Gained a pound! frustrated

Andrea_Reid

Bad weigh in for me. I up'ed my exercise intensity and stayed below my calories. Then I gain! not ok. This is when I start to doubt the process. In the past I lose and gain every month and usually don't come out ahead. I eventually give up. Well this is my 6th week and last week I had a huge 5lbs weight lose and this week I gained a pound. I am affraid the old pattern is started to develop. How do you stay motivated through the gains? why am I gaining, is it normal?

HMonsterX

Just ask yourself: Have i eaten a 3500 calorie EXCESS this week?

If the answer is no, then you havent gained a pound of fat, so dont worry

Shweedog

Just ask yourself: Have i eaten a 3500 calorie EXCESS this week?

If the answer is no, then you havent gained a pound of fat, so dont worry

^ THIS

Yooperm35

I gained 7# over night - it's That TOM - for me it's water retention. I can even see the swelling in my fingers. I am down the 7lbs plus today. I drink lots of water and let nature run it's course. Din't get frustrated and just keep plugging away!! If you are doing everything right, it WILL show!

gail2207

It's probably just a natural fluctuation, happens all the time so don't sweat it!

Also if you've upped your exercise remember it could be muscle you've put on, which weighs more than fat anyway. Are you making sure you're getting enough to eat? You need to eat back your exercise calories.

Good luck.

G xx

flutterqueen04

You just gained water weight. Nothing that can't be lost in a few days with drinking more H2O.

When you workout your muscles tear. They retain water to help heal. When they heal they are stronger. This is good. It is best not to weight in for at least two days after an intense workout. You will get the "false pounds." In order to gain an actual pound of fat you will have to had eaten all your allotted MFP calories, all your exercise calories, plus the deficit calories, PLUS an additional 3500 calories. If you didn't do that, then don't worry.

Giving up now is for the weak and non intelligent. You're not weak and dumb. bigsmile Hang in there.



Apparently you posted this topic twice. This is what I wrote in the other one. I posted it here too.

fbmandy55

Or a strenuous new exercise can cause you to gain muscle, you will eventually see the weight go down as your body fat decreases.

Missy0104

Read this.....it totally helped keep me from jumping off a tall building after a 4 lb gain after crazy exercise!!!

http://www.dailyspark.com/blog.asp?post=why_the_scale_goes_up_when_you_start_a_new_workout_plan

I now weigh in once a month. I'm WAY too affected by the number on the scale so I need to focus more on how I feel and how clothes fit.

But make sure you are NOT netting below 1200 calories.

HMonsterX

You need to eat back your exercise calories.

stephanie8625

I am so there with ya......IS THIS NORMAL????? I have lost 5 pounds, and I am not supposed to weigh in until Monday and record my weight -- but I was feeling good this week, stayed at my calorie count, and was in the gym almost everyday, so I decided I wanted to step on he scale this morning and I gained 1.5 pounds !!!!!!!! Now, I am not logging it in, because I am not supposed to officially weigh in until Monday -- I do not want to get discouraged either -- we need to stay strong, everyone on MFP says that it is either water weight or body getting adjusted --- give it some time, it will all work out !! But I am like you, I want to see results -- so I guess we need to be patient !! good luck, hang in there !!:flowerforyou:

Created by MyFitnessPal.com - Nutrition Facts For Foods

jrich1

Or a strenuous new exercise can cause you to gain muscle, you will eventually see the weight go down as your body fat decreases.

not really, when you increase your intensity to your exercise, your muscles retain water to help them heal afterwards, you dont just gain a pound of muscle that easily, its most likely water weight.

EmilySG2011

I bounce back and forth all the time and absolutely hate it! I came back from vacation and completely screwed up my exercise schedule---didn't exercise for 2 weeks and lost 3 lbs. It makes absolutely no sense!! Very very frustrating though---hard to keep the motivation. I think its a crazy women thing---I dont see men going thru this nonsense.

tangal88

As noted above - If you recently upped your weights/and or workout intensity - you have excess water weight in your muscles. You have stressed muscles beyond the norm, so they are pulling in extra water and nutrients to help the healing process. This is perfectly normal, and a good thing. You want some muscle stress to help rebuild more muscle tissue.

I weight daily, it fluctuates all the time, a few lbs here a few there. Up and down. But I really only focus on the weight in about every 7-10 days, and inch measurements. The day to day up and downs really are not a big deal in the overall picture, as long as you ARE going down or staying the same, on average, over a period of time.

What you go by is your inch measurements, and you overall weight loss over a period of time. Not weight lose/gain everyday. That will make you crazy.

For example - Last Month, I lost weight.

I showed a 2 lbs loss one day, the next day I gained a pound, the next day I gain three. I stayed at three extra pounds for a few days, then loose a half pound. Then lost a pound, then gained a lb, then stay there for a few days. Then lost two pounds, then gained a half pound. Stayed there a half week, gained another pound, then lost it a few days later etc. But at the end of the month I had lost weight from beginning of the month to the last weigh in at the end - and every week I lost some. Some weeks a tint bit, some weeks more. Exercise, diet all were the same the entire month.

I look at the start weight and end weight. And I had inch changes, and clothing fit changes.

Look at the big picture.

You can gain or loose 1- 5 sometimes even upto 7 lbs in a day or two - that is really not fat poundage.

Things like water, food and water you have eaten, water from bloating related to higher salt intact, water storage related to women cycles, water storage related to increase in exercise, not yet voided body waste etc. All can effect that day to day scale change.

A big meal at a Chinese restaurant, messed up my "scale weigh in" for 4 days. (salt ) I lost weight before I ate there, "gained" 4 lbs the next day. Held onto it for four days, then lost it all again over night. It was not true body weight fat of course.

27strange

You stepped it up a notch with exercise intensity and really watching your food intake. You gained water weight. Its water retention. You changed up the routine and your body reacted. Give it a few days and weigh again, I bet your down the 1lb plus some more. Don't get discouraged! The process is probably working. Give it more than 1 week to prove that its working.