weight"
then subtract your "fat weight" from your total weight to get your muscle/organ/bone/water/other weight

do that each time you weigh in and it can help give you a more whole story of what your body is doing. hope this helps!
don't get discouraged! you can do it!

SweetTooth68

Are you logging every single thing you eat? I would definitely do that and if you want feedback on what might be going on with your food, make your diary open for others to check out. It really gives you so much information about what you are putting in your body when you log every single thing.

EmpressOfJudgment

I know what you mean. I did five 60+minutes cardio sessions, three strength training sessions, four 90 min Bikram yoga (hot yoga) sessions, and a lot of walking last week. I felt lighter and was sure I was going to see something great when I weighed myself yesterday. Nope. I showed a 3 pound gain. I was so angry and felt defeated. But I decided to just keep doing what I'm doing. I figured it had to be a fluke. Today the 3 pounds are gone, but that still means I lost no weight last week. The good news though, is that I got out the tape measure and I discovered my waist is 2.5 inches smaller! I've also lost inches in my hips and stomach since I've started. I'm still frustrated with the scale. I know this program works because I've seen the success stories, but I feel like I'm doing something wrong. I'm looking forward to the advice you get from other people here. I posted on my own page about it, but I don't have many friends yet, so the responses were minimal.

edit: I was under my calories everyday, but usually by only 200 calories or less. Usually less.

goaliema

Smile!!! You will get through it... You have come to the right place. I have learned so much from so many wonderful people here!

There are many things to consider..Here's a few

****Are you counting everything you put into your mouth then are you logging it in to mfp(it certainly helps to write it down..the good/bad and ugly...lol) perhaps too much sodium or carbs. Sometimes we think that a little of this here or there won't matter..but it you were to log it..you would be surprised how this and that adds up.

*****Are you drinking enough water. If not..... first thing in the morning..put a jug of water on your counter..it will remind you!!!!
****When at the gym are you putting your heart and solo into it and pushing yourself! If you don't think so...up your level of cardio..whether it be 5 extra minutes on the treadmill/eliptical or step up the intensity. You would be surprised what you can do!

Do you have mini attainable goals to keep you focused that will lead up to your overall goal?

Also...add some friends to keep or get you motivated. The support and encouragement is amazing here.. We are all here for the same outcome..whether we have 100+, 50+, 20, 5lbs to lose or maintain! **** A HEALTHY LIFESTYLE****
You would be surprised...on days that you don't think you have it in you...or you think that you would rather do this or that instead of the gym...pop on to mfp...the cardio buzz is contagious..serious. Once you have friends, view their diary..you will learn alot and also get some good meal ideas!

If you are doing all of the above and true to it..then maybe see your doc..your thyroid levels may need to be checked.

Just remember, once you have friends..if you fall off your wagon..let them know...they can and will encourage you to get back on..you just need to let them know.!

If you would like you can friend me..

All the best...
Goaliema

thirtyby40

I did not read through all the posts so forgive me if it is a repeat...

Are you eating enough calories for the amount of activity you are doing?? Your body may be clinging on to reserves if you are trying to starve it by burning far more than you consume. Trust me I worked out forever with no results, watched what I ate and consumed only minimal calories, wasn't until I started fuelling the fire that I saw results. Nobody was more sceptical than me about this since I had only lost weight through virtual starvation before but it worked and I am much healthier and energetic now than working out alone provided.

If you are eating enough are you sure you have the right calorie burn? The machines are just an estimate, buy a HRM to get an accurate burn for your workouts.

Best of luck.

ANewton401

Thank you all so much for your helpful comments and support! I did not even THINK about measurements, I’ve always thought the scale was the ‘bottom line’ to measure my success. I will start tracking my measurements tomorrow morning and hopefully I will see a difference there.
The sodium is another factor that I have not given thought to. I LOVE salt. Hmmm, 1+1=173lbs…I am so glad I reached out. Thank you all again. Hopefully my next post will be one of triumph! I’m actually excited to go to the gym tomorrow! Whoop whoop!!