FEEDBACK PLEASE!

gracienkaidens_momma

So I started working out reguarly (about 4 times a week) and eating just at or slightly below my daily caloric intake two weeks ago and since that time I have managed to put on 4 pounds. I know four pounds is not a lot, but to me (5'0) and only 4 pounds from my goal weight, it sucks! I am well aware that most of it is probably just muscle, but it still is very disheartening and discouraging. The workout I have been doing consists of 25-30 mintues of cardio on my elliptical followed by 12-15 minutes of ab, arm, legs and butt exercises. Think weighed lunges, squats, crunches, tricip curls, dead lifts, etc. I use between 5-10 pound weights.

What I am wondering is, when will the stinkin scale stop moving UP? I cannot afford to gain much more. I am so short and don't want to look chunkier than I already am! My worst fear is to come to the end of my fitness journey and look like one of those female body builders. I know that they take testonerone and such, but still the scale will not stop. My goal weigh was 115 and now I am 124. It makes me not want to continue to work out because I know when I stop, the scale will move back down toward my goal weight.

All I wanted to do was tone my body! Yes I am starting to look more smooth and toned but my clothes still fit the same. I know it is still very early on, but I am wanting results! I work hard and hardly ever eat over calories and when I work out, I give it my all.

I need some sound advice. I don't want to stop working out for fear of the scale moving. When will it start moving in the other direction? When will this initial weight gain phase be over? I know it is different for everyone, but what is the average? Please share any advice you may have. Thank you!

RachVR6

What is your calorie goal? Maybe you need to eat more now that you're ramping up your workouts. I can't see your diary so this is kind of a blind statement.

:flowerforyou:

gracienkaidens_momma

My calorie goal is 1300.

gracienkaidens_momma

Thank you for replying. I have hardly had anyone reply to my posts. I really do not think it is a stupid question at all.

bizgirl26

Also try changing your exercise routine and do cardio for 45 min and the toning exercises for 15. I know we hear 20 mins 3x a week but for weight loss they say closer to 60 minutes 5- 6 x a week. Rough but you can do it

20carrots

I have no advice because I am 40 pounds heavier than you and nowhere near my goal weight. Maybe use just body weight as resistance and see if that makes a difference?

cardbucfan

Well first of all, it's probably NOT muscle. You aren't eating at a calorie surplus and it is incredibly difficult for women to gain muscle. It is probably water weight that your muscles are retaining from being worked. Make certain you are eating enough to fuel your workouts otherwise your body isn't going to let go of that weight. Measure yourself. The scale is evil and often doesn't show the progress you are making (and yes, I still weigh myself every day to keep on track!) I agree that you should change up your workout. Search out HIIT for cardio training. If you only have a short amount of time to workout, HIIT will give you the most bang for your buck in that time period. I'm not a huge advocate of lifting heavy weights (yet) because I also found the scale moving the wrong direction when I started doing it and because my cute new clothes in my smaller size weren't fitting right because my body was changing. That said, you don't want to be the skinny flabby girl with no muscle tone. So you do need to be lifting weights. Keep it up and don't give up. These last few lbs. are the absolute hardest to get rid of. They have probably been there for a while and your body likes them! Good luck!

gracienkaidens_momma

Thank you for your suggestion. That does sound rough. I can barely get in 30 minutes without keeling over. I really push hard until I am out of breath and almost vomiting when I work out. I guess I shouldn't push that hard.

I mainly do the weight lifting to tone. I want to lose fat and inches and tone my entire body. That is my goal. I just hate that the scale is moving up!

Also try changing your exercise routine and do cardio for 45 min and the toning exercises for 15. I know we hear 20 mins 3x a week but for weight loss they say closer to 60 minutes 5- 6 x a week. Rough but you can do it

RachVR6

My calorie goal is 1300.

Do you eat the same amount on workout days?? What loss is this set at (.5lb/week, 1lb/week, maintenance)?

If you're only eating 1300 on workout days, I'd say DEFINITELY eat more!


I would honestly suggest, since you're probably AT a healthy weight, to set your calories to maintenance and EAT THEM ALL, using healthy food choices of course. On days you workout, leave yourself maybe 200cal in the green, for a slight deficit. Those pounds will come off. Focus on your toning and building muscle.

You aren't going to build a substantial amount of muscle without eating in a calorie surplus so DON'T worry about it. 5-10lb weights are NOT going to make you look like a female body builder so knock that fear right out of your head!


I'm about to start my StrongLifts again and I'm going to document my stats in detail so I can be yet another female to show my personal results with heavy weights.

:flowerforyou:

gracienkaidens_momma

Yes, they have been there since high school (11 years!) and my body does not want to get rid of them!

I have the Turbo Fire DVDs that I can use again. I can also Google HIIT workouts for my elliptical. I do not have an hour or more a day to work out. It's pushing it with 45. My favorite is lifting weights. I am not into cardio but I force it because I want to change my body. I am in a size 4 and want to be a 2 more than anything. I know that sounds very small but I am only 5'0, so I am very petite.

I will definitely keep eating healthy and logging my calories and keep up with the workouts. When I see my body now, I am beginning to see smoother legs and more toned abs. I hope to continue to see results, even though the scale is moving in the wrong direction!

gracienkaidens_momma

I do not eat a lot of my exercise calories, Rachel. For instance, if my goal is at 1300 and I workout and burn 200 calories. I'll eat maybe 1300 of my 1500 calories. I'll net 1300. I try to always have a surplus. If I do not work out, I eat at least 1200 or 1300 calories. I hardly ever go below 1200 for fear of putting my body into starvation mode.

gracienkaidens_momma

Rachel - I would like to learn more about the Strong Lifts program.

RachVR6

I do not eat a lot of my exercise calories, Rachel. For instance, if my goal is at 1300 and I workout and burn 200 calories. I'll eat maybe 1300 of my 1500 calories. I'll net 1300. I try to always have a surplus. If I do not work out, I eat at least 1200 or 1300 calories. I hardly ever go below 1200 for fear of putting my body into starvation mode.

Are you still set at a deficit though, or is 1300 maintenance for you?

You definitely want to be at no more than .5lb/week goal. I would suggest maintenance though, using your exercise to create a 'slight' deficit.

RachVR6

Rachel - I would like to learn more about the Strong Lifts program.

http://stronglifts.com/

It's heavily geared towards men, but anything boys can do, I can do better.

ETA: You're DEFINITELY going to have to eat a LOT more if you're doing this program. :happy:

Gigilly

Do not stress about it, there are many options for you. First, try not to go below 1300 kcals as you need to feed your body, especially since you have started working out consistently. A part of that weight gain could be due to the normal inflammatory response that comes with strength conditioning - the way we become stronger is by literally damaging the muscle fibres that are then "repaired" and become stronger. The muscular areas that undergo this transformation have extra fluid pumping in to deliver the nutrients needed for these repairs. I have had clients freak out when they first start training because their pants become tighter. After a while this response becomes less noticeable as they become stronger. This does NOT give you bodybuilder muscles! Strength training and hypertrophy (bulking up muscle size) are two very different training styles. Besides, The effort for men to gain that amount of bulk is very intense so imagine how hard it is for a woman.
I do have a couple of suggestions for your workout. First regarding your cardio, try interval training. Warm up pace for 3 minutes then push yourself for a minute then return to your normal pace to recover for 2 minutes, do this 4,5 times and then take a couple of minutes at a lower pace to cool down. You will notice that I am asking you to increase intensity and not the length of time on your elliptical. Now when it comes to your weight work, some of the exercises you have mentioned are excellent but the weights are too light.... yes, I really mean it! Squats, deadlifts, bench presses involve many muscles and quite frankly 20 lbs is great to start but you are going to plateau very quickly. At that point you will probably want to increase your repetitions which is great for endurance but does very little for strength. You will need to use heavier weights for that. The reason I am urging you to work on strength is to increase your metabolic rate. You will not get bulky, you are not training long enough nor eating enough calories to do so. You might find that very soon you will have to increase your caloric intake to continue to lose weight.... but that is another story and this reply is long enough as it is. :-)

laughingdani

Honestly, most people that aren't severely obese or overweight DO gain a few lbs the first couple of weeks they start intense workouts. You haven't really gained muscle yet but your muscles do need to repair themselves.... So, they hold onto water to do so.
Just thought I'd put in my 2 cents....

gracienkaidens_momma

I love this advice. I will try this.

Thank you all for your feedback. It's very helpful