12,000 calories per day and exercise and I am GAINING?!
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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!0 -
Well, you are starved and you drunk 2 L of water, and your muscles are retaining water after training. It is very common to gain 2-3 lbs (big guys gain as much as 10 lbs) after really good lifting session. You are not growing muscle, you are getting 'the pump'. Still, you might want to consider eating.
Don't get rid of salt. Just use coarse salt that was not processed to smithereens and augmented by artificial crap. Drinking salt water or liquids (broth) actually helps you with your deficits.0 -
Given what you've said, your TDEE should be around 2200, give or take, given light exercise. Assuming you want to lose 2 lb a week, which is about the most you should safely plan for, you are at 1200. So I would suggest that you eat 1200 calories a day, and stick to maybe 3 exercise sessions a week.
Yes, I try to stick to 1200 cal a day. But, sometimes I just dont feel like eating the extra calories if my stomach feels satisfied. I usually end up closer to 1200 cal a day than 800.
I had suggested 3 exercise sessions a week because that was what was factored into the calculation for the 2200 TDEE. If you exercise more than that, I would eat back those calories from those extra sessions.
What's your target weight?0 -
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.
I know fat does not literally turn into muscle. But the weight that your body carries can turn from weight from fat to weight from muscle.0 -
Given what you've said, your TDEE should be around 2200, give or take, given light exercise. Assuming you want to lose 2 lb a week, which is about the most you should safely plan for, you are at 1200. So I would suggest that you eat 1200 calories a day, and stick to maybe 3 exercise sessions a week.
Yes, I try to stick to 1200 cal a day. But, sometimes I just dont feel like eating the extra calories if my stomach feels satisfied. I usually end up closer to 1200 cal a day than 800.
I had suggested 3 exercise sessions a week because that was what was factored into the calculation for the 2200 TDEE. If you exercise more than that, I would eat back those calories from those extra sessions.
What's your target weight?
So far that is what I have done exercise 3x this week.
I just had my yearly physical last week and my doctor said I should aim for 150lbs. I think that is reasonable for me. according to all the weight/height charts it is overweight though.
As a side note, I really wish people would stop telling me I am starving myself. If my tummy feels empty I eat until I feel satisfied. I HATE feeling hugry. I do not understand the "eat even if you are not hungry" stuff. I can see and understand the concern about lack of calories, but if i feel satisfied and have a good energy level, why consume more calories? I am so confused! -_-
Really, I feel better than I have in years!0 -
Since I started working out more the last couple weeks, doing p90x, first I lost about 5 pounds, now I've gained about 2.5 back. Since my weight has gone up I've lost an inch in my waist, 1/2 inch in my hips, and some in my thighs. In the end that is what will make us healthier, and you will burn more base calories if you have higher lean muscle mass.
Good luck!
Kat0 -
So far that is what I have done exercise 3x this week.
I just had my yearly physical last week and my doctor said I should aim for 150lbs. I think that is reasonable for me. according to all the weight/height charts it is overweight though.
As a side note, I really wish people would stop telling me I am starving myself. If my tummy feels empty I eat until I feel satisfied. I HATE feeling hugry. I do not understand the "eat even if you are not hungry" stuff. I can see and understand the concern about lack of calories, but if i feel satisfied and have a good energy level, why consume more calories? I am so confused! -_-
Really, I feel better than I have in years!
Ah, sorry, when you said, "I have been to the gym 3x and been jogging 3x in the past week" I read that as 6 workouts in the past week.
People are coming at you from the perspective of calories in versus calories out. Your deficit is calories in - calories out. How hungry you feel has no bearing on that simple equation, and the equation is a basic truth of responsible weight loss. The other aspect is the belief that females should never net below 1200 cals a day. Again, no bearing on how hungry you feel. You may not agree with these people, but hopefully you can at least understand where they're coming from.0 -
stop thinking about the scale and think about body composition.my body builds muscle WAY too readily.
hmmm, I really doubt that.0 -
I do understand. When it is put into those terms. But, I guess I would THINK that if my body needed more calories it would say to my brain, "feed me, you fool!".
Yes, three total workouts this week including weights and jogging.0 -
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.0 -
i have the same problem.
i weighed 187.5- i was eating so healthy. and working out!
i eat fast food and don't work out and i am down to 186.5...
i think it might have something to do with if you aren't eating enough calories. at least i think that's what my problem was!0 -
Maybe mix up your diet make-up... More protein, less carbs, along that line.
Additionally, it is probably time to up your calories a little. You might see wome progress by just adding in a protein shake each day.0 -
I'm not gonna lie... I read the title and thought this was going to be a troll thread. haha.0
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I do have 1 shake a day. Maybe I need to get in a second shake every day?0
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Thank you for the encouraging words! Maybe right after exercise and drinking a ton of water is not the best time to weigh myeslf. But after seeing the number on the scale go down/stay the same but never go up for a couple months, seeing the wt. gain really burst my bubble.
I have a history of the gym not being my friend. I love to go and get exercise, but it seems when I work out i cant lose wt.
In college I went for 2hrs a day 5 days a week and ended up 170lbs of solid muscle. It's nice, but im still considered obese at 5'3 and 170! Despite not having much jiggle at that time.
In my profile picture (the blond girl way over to the left) I weighed about 170, pre exercise. I could have used some toning but I do not consider myself fat in that picture. I am just built bigger than your average girl. And, my body builds muscle WAY too readily.
Like you, I am addicted to the scale and it will drive you batty! It may be just my opinion, but I feel you need to go off of your measurements, how you're looking, how your clothes fit, and not what some formula says you should weigh. A fit 170 pounds looks much different than a non-fit 170 pounds. Best of luck and hang in there!0 -
I feel ya! I had my husband put the scale on top of the cabinets in the bathroom where I can't reach it... and I don't get it back until HALLOWEEN... It's already driving me nuts not being able to weigh, but now I can focus on how my clothes fit and how I feel instead of obsessing over that stupid little number. That's all it is... a number. It doesn't define you or me. Your actions define you, and if you're working out, KUDOS!! You're living a fit life. Keep it up!! We're all in this together!!0
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You changed your routine, and your body's response was to store weight (probably in the form of water). If you're working on physical fitness, you are now looking for a body that can perform great things. Feed your body 800 calories a day and it's not going to be able to accomplish much. You should really increase your calories a little bit to give your body something to work on. During cardio exercise, anywhere between 70-80% of the "fuel" used is from dietary calories.
And yes, you may need to turn a blind eye to the scale so that you can focus on how your body looks and, more importantly, feels.
You made a big change by going from zero exercise to regular workouts. It's going to take some time and adjustment.0 -
It was probably the water you drank before you weighed in0
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I do understand. When it is put into those terms. But, I guess I would THINK that if my body needed more calories it would say to my brain, "feed me, you fool!".
Yes, three total workouts this week including weights and jogging.
Not necessarily. Because think about it: most people get overweight because they ate too much. And they ate too much because their brains said, "I'm hungry, feed me you fool!" So they did. Sometimes our brains don't always translate our bodies' needs accurately, for a variety of reasons.
Eat more whole foods. Include healthy fats like peanut butter (try natural peanut butter, it's so good), nuts, olive oil, etc. Drink plenty of water. Eat your salt if you want to, as long as you're aware that high sodium days can increase water weight retention and that's going to give you an inaccurate scale reading. After you've been eating healthy, whole foods for a while, you'll start recognizing your body's hunger cues more accurately.0 -
I know it's been said, but I'll say it again.
Most likely, you are retaining water. Also, don't weigh yourself after you drink a whole bunch of water. It's heavy. Weigh first thing in the morning, with a nice freshly emptied bladder and rockin it out sans clothing.
I went off track for a few weeks and gained a couple of pounds. I've been back in track, but even though I'm within my calories, the scale isn't budging, because my body is clinging tightly to water, holding it in my muscles. I'm not worried about it, because I can tell my clothes are fitting how they should, and that belt loop isn't snug anymore. Once I get used to lifting and running again, I know I'll stop retaining so much water, and things will be groovy again where the scale is concerned.
You can do this. Don't let the scale freak you out so much. Being stronger and more toned is totally worth a stuck scale. After all, you don't introduce yourself with your weight, do you? Nope, you do it with your awesome body. Feel great, look great, and who gives a flying fudgenugget what the scale says.0
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