So what am I doing wrong?

trijoe

My first week I did everything right. Modified my diet, hit the treadmill, drank more water, you name it. I gained 5 pounds. Who'd a thunk it!!! Truth was, it was all good gain. I was so terribly out of shape that those 5 pounds were all muscle being added. Over the next few weeks, I started dropping, and kept dropping for a nice long time.

Patience, grasshopper. Panic now, and you risk losing the momentum you have. Just keep up the good work with your exercise and quality food intake, and pretty soon you'll be looking back at this little moment in time and having a happy chuckle over it.

Doing the right things for/with your body isn't exactly what your body's used to. Your brain says time to change, but your body says Really? I kinda like the old way...

Keep up the good work! You're doing better than you're giving yourself credit.

Hellbent_Heidi

Set your diary to track sodium intake too. It can really play hell with water retention if you're going over and its a mistake MANY of us make in the beginning.

Be patient...you WILL lose if you stick with it. Good luck, and keep at it!

erickirb

Oh and watch your protein intake, if you eat too much with out using it, it turns into fat.. Athletes who exersize a lot can eat a lot of protein and it gives them the energy they need to do so much physical activity, but these are people that put hours into physical activity which allows them to eat a lot of protien. I know you are doing 30 day shred and some other things but watch your protien intake because you might not be using it all. Drink lots of water and eat lots of veggies. The more water you drink the less water retension you will have.

I did not know that either! I've been eating lots of protein because I thought extra is better for my muscles! I will cut back a little on the protein!

Keep eating more, don't listen to this comment, it is way off base and not based on sound knowledge. If you don't eat a lot of protein while in a caloric deficit you will lose muscle.

ninerbuff

I completed my first full week of sticking to my calorie intake and exercising, and I didn't lose anything (I'm set at 2lbs a week). In fact, I gained .2lbs. What did I do wrong, and what can I do to fix it? My diary is open. Thank you!

Water weight from exercising. Normal if you're new or restarting it.


A.C.E. Certified Personal Trainer
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Kickboxing Certified Instructor
Been in fitness for 28+ years and have studied kinesiology and nutrition

hairdidkris

If you are putting on muscle, you would be adding weight since muscle weighs more than fat. You should stick to cardio in the beginning. Also, how many carbs are you doing in a day?

yesiwillbeloosingit

I think these posts sometimes can be really confusing, and you should take a step back from it and listen to your body. Don't cut back on the exercise if it is not making you feel ill or anything.

Also as some others say - you are 1 week in - give it some time and you will see results. From what I can see from your diary you are eating a good wide range of food and you - which is great .. Keep going and dont forget that sometimes its better to forget about the number on the scale and use cloths to notice the changes

GL with everything

erickirb

So...protein...is extra good or bad? =/

Good, very very good. I would suggest eating 20-30% of your total calories from protein. MFP sets you at 15%, if you don't want to change this, use it as a guideline for minimum intake.

wilma6308

I personally do not like to weigh myself every day because your weight can fluctuate soo much! Try weighing yourself every 2 weeks or even every week so you don't see those numbers going up and down so often. I normally do not weigh myself until the end of the month. If you can feel a difference in the way your clothes are fitting and know you are eating healthier and working out regularly then it shouldn't matter what the scale shows. Keep a positive attitude and the weight will start falling off!

erickirb

If you are putting on muscle, you would be adding weight since muscle weighs more than fat. You should stick to cardio in the beginning. Also, how many carbs are you doing in a day?

she would not be gaining muscle in 1 week. Water in muscles yes, muscle itself, no.

Hellbent_Heidi

Oh and watch your protein intake, if you eat too much with out using it, it turns into fat.. Athletes who exersize a lot can eat a lot of protein and it gives them the energy they need to do so much physical activity, but these are people that put hours into physical activity which allows them to eat a lot of protien. I know you are doing 30 day shred and some other things but watch your protien intake because you might not be using it all. Drink lots of water and eat lots of veggies. The more water you drink the less water retension you will have.

Protein doesn't turn into fat. The way your body puts on fat is that it takes in more calories than it burns. All calories are equal to your body. It doesn't matter if those calories come from protein, fat, or carbohydrates. If there are too many calories then your body will store them as fat.

As others said too..you aren't going to be "gaining muscle' in just one week, so be careful about the advice people throw around on here, and research anything that doesn't sound feasible. I'm not claiming to be an expert either, but there's a WHOLE LOT of misinformation being passed along on this site!

Virginia90

I will change my diary to track sodium - I was astounded how much sodium was in soy sauce and instant mashed potatoes! I can't image how high my sodium intake was before I started to eat healthy!

Kelbel1234

I would try to eat more for breakfast and lunch, and less for dinner. And drink lots of water! Also, I've had good luck dropping pounds from switching from coffee to tea.

Hellbent_Heidi

I will change my diary to track sodium - I was astounded how much sodium was in soy sauce and instant mashed potatoes! I can't image how high my sodium intake was before I started to eat healthy!

It was a real eye opener to me as well (that's why I mentioned that). Now after watching it a lot more closely over the past 6 months or so, I'm astounded how much I notice it when I eat something that I used to love and wonder "was it really this salty before?"

Virginia90

I'm hesitant to believe it's water retention, because from the 1st to the 2nd, I dropped 5lbs overnight and assumed that was my water weight (probably from eating less carbs - unintentionally) . Since then, nothing. :frown:

erickirb

I would try to eat more for breakfast and lunch, and less for dinner. And drink lots of water! Also, I've had good luck dropping pounds from switching from coffee to tea.

timing of food intake is not very important. It is all about hitting your macros and calories for the day. If you eating schedule works for you now, don't bother changing it.

erickirb

I'm hesitant to believe it's water retention, because from the 1st to the 2nd, I dropped 5lbs overnight and assumed that was my water weight (probably from eating less carbs - unintentionally) . Since then, nothing. :frown:

Yes but since 30DS has some weights your muscles will retain water, so you may have lost some initial water, but not all of it. When did you start the 30DS?

RenaPink11

Watch your sodium intake.. your calories may be where they need to be, but if the sodium is high, it will make you retain water. Like Diet Soda's are zero calorie, but usually high in sodium. I had to cut mine out. Good Luck!

TinaBean007

If your diary is accurate, you are not eating enough. Calories are fuel and VERY necessary. Someone told me a long time ago that it takes 1 - 2 weeks to realize the benefit of working out and eating well. Stick to it... it's worth it!

Virginia90

I'm hesitant to believe it's water retention, because from the 1st to the 2nd, I dropped 5lbs overnight and assumed that was my water weight (probably from eating less carbs - unintentionally) . Since then, nothing. :frown:

Yes but since 30DS has some weights your muscles will retain water, so you may have lost some initial water, but not all of it. When did you start the 30DS?

I've been doing it since January 1st. That makes sense - I am learning more about my health and body than I ever did in health class in school. lol

psuLemon

Also, are you eating back at least some of your exercise calories? If not, you should eat at least 50-75% of them or do yourself a favor and change your goal to 1 lb per week and don't worry about the exercise calories as much.




And FYI, you can't increase lean muscle mass on a caloric deficit, let alone a very large caloric deficit. Agreed on the water retention.

Yanicka1

Oh and watch your protein intake, if you eat too much with out using it, it turns into fat.. Athletes who exersize a lot can eat a lot of protein and it gives them the energy they need to do so much physical activity, but these are people that put hours into physical activity which allows them to eat a lot of protien. I know you are doing 30 day shred and some other things but watch your protien intake because you might not be using it all. Drink lots of water and eat lots of veggies. The more water you drink the less water retension you will have.

Congrat, you just won the worst advice of the day award. I eat 120g of protein a day and losing body fat.

shydaisi

I would say it is water retention - probably a combination of a new exercise program causing your muscles to hold on to water while repairing, eating too much sodium, and not enough water to flush it out. You are eating at a deficit (unless you are GROSSLY miscalculating your calories consumed or burned - do you measure and/or weigh your food? I know you are using a HRM so it isn't likely that), so most likely you have lost some fat this week (as evidenced by the inches lost), but it is being hidden by the water. If you stick to your calories and exercise, watch the sodium, and drink your water (half of your body weight in ounces), you will likely see a loss in the next week or two!

You canNOT build muscle while eating a calorie deficit, so you are not "turning fat into muscle" as one poster stated.

Eating extra protein is good.

I don't think exercising more than once per day is bad as long as you are listening to your body and not over-doing it, and as long as you take rest days and are alternating your exercises to allow your body to recover.

sayfay

I haven't read past page one, so this may have already been answered. But, are you measuring your food? I started actually measuring and weighing what I eat and I have to say I was pretty surprised at what 1/2 cup of something actually looks like! I was way overestimating my portion sizes. Weighing/measuring my food helped a lot. good luck!

ILiftHeavyAcrylics

To me the only thing you're doing wrong is setting your expectations too high. It's normal for your body to need time to adjust. You shouldn't expect to see great losses in one week, especially while starting an intense exercise program. Just slow down your brain and keep going. I gained 2 lbs in the first two weeks I was here and then I started losing consistently. Give it time.

Jconner30

in 3 months it willl be a year for me running and exercising from couch potato. This is a LONG TERM LIFE CHANGING EVENT! Dont get stuck on the quick fixes - look at it LONG TERM - at first you wont lose - you may even GAIN but your clothes will fit better. Toss that scale away for about a month. I weigh myself less now and I feel freedom! It will come off if you stick to it.

nurseymama

I almost always have a lag in weight loss initially when I'm doing exercise like the 30DS... It's a great workout and you will see results but I just think you hold on to water initially. Be patient! I know it's so hard!

marndawg

Nothing wrong with starting to get healthier.

Scale numbers are just one factor. When I get discourage. Actually zero weight lost over the last 4 weeks... I remember back when I couldn't walk up a flight of stairs without breaking a sweat or tie my shoes without getting lightheaded. The holidays were heavy with rich foods and a spotty work out schedule. Could be water weight or the building of muscle.

Just keep consistent. Good luck.

Virginia90

I am eating most of my exercise calories back (and it's why I exercise a little extra sometimes, so I can eat a little more. LOL) I am measuring everything (it's annoying my husband. lol) and weighing things on my postal scale (until I get a kitchen scale) that need weighing. So I can't build muscle while eating less? Does that mean I won't get stronger, or am I misunderstanding? I thought I was building a little muscle because if I flex my arms I can actually SEE something underneath it all, but no?

erickirb

I am eating most of my exercise calories back (and it's why I exercise a little extra sometimes, so I can eat a little more. LOL) I am measuring everything (it's annoying my husband. lol) and weighing things on my postal scale (until I get a kitchen scale) that need weighing. So I can't build muscle while eating less? Does that mean I won't get stronger, or am I misunderstanding? I thought I was building a little muscle because if I flex my arms I can actually SEE something underneath it all, but no?

You can get stronger without increasing muscle mass as you will be conditioning the muscle you do have. It is possible as someone new to exercise and with a fair bit of weight to lose, that you will gain some initial muscle, but while losing fat, the goal is to maintain as much of your existing lean muscle as possible (some loss will occur and the less you have to lose the higher % muscle loss is).

So you will get stronger even if you don't gain muscle.

pizzanomore

i have a couple of suggestions for you!

* it's not just about the 1500 calories, but keeping your insulin levels in check. blood sugar should be in between 70-100 to burn stored fat . any higher, you'll be storing fat, and any lower your body will go into starvation mode.

*i see that you like grape fruit and oranges and bananas. the sugar in one ripe banana is equivalent to almost a CUP OF SUGAR!!! i would suggest trying a natural greek yogurt like chobani instead of the fruit. you have about the same amount of carbs, but waaay more protein. the pineapple ones are the bomb!!!


* ditch the fruit bars, granola bars, honey, and sugar. they are so good but they are empty carbs! they will spike your insulin, and keep you from burning fat, with little to no protein in these snacks, your blood sugar will spike, then crash, then leave you hungry and not burning fat

*hard natural cheese are fine. stay away from processed sliced cheese. they contain chemicals and preservatives that over work your liver. the liver cannot process stored fat when it is busy trying to process chemicals. (this includes artificial sweeteners!)

*wheat products like breads and pastas (even if they are whole wheat,) will spike your blood sugar. if you have to have a wheat fix, try a whole wheat high fiber low carb wheat wrap. (net carbs per wrap should be 5 grams or less.) and try to eat them in the first meal of the day, NOT THE LAST!

* i have been reading and trying to adhere to the "eat stop eat" method, i swear it works. tomorrow, do not eat until after 12 pm. make sure you do your exercise BEFORE you eat your first meal. this ensures that your body is burning stored fat, not a bunch of calories you just ate. your biggest meal of the day should be the meal you eat after you exercise.

i am 5'6" and weigh around 250 pounds. i have tried so many diets, most of time i would be lucky to lose a pound a week, if that. i would get discouraged and quit. this time around, i have been doing the eat stop eat method, i have quit eating any sugar, (other than the chobani.) today is a week i have been on my life style change, and i have lost 7 pounds. i have never lost that much in a week.

good luck to you! i know it is hard when you have a little one! we can do this!!!