12,000 calories per day and exercise and I am GAINING?!

NovemberJune

"I stepped on the scale yesterday to find to my dismay I weighed 179-180. I had not eaten yet at that time and had consumed abou 2L of H20. "

Weight fluctuates a lot. Do you mean you drank 2 liters of water before weighing in? If I weigh myself, go drink 2 liters of water, then weigh myself again, I will weigh quite a bit more.

"This has been an issue for me in the past. When I go to the gym my body will not shed pounds. My fat turns into muscle and the scale wont budge. "

Fat does not turn to muscle. And if it did, wouldn't that be a GOOD thing? :ohwell:

"I don't know what to do! I am so discouraged. I am trying to be healthier all around and would like to get into shape. But, not if that means sacrificing my wt. loss! Anyone else have this problem? Advice?"
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I had plenty of weeks when I was up in weight. Weekly weigh ins don't mean much. It can have to do with how much food is left in your digestive system one day vs another, how much water you just drank, where you are in your menstrual cycle, water retention for any reason, etc, etc, etc.

toberdawg

I'm not gonna lie... I read the title and thought this was going to be a troll thread. haha.

I know! after I posted the topic, I was scrolling the forum topics. I came across my post title and thought, "who is this fool?!" then realized it was me! Thats what I get trying to post topics before my morning coffee!

sevsmom

#1. . . you HAVE to feed the machine properly. Eat nutrient dense foods and choose some with healthy fats (nuts as an example) that can help your body get the calories it needs.

#2 . . . fit over flab any day of the week. no matter what the scale says. I haven't lost weight in 6 months, but I've dropped a pant size. I'll take FIT every day of the week and twice on Sunday!

micervera

stop thinking about the scale and think about body composition.

my body builds muscle WAY too readily.

hmmm, I really doubt that.

Or at least it LOOKS like it does. When your 5'3" and of stocky build wt. loss/gain is very different.

You are right!! It does look different. I am 5'3" myself and in any weight gain will make me look like a bloated muffin. I started my weight loss @ 213 lbs & in February 2012 I was at my lowest of 168 lbs. Ever since then I haven't been able to loose it but it's because I haven't really tried either and here's why.

After shedding 40 lbs I feel great. I lost inches in my waist, thighs and arms. My body has never been this toned in it's entire life and I am so happy others have noticed. So yeah I haven't lost everything I wanted to but I look great. Fitting into smaller sized pants than the size 18 I was used to, makes me feel "skinny".

Now that I'm full force back on MFP and watching what I am consuming, I don't eat anything less 1,200 calories a day. Even if I am not hungry, I still force my self to eat. Your body really needs the energy to burn & w/o fueling your body, you're just clunking it out. And also give your body rest. It needs time to heal. I workout 5 days a week but the other 2, I just let my body take a breather. Muscles can get exhausted too.

Another word, don't give up. Just because the scale says 178 or 179 doesn't mean you don't like you're 150. If you were to ask someone how much do they think you weigh, no one would be exact. Good luck!!

WABeachWalker

One thing I've found helpful is to know my body composition--lean tissue to fat ratio. Your gym may have this machine, but so may your health care provider or a trainer. Just knowing that the lean is increasing and the fat is decreasing in measureable numbers may help to encourage you.

firstsip

Fat does not turn into muscle. They are different cell types.

You are likely retaining water. If you are experiencing any soreness, you definitely are.

If you're going to do weight training, you need to eat more. Fuel your workouts. Eat whole foods and try to watch your sodium levels to help decrease water retention.

I have been quite lame actually!

For some reason I LOVE salt! I can cut almost anything else from my diet. But, I cannot get rid of the salt. When I try I become tempted to purchase myself a salt lick. I am trying to work on this though!

Now THAT'S interesting to know. How much water do you routinely drink if you crave salt that bad, and have you also ever had bloodwork done to check your sodium and potassium?

P.S. There's salt alternatives (potassium salt, yeast salt, etc.) that taste like the real thing. My fiance was a salt fiend and we went over to that because of his high blood pressure. Made a huge difference!

NovemberJune

I do have 1 shake a day. Maybe I need to get in a second shake every day?

Honestly, I'd go for eating more real food every day. I ate around 1500-1700 for most of my weight loss and now I eat around 1900-2200

andrea9873

you only eat 800-1200 calories per day? wow. that's really low calorie. how do you survive let alone run and do weight training. how confusing.

caramac49

When you really step up the amount you are exercising, your body produces more fluids and blood to transport oxygen around your body more effectively to cope with the increase in demand. As a result, it can appear that you are maintaining or gaining weight. You won't have increased your muscle mass significantly after only a few weeks exercise - the additional fluid will balance out over time and will help you to be able to exercise more strenuously and increase your fitness, thereby burning more calories per session. Don't worry, it will all come good in the end just stick with it - you'll start to notice you can do more per exercise session quite quickly and this will hopefully help you to stay motivated.

firstsip

FYI, about the whole "muscle" thing, you generally can't build muscle at such a deficit you've been eating; I second, third, whatever, the responses saying water retention.

auroranflash

Opps! That is supposed to 1,200 cal a day NOT 12,000!

Excuse my foolishness, I just woke up!

Thanks for the giggle though, I figured this was someone being sarcastic.

You may need to eat more, seriously. People will be like "That's crazy!" but the truth is, when you're eating very little, your hormones are out of whack. Your body hates being in a calorie deficit to begin with, an extreme one will cause it to hold on dearly to anything you give it.

http://www.fat2fitradio.com/tools/bmr/

Run your numbers, adjust MFP calorie goals manually, get lots of lean protein to make sure you're keeping your lean muscle mass while losing weight, lots of fibrous fruits/veggies to keep you full, drink lots of water, and be patient. If you're moderately active and logging truthfully, you'll see a difference. Not as fast as you'd like, but you will. And you'll feel better.

Best of luck!

toberdawg

I have gone from a tight size 16 jeans to a comfortable size 12. So, in that regard there has been quite a difference. And, that is encouraging.

I just get so sick of looking at the height/weight charts and seeing that I am overweight. I feel I am very large for a woman of my height. My lowest EVER adult weight is 145lbs. At that weight my ribs and hip bones are visible and my collar bone protrudes obnoxiously. A size 10 jeans fit losely, I have difficulty accepting I will never be in a "healthy" weight range. Damn those charts!

And, yes the drinking lots of water before weighing makes sense in terms of higher number on the scale. I kind of thought maybe that was the problem, but needed confirmation form others.

toberdawg

Opps! That is supposed to 1,200 cal a day NOT 12,000!

Excuse my foolishness, I just woke up!

Thanks for the giggle though, I figured this was someone being sarcastic.

You may need to eat more, seriously. People will be like "That's crazy!" but the truth is, when you're eating very little, your hormones are out of whack. Your body hates being in a calorie deficit to begin with, an extreme one will cause it to hold on dearly to anything you give it.

http://www.fat2fitradio.com/tools/bmr/

Run your numbers, adjust MFP calorie goals manually, get lots of lean protein to make sure you're keeping your lean muscle mass while losing weight, lots of fibrous fruits/veggies to keep you full, drink lots of water, and be patient. If you're moderately active and logging truthfully, you'll see a difference. Not as fast as you'd like, but you will. And you'll feel better.

Best of luck!

I do use the fat2fitradio military body fat calculator I LOVE it. It tells me my body fat % is 28%! I will try upping my calories a little and see what happens!

toberdawg

FYI, about the whole "muscle" thing, you generally can't build muscle at such a deficit you've been eating; I second, third, whatever, the responses saying water retention.

Even if the majority of my calories are protein?

secretlobster

I just get so sick of looking at the height/weight charts and seeing that I am overweight.

Then don't look at them. Where you are in the process right now matters VERY LITTLE compared to the direction you're actively headed in. Why constantly remind yourself that you aren't there yet? Keep your eye on the finish line... not down at your feet...

If I weighed myself after drinking 2l of water, I'd weigh the same amount as I would if I were holding a 2l bottle of water in my hand. But in the latter case, I'd be able to understand that the weight on the scale didn't accurately reflect my body mass

NovemberJune

Opps! That is supposed to 1,200 cal a day NOT 12,000!

Excuse my foolishness, I just woke up!

Thanks for the giggle though, I figured this was someone being sarcastic.

You may need to eat more, seriously. People will be like "That's crazy!" but the truth is, when you're eating very little, your hormones are out of whack. Your body hates being in a calorie deficit to begin with, an extreme one will cause it to hold on dearly to anything you give it.

http://www.fat2fitradio.com/tools/bmr/

Run your numbers, adjust MFP calorie goals manually, get lots of lean protein to make sure you're keeping your lean muscle mass while losing weight, lots of fibrous fruits/veggies to keep you full, drink lots of water, and be patient. If you're moderately active and logging truthfully, you'll see a difference. Not as fast as you'd like, but you will. And you'll feel better.

Best of luck!

I do use the fat2fitradio military body fat calculator I LOVE it. It tells me my body fat % is 28%! I will try upping my calories a little and see what happens!

Don't freak out if the scale goes up a bit. That's typical for upping calories but it evens out after a couple of weeks.

Marie31450

Don't define yourself by a number on the scale! I know it can be discouraging to see no change on the scale..but the changes will definitely come in the loss of inches and fat ! Go by how your clothes fit!

thescrumisfun

Get a body fat caliper and aim for a healthy body fat percentage. I'm 5'3" and nearing 170 as well. EAT. I have been having some off days when I am stressed and I don't eat my normal amount, and I've been feeling like crap. Your body will thank you.

BrawlerBella

Sorry to be the barer or bad news, but fat does not turn to muscle. You could be retaining water, and your body is working inefficiently because you're not feeding it enough. More food, more water, more pictures and measurements, less stress.

^^^^This plus keep your eye on your sodium intake causes water retention and add more protein. Protein is necessary for the building and repair of body tissues.

mvatrail

Eat smart - exercise smart - don t pay attention to the scale for 30 days and then see where you are at. If you feel good , that is what is REALLY important.