Need Help

katiejarr

I have been doing 1200 cals a day and exercising 5 days a week, 45 mins of cardio and weights and at then end of the week I gained 2 pounds! I have been vigilant about calories and exercise and Im so disappointed, what am I doing wrong?

basalmouse

you need to not focus on the # on the scale but inches... are you doing your cardio before or after your weights??

TiniTurtle

possibly muscle gained? but that seems a little excessive. is your TOM due? & have you pooped recently? i know personal, but that could make a difference... otherwise make sure you're logging EVERYTHING you eat, including your diet drinks & condiments, they add up! & increase your protein, fiber, & water!

katiejarr

Cardio first, sometimes only cardio, typically elliptical or rower, Yoga once a week. I only weigh myself first thing in the am after I go to bathroom and before i eat anything and I write EVERYTHING I put in my mouth

Loko_Ino

Do you see a difference in how your clothes fit?
Your caloric intake could be too low and your body is holding onto reserves.

How many meals are you eating a day?
Spacing out meals levels out metabolism.

cayzel_sugi

The pounds don't just roll off the first week. Give yourself more time. Give it a month until you start losing weight. And also try to pay attention to your form when you are doing weights or the workouts. If you are not in good form when you do them, you're just wasting your time. Hang in there and keep up the good work! It will be worth it!

knowmydestiny

open your food diary for a day or 2 so we can see what you've been eating

dexter62

muscle weighs more than fat, perhaps you ve lost some weight but replaced that weight with new muscle, dont worry, keep doing what your doing, simply because with new muscle it keeps on burning calories even while you sleep as it builds itself, one morning you ll wake to find a difference on the scale thats more than you were expecting and you ll wonder why you let yourself get discouraged for nothing, KEEP UP THE GREAT WORK and give your body time to get used to the new you on the inside too. Dave

crudisill72

As you get lean you lose fat and gain muscle,, particularly if you are doing strength training exercises along with cardio, which it seems you are. Although weighing yourself is important, it's more important to measure how your clothes are fitting. If things begin to get baggy, then you are losing inches. You can lose inches, but still lose weight. Don't get discouraged either ... weight loss can fluctuate at times. Be consistent with your plan, and you will see results.

EDBENAGLIO

ARE YOU EATING 1200 BEFORE OR AFTER WORKOUT

katiejarr

workout on empty stomach in the morning

katiejarr

Thanks everyone! Im not giving up

sassyg

As you increase your exercise, your muscles increase their glycogen (muscle fuel) stores. this also has associated water retention. it can take a month or more for this to stabilise. Try not to let it get you too down, it's a good thing!

http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/193739-upped-exercise-and-experiencing-weight-gain

Its almost impossible to increase muscle on a caloric deficit - it takes a caloric surplus so you have something to build them from, and a great deal of effort, even then the very best bodybuilders etc can only hope for an oz a day max - but what you are doing is making them more efficient, and they need that glycogen to run : )

alifer

I agree with the two comments about gaining muscle. Muscle weighs more than fat and will burn more calories even when you are resting. If you have more energy and your clothes are getting loose, you are on the right track. Keep up the good work. It will pay off.

whatupskinnyjeans

workout on empty stomach in the morning

dont do that!!! eat something before so ur body has fuel to workout-smoothies work for me if i dont want to have that "full" feeling. if u dont eat beforehand ur body may go into starvation mode...not burn the fat

Loko_Ino

I agree with the two comments about gaining muscle. Muscle weighs more than fat and will burn more calories even when you are resting. If you have more energy and your clothes are getting loose, you are on the right track. Keep up the good work. It will pay off.

Physically muscle does not weigh more than fat, since a pound is a measured weight. This myth has really got to stop
Taken from a site I read up on not long ago:
"Muscle does not weigh more than fat, any more than lead weighs more than feathers. A pound is a pound is a pound. Where the misunderstanding often comes in is that muscle is much more dense than fat, so that, by volume, it seems to weigh more. That is, a pound of muscle occupies less space than a pound of fat. In addition, because a pound of muscle burns more fat than a pound of fat, even at rest, by increasing your lean muscle tissue mass, you're helping your body burn more calories.
But back to your question. If you only have a small amount of weight to lose, then you may feel like the weight training is not helping you move down on the scale. In fact, the number may even go up, but you will look thinner. This is due to an increase in lean body mass (muscle, bone, blood volume) and a decrease in body fat. In other words, even if the scale doesn't change much, you will probably see a difference in how your clothes fit.

On the other hand, if you have a lot of weight to lose, you will also experience an increase in lean body mass and loss of body fat. But the results on the scale will probably be more dramatic."

crudisill72

Should not work out on an empty stomach. You can't drive a car without fuel ... your body is a machine that needs fuel to run. Even if a small amount ... eat something before working out. Your body needs something to burn :-).