New gym routine week 2--Still no weight loss

whitnm76
whitnm76 Posts: 47
in Health and Weight Loss
So I posted last week that my first week back to the gym I gained 1.3 lbs, which of course I was very upset by. This week I've stayed the same weight. I'm starting to get a little discouraged because I eat so healthy. I try to eat about 1400 cals the days I work out and 1200-1300 the days I don't work out. I try to eat between 120-140 grams of carbs and I do about 130 grams of protein. Before the holidays, I was losing a lb a week without working out and by eating around 120g of carbs and incresing protein. Since the holidays, I've gained about 4 lbs and I just cant get it to come off. I thought that since I already ate healthy, that adding the gym would give me the boos I need. But, I've lost nothing but gained since I started working out. Has this happened to anyone before? I know working out is good, but it's hard to keep the motivation when I'm not losing weight :(

Replies

  • niki87lewis
    niki87lewis Posts: 147 Member
    You should take your measurements as whenever you start a new workout regime it takes the body time to adjust, make sure you drink lots of water and take proper rest days. :-)
  • jesz124
    jesz124 Posts: 1,004 Member
    What's you weight and height?
  • whitnm76
    whitnm76 Posts: 47
    I weigh 172.2 ( I weighed 170.9 before I started working out) and I am 5'5...26 years old
  • jsj024519
    jsj024519 Posts: 400 Member
    Give yourself some time. Your metabolic thermostat is slowly getting there.

    Best of luck
  • Muddy_Yogi
    Muddy_Yogi Posts: 1,459 Member
    You need to give a new program a month at LEAST.
  • jesz124
    jesz124 Posts: 1,004 Member
    I weigh 172.2 ( I weighed 170.9 before I started working out) and I am 5'5...26 years old

    OK. Well I would personally be eating just below your TDEE if I was you rather than sticking to 1200-1300. I know you probably think 1400 on workout days seems plenty but it's not really. I can guess that you are not eating back your exercise calories either. If you arn't fuelling your body enough it will not be inclined to dump excess fat. It you don't feed it enough it will hang onto what fat it has.

    I would google your TDEE and reduce from that (15-20%).

    It's all about patience really The minor blips of a gain here and there don't really matter. It's a long haul game that you just have to keep plugging away at. Eat less than you burn = weight loss. It's dull and sucky at times but you will get there with patience.
  • Liftnlove
    Liftnlove Posts: 235
    A new workout routine will make you temporarily retain water. You need to rely on other things besides the scale to gauge your progress...pictures, measurements, and how you feel.

    Also, 2 whole weeks? Seriously?! I'm not trying to be mean, but this needs to be a LIFESTYLE, not a quick, fad fix. If you will COMMIT to living your life like a healthy, fit person...you will become a healthy, fit person. Period.

    But 2 weeks is a blip on the radar...you need to breeeeeaaathe, relax, and try to be more patient. Best wishes :)
  • lolagurlx0x0
    lolagurlx0x0 Posts: 149 Member
    Sounds like youre gaining muscle- but an important factor is that you drink enough water for the exercise you are doing- otherwise you retain water- which can make your weight fluctuate drastically. Are you mainly lifting or cardio? Light lifting to tone cardio is to burn the most calories- though the line is split- if you lift you make muscle which burns more calories anyways- but it's not going to show you a drastic pound change- ESPECIALLY not in less than 1 month.
  • lawtechie
    lawtechie Posts: 708 Member
    Every body is different but I'll tell you I'm 5'4, currently 175 and eating about 1600 calories (before exercise) and consistently losing 0.5 - 1+ lb/week. I don't always eat all my exercise calories back.

    Think you need to eat more

    I also think your weight went up because your muscles are retaining water, and trying to restore the glyogen that was depleted during exercise (food for fuel).
  • czardastx
    czardastx Posts: 127 Member
    It will take more than just two weeks of gym work to see a difference. You're probably putting on some muscle weight. Those pesky muscles do get bigger the more you work them. I know that you're feeling frustrated, you said so yourself. But I'm going to tell you to stick with it. So many people, me included, are going to tell you it takes time and dedication. And it does, I've been on a slow steady weight loss for a couple of years now, down from 240 to 187. So, it's not a quick thing. I hit the gym 3 times a week for weight training as that's part of what helped me slim down. Give it another 4 weeks and see if maybe your clothes don't fit a little looser. Sometimes it's not the scale that reflects your weight (fat) loss so much as it's that pair of pants that's a little looser that reflects the loss.

    Also, maybe re-examine your diet and research it to see if it doesn't need to be changed up a little too.

    Keep going and don't give up!
  • DavPul
    DavPul Posts: 61,406 Member
    I gain 1.2 pounds when I drink a bottle of water. What's the problem here? It's been two weeks; have some patience.
  • Muddy_Yogi
    Muddy_Yogi Posts: 1,459 Member
    Sounds like youre gaining muscle- but an important factor is that you drink enough water for the exercise you are doing- otherwise you retain water- which can make your weight fluctuate drastically. Are you mainly lifting or cardio? Light lifting to tone cardio is to burn the most calories- though the line is split- if you lift you make muscle which burns more calories anyways- but it's not going to show you a drastic pound change- ESPECIALLY not in less than 1 month.

    ^Not this...you don't gain muscle like that in 2 weeks...just no.
  • whitnm76
    whitnm76 Posts: 47
    Thank you for the feedback. I'm not expecting miracles in 2 weeks, I would have been happy to see a .5 or something loss. As I said, I do eat 1400 calories most days and I feel like I'm eating too much. I've heard people say I should eat more and maybe I can try eating a little more this week to see if that helps. I used to do weight watchers but more recently I've been counting calories on here, without counting points. While WW was a great program, it's kind of skewed my view on calories so thinking about eating 1500 calories or more a day scares me haha
  • feetjustgo
    feetjustgo Posts: 36 Member
    After my first month of steadily going to the gym 3-4 days a week (doing a mix of cardio and strength), I gained 4lbs. I was so discouraged! BUT I got a ton of compliments on a picture taken of me at exactly a month in, and I saw my family around that time and they also told me I looked great--my body had already started changing, even if it didn't show as a loss on the scale. Now, a half a month later, I have lost that extra weight and a half a pound more. It can go slowly sometimes, but you will start losing if you stick with it!
  • jesz124
    jesz124 Posts: 1,004 Member
    2 people saying it's muscle. It's enough to make me :sad: I wish it was that easy, if it was we'd all be ripped after 8 weeks in the gym!!
  • AntChorlton
    AntChorlton Posts: 2
    I've wrote a blog called "biological barriers to weight loss" you should give it a read. It'll give you an idea of how your body reacts and resists weight loss and how you can over come it.

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