Fewer calories + More exercise = WEIGHT GAIN???

kiap38

So, I've been on MFP for about a week and a half now and I noticed that I was losing weight at the beginning. I'd eat the right amount of calories, and do some strength training and toning.

I've started adding 34min to an hour of Zumba everyday and now I've gained back!!! Apparently when I do cardio I burn the calories but I'm never hungry enough to eat them back to reach my goal calories. My lap band surgery causes me to be full after eating a small amount so I never seem to get enough calories, I have to eat empty calories or extremely limit my exercise. Which sucks because for the first time in my life, I actually like working out. It's helping me to get in shape and not feel so sluggish.

I don't know what to do =[ I'm just ready to be at my GW so I can just maintain already!!!

janet_pratt

Be sure to measure yourself. If you are doing strength training you are probably developing some muscle. It can cause the scale to go up at first. So measure yourself and even if your weight is going up, you should still be losing inches. My weight never changes but I lose inches. I'm gonna be like a cannon ball!

Agate69

Remember with Lap Banding as well as other weight loss surgeries, there are plateaus. I am on one also, but body measurements other than weight show that I continue to change.... Congratulations on your success.... Perhaps those couple of pounds are more muscle.... and less fat. I know this is the case for me right now....

Silvergamma

Not sure about how the surgery effects things, but I do know that when you increase and/or change your work out routine, your body tends to store more water and glycogen in your muscle tissue -> an initial weight gain.

annacataldo

when i do lots of cardio type stuff i go up pounds because your body pulls in water to heal itself (when you work out u break cells and such and u need to heal).. i always go up weight after excercising... just ignore the scale for awhile would be your best bet. and to get more calories, can you do something like add juice with breakfast, and milk with dinner, etc, so that your not filling up but still getting the nutrition and calories? What about eating calorie dense foods; such as nuts, raisins, fruit-like banana is over 100calories, same iwth some other fruits... peanut butter, rice, etc. What about adding healthy fats, such as olive oil, to cook your foods in; that will increase calories.

Also, you can go up some weight, and stay there, etc, when on plateaus, and can stay in plateaus for long times. ive been here 165 days been havent lost weight probabaly half my time here all added up. I got down to 254, but now im at 257 and not budging... but i know its just water weight and will come off eventually. i dont care if its tomorrow or a month from now, i know eventually it will come off.

ALSO--when your trying to lose your last 30lbs, the last 30, especially the last 10, take double the amount of time to get off then previous weight. your body goes into starvation mode quicker, it also doesnt burn as many calories doing the same things before, and all sorts of thigns. In my timeline, I gave myself till the end of the year to be around 200lbs, but then gave myself 6months to lose just the last 30lbs... even though ive currently lost 60lbs in 5months, i wont lose that fast when i get down there closer to goal. if your goal is set at 2lbs a week, dont expect those results at all; you may consider changing it to 1lb a week because it will pull you away from starvation mode, and your body will actually lose more/faster, than if you followed the 2lb a week setting.. the 2lb a week setting i think, personally, is for bigger people, until your within your last 30lbs of weight loss.

LoseItJourney

ALWAYS REMEMBER :

The last pounds are the hardest to lose !


Youll also be gaining some lean muscle, which weighs more than fat. !
So not all pounds are fat pounds.

ItsMeLori

Try just walking instead for cardio but continue the toning.

suzyms

First of all, if you are not feeling sluggish or "hitting a wall," you are not exercising too much so I wouldn't reduce that if you are enjoying it. I just found this site and love it, but had already lost 25 pounds in the last 3 months by logging on my own (eating healthier, exercising more). At the beginning, I had weight gain before I had loss as well. If you are doing new exercises that use different muscles than you are used to, you will gain muscle (which will look like weight gain at the beginning), but it will eventually burn more fat. Don't fixate on the scale for now and just work the program. I promise it will work! Sometimes when you don't see weight come off on the scale, you may notice it inches. It may help your motivation to take measurements and pictures every week so you have more than just the scale to judge by. Good luck and enjoy the journey!

pineapplewood

Weight loss doesn't happen overnight. Continue healthy eating and exercising and you will notice a difference long term. I have lost 15 pounds in 6 months but it took 2 months before I lost the first pound. Don't expect miracles overnight. Be patient and you will see the results you want.
MFP is a great resource and source of encouragement for long term weight loss. I'm glad you have joined the MFP community.

SoCalSwimmerDude

You don't need to eat empty calories. Eat high nutrient, high calorie foods like beans, rice, avacados, olive oil, flax oil, seeds, nuts, etc. All of them will fill up your belly less, but still get more calories. For instance, if you eat 3 bowls of rice puffs for breakfast, you'll probably feel really full, but you'll only get 150 cals or so...