Exercising a lot, losing weight NOT.

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xachooo
xachooo Posts: 42
in Health and Weight Loss
About two years ago I started working out somwhat routinely (3/week). In this same stretch of time I have gained about 15 pounds. In the last couple months I have increased the intensity. I run about 2 or 3 times a week and do a bootcamp style workout 2 or 3 times a week. I usually take 1 or 2 days as rest days. I mean, I am thrilled that I seem to be in some of the best shape of my life performance-wise (took 3.5 minutes off 5k time in 2 years, can now trail run for about 5 miles (moderate hills), have started to enjoy working out and pushing myself...). But on the other hand I am not really thrilled to have gained the weight. And it is not muscle---my clothing fits poorly and i have increased the chub on the usual female chub spots. The real big change was going off the birth control pill about 10 months ago, which seems to have triggered some/most of the weight gain. I counted calories pretty religiously for about 2 months and did not lose weight (eating 1200-1600 calories depending on activity level for the day with occasional (once a week) 2000+ calorie slip ups). I cannot imagine doing this amount of physical activity and eating less than 1600-1800 calories a day. AS it is I feel hungry A LOT. And counting calories is starting to make me really crazy. Anyone else found themselve in such a situation? Did you manage to start losing weight? any ideas for calorie poor but filling food? (BTW--eating 6 meals is not my style---I need to feel full to feel satisfied, otherwise I feel vaguely hungry, get bored and eat more). I am 5'7" and 150 pounds. Any insight or advice is appreciated.

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  • uglyhobo
    uglyhobo Posts: 108 Member
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    You can exercise all you want and it won't change whether or not you are losing weight.
    At the end of the day, losing weight comes down to
    calories out>calories in
    You can even gain weight while exercising 7 days a week, as long as you are in a caloric surplus.
    Exercising will help you burn more calories though, which means you can eat a little bit more and still lose weight.
  • ccpeterson74
    ccpeterson74 Posts: 5
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    This was happening to me also. I finally realized that even though I was exercising often and staying w/in calorie range, I was eating too much of the wrong things.. mostly white bread, pasta, potatoes... that sort of thing. 4 months ago I watched the documentary 'Fat, Sick & Nearly Dead', which inspired me to start juicing and eating more fruits and veggies. I started juicing or making a green smoothie for breakfast AND lunch and then having a sensible dinner. For snacks, I'd snack on lots of fruit, like watermelon, oranges, pineapple, etc. When I started eating that way, the weight FINALLY started to come off. Not trying to tell you how you should eat, but just wanted to share what worked for me. :)
  • jasper93004
    jasper93004 Posts: 10
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    You should talk to your OBGYN or Primary Care doc b/c to me it sounds hormonal. If you went off birth control and started experiencing these problems, the two could be / likely are related. The birth control regulates hormones so I think that's the likely culprit. Let me know how it turns out!
  • im_2gd2btru
    im_2gd2btru Posts: 16
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    If your eating 6 times a day you shouldn't ever feel hungry. Eat every 2-3 hours. Try drinking a couple glasses of water before you have your meals it will make you feel full and you will eat less and feel satisfied. Just some suggestions :)
  • im_2gd2btru
    im_2gd2btru Posts: 16
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    If your eating 6 times a day you shouldn't ever feel hungry. Eat every 2-3 hours. Try drinking a couple glasses of water before you have your meals it will make you feel full and you will eat less and feel satisfied. Just some suggestions :)
    I Should have mentioned that you have to be eating the right things 6 times a day lol
  • lindsaymccartin
    lindsaymccartin Posts: 1
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    Until 3 years ago I used to run marathons and distance running etc. I was a 72kg average height male. 3 years ago I ran into an ongoing set of injuries. In the last 3 years I have gone up to 96 kilo. During this 3 year period I have generally undertaken bike riding and short runs, but only 3 to 4 times a week (my previously running was at least 6 times a week). My calorie intake during this period was around 1600 to 2000 a day.
    Recently I have reduced my calorie intake to around 1200 per day, reduced the fats and still do the 3 to 4 rides a week. I am now losing around 1.5kg per week.
    Morale of the story is you need to reduce the calories and fat. You do get used to eating less, but you need to eat better.
  • xachooo
    xachooo Posts: 42
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    I don't eat a terrible amount of carbs. Make up the calories in fat and protein. And I don't eat 6 meals a day---i eat 3 because the grazing makes me crazy. I guess what I am wondering is how does one deal with feeling starving all the time (like actually hungry and almost sick feeling, not just bored and feeling like eating) while trying to eat less? I am pretty sure exercising is increasing my appertite, but if i want to lose weight i need to eat less. how do you balance this so that you don't feel hungry and crazy all the time?
  • mnlght535
    mnlght535 Posts: 84
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    I am no expert by any means but from what I have learned is that sometimes you have to switch up your diet and omit or decrease the amount you eat certain foods. For example, with me, it seems when I eat potatoes, rice, bread, even if I am under my caloric intake and I have exercised, I tend to gain weight. When I monitor those types of foods and try to decrease those from my diet I tend to lose. Also, depends on what you are eating. You may be eating under your caloric intake and exercising regularly but you may need to add some other things to your diet. Do you eat a balanced diet? Do you have enough protein in your diet? Protein is essential to building muscle and muscle helps to burn fat. I eat my 3 meals a day and try to have a high protein, low calorie snack in between. Someone once told me that your body is like a fire, if you consistently add wood to the fire, it will continue to burn (expend energy), much like our body. If you continue to feed your body, it will continue to expend energy and hopefully start to use some of the fat as energy also. Of course, don't feed your body to the point of overeating otherwise that would definitely be stored as fat lol. Another thing that I have learned to is that if you exercise too much your body can go into what people call "starvation mode." Not that you are starving your body, but if you are expending too much energy your body may react to that. Everyone is different but that's just a few things that came to my mind after reading your post. Again, just my opinion and I certainly don't know a lot about any of this but I am learning from paying attention to what has worked for others. Good luck and hope you can find the solution that works best for you. :smile:
  • Lozze
    Lozze Posts: 1,917 Member
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    Can you open your diary? Also what is your current height and weight?

    If you're constantly hungry it might be time to eat slightly more and see how that changes things. Hunger is your body telling you it needs more food.
  • Helloitsdan
    Helloitsdan Posts: 5,564 Member
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    It all comes down to stress and CNS output.
    If you workout too much while at a deficit you are OVERTRAINING!!
  • snookumss
    snookumss Posts: 1,451 Member
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    If you were exercising that much and you logged consistently for two months without losing weight there are two scenarios. You gained muscle during that time period, or were not eating enough for your activity level.
  • Helloitsdan
    Helloitsdan Posts: 5,564 Member
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    not eating enough for your activity level.

    This...
  • meshashesha2012
    meshashesha2012 Posts: 8,326 Member
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    I don't eat a terrible amount of carbs. Make up the calories in fat and protein. And I don't eat 6 meals a day---i eat 3 because the grazing makes me crazy. I guess what I am wondering is how does one deal with feeling starving all the time (like actually hungry and almost sick feeling, not just bored and feeling like eating) while trying to eat less? I am pretty sure exercising is increasing my appertite, but if i want to lose weight i need to eat less. how do you balance this so that you don't feel hungry and crazy all the time?

    i never feel hungry. being hungry is your body's way of saying you arent eating enough
  • mzhokie
    mzhokie Posts: 349 Member
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    I eat about 4-6 times a day and feel fine. I do save the bulk of my calories for dinner because my husband and I like a big meal then. I just make it full of veggies and lean protein but it's still 1/3 or more of my calories in the day.

    Make sure you are eating foods that keep you full.... fiber, whole grains and lean protein. I actually added chia seeds into my diet and that helped. I had to go without them for a week and I'm beginning to think some of my bad mood was because I wasn't having them.... other factor the freakin heat! I mainly put them in my eggs in the morning and in yogurt in the afternoon.

    The feeling like you are starving can sometimes come from low blood sugar. That's where fiber and lean protein help. Keep you from spiking/crashing.

    Drink lots of water with your meals.
  • xachooo
    xachooo Posts: 42
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    I have not been logging food much the last couple months because i got discouraged. I think I can take away a few things to try.
    a) drink enough water
    b) relook at what I am eating (macronutrients)
    c) reevaluate how much I am eating relative to activity level. possibly too much, maybe not enough.

    so I will keep a food log for the next month or so and try to answer some of these questions.

    also seeing GP this week and will inquire about hormones post going off pill and what weight gain could mean for that.

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