HELP! I Gained Weight!

Water weight. It won't be fat, don't worry, drink heaps and weigh in again in 3-7 days.

yeah your muscles are retaining water and recuperating or whatever. it will shed off all of a sudden and then youll be happy cause it looks like you lost a good chunk

I also exercise 5 days a week: 1/2 hour running, 1/2 hour elliptical, 15 minutes weights.

What is your daily caloric intake? Are you eating clean? Is your sodium too high?

That's a ton of cardio 5 days a week. Make sure you aren't over training for the amount of calories you are eating. It's a balance. If you aren't eating enough your body will shut down and start storing and you will gain weight.

Sounds like water to me though. How long have you been at this? Your body is going to fluctuate at first so be patient. I've been at this since September and this morning the scale said I gained 4 pounds in a day! LOL it's water because my sodium intake was insane yesterday. Just relax. The scale is just one tool. If your clothes are looser and you see results in the mirror then smile and carry on.

TIPS:
• NEVER weigh in within 2 days of eating red meat. It can sit in your belly for at least 2 days digesting, also making you retain water.

• NEVER weigh in the day after working a major muscle group like legs. Again water retention due to muscle repair.

• Keep your sodium at 1500mg/day or less. The more sodium in your system the more your body will retain water to balance your chemical levels.

It also depends on the time of day you weigh yourself...I'm always a couple pounds heavier before bed then I am in the morning.

1.take your measurements, dont just do scale weigh-ins. They are just as accurate of whats happening inside your body, if not more. 2. And, maybe stay off the scale for a week?
3. Log faithfully, keep doing your workouts, and you will see some results!! Good luck!
4. (Also, sidenote: make sure your calroies are right for you- sometimes we eat too little, thinking less food equals more weight loss)

I cannot keep following this if it makes me gain three pounds every week!

The problem with this mentality is people expect results right away. And get discouraged if they dont see them right away. Everyones body chemistry is slightly different and will go through some pretty crazy changes as you drastically change your eating habbits (not diet) and workout. You didnt get fat overnight and wont get skinny as fast either.

Dont forget muscle building causes water retention until healed, normal water weight fluccuations, and muscle weighs more than fat. Focus on your weight over the scale of months, not days or weeks. Just keep in mind your body might fight the weight loss at first but if you stick with a negitive calorie deficit your body has no choice but to fall back on the fat.

Don't worry! I agree with everyone- it's likely water retention. I frequently have weeks where I am a few hundred calories under and be up, then go back down later.

At the same time, you may just be building muscle from your workouts. You might not see a change on the scale, or it might go up, but if you are seeing more muscle definition or looser clothing, you are still "loosing weight" by replacing fat-weight with muscle-weight.