Frustrated! >:-|

Jen_the_RN

Just over two weeks ago I made a commitment to myself to get healthy (I'm 36). Yay me! I made HUGE changes to my diet, cutting my daily calorie intake nearly in HALF! I've been mostly satisfied because the amount of food I've been eating is about the same, just a lot healther (more veggies, less processed foods, LOTS of greens).

For the past 15 days I have been averaging 1300 calories a day. I've recorded everything from the exact ounces of homemade granola I ate to the glasses of wine I had last weekend. On top of that I have upped my exercise routine to 30 minutes of cardio 2-3 x week, plus strength training.

Guess what...I've GAINED three pounds! How could that be? I understand that muscle weighs more that fat, but my body doesn't look or feel any more compact (in other words my pants fit the same). Usually weight loss is most evident at the inception of such lifestylel changes, but that isn't the case for me.

Any thoughts? Thanks for listening (um, reading)!

~J

AncientLullaby_

calories can sneak in everywhere make sure you measure precisely when you cook your food... like the oil you use, sodium, dressings and juices.... they are all filled with tons of calories.
Another thing, how much calorie do you burn eating 1300? if you burn 500 you should eat it back.... because that would make your net calories 800 … If you exercise a lot you need to up your calories with healthy foods.

dnbmeesha

I suggest that you get a sewing tape measure and start gauging your process via that for a bit. The scale doesn't pick up fat versus muscule but muscule is more lean so you could be losing inches and not realizing. Your jeans might be fitting the same if you are losing inches from your arms, bust, etc... Make sure you drink a lot of water too. You could try detoxicfing yourself too my eating grapefruit with no sugar, drinking some apple cider vinegar with mother everyday and adding lemon to your water. Good luck and just keep going!!

jigsaw_gd

It can be frustrating can't it ... all I can say is that women's bodies do really weird things occasionally and sticking with it is the way to go.

So, work out accurately how many cals you should be eating (rather than just going for 1300 - you may be eating too little), keep recording and keep exercising and give it a bit longer.

IF you've still gained say after 6 weeks go see your Dr, get a full blood workup done and get a referral to a (properly accredited) dietitian as there may be other factors at play!

wildaaron

Have you measured yourself? I lost a few cm one week and didn't shift any weight.

trudijoy

last time i lost weight i literally lost an entire dress size before the scale shifted. that was because i was gaining muscle faster than i was losing fat. once the drop started it was steady. your body might well be in shock. All sorts of things can cause a gain - i've had two in two weeks from my period and then digestion issues, but theyre temporary and fading now. just make good decisions, be precise, and be patient x

iwontdnyit

I can remember living the same nightmare but the tape measure is what helped me realize that I would losing some of my muffin top so to speak. I gained a little bit more confidence. Doing insanity has really giving me a boost in the weight loss area.

danielleburwell97060

I suggest what others have suggested about measurements. It's a far more accurate gauge of progress. Also, this is new, and it sounds like you made a LOT of changes really FAST. Our bodies don't really like change, even if that change is for the better. Let it catch up. Also be careful not to burn yourself out doing it all so fast. Replace one bad habit with a good habit. Also, our bodies flux at least 3-5 pounds in one DAY. You could have just stepped on the scale at a crappy time of the day. Best to do it in the morning, after you go to the bathroom. Or if that's not possible, the same time of day each time you do it. Also, your menstrual cycle can affect how much water you're retaining the closer you get to your TOM. Just keep doing what you're doing and you'll be fine. Also, muscle does not weigh more than fat. A pound of anything is still a pound! It just takes up less space than fat does. But besides that, you definitely didn't gain 3 pounds of muscle in 2 weeks. I think a trainer told me it takes a year to build a pound of muscle? Either way, the opposite is true too that it's very doubtful you could put on 3 pounds of fat since you would have needed to eat 150 cals over your maintenance per day over the 2 weeks to do that and if you're eating 1300 cals you aren't doing that. So don't worry so much

jesz124

You cannot gain muscle on a deficit (there are certain caveats to this but I don't think the apply to you OP) You can lose fat and reveal the underlying muscle making it look like you have gained muscle. For a woman to gain muscle she needs a dedicated strength training programme, high protein diet and an excess of calories. Even the your looking at about a 0.5 gain a month. You cannot magic up new muscle growth out of nothing. Sorry, but I find people telling the OP it's muscle gain so very misleading. If it's anything it will be water retention or one of the many other factors that affect weight. Bear in mind OP to gain 3 lbs of fat you would have to eat an extra 7500 for each pound gained. Have you done that? Nope, I doubt it, so it's not fat either. Don't sweat it. Just keep on keeping on with what you are doing and if your numbers are right then you will lose. Good luck.

Jen_the_RN

Thanks to all of the responses! I found all of them valuable; jesz124, you must be a PT or BB?

On days that I exercise I eat more, to stay around my net intake. I don't use dressing, and also calculate the scant olive oil in the pan. I've upped my water intake and rarely drink sugar or calories. Almost everything that goes into my mouth home-made, or I use the barcode scanner, and every calorie is counted. (I'm very strict!)

I had a complete blood work-up and exam right at the start of the diet. My LDL was a little high, but other than that, everything is completely normal.

I love the quote from Trudijoy: just make good decisions, be precise, and be patient x

april1445

I started charting my net calories with my weight to see what the pattern is. It's a learning process. i can't figure out if I should eat more or less, but I think I've figured out that I need to start at sedentary. anyway, it's taken me 2 months to figure out that I need to tweak. Good luck.

mybow7

It may not be what you are eating that is the problem: Sleep deprivation or stress can cause imbalances in the chemicals that regulate appetite, metabolism, and fat storage! I read your profile that you want to look good for grad! Even though you may not feel stress, your body does! Try some Yoga if you think it is stress! Hang in there! Don't give up and yes do buy a tape measure to check your progress, because the scale could be measuring water weight!

derekj222

If no one is going to say it, you need to eat MORE. Eating 1300 is not enough, especially if you are exercising! Everyone is throwing every excuse in the book at you...starving yourself won't do it. You don't need to be super finicky, I hardly ever count olive oil and I cook with it everyday!

michellekicks

I was wondering how you came up with 1300 as a goal... what is your height and weight? You only have 22 lbs to lose... you should not be using big deficits.

ILiftHeavyAcrylics

You're most likely experiencing water retention for muscle repair.

Make sure you're logging accurately, by weight not volume, making your own recipes, etc. Eat back at least most of your exercise calories. Be patient. Good luck :flowerforyou:

pilot1960

If no one is going to say it, you need to eat MORE. Eating 1300 is not enough, especially if you are exercising! Everyone is throwing every excuse in the book at you...starving yourself won't do it. You don't need to be super finicky, I hardly ever count olive oil and I cook with it everyday!

I don't count olive oil either. I expect your body is trying to hang on to fat. Give it time and eat sensibly. String out your calorie intake over three main meals if you can. And keep note of any snacking. Try not to get any "naughty" notices if you do you are not easting enough.

sms14411

I am having the same issue. I am 164 lbs and 5'6", I work in an office all day, so I cut my calories way back and with the addition of an hour workout at least 4 times a week. I have GAINED a pound or two. I would think that when I record EVERYTHING, and I see that my caloric intake is ATLEAST 4000 calories a week, it would be going down, not up. Its a let down to see my weight stay the same or even go up. I will continue to "try", but another month of this I might just give up.

pilot1960

I am having the same issue. I am 164 lbs and 5'6", I work in an office all day, so I cut my calories way back and with the addition of an hour workout at least 4 times a week. I have GAINED a pound or two. I would think that when I record EVERYTHING, and I see that my caloric intake is ATLEAST 4000 calories a week, it would be going down, not up. Its a let down to see my weight stay the same or even go up. I will continue to "try", but another month of this I might just give up.

Don't just give up! That is not how to beat it. Sedentary work is not good for weight loss. But persevere it will start to shift.

wareagle8706

BE PATIENT.

Everyone on here is going to tell you that you're retaining water and that you've gained muscle or you aren't eating enough or blah blah blah but the truth is the majority of these people are not qualified to tell you those types of things, and neither am I.

All we can tell you is that you've made a major change your body isn't used to and it's going to find ways to adapt to that change before you start seeing the fruits of your labor. So, in other words be patient. It will happen. Gaining 3 pounds is no big deal, just keep doing what you're doing and you should start seeing results in 4-6 weeks. Two weeks isn't a good measurement. If you haven't seen results by 6 weeks or you've continued to gain at 4 weeks then readjust your calorie intake and try that for a few weeks. This is all trial and error and none of us can give you an exact answer, although I'm sure we wish we could.

Good luck!!

miacita

you added weights right, that is most likely why you gained. It happens to me when I switch up my workouts. When I add strength training I will gain because I am increasing my muscle mass. Give yourself another few weeks. Muscle burns more fat that cardio. But be careful not to bring your calorie intake to low.

AnnInTexas

Hi there.

I recently joined a medically supervised program here in my hometown. Using MFP, I put myself on a 1200 calorie a day diet. But once I had a RMR (resting metabolic rate) test and a VO2 test, I learned I really wasn't eating enough calories, and was working out in the cardio zone... rather than a fat burning zone.

You can find some pretty good substitute calculations online to help you figure out what your cals should be. I used one website and figured out my daily cals should be about 1400-1600 to lose a pound a week. Then I went to the doctor and had the test done and found my ideal daily intake would be between 1400 - 1700....not too far off from the online formula.

My advice would be to really look at your body's calorie needs versus what you think you need. If you are working out as you say, I'm fairly certain you need to up those calories a little bit -- with good stuff. It's a weird reality I know -- but sometimes you need to eat more to lose more.

Good luck!

rrios6291

Try increasing you calorie count by a few hundred, don't under eat. As for cardio, try keeping yor heart rate at around 130-140 bpm. Wish you the best, just keep working at it, change things around until you find what works for you.

quiksylver296

I always gain 4 pounds right before my period, and lose it again right after. Just in case that's the issue.

rubimarie707

this was me 2 weeks ago...I actually ended up changing my settings to eat more calories and I finally started losing
- just keep swimming Nemo!!!!

lyndabraczynski

same thing happened to me I gained 3 pounds the first 2 weeks than all of a sudden I lost 8 net loss of 5 but, I think it takes a body a a few weeks to realize that you mean business. Just keep going...I did not change my caloric intake at all just kept to the 1200 or less a day and continued to work out and it is starting to pay off. I am staying away from the scale for a while as that is disheartening some times. Just keep focused on the end goal....a healthier you...

graciepecie

Just over two weeks ago I made a commitment to myself to get healthy (I'm 36). Yay me! I made HUGE changes to my diet, cutting my daily calorie intake nearly in HALF! I've been mostly satisfied because the amount of food I've been eating is about the same, just a lot healther (more veggies, less processed foods, LOTS of greens).

For the past 15 days I have been averaging 1300 calories a day. I've recorded everything from the exact ounces of homemade granola I ate to the glasses of wine I had last weekend. On top of that I have upped my exercise routine to 30 minutes of cardio 2-3 x week, plus strength training.

Guess what...I've GAINED three pounds! How could that be? I understand that muscle weighs more that fat, but my body doesn't look or feel any more compact (in other words my pants fit the same). Usually weight loss is most evident at the inception of such lifestylel changes, but that isn't the case for me.

Any thoughts? Thanks for listening (um, reading)!

~J

You need to eat more, you're eating too few calories.

Please take your time and read this blog. It wil help you so much. When I started MFP I had te same problem you have right now.

http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/654536-in-place-of-a-road-map-2-0-revised-7-2-12

YogaNikki

You cannot gain muscle on a deficit (there are certain caveats to this but I don't think the apply to you OP) You can lose fat and reveal the underlying muscle making it look like you have gained muscle. For a woman to gain muscle she needs a dedicated strength training programme, high protein diet and an excess of calories. Even the your looking at about a 0.5 gain a month. You cannot magic up new muscle growth out of nothing. Sorry, but I find people telling the OP it's muscle gain so very misleading. If it's anything it will be water retention or one of the many other factors that affect weight. Bear in mind OP to gain 3 lbs of fat you would have to eat an extra 7500 for each pound gained. Have you done that? Nope, I doubt it, so it's not fat either. Don't sweat it. Just keep on keeping on with what you are doing and if your numbers are right then you will lose. Good luck.

I you.

twelfty

probably been said but 2 weeks is too soon, weigh in at a month, and check measurements, keep up the good work, it's your body testing you to make sure you're commited lol

MonicaT1972

Do some research on alcohol and what the body does with it...that might be something you want to consider cutting as well.

Also, if you open up your diary those of us that have had great success will be better able to advise you.

It's all about finding a balance of what your body responds to. You don't gain 3 lbs of muscle that fast...the average woman training hard and eating well can only gain an average of 5lbs of muscle a year.

257_Lag

I gained 2 lbs the first week also. Be patient. Down 11 lbs in the next 6 weeks. Keep at it!

likitisplit

One point that I don't see anybody making is that gaining a single pound of fat REQUIRES you to eat 3500 more calories than you have burned. If you haven't eaten 10500 more calories over what you have burned in the last 15 days then you haven't gained any more fat. You might be wearing heavier shoes, retaining water, developing muscle, your scale might be broken, or any number of other things. But you haven't added any fat. Period.