Gaining weight when working out woes..What the hell...

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Grimmox
Grimmox Posts: 8
in Health and Weight Loss
Ugh! So I did Insanity and was eating my correct allotment of calories for 3-4 week before New Years. I ate frequently and watched my macro-nutrients like a hawk. My metabolism was revving like a finely tuned muscle car. I dropped 20 pounds in 3-4 week before, during and after New Years. AND even for a while when I stopped working out. I know. Bad me. So I am climbing back on the horse because I gained back 10 of those pounds! I KNOW!! Horrible!
AGAIN! The first couple of days working out and I went from 150 to 154 and its been 4-5 days of me working out like a mad woman. And I mean Insanity, PLUS 3-4 hours walking and SUPER restricted calories. I mean, 100-600 DAILY calories. WHY is it that when you start working out you seem to gain weight?!?! I feel super fat and super bloated. SO not motivating at all!! I know I will start to look thinner and see nothing on the scale and eventually, I will drop weight on the scale. BUT why does this always happen? Why do you gain weight when you start working out???

Any insight, anyone? Bueller?? Bueller?? Bueller?? *sigh*

Replies

  • wish2bsmall
    wish2bsmall Posts: 16 Member
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    >PLUS 3-4 hours walking and SUPER restricted calories. I mean, 100-600 DAILY calories
    >I mean, 100-600 DAILY calories
    >DAILY calories

    There's your problem...
    Your body's in starvation mode and storing fat.
    Remember that less isn't always more.
    You should be getting at least twice the max calories you said you're eating. (600x2=1200) at the very LEAST.
  • ssteinbring677
    ssteinbring677 Posts: 158 Member
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    Try changing your MFP settings to very active and eat that amount of calories. 100-600 a day is definitely not enough to fuel your body at rest, let alone to fuel the amount of exercise you have been doing.
  • Angelsrose12
    Angelsrose12 Posts: 37 Member
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    >PLUS 3-4 hours walking and SUPER restricted calories. I mean, 100-600 DAILY calories
    >I mean, 100-600 DAILY calories
    >DAILY calories

    There's your problem...
    Your body's in starvation mode and storing fat.
    Remember that less isn't always more.
    You should be getting at least twice the max calories you said you're eating. (600x2=1200) at the very LEAST.

    Exactly what this person said.
  • lina1131
    lina1131 Posts: 2,246 Member
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    100 - 600 calories daily? :noway: :noway:

    Eat more. That is starvation. :huh:
  • Paco4gsc
    Paco4gsc Posts: 119 Member
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    Eat more. Seriously. With that level of activity and calorie intake, your body is almost certainly going into starvation mode.
  • Grimmox
    Grimmox Posts: 8
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    Even when I am eating more calories the first couple of weeks I am just HEAVIER. I was eating over a 1,000 calories before New Years. I wasn't restricting this much. SO, why was I still weighing SO much on my scale. Eating 6 times a day, mostly protein, followed my carbs, and little fat, 1,000 plus calories?
  • zorreena
    zorreena Posts: 267 Member
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    YOu may want to read this:

    http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/952996-level-obstacles-lose-weight-target-fat-easy
  • BflSaberfan
    BflSaberfan Posts: 1,272
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    Are seriously eating 600 calories a day and doing insanity???
  • Grimmox
    Grimmox Posts: 8
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    lol Yes, I am. I am slowly dying. I have little to no energy and I am super moody and restless!!
  • heatbox86
    heatbox86 Posts: 1
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    I just started doing P90... not P90X, but P90. I am on a goal to lose 1.5 lbs a week. Some days I will consume calories up to loosing 1 pound a week. With working out I have gained 2 pounds this week (my first week of working out.) THIS IS NORMAL.

    You are gaining weight because when you start working out your muscles get sore. They are sore because when you workout you get small micro tears in the tissue. In these tears fluid gets stored. The bodies natural way of protecting itself. These fluids are said to add to the increase of weight. When you start working out especially the first 2-3 weeks your body has to adjust. Between the fluid in your muscles your body tends to store water weight. But keep persisting. If you keep working out you will see significant weight loss start happening aprox. 2-3 weeks into your workout.

    However, if you DO NOT change your calorie intake and take your body out of starvation mode you can GAIN or LOSE weight periodically, but in the end you will just put the weight right back on. You NEED to take in more calories. Your calorie intake is very dangerous and you can cause serious immediate and long term harm to your body if you do not change your intake.

    The best way to lose weight is to work out and make sure you eat ENOUGH calories. If you are using my fitness pal then put in up to 2 lbs a week that you would like to lose. Make SURE that you stick to the minimum calorie intake of 1200 calories or more. If you do not your body goes into starvation mode and stores fat. Even though you are working out extremely hard, because of such a low calorie intake you will have a very hard time keeping that weight off.

    PLEASE eat more and persist through your workout. If you do these two things, eat 1200-1500 calories a day and maintain your workout then that will 100% guarantee that you will start to lose weight.
  • psuLemon
    psuLemon Posts: 38,411 MFP Moderator
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    You do realize that insanity's base requirements for calories is 1800 right? You are starving your body so, it's storing water like crazy to protect your system.
  • Serah87
    Serah87 Posts: 5,481 Member
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    EAT!!!!!!!!!

    Try this: http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/912920-in-place-of-a-road-map-3-2013
  • shadow2soul
    shadow2soul Posts: 7,692 Member
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    EAT!!!!!!!!!

    Try this: http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/912920-in-place-of-a-road-map-3-2013

    ^This is definitely a must.

    From the sounds of it you gained water weight. (Generally the only weight that comes on that fast) I gained a couple pounds of water weight that stayed on for roughly six days (I weigh daily, not a good idea if you fixate on the number on the scale), anyway today all the water weight is gone plus almost an additional pound.

    I may not be as thin as you and I'm certainly not doing anything as hard as insanity, but my Net Daily Goal is 1770. So on days I'm working out, I eat close to/if not over 2000 calories a day total.

    My guess is you need to eat more, drink plenty of water, and don't forget rest days. When I forget to give my body a rest day, I tend to gain water weight that doesn't come off until I rest or at least take it easy for a day or 2.

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