Can someone explain this to me please?

KierstyPants

Okay. So. I've been working out 1-2 hours every night for five days this week.
I checked my calories. I exceeded 1800 one day. I was over sodium one day. So everyday after that I've been drinking at least 12 cups of water.
I ran near three miles a day and did about a half hour of strength training each day along with the elliptical and bike and stuff in the remaining time.
Also, I sweat like a BEAST and i sweat my water out cause its not even salty hahah, ew i know. but ANYWAYS.
So, I go to weigh in.
i've gained 4.5 pounds.
You can't gain muscle like that.. I didn't think. and I've been flushing out sodium to the best of my ability, so why the freakin heck did I gain that much?
I don't know, it really upset me cause i worked my @$$ off this week.

bachooka

Possible TOM?? (time of month?) Sometimes I am so focused on what a good job I have been doing, that I forget that I am bloating from PMS and just freak about the numbers.

LuckyLeprechaun

do the same thing for 4 weeks. Then if you haven't lost, you'll have a reason to worry. A week isn't that long.

wutamunkee

do the same thing for 4 weeks. Then if you haven't lost, you'll have a reason to worry. A week isn't that long.

Exactly, Our bodies, contrary to popular belief arent an exact science... but you have done well... just DONT QUIT!

KyleGA

I so hate using the scale as an indicator as to what is working and what is not...

At the end of the day...do you feel better about yourself on the days which you did all those activities compared to the days when you don't?

Do you notice your clothes fitting better or liking the reflection you see in the mirror better now then before?

Use those indicators...as the scale is so misleading. The stars have to allign just right before the scale is the accurate method. Meaning, that our body weight fluxuates 3-7 pounds per day. So if you caught your weight when it was on the upper end...it was just bad timing to weigh yourself.

Don't get discouraged...know that the healthy lifestyle journey is lifelong. Look for those NSV (NON scale victories) and be stoked about them.

Now, turn your frown upside down right now...it's Saturday and you should be happy!

Cheers!

sjtreely

There could be a variety of reasons ... different scales, scales aren't accurate, different clothes you weighed in wearing, weighed at different times of the day, TOM, retaining of water, you're not accurately measuring your calories, you're not accurately calculating calories burned while exercising, etc.

Give it another week and see what happens.

Aeriel

If you are just getting back into working out after being out of it for a while, your muscles may be retaining water for repairs. Are you sore and stiff? When I start back on intensive workouts, I always show a gain for at least the first week.

missikay1970

i agree, don't focus on the number just yet. the week i gained, i actually went down a pants size AND my rings were too big for my fingers. weight isn't always refelctive of the hard work you're doing. KEEP IT UP!!!

Shaz_74

Hi,
due to the amount of exercise you've been doing, your muscles are probably retaining water - especially if you're strength training everyday.
Try varying your exercise intensity - no need to go all out everyday. Have some lower intensity days and 1 or 2 complete rest days every week.

eates

Are your muscles sore? Muscles retain water when they're sore/healing.

Gwen7121

When I first start working out, or seriously increase activity, I always show a gain. Sometimes for 2-3 weeks. Every professional I have spoken with tells me the same thing - your muscles retain water in order to make repairs. So stick with it. You'll probably see the loss in a week or two.

RJSuperMan

A single, short, one-week period isn't long enough to accurately judge where you're at. Not to mention, 4.5 is less than a 2% change. Give it 4-5 weeks and KEEP UP THE GREAT WORK!!!

snhatfield

Don't let that bother you too much, again like someone else said wait a couple weeks and see what happens. Don't try to over push yourself too far this next week just because you gained a few poulds because you could actually do more damage and strain your body and then you won't be able to workout. Keep doing what you did this last week and definately KEEP HYDRATED and get your protein in.
Are you taking protein bars or shakes after workouts? I know with me personally (and everyone is different) I gained weight taking the pritein bars and shakes so I tried to find basic foods to eath through the day that was high in protein.
Keep your head up and don't give up yet, you WILL make progress.

Aeriel

Just went back and took a quick scan through your food diary over the last week. Couple of things jumped out at me. You eat a lot of processed foods. Try adding some fresh, home cooked food to it if you can. You eat very little in the way of fruits and vegetables or dairy. One day, you logged 2 hot dog buns and ketchup, but didn't log any hot dogs. You use a lot of power bars, which can have a lot of unnecessary sugar in them.

This site is only as good as your own accuracy. Make sure to weight/measure, write things down as you eat them so you don't forget them. Good luck!

Hopeinanguish

Okay, I apologize if this comes across as a little harsh...

After looking at your diary, I think you may be undermining your progress with what you're eating. I see a pretty decent amount of fast food and very little fruits/vegetables. Also, your diet seems to be kind of carb heavy. Depending on your body, some people respond very poorly to that many carbs. One other thing I see people do A LOT that is only cheating themselves is that they log things (like your "burrito" for example) by simply finding, "generic burrito" or whatever in the database instead of finding something that is the particular brand they ate or by entering every component as a recipe. Yes, it probably means more calories and whatever else...but it's also more accurate and true to yourself.

One other thing. If the strength training is new, there is sometimes a pretty decent lag before your body "figures out" the changes. Hold on! With a few diet changes and the excellent routine you're doing, you will see results. It's important to weigh yourself first thing in the morning, by the way. It's the most accurate time. Hope this helps!

PLUMSGRL

You're better off ditching the scale and grabbing a tape measure. Check every 2 weeks, measure neck, biceps,chest, waist (one inch above navel), hips, thighs, and cafes. Expect 1/2 loss from waist other parts are slower, may take 4 weeks to see changes.

geekymom57

Ditto to everything others have already posted. I can see a 4 pound weight difference in a single day and it's not even constant/predictable as to when it will be the heaviest/lightest. Just keep doing what you're doing that's good, pay very close attention to the portions and food--esp. as one has noted the "generic" items that may or may not have any relationship to what you actually ate.

I find it's much more accurate to enter the individual elements of a food item (such as a burrito) than to enter the item itself, unless it's a pre-packaged/prepared item that I know is exactly what is described.

I retain water very easily (very sensitive to sodium intake) and if I drank 12 glasses of water a day I'd likely be retaining a good amount of it no matter what I was eating.

tangal88

Muscle soreness, and or stiffness is NOT an indication of how much stress/damage/repair is going on.

This is very individual. Some people feel lots of soreness, with a very mild workout, another can feel little to no soreness, even with an very intense work, with lots of muscle repair going on. Everyone's pain threshold , flexibility etc differs. Sore to me, may be just a bit of tightness to you.

When muscles are worked in a new way, or with extra reps, extra lbs, or even longer then normal - this can all cause water to be drawn to the muscle to both feed and heal it. Which is what you want. This can easily show as 5 or even more lbs on the scale. Its not fat, nor new muscle. Its fluid.

It can take a week or two or even more to level out. depending on you, your body, your workout. This is why inche measures and clothing fit are a better indicator to use. The scale is a very very rough guide.

Be sure to also give yourself a rest day every week, the body needs the rest time, to rebuild muscle effectively.

janemartin02

Is it tom?Are you stressed<i found out from my dr,you can actually gain wt even if you are ex and eating right.
Do`nt be so hard on yourself.You`re doing great!
HUgs
jane

KierstyPants

Just went back and took a quick scan through your food diary over the last week. Couple of things jumped out at me. You eat a lot of processed foods. Try adding some fresh, home cooked food to it if you can. You eat very little in the way of fruits and vegetables or dairy. One day, you logged 2 hot dog buns and ketchup, but didn't log any hot dogs. You use a lot of power bars, which can have a lot of unnecessary sugar in them.

This site is only as good as your own accuracy. Make sure to weight/measure, write things down as you eat them so you don't forget them. Good luck!

Thank you!! That helps a lot.
I don't normally eat hot dog buns hahah. i was craving them, but thank you.

KierstyPants

Okay, I apologize if this comes across as a little harsh...

After looking at your diary, I think you may be undermining your progress with what you're eating. I see a pretty decent amount of fast food and very little fruits/vegetables. Also, your diet seems to be kind of carb heavy. Depending on your body, some people respond very poorly to that many carbs. One other thing I see people do A LOT that is only cheating themselves is that they log things (like your "burrito" for example) by simply finding, "generic burrito" or whatever in the database instead of finding something that is the particular brand they ate or by entering every component as a recipe. Yes, it probably means more calories and whatever else...but it's also more accurate and true to yourself.

One other thing. If the strength training is new, there is sometimes a pretty decent lag before your body "figures out" the changes. Hold on! With a few diet changes and the excellent routine you're doing, you will see results. It's important to weigh yourself first thing in the morning, by the way. It's the most accurate time. Hope this helps!

I actually looked at the contents of the burrito I ate, and didnt remember the name so i just named it a generic burrito, althought the burrito was processed, so theres a problem right there.Also, i don't know what fast food you're referring to. Perhaps subway? anyways, I'm just getting back into eating clean and im making steps. there's another problem, also You're not harsh at all. I suppose I should have re-evaluated what I was eating. I really appreciate your help and everyone else's help.
thank you =]


edited to add:
I just realized I went over on sodium three freakin days, and I didn't even notice. But yeah, now i know where i'm going wrong. I'm totally going to eat as clean as I can this week

odusgolp

If you're not, I'd also say, grab a tape measure and guage your progress that way as well

hbrittingham

I only looked at about 10 days of your diary. I noticed that one day you went over, but almost every other day you were very close to 1000 calories under. That is entirely too few calories and will cause your body to hold onto every single calorie it can. Try eating more and see if that helps.

Spedden

I agree with bachooka. How often do you weigh in? I think every two weeks is plenty. Good luck, and looks like you've lost a good bit of weight already and that you're doing all the right things!:flowerforyou:

sleepytexan

you are eating way too little. beware, doing that is what caused me (unknowingly) to pack on 15 lbs. over a year (and I work out 6 or 7 days a week).

you can read my profile to see my story if you're interested, but the key here is you are netting too few calories for your body to meet its basic needs, so it has no choice but to slow your metabolism. It is a vicious cycle if you don't break it quickly.

Work out hard > eat too little > metabolism slows > you gain weight > work out harder > eat even less > metabolism slows more > now you are tired AND gaining weight > get frustrated > binge > gain more > quit, fatter than you were to start.

DON'T DO IT! Seriously all you need to do is eat those exercise cals. Don't leave more than 100 cals in the green.

For more specific explanations see the 2nd page of SHOULD I EAT MY EXERCISE CALORIES .COM:

http://shouldieatmyexercisecalories.com/

For your own best interest, take the time to check out those reference links so you can understand this. It's counter-intuitive, and many people are quick to reject it unless they take the time to understand. Do you know any athletic people who can eat anything they want without gaining weight? THOSE people understand. You want to be like them, so read.

blessings.