Don't Eat Fat, Limit Carbs, Still Gaining?

Xenobia4

Let me start off by saying I'm a 5'10 (borderline 5'11) female, 22-years-old.

I've been working out since November. I started working out 3hrs a day (was doing body-building), but I was just bulking up, not toning. So, about 2 months ago, I tailored my workout and now I'm at the gym for 1.5hrs a day doing strength training and interval training (small weights, high reps and sprints).

I haven't weighed myself SINCE November.

I finally decided to face my fear and get back on the scale. And it said I GAINED weight! How is that even possible?!?

I eat healthy, only have carbs one meal a day, have hardly any fat (and no saturated fat at all), eat only when I'm hungry, keep my calories below 2000 and exercise regularly, getting my heart rate in the 170s (over 200 during sprints). By those standards, I should weigh a good, healthy weight. But noooo. The scale says I've gone up in weight. I mean...WTF?? I do EVERYTHING you're supposed to do, but it's not enough! What else do I need to cut out??! FOOD?!

Can someone PLEASE tell me they have a similar experience? I'm in tears. I've been doing what you're supposed to do. I can outrun people, I can beat even my male friends in arm wrestling and I can kick most peoples' butts in the gym. How can I be so in shape, but still be overweight?! When I started, I weighed 204. Now it says I weight 210! That's not possible, is it? My butt's up, I have upper abs, biceps and triceps. I'm so confused. What am I doing wrong?

My hips have even gone from a 47.75 to a 45.82. My waist is still a steady 26" and my chest is still an even 36". How can my measurement around my hips have gone down if I've gained???

CoCoBean14

Your body needs fat to live. Also carbs. Carbs are its fuel

CopyCat97

you could have gained some muscle

sportybrewerschick

my guess would be that it is just muscle and water weight. it seems you are doing everything to par and i wouldn't worry about it too much!

Zombriana

Since you aren't eating fat and barely any carbs, most of your calories should be coming from protein. And since you are working out a like, lifting I believe I read, then you've probably shed some fat and gained muscle. Muscle is more dense than fat, so it takes up less room on your body, hence the inches you've lost but weight you've gained.
I do think you should eat more fat though. There are tons of healthy fats out here that are very beneficial for our bodies.

kiwilass

Hard to say without seeing your diary. But you need to eat carbs - a good ratio is 40carbs /30 protein/ 30 fat. What are your micros on? Also your fat could have turned to muscle which in turn may weigh more. Have you noticed a difference in your clothes - scales are only one way of assessing and not always accurate as you also weigh water retention and sodium blah blah.

100lbstoloosefemale

there are good carbs and bad carbs i just did my food tracker at the end of the day i had fat and carbs to spare but went way over my calorie intake, so watch that

_stephanie0

carbs are good for you.

fats are also good for you....

you need a good balance... like 40%carbs 40%protein 20%fat

im guessing thats why.... you should make your diary public to help more

ChesKrieg

Eat more fat (animal fat, butter, olive oil) it fills you up, and gives you energy, more protein, and more veggies. Refined carbs are bad (bread, etc) and are basically sugar, and will just make you hungry again faster. I won't go into it here, but msg me if you want more info.

Silverkittycat

Nothing is "bad", add more fats to your diet. Really.

100lbstoloosefemale

also beware of buying things that say fat free, caus could be filled with sugar which then turns into fat, or could be filled with sodium so watch those things

MFPBrandy

Your body needs fat to live. Also carbs. Carbs are its fuel

This.
There's a difference between eliminating carbs and eliminating crap carbs. And your body SO needs fat -- your brain alone is comprised of a good portion of fat. You might be restricting yourself too much, causing your body to compensate. I'm no expert; might be worth chatting with your doc. But I do know a healthy diet includes both good fats and good carbs.

MochaMixAZ

I'm sorry you're discouraged. Look at all the wonderful things you mentioned in your post, and try to hang onto those. You feel better, you're slimmer and more toned!! Throw the dang scale out!

You might consider adding back in healthy fats and whole grains... you might see a little drop in the scale. It might also pay to take a look at your salt intake (for example, if you're eating proteins and lots of deli meats)... that could do it.

Best of luck to you.
D.

bodiva88

This is the one place where the "muscle weighs more than fat" thing makes sense. You have gained muscle and lost fat. You're more toned (thus the smaller hips). You talk about your new muscles, how do you look? How do you feel?

Are you tracking your calories in and out? Why not track everything carefully for a couple of weeks, then set up a consult with a registered dietician, who can help you look at the balance of what you're eating and how your exercising?

And yes, you need fat (for your brain, your skin, your digestive system).

Lolli1986

probably muscle. if your measurements are down, all is well, as far as i'm concerned.

i've already forgotten if you said you count your cals or not. you may just not be creating enough of a deficit to lose.

Clew

Oh honey, don't stress!! - your tape measure tells you all you need to know. I suggest you gage your success mainly with a tape measure, not a scale. When I first started working out I dropped 2 sizes but gained weight. I didn't care about the scale when my size was obviously going down! Who sees the scale? Just you. Who sees your shrinking measurements? EVERYBODY! :happy:

((Just a quick side-remark ... the human body NEEDS fat - just the right kind of fat (meats, nuts, eggs, olive oil, milled flax seed, etc.) ))

** Ah I see a lot of others suggested this add fat thing before I posted - but I'll chime in with it anyway :bigsmile: **

Be kind to yourself. best of luck! :flowerforyou:

Barbellerella

I gained 4 pounds, but lost 3% body fat. Make sure you measure yourself!! Also I think this is the most helpful tool on MFP for figuring your calories and macros. http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/654536-in-place-of-a-road-map-2-0-revised-7-2-12