WTF!?

Raina0512
Raina0512 Posts: 216
edited September 21 in Motivation and Support
I freaking gained two lbs. This is why I stopped working out to begin with, I workout and I EAT MORE! I know people say you're supposed to but obviously its NOT working for me. I'm so freaking frustrated.

This is what I do for exercise:

M: Kickboxing class (400 cals burned) + Treadmill (150 cals) -- T: Treadmill (150 cals) -- W: Kickboxing class (400 cals) -- Th: Treadmill (150 cals) + Yoga class (115 cals) -- F: Treadmill (200-250 cals) -- Rest on Sat/Sunday (usually DEEP clean house one of those days).

I stay between 1200-1500 (USUALLY) every day... I'm in a rut and don't know what do to now.

Replies

  • jrich1
    jrich1 Posts: 2,408 Member
    Are you eating your exercise calories?
  • Raina0512
    Raina0512 Posts: 216
    Are you eating your exercise calories?

    Yes, I eat between 1200-1500 cals/day depending on what day and what exercise I do... So usually all/half of them.
  • amg_89
    amg_89 Posts: 184
    You've eaten 1,000 or less calories most days for so long now, you probably screwed up your metabolism. You've just started working out and you DO need to eat more. Those 1500 calorie days are NOT cheat days! Yes, you will see a slight gain for a while, but in order to be active and actually be able to enjoy your food you need to let it happen. It'll go back down.

    or you can stop working out and go back to eating 900 calories a day for the rest of your life.
  • cynthiaj777
    cynthiaj777 Posts: 787 Member
    It is just muscle mass. I know that's not the answer you wanted to hear. I worked out every day for 1 1/2 months and didn't lose a thing. I stopped working out (and still don't), and I've lost 21 lbs! I understand the frustration.

    I'm about to start working out lightly to tone though! Time to get my body in SHAPE.

    Maybe watch your inches rather than weight. Just remember muscle weighs more than fat.
  • nataliestout
    nataliestout Posts: 4
    You might be gaining muscle faster than you are losing weight, and because muscle is denser than fat, it might seem like you are gaining weight. Have you tried measuring your body as well? Also, if that is not the case, you might have not given your body enough time to respond to the new workout schedule yet, if you just started and previously hadn't worked out in a long time or never before. Just wait a few days or another week and see if something changes, it most likely will. :)
  • fit2sit
    fit2sit Posts: 82 Member
    You might get the "muscle weighs more than fat" crowd and the others that say you are gaining muscle and that's why you are weighing more. Others will say use a tape measure and ditch the scale. All good advice. If you are part of a club or a gym I'm sure the front desk staff would give you a free skin fold test to measure your body fat (BF). Would you rather be 16% BF at 120 or 30% BF at 110?
  • angebean
    angebean Posts: 195 Member
    I learned the hard waythat you have to eat at least 1/2 of your exercise calories and you HAVE TO eat at least 1200 cals/day.
    Your body will go into starvation mode and will gain and/or stay at the same weight. It tookme 2 weeks to recover and get back on schedule.

    Hang in there and DON'T GIVE UP! I know it sounds weird to eat more , but you really have to. Drink lots of water.

    YOU CAN DO THIS...YOU CAN DO THIS...YOU CAN DO THIS!!!
  • Raina0512
    Raina0512 Posts: 216
    You've eaten 1,000 or less calories most days for so long now, you probably screwed up your metabolism. You've just started working out and you DO need to eat more. Those 1500 calorie days are NOT cheat days! Yes, you will see a slight gain for a while, but in order to be active and actually be able to enjoy your food you need to let it happen. It'll go back down.

    or you can stop working out and go back to eating 900 calories a day for the rest of your life.

    I appreciate your honesty, Hahah! :happy: I just get frustrated when I gain and I feel like when I eat that much, it goes against my burnt calories, and I wonder why even work out at all... ?
  • agoldin
    agoldin Posts: 1
    Hi Raina,
    I understand where you're coming from. In fact, I've had the same problem. I cut back on my calories (more or less), increased my running to 5/wk. Net result: gain of one pound.

    The only thing to do is to EAT LESS while maintaining your exercise routine. Pick a calorie count maximum you can live with, and DONT buy into the "oh, I worked out today so I can have another 300 calories" bit. That doesn't help you. It's best to look at it and say, "oh, I burned 300 calories working out today, and that brings me that much closer to my goal". You might want to try a somewhat higher number (maybe 1100 -1200?) and sticking with it regardless of your workout.
  • Raina0512
    Raina0512 Posts: 216
    I've been working out for about a month now, and consistantly eating 1200-1500 cals/day for a month now. I lost 2 inches (no lbs) the first week but now I've gained 3 lbs total back and gained back one inch. So I'm not really losing either.

    I drink 8-12 glasses/day of water.

    I guess I'm just supposed to give it more time but it's hard when you're not seeing results.
  • Raina0512
    Raina0512 Posts: 216
    The only thing to do is to EAT LESS while maintaining your exercise routine. Pick a calorie count maximum you can live with, and DONT buy into the "oh, I worked out today so I can have another 300 calories" bit. That doesn't help you. It's best to look at it and say, "oh, I burned 300 calories working out today, and that brings me that much closer to my goal". You might want to try a somewhat higher number (maybe 1100 -1200?) and sticking with it regardless of your workout.

    Hmmmm.... I must say that I've been thinking about this, and honestly it's the only thing that makes sense.
  • CeciHarper
    CeciHarper Posts: 37
    I am the same way... trying to lose & gain... But I look at myself & I can tell I'm losing weight, so you know, I go by my measurements! It saves my sanity!!! When I am done working out, I eat something with a lot of protein, like a can of albacore tuna, it makes me feel so much better!! Good luck to you!

    :flowerforyou:
  • jennylynn84
    jennylynn84 Posts: 659
    You've eaten 1,000 or less calories most days for so long now, you probably screwed up your metabolism. You've just started working out and you DO need to eat more. Those 1500 calorie days are NOT cheat days! Yes, you will see a slight gain for a while, but in order to be active and actually be able to enjoy your food you need to let it happen. It'll go back down.

    or you can stop working out and go back to eating 900 calories a day for the rest of your life.

    This.

    Eating at the calorie deficit you've been maintaining you are not actually putting on a lot of muscle mass. It doesn't quite work like that.

    But if you've been eating less than 1,000 calories (net) regularly then your metabolism is crawling. So suddenly upping your calories is going to cause a little weight gain at first, simply because your metabolism isn't functioning well enough to handle it.

    But because you're probably not getting adequate nutrition for your workouts at that low caloric intake, you really do need to eat more - evidenced by the fact you say you're really hungry. You can either keep powering forward on your workouts and eating more, with the knowledge that any weight gain is only temporary, or try slowly increasing your calorie goals. Increase your goal by an additional 50-100 every week or so. It might give your metabolism time to increase and lessen how much you gain.
  • tawny7
    tawny7 Posts: 276 Member
    I understand your frustration completely!! Unfortunately we can't control how our bodies lose weight week to week. I went through a period where I was losing/gaining 3 pounds for about a month...all while I was sticking to 1400 calories a day and exercising! Another time I was exercising everyday and didn't lose a thing, I took a day off from the gym twice one week and lost 2 pounds!! You aren't alone, we're all there with you!!

    I wish I could give you a magic answer...but I don't know it. :o)
  • Raina0512
    Raina0512 Posts: 216
    [/quote]
    But if you've been eating less than 1,000 calories (net) regularly then your metabolism is crawling. So suddenly upping your calories is going to cause a little weight gain at first, simply because your metabolism isn't functioning well enough to handle it.
    [/quote]

    This makes sense.
  • Shawna_831
    Shawna_831 Posts: 316
    Maybe you need to eat more? If your body goes into starvation mode it will hold on to the fat. I had my daily calories set at 1500 and just this week lowered it to 1400. I will put it back up to 1500 next week. So for I have lost weight every week. Sometimes it's not much but its went down every weigh in. The week I lost the most was the week I ate over my calorie count most of the week. I'm kinda doing the zig zag and not allowing my metabolism to get use to the same thing every day.
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