Should i see some sort of good outcome from the gym?

lovinmamaxo

I've been 2 days in a row weight lifting, treadmill, bike, etc i am still weighing the same i know i shouldn't expect a huge change in 2 days but it seems like i have weighed more the last 2 days why.. idk. I've upped my water intake and lowered my food intake. I have burned over 1,000 calories the last 2 days.. besides being sore it's depressing to still see those high scale numbers. Sometimes it makes me feel like i am doing all this for nothing =/

ShadowSoldier23

Exercise gets muscles moving and makes them retain more water at times. If you build muscle you may not see any immediate weight loss. Be sure to eat back most if not all of your exercise calories as well. There are a number of factors but the scale is only one. Take measurements as well. At the same time 2 days is not a very long time. Wait about 2 weeks before you start panicking

LuLuRunner1

Give yourself some time. Don't beat yourself up. I just started going to Gold's this week on my lunch break instead of just running. Although, while I'm lifting, my muscles are very resistant, when I'm done, I don't have that endurphin feeling that I had when running. I'm still tweaking my routine so that I can get some cardio and weights in a short period of time.

Keep trudging along; you can do it. After a few weeks, you really will be able to see a difference! I promise!

Editing it to say, make sure to take your measurements to that you can actually see the numbers go down other than the scale numbers.

lovinmamaxo

Yeah i brought myself to the gym last night as sore as i was.. all my muscles ache i swear in every part of my body but i am going back tonight. I just would like to see the scale move.. it's sad seeing that high number when i know i have cut down calories and have been exercising a LOT more.

I made sure after the gym last night i had protein.. nuts, energy bar. So i ate back some of the calories. Today i am at only 215ish calories since i worked out so late at night into today.

secretlobster

Please be aware that the scale is not a measure of how well you ate/how much you exercised the day before. Not only does it take 24hours to digest food, but working out isn't a process with immediate results. Definitely give it a couple of weeks. In fact, you might want to stay off the scale altogether until you have your routine down!

withervein

Two days?

It took me a year to lose 25 pounds.

Play the long game.

infamousmk

You're gonna need to show up to the gym on a very regular basis for a lot longer than two days to see any changes. It's taken me eight months to lose twenty pounds.

BaconMD

Stop weighing yourself so much. Give it at least a week between weigh-ins. Get a flexible measuring tape and take measurements. Don't expect an instant fix for a problem that likely developed over many years. And don't question if exercise is good for you, there's only one answer to that.

On any road, to any destination, there are almost certainly going to be hills and valleys, but if you keep going down the road, you eventually reach your destination. Using an efficient engine and proper fuel is the ideal way to get you there.

chelltune

You need to look at your diet. You might not have eaten a great deal of calories (too few really) but you've not eaten good calories. It appears to be processed food full of sugar and salt.

MinnieInMaine

1) Lowering your food intake when increasing your activity is not a great idea. You need to fuel those activities and make sure you're getting plenty of nutrients to keep going! Make sure you're netting AT LEAST 1200, maybe more. MFP is already giving you a calorie deficit based on your diet profile - making it larger by not eating back some of those calories earned may slow or stall your weight loss efforts. Eat more protein

2) When you start working out or increase the intensity of your activity, your muscles will retain water as part of the natural healing process. It's not unusual for your weight loss to stall for the first week or two befroe you body adjusts. Keep drinking that water - in fact, increase your water intake a little on those days you're active. Many folks will tell you that you're building muscle - this is not possible in such a short period of time, especially for women. Don't be fooled by the myths! It's just water weight...

3) Patience! Any time you change your routine, either diet or exercise, the body does not immediately respond. Here's an example... I went out to dinner with my husband Sunday night and went over my calories by 700, not to mention the massive amounts of sodium that was in that restaurant food. I was only up about half a pound the next day but I've been over about a pound all the rest of the week. Hoping by the end of the weekend that I'll get my fluids back on balance and that water weight will be gone.

4) Where are you getting those calorie counts from? If you're not using a heart rate monitor with a chest strap, you should knwo that most cardio machines over estimate up to 30% more than you're actually burning. And the numbers MFP gives us also tend to be overblown. To be safe when you start eating back some of those earned calories, take the number the machine or MFP gives you and multiply it 60% then use that lower number instead...so say the machine tells you you burned 500 calories in 40 minutes - instead of logging it as 500, click in the box that shows that # and change it to 300.
Also, it's good to know that it's rare for most people to burn more than 10 calories per minute - you would have to be rather obese or doing something really intense (like HIIT, running fast, etc). If any machine or MFP gives you more than 10 calories per minute, it's pretty safe to say that's an overestimate.

Best of luck!

ladybg81

You need to look at your diet. You might not have eaten a great deal of calories (too few really) but you've not eaten good calories. It appears to be processed food full of sugar and salt.

This.

thepetiterunner

Patience. Two days is not going to un-do some multitude of other days when you weren't doing the gym/eating right/drinking water/etc.

Divorce your scale for a month. Ease yourself into this otherwise you risk burning yourself out.

Success with maintaining a good attitude during weight loss is all about management of expectations. Be realistic. Don't set yourself up for failure.

ohnuts14

It's only been two days. You're not going to see weight loss in two days. Chances are you're also retaining water. Whenever I increase my workouts or start doing something more intense, I retain a lot of water, sometimes for weeks, and don't seem to lose weight on the scale, but it's just water retention. For me, after a few weeks when my body starts getting used to the exercise, I'll see a sudden drop, because my body is no longer retaining water. Water retention is your bodies way of healing your muscles, they're not used to this yet so your body is sending water to the areas that it thinks needs it. I remember when I first started trying to lose weight, I retained water for over a month! All of a sudden one day, I realized after my workout, that for the first time, my hands didn't feel swollen or stiff (a sign of water retention), so I weighed myself, and I dropped 15 pounds from the last time I weighed myself, which was a week prior. The reason I wasn't seeing any weight loss was because of how much water I was retaining. I mean, I'm not saying to expect THAT, I was retaining a massive amount of water because I jumped into a pretty extreme exercise routine after being inactive my whole life (which I now know isn't always the best thing to do either -- blew out both my knees). I DIGRESS! You have to give it a while. Drinking lots of water is good, you have to keep drinking lots of water, but you have to expect water retention. Also, muscle is more dense than fat, so you may not see the weight loss on the scale you're expecting to see but if you keep plugging away you will see the pounds start to dissapear and you'll see a huge difference in your body, which is what is really important.

Shock_Wave

I've been 2 days in a row weight lifting, treadmill, bike, etc i am still weighing the same

REALLY????:huh:

How about give it a month or better yet even a year.

vick9180

I've been 2 days in a row weight lifting, treadmill, bike, etc i am still weighing the same i know i shouldn't expect a huge change in 2 days but it seems like i have weighed more the last 2 days why.. idk. I've upped my water intake and lowered my food intake. I have burned over 1,000 calories the last 2 days.. besides being sore it's depressing to still see those high scale numbers. Sometimes it makes me feel like i am doing all this for nothing =/

Doing this kind of extreme exercise and then getting frustrated with the results is what causes people to not go back. Many people feel like they should see huge drops in a short amount of time, and they become frustrated when all they have to show for it is extremely sore muscles and exhaustion. It's obvious that you've been doing something right along the way with over 50 lbs lost so far. If you've done that with diet alone, then ease yourself into exercising. There's no need to go balls out for 2 days and then end up quitting.

Also, give your body some repair time. Hopefully you're not lifting the same muscle group 2 days in a row. I'm not sure what your weight lifting consisted of over the last 2 days, but just as a precaution, try not to work the same muscle group on consecutive days.

And, as cliche as it sounds, the weight will not come off overnight....or in 2 days. You will see a great outcome from working out at the gym if you keep your calories in check and continue to go back. But 2 days isn't a realistic timeframe to expect a huge outcome. Just keep at it...hire a trainer (most gyms give you a few free sessions when you join) to get you on track. If, in 2 months, you've continued to do these things and you haven't lost anything (weight or inches), then re-evaluate what you're doing.

RAFValentina

I've been 2 days in a row weight lifting, treadmill, bike, etc i am still weighing the same i know i shouldn't expect a huge change in 2 days but it seems like i have weighed more the last 2 days why.. idk. I've upped my water intake and lowered my food intake. I have burned over 1,000 calories the last 2 days.. besides being sore it's depressing to still see those high scale numbers. Sometimes it makes me feel like i am doing all this for nothing =/

You wont see changes for a while on the scales... possibly a week, maybe even two. But you shouldn't give up. Also, you shouldn't JUST be going to lose weight... it's essential for your cardiovascular/respiratory health, aids digestion, good for muscles, strength to protect your joints and allow you to do every day things easily and without injury.

secretlobster

You need to look at your diet. You might not have eaten a great deal of calories (too few really) but you've not eaten good calories. It appears to be processed food full of sugar and salt.

Wow, you're right... I didn't even think to look at her diary.

I'm sorry to put it this way OP, but you need to overhaul your diet. Junk food isn't the worst thing as an occasional indulgence, but from your food diary, it is all day-every day.

Shock_Wave

You need to look at your diet. You might not have eaten a great deal of calories (too few really) but you've not eaten good calories. It appears to be processed food full of sugar and salt.

Wow, you're right... I didn't even think to look at her diary.

I'm sorry to put it this way OP, but you need to overhaul your diet. Junk food isn't the worst thing as an occasional indulgence, but from your food diary, it is all day-every day.

x2 and even if she had her diet in check expecting any thing from only 2 days of exercising is absurd. If op wants to see results that fast she should go into a sauna for about 2 hours.

vick9180

You need to look at your diet. You might not have eaten a great deal of calories (too few really) but you've not eaten good calories. It appears to be processed food full of sugar and salt.

Wow, you're right... I didn't even think to look at her diary.

I'm sorry to put it this way OP, but you need to overhaul your diet. Junk food isn't the worst thing as an occasional indulgence, but from your food diary, it is all day-every day.

And this ^^ - wow...I took a peek and I saw one vegetable in like a month's worth of logging. Plus, there were several days with no logging. But, as much as it sucks, Edy's ice cream and Starbucks all day long doesn't make for very nutritious meals. If you're serious about getting healthy, some revamping of your diet is mandatory. Otherwise, it won't matter how much weight you lose, your body will not be healthy.

lovinmamaxo

You need to look at your diet. You might not have eaten a great deal of calories (too few really) but you've not eaten good calories. It appears to be processed food full of sugar and salt.

Wow, you're right... I didn't even think to look at her diary.

I'm sorry to put it this way OP, but you need to overhaul your diet. Junk food isn't the worst thing as an occasional indulgence, but from your food diary, it is all day-every day.

And this ^^ - wow...I took a peek and I saw one vegetable in like a month's worth of logging. Plus, there were several days with no logging. But, as much as it sucks, Edy's ice cream and Starbucks all day long doesn't make for very nutritious meals. If you're serious about getting healthy, some revamping of your diet is mandatory. Otherwise, it won't matter how much weight you lose, your body will not be healthy.

I DO EAT veggies i just don't feel the need to log them as most of them are under 10 calories. Yes my diet isn't great and i do hold myself accountable i work and have 2 kids and just have been on the lazy train when it comes to cooking. I don't want to cook anything that takes more than 5 minutes... which is the reason for all the processed foods. I am NOT expecting results in 2 days of gym activity i have been cutting my calories for well over 2 weeks again.. and not seeing any movement on the scale at all... if anything i see a gain.. which is where i was trying to get to.

hesn92

I'm confused... you said you've been at it for 2 days? And you expected to see a change this soon?

what923

1) Lowering your food intake when increasing your activity is not a great idea. You need to fuel those activities and make sure you're getting plenty of nutrients to keep going! Make sure you're netting AT LEAST 1200, maybe more. MFP is already giving you a calorie deficit based on your diet profile - making it larger by not eating back some of those calories earned may slow or stall your weight loss efforts. Eat more protein

2) When you start working out or increase the intensity of your activity, your muscles will retain water as part of the natural healing process. It's not unusual for your weight loss to stall for the first week or two befroe you body adjusts. Keep drinking that water - in fact, increase your water intake a little on those days you're active. Many folks will tell you that you're building muscle - this is not possible in such a short period of time, especially for women. Don't be fooled by the myths! It's just water weight...

3) Patience! Any time you change your routine, either diet or exercise, the body does not immediately respond. Here's an example... I went out to dinner with my husband Sunday night and went over my calories by 700, not to mention the massive amounts of sodium that was in that restaurant food. I was only up about half a pound the next day but I've been over about a pound all the rest of the week. Hoping by the end of the weekend that I'll get my fluids back on balance and that water weight will be gone.

4) Where are you getting those calorie counts from? If you're not using a heart rate monitor with a chest strap, you should knwo that most cardio machines over estimate up to 30% more than you're actually burning. And the numbers MFP gives us also tend to be overblown. To be safe when you start eating back some of those earned calories, take the number the machine or MFP gives you and multiply it 60% then use that lower number instead...so say the machine tells you you burned 500 calories in 40 minutes - instead of logging it as 500, click in the box that shows that # and change it to 300.
Also, it's good to know that it's rare for most people to burn more than 10 calories per minute - you would have to be rather obese or doing something really intense (like HIIT, running fast, etc). If any machine or MFP gives you more than 10 calories per minute, it's pretty safe to say that's an overestimate.

Best of luck!

AMEN- you said everything I was thinking and saved me the time of typing it.
++ I have monitored my calorie burn with HR monitor and did some calculations so I can average for other workouts and I believe your 10 cal a minute rule. Of course- like everything- everyone is individual but based on HR and weight I think we all burn at a similar level and unless I'm running at near 90% max hr- it won't go over 10 per minute. ++ Great observation!

chelltune

You need to look at your diet. You might not have eaten a great deal of calories (too few really) but you've not eaten good calories. It appears to be processed food full of sugar and salt.

Wow, you're right... I didn't even think to look at her diary.

I'm sorry to put it this way OP, but you need to overhaul your diet. Junk food isn't the worst thing as an occasional indulgence, but from your food diary, it is all day-every day.

And this ^^ - wow...I took a peek and I saw one vegetable in like a month's worth of logging. Plus, there were several days with no logging. But, as much as it sucks, Edy's ice cream and Starbucks all day long doesn't make for very nutritious meals. If you're serious about getting healthy, some revamping of your diet is mandatory. Otherwise, it won't matter how much weight you lose, your body will not be healthy.

I DO EAT veggies i just don't feel the need to log them as most of them are under 10 calories. Yes my diet isn't great and i do hold myself accountable i work and have 2 kids and just have been on the lazy train when it comes to cooking. I don't want to cook anything that takes more than 5 minutes... which is the reason for all the processed foods. I am NOT expecting results in 2 days of gym activity i have been cutting my calories for well over 2 weeks again.. and not seeing any movement on the scale at all... if anything i see a gain.. which is where i was trying to get to.

Unless you change your attitude to food and cooking then you will struggle to lose weight.

Nicola0000

3500 cal deficit is 1lb. When youve been weight training, muscles can look swollen, but this is only temporary. A safe weight loss is 2lb a week, this will ensure you arent losing muscle.

mes1119

you cannot expect to see results in 2 days.

savlov30

"Earn It" It takes four weeks for you to notice your body changing, 8 weeks for your friend to notice, and twelve weeks for the rest of the world to notice. Give it12 weeks. Don't Quit!!!" :)

thefuzz1290

It took years to do what we do to our bodies, its impossible to take days to fix it.

lovinmamaxo

I've been at the dieting for a year now. The gym is new to me so that is what i am asking about.. i don't expect me to lose over 20lbs in 2 days but i've been following calories for over 2 weeks and working out too so i would think i should expect to see some loss. I did before.

PhotographerOfNature

Sore muscles retain water. Hang in there! :happy:

ShadowSoldier23

I've been at the dieting for a year now. The gym is new to me so that is what i am asking about.. i don't expect me to lose over 20lbs in 2 days but i've been following calories for over 2 weeks and working out too so i would think i should expect to see some loss. I did before.

All I have to say is have patience because it takes time. I have started going to the gym and although I am excited to see myself drop a few pounds, its getting into the routine and sticking with it that is worth it. That means I am more likely to stay with it in the future. And your food choices do matter, the more sodium you eat the more water you will retain so that makes a difference. It is hard to get the diet in line but you just have to do it slowly and find things that are easy to make. The recipes section on the boards are great for that.

Other than pounds, take measurements. You might see more inches come off than pounds at times.

jbakerak

Don't get discouraged! I too have been gaining weight. Partly due to a higher water intake I'm sure, also, I have been lifting weights and you can visibly tell that my muscles are getting bigger (which takes more than a couple of days ,but you should visibly be able to see some results from 1-4 weeks). Muscle is more dense than fat so it affects your weight, make sure you are also taking measurements. Just ask yourself how you want to look when you get to where you want to be. If I just want to be the size I want, I weigh about 115, but if I want to be in shape with muscle and more shape, I am the same size I would be at 115 but weigh about 136. I choose 136 with nice muscle tone and body shape over 115 and thin but flabby!