Working out but gaining weight

put your work out goal to a higher number-
then caleries will be fewer
and you' ll lose

Muscle weighs more than fat and even though you didn't say you were lifting I have noticed my legs/gluts are getting rather muscular through just cardio. I just started with the bowflex 2 weeks ago and have not weighed myself since and I just know the scale is not going to show any loss and probably a gain. Oh well....

It is not uncommon not to see progress right away. You may be building muscle if you have not been exercising, and as muscle weighs 3 times as much as fat, that can offset weight loss on the scale or cause you to gain. Your muscles may be storing fluids that help them heal, or you may be dehydrated, which makes your body hold onto water, so be sure you are drinking enough. Unless you think it is plausible that you ate 21,000 calories past what you burned with base metabolic rate and exercise (I don't think you could have), I would assume that this is going on.

I did not see any change on the scale for the first three weeks of following my regimen, and I have read that for some people it has taken longer. My weight is dropping at a little over 2 pounds a week on the exact same regimen now. Double check that you are tracking calories accurately, and be careful because MyFitnessPal shows the calories burned for exercise a bit high sometimes. Then give it a few more weeks, take your measurements and track your progress that way until it starts showing up on the scale.

I was 30 pounds overweight, worked out pretty hard 6 days a week for over a year and GAINED weight.

How is this possible? Easy. I was eating back all the calories I burned - and then some. It's not surprising. Most people vastly underestimate how much they are eating. I definitely did.

When I started MFP, I took a very honest look at what I was eating. That meant looking at serving sizes, even measuring. That handful of chips or pretzels? I started counting them. I discovered I was eating over 3,500 calories a day. (Some days, closer to 4,000 - especially if we ate out or had dessert!)

My BMR was about 1,900. So I started eating a little over that - between 1,900 and 2,000 calories a day. I continued the workouts - and even upped the intensity a bit. The results? The weight dropped FAST. I lost 40 pounds in about 4 months. (If you don't know what BMR is, or TDEE, go here: http://scoobysworkshop.com/accurate-calorie-calculator/)

I've struggled my whole life with my weight, so I'm sympathetic. We think it's normal to eat a lot (everyone does it!) and then we think it's unfair because we can't lose weight. Guess what? We eat too much!

Metabolism plays a slight role, but let's be honest. For the most part, it's simple math. Calories in and calories out. If you eat more than you burn, you'll gain weight. Burn more than you eat, and you'll lose. Simple.

It's really not that hard. For me it was an adjustment but after a week or so I wasn't even hungry and I felt great.

Here's a link to what I did. People think my workouts were a little crazy... maybe they were, but you don't have to do that. Again, I lost 40 pounds in 4 months. That's pretty fast. You can take a much easier path and still get great results. Good luck!

http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/920970-how-i-lost-the-fat

I agree with the previous poster....we eat way too much.....I know I was.

As far as not being able to gain muscle at a deficit...I disagree. I've been mostly at a deficit since January and I have some rock hard muscle in legs/gluts now...

I am trying to lose 18 lbs now - 12 when I started. GEEZE. I'm really new to using this so I am not sure how to get it all to show the right info.

I am logging everything, sometimes it gets put in the wrong time frame, but I get it all on there.

I do weigh things and I individually bag them so I have only a portion at a setting.

Don't be frustrated. Just try to have patience. If what you're doing isn't working you just have to adjust. But don't make any adjustments without giving what you're already doing a chance to work (assuming what you're doing is reasonable).

I agree with the previous poster....we eat way too much.....I know I was.

As far as not being able to gain muscle at a deficit...I disagree. I've been mostly at a deficit since January and I have some rock hard muscle in legs/gluts now...

So do I, but that's because I'm losing the fat that's covering the muscles up. It makes them look bigger but they really aren't. You can make a small amount of newbie gains if you start lifting weights and you never have before, but you won't put on a large amount.


OP 1200 calories is probably not enough for you given how little you have to lose. I'd set MFP to lose half a pound per week and eat back half your exercise calories.

I strongly recomend to read the 'in place of a roadmap" from Helloitsdan !! It opened my eyes. Try it out there are tons of people here that had great succsess with it including me
Good luck

I am encountering the same thing and it is SO frustrating! I started JM Body Revolution and just finished phase 1/one full month. Thanks goodness I took measurements (bought an inexpensive retractable tape measurer off Amazon) and took pictures because I've GAINED 2 pounds. I didn't have much to lose and fortunately have been lucky to eat (and *drink* hahaha) pretty much anything most of my life but now I'm freaking out with the scale going up, up, up just when I'm actually eating well and not drinking alcohol nearly as much as before. I just keep telling myself to ignore the scale and focus on inches lost but after 30+ years it is hard to do.

I weigh myself every morning, naked or just panties, after I visit the bathroom, before having coffee or breakfast. I learned not to freak out with fluctuations of up to 8lbs within 1-2 days. It is the sodium, sparkling water, that I might have eaten the day before, late night eating the previous night even if it was within my calories, TOM, change in exercise workout, or heavy exercise before, strength training the previous day. Each monthly weight report looks similar with high spikes based on any of the above reasons, but every month the pattern is in a lower weight range. It has helped me understand my body and why some days I feel extremely bloated. You'll be surprised how much sodium is in some foods.