HELP HELP HELP PLEASE!!

karisamh

Ok so I workout 6 days a week. Have been staying within my calories of 1500/day and don't eat all my workout calories. 2 weeks ago I weighed myself and then again today. I now and 3 lbs heavier!?!?!? WTheck?!!?! I am sooooooooooooooo frustrated I totally don't get it!! Now I had chinese yesterday and my sodium hit like 10,000 (which is crazy I know) could that be it...water retention? I mean yesterday I even did three workouts. I do Turbo Fire and generally burn 400 cal each time. I just don't get it. Please healp!!

frosty73

Sodium. No question about it. Remember your body is cycling fluids every day, and when you have a high-sodium day, you are going to retain those fluids.

lizzierw

^^^ Agreed! x

WhitneyAnnabelle

Yeah, flush your system as much as you can. Drink a ton of water! Not just now, but all the time. And a lot more if you're working out that much. People will probably say you're not eating enough for your exercising, but I honestly don't know much about it. Some people need to eat back their calories and some people don't. I guess it's all about finding what works for you.

thershey

Agreed, Make sure you are drinking enough water each day, I find the more I drink the less I retain...Odd but true! Keep going you will get there.

peachNpunkin

You need to eat back your calories. It will take a few days, but once your body gets out of starvation mode, you will start losing again. So you need to eat more. Either increase you daily calorie amount, or eat back your exercise cals. If your calories are less than 1200 at the end of the day, your hungry, and your body knows it.

1400 - 400 (cals burned) = 1000. Your not eating enough.

Pookylou

Sodium. No question about it. Remember your body is cycling fluids every day, and when you have a high-sodium day, you are going to retain those fluids.

Yeah I agree, drink as much water as possible and some green tea (if you like it) and you'll drop those lbs super quick!

japruzze

3 lbs seems like a lot of fluid. I'm sure its partly that but its a 2 week gain, not a 1 day gain. So I wouldn't count on it all being fluid.

Charlottejogs

Sorry you are soo frustrated! I had sort of just come to terms with the idea that my body was not going to loose more as I felt I had done everything I could- and then I added more protein. I feel like I am replying this all over the boards but it is just crazy to me what a difference it has made. I hadn't lost weight in months and I have lost about 4 lbs in about 2 weeks and the only change has been the protein. I can only share my experience so who knows- but it has worked for me. Good luck! Try not to give up and remember the value of a healthy fit body!

cdpilbeam

Water....drink lots. It is hard to see the numbers going in the wrong direction, but if you are eating right and exercising then you are getting healthy. The numbers will catch up to your habits and start to drop. Remember if this was easy, then everyone would be at their goal weight all the time.

vwaltonsb

I disagree with much of what the others said. "Starvation mode" is real but it doesn't make you gain weight. It makes you lose weight a little bit slower. Are you recording EVERYTHING you eat? And drink? Are you overstating your exercise?

If you're being 100% honest with recording the food, and you're eating only 1,500 calories (forget exercise - and by that I mean, DO IT but don't record it, just ignore it on this site because it very much overestimates calories burned) you'll lose weight. There is no way you won't.

graysmom2005

Absolutely sodium. No question. WATER!!!!! I'd probably eat a little more too. Check in on your net number and make sure it hits 1200.

maryjay51

i will bet odds that sodium played a huge issue .. lay low on sodium and drink a ton of water. itll flush out . chinese food in the restaurants is so bad for you..stay away from there!

fitniknik

Drink more water, Eat most of your exercise calories back, cut back on your sodium, add strength training. :happy:

crimznrose

It's definitely retention and probably a little bit of muscle development as well. Muscle weighs more than fat and if you're working out that much, changes are your muscles are getting bigger (not like Hulk big, but tones and developing strength). On top of that, eating lots of sodium traps water like you would not believe and unfortunately women retain it a lot more than men. If you try to reduce or cut out your sodium for a day or two while making sure you get your daily 8 glasses of water, the weight should shed much easier.

Victoria2448

Ok so I workout 6 days a week. Have been staying within my calories of 1500/day and don't eat all my workout calories. 2 weeks ago I weighed myself and then again today. I now and 3 lbs heavier!?!?!? WTheck?!!?! I am sooooooooooooooo frustrated I totally don't get it!! Now I had chinese yesterday and my sodium hit like 10,000 (which is crazy I know) could that be it...water retention? I mean yesterday I even did three workouts. I do Turbo Fire and generally burn 400 cal each time. I just don't get it. Please healp!!

Don't worry about it! Our body weight can flucuate 3 lbs in one day. Between the sodium and working out you are definately holding fluid. Muscles swell and hold fluid when they are repairing.

Turbofire will get you great results, keep it up...it's a hell of a program.

Runthismom

First, water. I also drink green tea in the a.m. and then a detox tea at night before bed, I love The Republic of Tea's "Get Clean". You will pee a few times at night...but you will also see a difference. You need to flush your system. Case and point: I ate a ton of fried food this weekend and too much salt. 11 bottles of water and detox tea last night and I dropped 2 pounds from yesterday a.m. to just a few minutes ago. Awesome.

Second...do NOT eat your exercise calories back. Think of your calories as a bank account, you want money in it everyday right? Exercise is a deposit, food is a whithdrawl. Deficits are good. 500 a day will leave you about a pound lighter at the end of the week. So I repeat...do not eat your exercise calories back. Proper fuel is what matters the most.

I was stuck for a loooong time at the same number. I started thinking in carbs, fats, and proteins when making a plate and that helped a ton in fueling my body properly. I also started weighing myself everyday and tweeked my diet until I found the right groove for my body. I also workout 6x per week, at about 90 minutes a day total. I was heavy on the cardio, and light on the weights...but am now going to change it up and go more for the weights and strength. Changing up your routine every 10 days or so will keep your body guessing and challenge it.

I have lost almost 10 pounds in just a handful of weeks, so I know that this works for me. I am not starving all the time, I stick to my 1200 per day, I have a calorie deficit of 700-sometimes even 1500 at the end of the day; I change up my routine every 2 weeks...and I drink water like crazy, and drink tea twice per day. But everyone is different and you need to find what works for you. My diary is open to my friends, send me a request if you want to see exactly what I am doing. Good luck!!

Pookylou

Second...do NOT eat your exercise calories back. Think of your calories as a bank account, you want money in it everyday right? Exercise is a deposit, food is a whithdrawl. Deficits are good. 500 a day will leave you about a pound lighter at the end of the week. So I repeat...do not eat your exercise calories back. Proper fuel is what matters the most.

If you have set you MFP goal to lose 1lb a week you already have a deficit of 500 calories a day (based on your BMR MFP calculates using age/weight/activiy level), so if you exercise and you burn an additional 500 your deficit is actually 1000. Which is a lot.

amber95823

For that "Get Clean" tea, do you have to drink it at night? I am having trouble sleeping all night as it is and I don't want to add getting up to pee, my luck I would have to pee when I was finally asleep. haha. So, my thought is to drink it in the morning in place of my cup of coffee. I am just starting, I'm making changes but I need to make more.

lisa28115

i love chinese and it is notorious for fluid retention
i add 2 tsp of apple cider vinegar to a 16oz bottle of water or green tea
the apple cider vinegar really helps get rid of extra fluid quick:bigsmile:

Runthismom

For that "Get Clean" tea, do you have to drink it at night? I am having trouble sleeping all night as it is and I don't want to add getting up to pee, my luck I would have to pee when I was finally asleep. haha. So, my thought is to drink it in the morning in place of my cup of coffee. I am just starting, I'm making changes but I need to make more.

No, you can drink it whenever! I just prefer to drink it at night, since that is when my snacking is the most out of control. Having something a bit sweet before bed curbs my bedtime binging. :drinker:

Runthismom

Second...do NOT eat your exercise calories back. Think of your calories as a bank account, you want money in it everyday right? Exercise is a deposit, food is a whithdrawl. Deficits are good. 500 a day will leave you about a pound lighter at the end of the week. So I repeat...do not eat your exercise calories back. Proper fuel is what matters the most.

If you have set you MFP goal to lose 1lb a week you already have a deficit of 500 calories a day (based on your BMR MFP calculates using age/weight/activiy level), so if you exercise and you burn an additional 500 your deficit is actually 1000. Which is a lot.

I thought it was too...however I have confirmed that this is in fact OK with a friend of mine who is well versed in weight loss, a certified personal trainer, and a figure competitor. I have seen her transformation and she knows what she is talking about, I trust what she says. Sometimes I do go over the 1200, but not very often, and not by much. I am losing weight, building muscle and feeling a ton better. If I were doing damage, starving myself and being unhealthy my body would show it. But in 8 weeks I am down 8.5 pounds so that is just over 1 pound a week, and that is totally normal, and perfectly healthy. Every body is different, and hormones play a huge part in hw your body loses weight, and process what you put in it. I highly, highly reccomend "Mastering your Metabolism" and the companion cookbook by Jillian Michaels. It's easy to understand, and the food is aaaa-mazing!!!

DannyMussels

For the most part, I find my weight can fluctuate up to 5lbs in a single day. I only really only trust monthly weigh-ins, even then sometimes the mirror shows changes the scale doesn't.

I wouldn't get too worked up over it.

rbbrrmqn

I have a similar problem, SO I will follow this. Good luck.

dmitchell1234

Hi there. I just sent you a friend request; however, I was in my husband's log when I replied, (I'm keeping up with his progress for him). Anyways, it cam from Michael5035. So, if you want to accept my request, please email back to me on my log. dmitchell1234. Thanks - good luck - hope to talk to you soon. d

johnsonje82

For the most part, I find my weight can fluctuate up to 5lbs in a single day. I only really only trust monthly weigh-ins, even then sometimes the mirror shows changes the scale doesn't.

I wouldn't get too worked up over it.

COMPLETELY AGREE.

Sodium is a killer....

purplegoboom

I would take one complete day of rest before weighing yourself. Give your body time to repair itself and get a more accurate weigh in.

Woodman725

Absolutely sodium. No question. WATER!!!!! I'd probably eat a little more too. Check in on your net number and make sure it hits 1200.

Totally agree with this. Careful of the S word (starvation) being misused. It doesn't happen overnight and I personally feel like people throw it around a bit too much, but long term (months) eating too little can have opposite effects than expected.

The good thing about high sodium intake is that it's completely reversible by drinking enough water to flush out your system.

Everything in moderation... Good luck with your goals

deb54

Great info !!! Thanks for posting...bump

avafrisbee

Agreed, Make sure you are drinking enough water each day, I find the more I drink the less I retain...Odd but true! Keep going you will get there.

I agree with this statement. My doctor backed it up while I was pregnant. Pregnant women retain water, it's what we do, but my doctor told me I'd retain less if I drink more and more often. She was right. It works now too. I haven't been drinking enough water the last 4 days and the d@mn scale hasn't budged. I drank two liters today and have peed constantly and have lost 0.2 kg since this morning and I've eaten 2 meals already.

missfelicia6

It's the sodium!! Drink ALOT of water today and eat as much asparagus as you can! Asparagus has an enzyme that clears up bloating!!
I ate asparagus when I was extremely bloated last week and I woke up the next day back to normal!