Turning to the community for this one....

cookiepuss28

I need some assistance when it comes to going to the gym and actually losing weight.

I've had this problem in the past and I got very discouraged and stopped going. What seems to happen is that I end up GAINING weight when I would go to the gym. I would do cardio and some strength training. This time around I decided that until I get going, that I would only do cardio and add the strength training later on. I always gained muscle very quickly but even though I gained pounds, my clothes got tighter instead of looser. It's been the same thing this time, even with JUST cardio. I haven't lost more than my 3lbs from the first week I started. I've been staying steady or gaining a pound or 2. It fluctuates.

I do an hour on the treadmill on a 15% - 20% incline at about 3.3mph (burns about 800 calories for the hour), plus I walk home from the gym, so I burn about (1000) for the day. I do this about 5-6 times a week. I am always under my calorie goal and try not to eat the calories that I burned. I will eat maybe only about 200 - 300 of them. (1200 base calories for the day + about 200 exercise calories).

My activity lifestyle Before exercising was pretty much non existent. I work from home and sit in front of a computer all day and night so I really didn't do much at all. Since I started going to the gym, I walk about 17 miles a week or more (obviously more, but that is just from the gym alone) which is WAY more than what I am used to doing, so I would think it would be easier for me to lose weight with increasing my exercise that much AND I know I also am eating a lot less and making better choices.

What I have also noticed is that if I take 2-3 days off from the gym in a row, I will lose several pounds even while eating incorrectly. I would think it would be the other way around, eat correctly + go to the gym=weight loss.

I'm not sure exactly what I am doing wrong. Am I not eating enough? am I still somehow eating too much? I don't know what to do in order for me to balance this out. Any help would be GREATLY appreciated. It's just very discouraging to be making better choices for myself and being more active and not seeing the results.

zoebea33

bump, i am also feeling this!!!!

ladybug1620

I am always under my calorie goal and try not to eat the calories that I burned. I will eat maybe only about 200 - 300 of them. (1200 base calories for the day + about 200 exercise calories).

Enough said. This is your problem. You need to eat more.

What you're saying is you eat 1200 cals, burn 1000, and then eat 200 back...so you are surviving on 400 calories a day? (1200-1000+200=400). Your body thinks it's being starved at 400 calories a day and thus holding on to weight. EAT.

cookiepuss28

I am always under my calorie goal and try not to eat the calories that I burned. I will eat maybe only about 200 - 300 of them. (1200 base calories for the day + about 200 exercise calories).

Enough said. This is your problem. You need to eat more.

What you're saying is you eat 1200 cals, burn 1000, and then eat 200 back...so you are surviving on 400 calories a day? (1200-1000+200=400). Your body thinks it's being starved at 400 calories a day and thus holding on to weight. EAT.

Should I be eating back the entire 1000 that I burn?

millermichellelea

weight training first - cardio second :O) I was doing it the other way around and when I switched it really made a difference. I switched because of an article in Men's Health about doing weight training first and cardio second due to the way your body burns fat. You should be able to find the article on their site.

jamie1888

I am always under my calorie goal and try not to eat the calories that I burned. I will eat maybe only about 200 - 300 of them. (1200 base calories for the day + about 200 exercise calories).

Enough said. This is your problem. You need to eat more.

What you're saying is you eat 1200 cals, burn 1000, and then eat 200 back...so you are surviving on 400 calories a day? (1200-1000+200=400). Your body thinks it's being starved at 400 calories a day and thus holding on to weight. EAT.

^ This!
You need to eat more and/or cardio less! Starving yourself to lose weight is myth!

lottycat

I am always under my calorie goal and try not to eat the calories that I burned. I will eat maybe only about 200 - 300 of them. (1200 base calories for the day + about 200 exercise calories).

Enough said. This is your problem. You need to eat more.

What you're saying is you eat 1200 cals, burn 1000, and then eat 200 back...so you are surviving on 400 calories a day? (1200-1000+200=400). Your body thinks it's being starved at 400 calories a day and thus holding on to weight. EAT.

Exactly what I would have said. You body needs fuel to do all this exercise! EAT! x

cookiepuss28

weight training first - cardio second :O) I was doing it the other way around and when I switched it really made a difference. I switched because of an article in Men's Health about doing weight training first and cardio second due to the way your body burns fat. You should be able to find the article on their site.

It's funny, because when I did both cardio and strength training a while back, I would do my warm up, then do strength training and do my cardio after, only because it felt like I had more energy and I could push myself harder LOL. It's good to know that I wasn't doing things a** backwards

ladybug1620

I am always under my calorie goal and try not to eat the calories that I burned. I will eat maybe only about 200 - 300 of them. (1200 base calories for the day + about 200 exercise calories).

Enough said. This is your problem. You need to eat more.

What you're saying is you eat 1200 cals, burn 1000, and then eat 200 back...so you are surviving on 400 calories a day? (1200-1000+200=400). Your body thinks it's being starved at 400 calories a day and thus holding on to weight. EAT.

Should I be eating back the entire 1000 that I burn?

If you search the boards, this is a pretty heated topic on here. Personally, I try to eat all that I burn. But I usually only burn about 500 per day.

Marcus_E

Loads of topics already in the forums covering this:

http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/6832-eating-all-of-your-calories-bmr

http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/23912-links-in-mfp-you-want-to-read-again-and-again

Have a scan through them and you'll see the common answer - you need to eat more..

Good luck

ukhennin

It's also a myth to believe that you can actually put multiple pounds of muscle on in a short period of time. I guarantee your weight gains or lack of losses from before are not from putting on too much muscle.

TiDinzeo

IT looks to me like what you're doing wrong is not eating enough calories. You should be eating back most of your exercise calories. MFP already allows for a calorie deficit which will let you lose weight at a safe rate. If you burn too much then your body will hold onto as many calories as it can. Which means it will store it as fat, instead, your body will burn muscle as that's an easier energy source for it to get to. That's what nutrition professionals and people on the MFP boards calls starvation mode.

I will add that I'm not a nutrition professional I'm just repeating information I've heard from someone who is.

TacoGibbons

I need some assistance when it comes to going to the gym and actually losing weight.

I've had this problem in the past and I got very discouraged and stopped going. What seems to happen is that I end up GAINING weight when I would go to the gym. I would do cardio and some strength training. This time around I decided that until I get going, that I would only do cardio and add the strength training later on. I always gained muscle very quickly but even though I gained pounds, my clothes got tighter instead of looser. It's been the same thing this time, even with JUST cardio. I haven't lost more than my 3lbs from the first week I started. I've been staying steady or gaining a pound or 2. It fluctuates.

I do an hour on the treadmill on a 15% - 20% incline at about 3.3mph (burns about 800 calories for the hour), plus I walk home from the gym, so I burn about (1000) for the day. I do this about 5-6 times a week. I am always under my calorie goal and try not to eat the calories that I burned. I will eat maybe only about 200 - 300 of them. (1200 base calories for the day + about 200 exercise calories).

My activity lifestyle Before exercising was pretty much non existent. I work from home and sit in front of a computer all day and night so I really didn't do much at all. Since I started going to the gym, I walk about 17 miles a week or more (obviously more, but that is just from the gym alone) which is WAY more than what I am used to doing, so I would think it would be easier for me to lose weight with increasing my exercise that much AND I know I also am eating a lot less and making better choices.

What I have also noticed is that if I take 2-3 days off from the gym in a row, I will lose several pounds even while eating incorrectly. I would think it would be the other way around, eat correctly + go to the gym=weight loss.

I'm not sure exactly what I am doing wrong. Am I not eating enough? am I still somehow eating too much? I don't know what to do in order for me to balance this out. Any help would be GREATLY appreciated. It's just very discouraging to be making better choices for myself and being more active and not seeing the results.

You probably are not eating enough. Use this site (http://www.caloriesperhour.com/tutorial.php) to find your BMR, then your daily calories burned, how many calories you should be eating based on those #s, then what 15-20% of that is for your calorie deficet, then what percent of those calories should be protein, carbs and fats. I found that running throught he whole tutorial I was eating far too little (1,200 diet) and I was supposed to be eating 2-300 calories more (not what MFP told me). I have been losing weight more easily since figuring out all these numbers.

You're doing a great job at the gym, but you need to make sure you're eating enough food and the right ones at that. Mayeb make your diary public so that you can get some more specific input on your problem.

Also--if figuring all that out on your own is difficult you could see a dr/nurtionist to get suggestions.

cdnswty

I agree. Eat your exercise calories. I was stuck and not losing or gaining; going to the gym and eating right, but I was not eating enough. My husband did some research for me, and found that I needed to increase my calorie intake on days that I was burning more. I hate to admit it, but he was right. I started to increase my food intake (healthy choices) and the weight has started to come off again.
You can do it!!!!!!

thumper44

http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/23912-links-in-mfp-you-want-to-read-again-and-again

Enjoy. There's lots of reading. I'm with the others. You are not eating enough.

cookiepuss28

Thanks for all of your replies. I don't purposely "Not" eat, I just feel so full and satisfied when I workout. It's when I DON'T go to the gym that I eat like a crazy person LOL.

otr12

I am always under my calorie goal and try not to eat the calories that I burned. I will eat maybe only about 200 - 300 of them. (1200 base calories for the day + about 200 exercise calories).

Enough said. This is your problem. You need to eat more.

What you're saying is you eat 1200 cals, burn 1000, and then eat 200 back...so you are surviving on 400 calories a day? (1200-1000+200=400). Your body thinks it's being starved at 400 calories a day and thus holding on to weight. EAT.

Agreed. But that wouldn't cause a weight GAIN. What else is going on here?

Tiggermummy

the important thing is that your net calories is more than 1200.

so you might need to eat 60-80% to get the value up to that level.

I was quite surprised how quickly my weight loss stalled when I slipped below the net 1200.

good luck

ladybug1620

I am always under my calorie goal and try not to eat the calories that I burned. I will eat maybe only about 200 - 300 of them. (1200 base calories for the day + about 200 exercise calories).

Enough said. This is your problem. You need to eat more.

What you're saying is you eat 1200 cals, burn 1000, and then eat 200 back...so you are surviving on 400 calories a day? (1200-1000+200=400). Your body thinks it's being starved at 400 calories a day and thus holding on to weight. EAT.

Agreed. But that wouldn't cause a weight GAIN. What else is going on here?

I can't see her diary, but maybe the types of food she's eating has too much sodium, maybe she's not drinking enough water, maybe she's having too much sugar? All of those can cause water retention, and cause the scale to go up.

morganadk2_deleted

Are you eating to enough?

http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/10589-for-those-confused-or-questioning-eating-your-exercise-calo

http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/61706-guide-to-calorie-deficit


This is just a part of it! please read the link above


Generally someone with a BMI over 32 can do a 1000 calorie a day (2 lbs a week) deficit
With a BMI of 30 to 32 a deficit of 750 calories is generally correct (about 1.5 lbs a week)
With a BMI of 28 to 30 a deficit of 500 calories is about right (about 1 lb a week)
With a BMI of 26 to 28 a deficit of about 300 calories is perfect (about 1/2 lb a week)
and below 26... well this is where we get fuzzy. See now you're no longer talking about being overweight, so while it's still ok to have a small deficit, you really should shift your focus more towards muscle tone, and reducing fat. This means is EXTRA important to eat your exercise calories as your body needs to KNOW it's ok to burn fat stores, and the only way it will know is if you keep giving it the calories it needs to not enter the famine response (starvation mode)






Good luck on your journey

TiDinzeo

I am always under my calorie goal and try not to eat the calories that I burned. I will eat maybe only about 200 - 300 of them. (1200 base calories for the day + about 200 exercise calories).

Enough said. This is your problem. You need to eat more.

What you're saying is you eat 1200 cals, burn 1000, and then eat 200 back...so you are surviving on 400 calories a day? (1200-1000+200=400). Your body thinks it's being starved at 400 calories a day and thus holding on to weight. EAT.

Agreed. But that wouldn't cause a weight GAIN. What else is going on here?

It could cause weight gain if the body was holding on to more than it was before. Or as ladybug said, it could be water retention.

cookiepuss28

It's also a myth to believe that you can actually put multiple pounds of muscle on in a short period of time. I guarantee your weight gains or lack of losses from before are not from putting on too much muscle.

I wasn't suggesting that all of my gain would be from muscle.. I misspoke if I implied that. I do know that I am able to increase the amount of weight I am able to handle on various exercises. For example, Weighted calf raises, I started out doing about 80 lbs and within 2 weeks I was able to do about 140 lbs.... the hip adduction, I would start out at about 70 lbs and in about 2 weeks I was up to 130 lbs.

I don't know if something else is going on with how my muscles are working but I do feel a lot more solid and definitely stronger LOL

jeffrodgers1

I am always under my calorie goal and try not to eat the calories that I burned. I will eat maybe only about 200 - 300 of them. (1200 base calories for the day + about 200 exercise calories).

Enough said. This is your problem. You need to eat more.

What you're saying is you eat 1200 cals, burn 1000, and then eat 200 back...so you are surviving on 400 calories a day? (1200-1000+200=400). Your body thinks it's being starved at 400 calories a day and thus holding on to weight. EAT.

Bang on!

Additionally your body retains fluids to help repair tissue damage. When you work out, you are stressing and straining muscle tissue, which needs to be repaired. This happens to me every time I race. I end up gaining 4-5 lbs for the 2 or 3 days after a race and I know that it is largely water weight.

cookiepuss28

I am always under my calorie goal and try not to eat the calories that I burned. I will eat maybe only about 200 - 300 of them. (1200 base calories for the day + about 200 exercise calories).

Enough said. This is your problem. You need to eat more.

What you're saying is you eat 1200 cals, burn 1000, and then eat 200 back...so you are surviving on 400 calories a day? (1200-1000+200=400). Your body thinks it's being starved at 400 calories a day and thus holding on to weight. EAT.

Bang on!

Additionally your body retains fluids to help repair tissue damage. When you work out, you are stressing and straining muscle tissue, which needs to be repaired. This happens to me every time I race. I end up gaining 4-5 lbs for the 2 or 3 days after a race and I know that it is largely water weight.

I would agree with what he is saying...and others that it would be water retention... I know the 2 lbs fluctuation isn't actually fat... but it is an annoying 2lbs lol

kgool

bump, so I can read later.

seansquared

Eat. Your. Calories.

cookiepuss28

Thank you all for your replies. I'm used to doing things the "weight Watchers" way... so the calorie counting method is new to me. While weight watchers did have great results for me (lost 115 lbs so far) it got too expensive for the membership and what not. Now I just need to lose the rest of the weight.

jeffrodgers1

Make sure you eat back at least half your exercise calories. Keep in mind that MFP already creates a 500 calorie deficit for you.

Also make sure you drink lots of fluids. It will help cut down some of the post workout weight gain.

olyrose

I have read in a few places that your muscles (or something) retain water when you start an exercise program, so initially, you could show a weight gain or at least stay steady in your weight. The advice I have seen is to keep going, and eventually (could take a month or so) it should start coming off.

I've had the exact same problem, and it is so discouraging. I'll go for a week with no loss, then take a week off and drop a few pounds. Doesn't exactly motivate you to exercise.

I agree with the eating more too, it is a concept that makes sense when you look at the numbers.

LM_105

bump

propjetprop

Weight lifting with ultra light weights and high reps will get your heart rate going better than a 10 min jog...

Grab the 3-5 lb dumbells and start doing shoulder presses, or bench press the bar until fatuige and tell me what your heart rate is!

Good luck!