Helppp pleaseeee

KarismaLynn74

I've been going to the gym a bunch, 4-5 times a week, alternating pure cardio and cardio plus circuit training and at first I lost about 7 pounds but now I've gained 5 of those back. I'm always under my calorie goal, I don't eat anything TOO bad, I eat lots of fruit and drink plenty of water. Is this muscle weight I'm gaining or am I doing something wrong?

kdiamond

Are you sure you're calculating your calories accurately? With a food scale?

Also, water weight can definitely show its ugly head when you start exercising frequently. I would recommend weighing yourself no more than once a week, on the same day, at the same time, before eating anything. I know my weight can fluctuate 5 pounds in a day, due to sodium, drinking water, etc.. And since I've been the same weight for years, I know it isn't my true weight.

P.S. Women can't gain more than 1/2 pound of muscle per month, and that's on a good month.

KarismaLynn74

I use measuring cups and such when logging my food. And yeah it could be water weight because I've been drinking about 9-10 cups a day and I'm not used to that. Thanks for the help

Mokey41

You don't gain weight from drinking water. Water weight is usually from excessive sodium intake or muscles healing.

FriendsR4EverTreasures

How do your clothes fit? Use that as your determinant of your results instead of the scale!

auroranflash

Put away the scale for another two weeks, keep doing things right, and weigh under the same conditions each time (same day of the week in the morning nekkid after you go to the restroom). A lot easier not to freak out if you don't constantly see the fluctuations that come with changing your routine to a healthier one. You will see the results of the effort you put in, but don't be your own worst enemy and discourage yourself by freaking out over the little things.

Best of luck.

BlackTimber

I've been going to the gym a bunch, 4-5 times a week, alternating pure cardio and cardio plus circuit training and at first I lost about 7 pounds but now I've gained 5 of those back. I'm always under my calorie goal, I don't eat anything TOO bad, I eat lots of fruit and drink plenty of water. Is this muscle weight I'm gaining or am I doing something wrong?

4-5 times a week, for how long?

Circuit training is must another form of cardio for many. Are you using heavy enough weight?

how long to lose the 7 pounds?

how long to gain back the 5 pounds?

So out of your 13 pounds lost, you started at 11 lost before working out, lost 7 and gained 5?

KarismaLynn74

I work out for about an hour each time. I think I use too much weight most of the time cause it hurts to do simple tasks outside of the gym the day after. Of the 13 I lost, 5 was from previous times, I've been on here for a while, hadn't logged so I lost the first 7 recently in a week and a half then by the end of the next week had gained back the 4-5 pounds. But I'm gonna take the advice from up there ^^^ and weigh again in two weeks and see what it is. My clothes are definitely looser, so something just not adding up right.

TheRealParisLove

If you are sore, you are retaining water. The increase in 4-5 pounds in a week was added water weight due to muscle exertion. Keep doing what you are doing. The soreness will get better pretty quickly if you just push through.

When doing cardio try to get your heart rate at near maximum at least a few times during your workout. You can tell if you are close to maximum if you can't catch your breath and feel a little light headed (if you don't have a heart rate monitor). This will spur fat loss with less time spent exercising.

foleyshirley

What is your calorie goal, and how far under it are you?

earlyxer

Fruit is really not the best thing to eat for fat loss .... there are exceptions, but by and large it's loaded with sugar.

Additionally, you should alternate your cardio days with resistance training. You need to retain your lean mass (muscle), and doing lots of cardio is inimical to that. To see extreme examples of people who focus solely on cardio, go to Google Images and type in "marathon runner". It's not a pretty sight.

KarismaLynn74

Thank you everyone for the explanations! I realize I know next to nothing about weight loss!

My goal is set at 1640 cals a day, I typically eat a little over a thousand, some days a little more, some less.


When doing cardio I go just a bit over my comfort level, and a couple times a workout I'll push further until I feel like I physically cannot go at that pace anymore then my cook down is typically at my comfort level, without getting my heart rate too slow too quickly.

I know fruit has natural sugars in it, how much would be an acceptable amount to eat them and still be healthy?

Kiwi_09

Thank you everyone for the explanations! I realize I know next to nothing about weight loss!

My goal is set at 1640 cals a day, I typically eat a little over a thousand, some days a little more, some less.


When doing cardio I go just a bit over my comfort level, and a couple times a workout I'll push further until I feel like I physically cannot go at that pace anymore then my cook down is typically at my comfort level, without getting my heart rate too slow too quickly.

I know fruit has natural sugars in it, how much would be an acceptable amount to eat them and still be healthy?

If your goal is 1640 and you're only eating a little over 1000 then you need to eat more, especially on days you're working out.

earlyxer

I know fruit has natural sugars in it, how much would be an acceptable amount to eat them and still be healthy?

Watch your target macronutrient levels. MFP's recommendations are very carb-heavy, you would be doing yourself a favor to manually set them to 40/40/20 (protein/carb/fat) and try to follow them. It will become obvious to you which fruits are problematic (grapes, oranges) versus those that have a lower sugar content.