Why am I gaining weight?

brockkoryrachel

Last year I lost a total of 40 lbs. Beginning weight was 190, then I went down to 150 lbs. During the holidays I slipped a bit...okay, who am I kidding...A LOT. Anyways, I gained 10 lbs and got back up to 160 lbs. I have continued to exercise faithfully for over a year now...at least getting in 5 hours of QUALITY cardio & weight training in each and EVERY week. After gaining the weight over a month ago, I got back on track with the eating and added protein to my diet...nuts to snack on & protein shakes for breakfast. I have had my treats from time to time, but for the most part I have stayed in my calorie allotment. Now for my concern...I weighed myself this morning and weighed in at a HORRIFIC 175 lbs...what the heck????? While losing weight I went from a size 15/16 in pants to a size 7/8...and am now a size 9/10. My confusion is that when I weighed 175 before I was in a size 13/14...so I just don't get it!!!! My workouts are HIGHLY intense still, I go to a gym and attend aerobic classes 5 days a week...ADVANCED aerobic classes. Anyways, any advice would be GREATLY appreciated!!!!

BTW, I know that I shouldn't go by what the scale says, but to MOST people that is a HUGE deal! I am really embarrased to tell others what I weigh!

brockkoryrachel

Last year I lost a total of 40 lbs. Beginning weight was 190, then I went down to 150 lbs. During the holidays I slipped a bit...okay, who am I kidding...A LOT. Anyways, I gained 10 lbs and got back up to 160 lbs. I have continued to exercise faithfully for over a year now...at least getting in 5 hours of QUALITY cardio & weight training in each and EVERY week. After gaining the weight over a month ago, I got back on track with the eating and added protein to my diet...nuts to snack on & protein shakes for breakfast. I have had my treats from time to time, but for the most part I have stayed in my calorie allotment. Now for my concern...I weighed myself this morning and weighed in at a HORRIFIC 175 lbs...what the heck????? While losing weight I went from a size 15/16 in pants to a size 7/8...and am now a size 9/10. My confusion is that when I weighed 175 before I was in a size 13/14...so I just don't get it!!!! My workouts are HIGHLY intense still, I go to a gym and attend aerobic classes 5 days a week...ADVANCED aerobic classes. Anyways, any advice would be GREATLY appreciated!!!!

BTW, I know that I shouldn't go by what the scale says, but to MOST people that is a HUGE deal! I am really embarrased to tell others what I weigh!

kerrilucko

well first I would check to make sure your scales ok, seriously, because 15 lbs? that's odd. Now the size discrepancy could be easily explained. if you're a lean and muscular 175 lbs you'll wear a smaller size than a flabby 175 lbs would. Because muscle takes up less space than fat. But like I said... 15 lbs is odd. You're not going to put on 15 lbs of muscle in a month. Especially while you're eating at a deficit. My guess is that either your scale was wrong before or it's wrong now.

heather0mc

keep in mind you have lost inches. when working out and building muscle, you loose fat. fat takes up a lot more room than muscle. so, you might weigh more but the inches will show you how much fat you have lost.

make sure you are drinking water. there are a lot of great posts on here about gaining vs. loosing etc. do some looking around and you might be able to find some answers.

i bet you feel discouraged, but i hope you stick with it! :flowerforyou:

brockkoryrachel

Great points ladies...thanks! I DO in fact feel pretty discouraged...especially when others are saying "you look like you lose weight EVERY day! How much have you lost?" Argh! I don't really want to tell them what I lost and what I have gained back!

I didn't mention that I am 5'9" tall, so when I was at 150 lbs that was actually my goal weight. I guess I just thought I would be able to sustain my goal weight for a bit longer, bummer!

And as for my scale...I really wouldn't be SUPRISED if that is the problem, it has a small dent in the middle...I wonder if that would make a difference???? Maybe it is time for a new scale???

Anna_Banana

Maybe you need to change things up. Your body is always making itself more efficient (using less calories to do the same things). So if you continue to eat basically the samethings and do the same exercises eventually your loss will slow down and you may even gain. what I try to do is change up my exercise program by doing different exercises. Sometimes I use exercise DVD's, sometimes I run, sometimes I use our cardio machine. I'm always doing something new to keep my body guessing.

ohthatbambi

I think maintaining is actually more difficult than losing b/c you are less careful, at least I am. I will let things slide and think it's okay. I will work out less intensely b/c I am not trying to attain a goal. I think that is why I am either always going up or always going down. I have a hard time in the middle. I am working on getting back to where I was last February and maybe even a few more and when I finally get there, I promise myself that I am still going to log my food. That holds me more accountable than anything!

jdelisle

well first I would check to make sure your scales ok, seriously, because 15 lbs? that's odd. Now the size discrepancy could be easily explained. if you're a lean and muscular 175 lbs you'll wear a smaller size than a flabby 175 lbs would. Because muscle takes up less space than fat. But like I said... 15 lbs is odd. You're not going to put on 15 lbs of muscle in a month. Especially while you're eating at a deficit. My guess is that either your scale was wrong before or it's wrong now.

Finally! Someone who says 'Because muscle takes up less space than fat' and not 'Muscle weights more than fat!' Well said.

heather0mc

Great points ladies...thanks! I DO in fact feel pretty discouraged...especially when others are saying "you look like you lose weight EVERY day! How much have you lost?" Argh! I don't really want to tell them what I lost and what I have gained back!

I didn't mention that I am 5'9" tall, so when I was at 150 lbs that was actually my goal weight. I guess I just thought I would be able to sustain my goal weight for a bit longer, bummer!

And as for my scale...I really wouldn't be SUPRISED if that is the problem, it has a small dent in the middle...I wonder if that would make a difference???? Maybe it is time for a new scale???

i think a new scale is in order! but dont live by that number - take measurements and go from there. i am guilty of being chained to my scale, but i use it more as a guide to my fluxuation more than anything. the tape measure tells the real story.

i think you are doing great! :flowerforyou: i am a tall girl too (6'1) and you have to keep in mind we carry our weight a bit differently, especially muscle tone.

as far as people asking questions, just tell them you dont weigh your self often enough to know exactly how much you have lost - or tell them you dont know, but you're still working hard at it!

pixiestick

Mix it up! How much of your daily calories are you eating for breakfast? You might need to give your metabolism a bit of a kick-start in the morning.

While muscle takes up less space than fat, it does not take 15lbs worth. I would a) check my scale and then b) evaluate what I was doing very closely.

Maybe you are eating more than you think you are... like with the nuts. Do you portion them out before you eat them? Are you eating healthful foods but late at night? is your exercise really challenging you?

Consider talking to your gym about setting up a time with a personal trainer. It can really help to have someone else give you some pointers on how to improve those valuable hours that you are giving back to yourself (as in to your physical body).

Don't be too discouraged. The fact that you are still way smaller (aka your pant size) should be encouragement that you have only strayed slightly from the narrow path. It's just time to look at yourself critically once again and say: body, it's time to get back on the wagon (or treadmill; we are, afterall, no longer trekking down the oregon trail).

Cheers!:flowerforyou: :flowerforyou: :flowerforyou: