Help! I'm gaining weight

darman
darman Posts: 269
edited September 21 in Fitness and Exercise
Please help - need some advice - I am under cals everday- exercising regularly - drinking plenty of water and for some reason i am gaining weight - last Thursday (my weigh in day) I was 172 - this morning I was 174.5 - what the heck is up with that? I don't know what I'm doing wrong..............looking for some advice - my food diary is public so feel free to check it out and see if I am missing something

Thanks!!

Replies

  • SparkleShine
    SparkleShine Posts: 2,001 Member
    Is it almost that time of the month?:blushing: That could be it. I know my weight flucuates a few pounds during the week as it is.
  • kayemme
    kayemme Posts: 1,782 Member
    dont fret; it's likely water retention or you're building a little muscle. wait a week, then weigh again. this happens to me ever TOM.
  • Melis25Fit
    Melis25Fit Posts: 811 Member
    Your sodium looks pretty high each day. Be sure to stop eating after 7pm and drink LOADS of water! Drink drink drink!
  • You have to weigh in the same time everyday, you weight fluctuates +2/ -2 lbs everyday....so weigh in the same time for a more accurate weight
  • It could be water weight, your sodium seems to be going way over every day and that can make you retain more water then you should be. I know that's my dad's problem.
  • summersk
    summersk Posts: 59
    If you are doing strength training of any type you may be gaining muscle and therefore it appears that you are gaining weight. Muscle weighs about five times more than fat. So you are probably not doing anything wrong, per say, you're just gaining muscle! :smile:
  • atombud
    atombud Posts: 38 Member
    Looking at your diary, your sodium intake is high, try cutting that and maybe drink a little more water. Even though you are over the 8 glasses regularly with the sodium intake I would think you are retaining and need the extra water to help flush the system.
  • Nickstery
    Nickstery Posts: 324 Member
    I've had the same issue and I have read that you can't always go by the scale when you are exercising because you are gaining muscle at the same time whether it is cardio and weight training or just cardio muscle is heavier then fat. You can get a fat percentage caliper that will tell you where you are loosing even if you do not see it on the scales.

    Also your clothes are a good judge of if you are loosing or gaining weight.

    Hope this helps! I know I feel lighter then what i weight... but I know its because I'm gaining a good bit of muscle.
  • mmmpink
    mmmpink Posts: 25
    Your weight can fluctuate a lot day to day.
    Are you strength training? If you're sore from a strength workout, you are retaining water, and that can cause an increase on the scale. A lot of people said your sodium intake is high, which can also cause bloating and water retention. Just keep eating healthy food and working out and try not to get discouraged by the numbers on the scale. If you're doing everything right, eventually you WILL lose the weight.
  • Could be water weight.. I agree with the peeps above, weigh again next week and if there's a gain I would say this...

    I just took a brief look at your food diary and you're not just under your calories you are WAY under. There was one day that you earned almost 1000 extra calories from exercising and you didn't even eat your "normal" calorie amount. Strange as it may sound, personally I think you're not eating enough. I did a program similar to this except we kept track with pts. You HAD to eat all your pts (which were the calories) or somehow the scale wouldn't move. Once I would eat all I was supposed to AND sometimes I would eat into my activity calories, the scale would move again. Also, if you have a exercise routine, try switching it up a bit.
  • lisawest
    lisawest Posts: 798 Member
    Drinking more water does help with flushing sodium. Another thing that helps flush sodium is potassium. Too much potassium is bad for you, but if you're eat anything other than fresh fruits and veggies you probably aren't getting enough. You can track potassium in your diary. The more processed a food is, the less potassium it will have. Fresh fruits and vegetables have lots of potassium. The skins of potatoes contain a lot.

    My goal each day is to eat as much potassium as I do sodium. 99% of the time I fail, but I usually get close. But I sure can tell on the days that I'm not even close!

    One other thing, are you weighing your servings? For me, measuring cups were good, but when I got a scale I was amazed at the difference!:noway: Just a thought!

    Good luck on finding what works for you!:flowerforyou:
  • darman
    darman Posts: 269
    i do weigh my food almost always - also take vitamins to make sure i am getting what i need - drinking at least 80oz of water a day. - like i said - i think i am doing all the right stuff that's what i don't get
  • darman
    darman Posts: 269
    Is it almost that time of the month?:blushing: That could be it. I know my weight flucuates a few pounds during the week as it is.

    umm - are you saying that would be sympathy weight for my wife? :laugh:
  • darman
    darman Posts: 269
    WOW!! Thanks to everyone for the quick response and encouragement - I hear the sodium issue and will definitely work on that - and yes I am putting on some muscle because even though I have gained my clothes are actually looser on me - going to work on the sodium and up the fluid intake - thanks everyone for your help and advice!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

    Oh and I will try switching up the exercise routine also..........
  • Is it almost that time of the month?:blushing: That could be it. I know my weight flucuates a few pounds during the week as it is.

    umm - are you saying that would be sympathy weight for my wife? :laugh:

    That's funny-many people assume it is that time of the month, and you are a man-funny comeback!
  • lisawest
    lisawest Posts: 798 Member
    i do weigh my food almost always - also take vitamins to make sure i am getting what i need - drinking at least 80oz of water a day. - like i said - i think i am doing all the right stuff that's what i don't get

    Good deal. I believe (and have NO SCIENTIFIC BACKUP!!!!) that your body processes potassium from vitamins differently from naturally occurring potassium. That is what I have always been told, that vitamins were alright, but food was better. (I even had one person tell me that all vitamins do is give you expensive pee.:laugh: Not sure I believe that, but it did make me laugh!) It can't hurt to give it a try.

    Also, I saw that you are only 10lbs from your goal. Is this your final goal, or are you going to try to lose more? I ask because the last 10lbs (and I'm right there with you!) are the hardest to lose. I've been fighting mine since April. Down 2, up 1, down 1 up 3:grumble: We've just got to keep doing the right stuff and tweak one thing at a time until we find the right combination that makes our loss start to happen again.

    Good luck in finding what works for you!:flowerforyou:
  • darman
    darman Posts: 269
    okay - once more thanks for all the great advice - i increased my calorie intake some and got a lot more protein in my diet and dropped 2 pounds almost overnight - one day i actually weighed under 170 - but that was right after a killer workout (i know, that's cheating but it was still fun)

    all of the support and advice just goes to show what a great website this really is!!!!!!!!!!!!!:drinker: :bigsmile: :bigsmile: :flowerforyou: :flowerforyou: :drinker:
  • I was also going to suggest eating your daily calories and even on some of the exercise days, consuming a few of those calories. If you don't consume enough calories, your body can kind of "shut" down and tell itself to conserve energy and calories. Maybe switch it up for a few weeks and see if that helps you! Good luck!
  • darman
    darman Posts: 269
    stinky!!!!!!!!!!back up again - really tired of this roller coaster - under 10 pounds left to go and IT JUST WONT LEAVE.!!!!!!!! So I am going to track my weight every day in my journal and see what is happening - was down sick for about a week the middle of Septemeber and it through everything off - can it be this fragile? I have my workouts set to burn 3500 cals a week minimum and as long as I am under my net calories every day - I should lose 1lb a week - right?
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