HELP GAINING WEIGHT

JenLaPointe
JenLaPointe Posts: 37
in Health and Weight Loss
I have been doing insanity for 4 wks now and have GAINED 6lbs. My clothes even feel tighter. I normally eat 1200 plus my exercise cals back so around 1400-1500 cal per day. I also use a fit bit. And each day it says I burn at least 2100-2300 cals per day. I do have a few days were I have been over my calorie goal. But overall in a week, according to MFP and Fitbit. I am should be losing. Any indeas or suggestions would be VERY helpful. I just not sure what to do. I NEED to loss the wieght! Thanks

Replies

  • SouffleBoy
    SouffleBoy Posts: 65 Member
    Is this the first time you've weighed? It may be just water weight which can happen if your using your muscles a lot.
  • NocturnalGirl
    NocturnalGirl Posts: 1,762
    Did you gain 6lbs gradually or in one week? What's the time span?

    Also, do you weigh your food and log everything?
  • JenLaPointe
    JenLaPointe Posts: 37
    I weighed two weeks ago and was up 3lbs then. I have been gaining all summer. Up 12lbs since May. That is why I started doing Insanity. I heard so many good things. I thought it would make a difference.

    I do measure and track everything I eat.
  • snailie
    snailie Posts: 3 Member
    Sorry that it's not going to plan when you're working so hard, it must be v. frustrating!

    How do you track your exercise burn? MFP, IMHO, grossly over-estimates calls burnt during exercise :grumble: . I just had to google Fitbit so can't comment on its accuracy...
    Could you be eating back too many calories based on an over-estimation of exercise?
  • asticoral
    asticoral Posts: 99
    The fit bit has to have the correct information put into it, just like a standard pedometer when starting, not sure if this was done?

    can't see much off your profile so help is going to be limited, sorry

    I do not eat back my calories ~ and if I would eat some back it would be under half and strictly if I was hungry

    A scale is just a tool in all this, you most certainly can be carrying extra muscle weight with the exercise you've been doing
  • SassyCalyGirl
    SassyCalyGirl Posts: 1,932 Member
    your fit bit sounds like it is grossly over estimating your calorie burns!
  • tejasmh87
    tejasmh87 Posts: 91 Member
    Your FitBit is about right since it tracks not only calories you burn via walking-type of exercise but also the calories your body burns at rest. That is about the same number mine gives me daily.

    I can't comment on your weight gain- wish I knew what to say. I would venture a guess and say try to increase you caloric intake for a week (extra 100-200-ish per day) and see what happens. You *might* not be getting enough nutrition and you are burning most of your calories up and your body is holding only any extra it can get its cells on.

    My fit bit is about even with yours but I eat just under 2000 cals and weight is slowly coming off-BUT I am still trying to find that sweet spot of exercise/caloric intake to shed the pounds. It's taking some tweeking for me.

    Keep your chin up, try to up the calories and tweek a bit. You know what you are doing isn't working- so a small change is in order :) You can do it!
  • BlackTimber
    BlackTimber Posts: 230 Member
    Over a months time the Fit-Bit calculation for calories in vs calories out is overestimating my potential weight loss by 35%. Not too bad, but if I ate all of my exercise calories back I would lose 0-3 pounds per month instead of the 4-6 I am losing now.
  • BlackTimber
    BlackTimber Posts: 230 Member
    The Fitbit number includes BMR.
  • prokomds
    prokomds Posts: 318 Member
    How much weight per week are you set to lose? If your tracker is accurate, you're looking for 18 pounds, which (generally speaking) isn't a huge amount. The smaller the amount of weight to your goal, the slower the weight loss will be... You should probably have it set to lose .5 pounds/week (at most 1/week). Which makes me think you're probably not eating enough. If you're burning 2000+ and only eating 1500, I would say that's not enough (too large of a deficit). If you're not fueling your body properly, it's not going to behave in the way you'd want. And too low calories will prevent you from building lots of healthy muscle. As suggested elsewhere, maybe try adding a couple hundred calories a day for a few weeks, and see if that helps?
  • Arunakae
    Arunakae Posts: 83
    To be entirely honest I didn't read all the other replies, so I have no idea if some has already suggested this. But from the things I've heard about insanity it's a crazy awesome work-out and you could be gaining muscle weight. When I'm lifting weights regularly, I don't lose weight and sometimes I even gain it. But muscle weight is awesome and something to be very proud of. I knew a girl who became a personal trainer and started working out hard-core every day, she got so ripped she gained 25+ pounds in pure, raw, awesome muscle weight. So you should also be taking measurements, see if you're gaining inches in high muscle places, like biceps, and legs, if this is the case then be proud!
  • jollygreencc
    jollygreencc Posts: 14 Member
    If you're drinking diet sodas, they don't have any calories but they will make you retain water. That would hurt your weight loss. Also even if your calories are low, what about your sugars? Sugars don't burn naturally in your system and even if your calories are low enough, the sugars won't break down into a weight loss. Check your intake of juices, sugar cereal or yogurts, etc.

    Also I would suggest that you take measurements just in case other people are right and you're actually gaining muscle mass. Take measurements of your belly, your waist, and your neck to see if you're actually building muscle but still losing inches. That would be awesome!
  • JenLaPointe
    JenLaPointe Posts: 37
    Thanks everyone for all the advice!

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