Why am I gaining weight?

Ngolden1
Ngolden1 Posts: 58 Member
edited September 22 in Food and Nutrition
I am on my third week of P90X, and not only have I not lost weight, but I have gained a couple pounds. This does not make sense to me because I am under my calorie goal almost every day (except for Sunday). But I have gained a pound since this Monday. I have been aiming for the 50% Protein/30% Carb/20% Fat ratio that is recommended for the initial "fat shredder phase". I have to say that I am incredibly full from eating so much protein, so much that I FEEL as though I pigged out even though I'm under calories for the day. So I wonder if eating all this protein is what is causing the weight gain.

I also wonder if I should have just stuck to my regular, pretty healthy diet since I didn't have weight to lose anyway (just a couple pounds I would have liked to lose). I am five feet tall, now 104.6. I wonder if this diet is more recommended for people who do have a lot to lose. I also don't buy that I have put on pounds of muscle, since the program is more high reps low weight, and not meant for bulking up. I have read it is difficult to gain pounds of muscle unless you are doing more heavy lifting/body building type of exercises.

So do you think its the protein?

Replies

  • coronalime
    coronalime Posts: 583 Member
    you probably needed to measure. You might not see it in the scale as much since you are so light and petite. Plus P90X I dont know about actual calorie burn. I would be hesitant on how much you burn from tapes or any workout unless you have a heart rate monitor. MFP is drastically over on running and biking.
  • rachnado
    rachnado Posts: 16 Member
    Maybe you are gaining muscle.
  • Nelski
    Nelski Posts: 1,607 Member
    Your muscles could just be retaining water.
  • Nelski
    Nelski Posts: 1,607 Member
    Maybe you are gaining muscle. Muscle weighs more than fat :)
    It takes longer than 3 weeks to gain muscle.
  • sarahliftsUP
    sarahliftsUP Posts: 752 Member
    I think it is muscle gain. When I did Jillian Michaels 30 day shred I gained muscle, and that was just using 4lb weights, not heavy weight lifting. And P90X is definitely for toning and gaining muscle.

    Take measurements and take pictures so you can see a visual difference rather than just relying on what the scale says.
  • healthydoseofglitter
    healthydoseofglitter Posts: 532 Member
    Here's my experience with p90x: I gained 10lbs the first 60 days. I stopped after that. I know a lot of it was probably muscle but I have a lot of weight to loose so I decided that p90x was not for me right now. I know several women who were very overweight and had success though. I think my problem was that I wasnt eating enough. I had a beach body coach tell me that diet was 80% of p90x. That being said you mentioned that you were under your calorie goal almost everyday, maybe try eating a little bit more. Maybe after your workout try a protein shake. Good luck with everything.
  • jrich1
    jrich1 Posts: 2,408 Member
    Maybe you are gaining muscle. Muscle weighs more than fat :)

    Muscle and fat weigh the same thing
  • AlyRoseNYC
    AlyRoseNYC Posts: 1,075 Member
    It could have been your change in diet. You should go back to it, since it was working for you.

    As far as the muscle gain theory, the only way to be sure is by taking measurements. One pound of muscle will take up less space than one pound of fat. I'm not really sure if you can gain an entire pound of muscle in a short period of time though. Maybe someone else can chime in on that one.

    Also...could it just be that this is your time of the month? My weight always fluctuates when that jerk mother nature comes by lol!!
  • Ngolden1
    Ngolden1 Posts: 58 Member
    Yes I totally agree with those who said I couldn't have gained that much muscle in three weeks. I don't get it. I also don't try to eat back my exercise calories. I also agree that P90X and MFP greatly over-estimate calorie burn (especially for someone as little as me). It's just so mysterious to me. Perhaps it is the protein. I've never eaten this high protein, and this low-carb before.
  • briteyes
    briteyes Posts: 435 Member
    Muscle and fat weigh the same thing

    Says who??? I've never heard that, please explain why you say that. Isn't the above quote the exact reason why we are to be taking our measurements more than weighing ourselves?

    To the OP, I agree w/ the others (until proven wrong) that you are probably gaining muscle, but I bet you have little fat to lose... so maybe you are adding muscle to your already thin body.... I agree that you should stick to taking measurements and pictures to see the reality of the changes taking place over time. Throw out the scale for the time being.
  • Nelski
    Nelski Posts: 1,607 Member
    Muscle and fat weigh the same thing

    Says who??? I've never heard that, please explain why you say that. Isn't the above quote the exact reason why we are to be taking our measurements more than weighing ourselves?

    To the OP, I agree w/ the others (until proven wrong) that you are probably gaining muscle, but I bet you have little fat to lose... so maybe you are adding muscle to your already thin body.... I agree that you should stick to taking measurements and pictures to see the reality of the changes taking place over time. Throw out the scale for the time being.
    A pound is a pound whether it's muscle or fat. Muscle is just denser to takes up less room.
  • jrkingery
    jrkingery Posts: 107 Member
    Muscle and fat weigh the same thing

    Says who??? I've never heard that, please explain why you say that. Isn't the above quote the exact reason why we are to be taking our measurements more than weighing ourselves?

    To the OP, I agree w/ the others (until proven wrong) that you are probably gaining muscle, but I bet you have little fat to lose... so maybe you are adding muscle to your already thin body.... I agree that you should stick to taking measurements and pictures to see the reality of the changes taking place over time. Throw out the scale for the time being.
    A pound is a pound whether it's muscle or fat. Muscle is just denser to takes up less room.

    You're right, a pound of fat weighs the same as a pound of muscle. What is meant when people say that muscle weighs more than fat is that muscle weighs more than fat "by volume". One pound of muscle takes up less space than one pound of fat..

    So you can lose inches and not lose weight.
  • Nelski
    Nelski Posts: 1,607 Member
    I recommend reading New Rules of Lifting for Woman and Burn the Fat Feed the Muscle.
  • briteyes
    briteyes Posts: 435 Member
    yes, that makes sense and that's what i've always known as well... it's just a matter of semantics...

    I also found that when working out it is possible to build "1.5 and 5 pounds of lean muscle tissue in a one month period" according to several websites on body building and dieting.
  • erickirb
    erickirb Posts: 12,294 Member
    You are not eating enough. Most days you are eating less than 1200 cals, P90X recommends on the lowest setting that you eat 1800 cals, although you do only weigh 104, you may want to aim for 1500 instead. Your body needs the fuel to function and to keep your metabolism going, your body is starving. If you keep eating at this rate you will lose muscle not just fat. Please eat more, I know it sounds strange but you will lose the weight if you eat more.
  • Mindful_Trent
    Mindful_Trent Posts: 3,954 Member
    I don't do P90X, but from what I've seen/heard it's pretty intense. If you're not eating back any of your exercise calories, another possibility is that your body isn't getting enough calories. From what I've heard/read, the less you have to lose, the less your body tolerates a high calorie deficit, which you surely have if you're not eating back any exercise calories. You may try eating a bit more and making sure you drink extra water (to discourage water retention).
  • edorice
    edorice Posts: 4,519 Member
    Ngolden, I actually took the time to look at your food diary. You're not eating enough. Your body is holding onto the few calories that you are giving it. Most days your intake is 1000 calories, not enough for a P90X workout. Also, it is time for you to invest in an inexpensive heart rate monitor. I bought a Sportline hrm at Wal-mart for under $30. You will find that it is impossible to do P90X plyometrics for an hour and only burn 200 calories. That is incorrect.
  • Ngolden1
    Ngolden1 Posts: 58 Member
    Thanks for taking the time to look at my food diary and provide comment:) I appreciate it! It's so hard for me to understand that eating more will help me lose weight (I lost 10 lbs initially by eating less than I ever did, and eating less for me has always correlated with weight loss). I will look into a heart rate monitor and try to be more scientific about it. I just don't want to end up gaining weight back! I also FEEL like I'm eating a lot since I'm always so full on protein.
  • freightdiva
    freightdiva Posts: 55 Member
    Hi I looked at your food diary also definitely think you should eat more. Sometimes our bodies hold onto the weight if it thinks we may not be giving it enough! Also hate to disagree but muscle and fat 1 pound is still 1 pound. It just looks diffrerent! one pound bag of popcorn versus 1 pound block of cheese!
  • edorice
    edorice Posts: 4,519 Member
    Thanks for taking the time to look at my food diary and provide comment:) I appreciate it! It's so hard for me to understand that eating more will help me lose weight (I lost 10 lbs initially by eating less than I ever did, and eating less for me has always correlated with weight loss). I will look into a heart rate monitor and try to be more scientific about it. I just don't want to end up gaining weight back! I also FEEL like I'm eating a lot since I'm always so full on protein.

    True, eating the protein makes you feel satisfied and eating more to lose weight is a hard thing to wrap our minds around. But with some workout programs like P90X and Insanity that is what's needed.

    I'm not a techie and all that, but I guarantee you that you will get hooked on seeing the calories your personal machine (your body) is burning.
  • erickirb
    erickirb Posts: 12,294 Member
    Also hate to disagree but muscle and fat 1 pound is still 1 pound. It just looks diffrerent! one pound bag of popcorn versus 1 pound block of cheese!

    One cubic foot of fat weighs less than 1 cubic foot of muscle (this is what people mean when they say muscle weighs more than fat, arguing anything else is just semantics and not worth your time, we all know what they mean when they say it.

    If you have the same size bag of popcorn it will weigh less than the same size bag of cheese, why argue, this is what they mean. Everyone knows that one pound equals one pound but people are comparing same volume, not same weight, why is that so hard for some people to grasp.
  • Nano911
    Nano911 Posts: 18 Member
    Hello,

    Weight fluctuates, it might be a good idea to pick a healthy weight range to give yourself some wiggle room to go up and down. If you are trying to lose body fat you should get a device that measures body fat like a scale that includes body fat percentage or use a tape measure or even more accurate a caliper.

    I also do P90X and have been doing it for a little more than 6 months now. It is a great workout but more than that it will continue to keep you working twards finding the best nutrition and exercise program to help you meet your goals. Keep up the good work and keep experimenting with you diet and exercise until you feel you are doing what you need to be doing to reach your goals. This is a journey and you are doing it...everyones journey is different!!
  • freightdiva
    freightdiva Posts: 55 Member
    For a long time I didn't know what people did mean by that. I would work out and per the scale would not lose but it also wasn't showing my fat percentages going down. So I brought it up to my WW leader and He told this analogy I understood this better that is why I thought I would share it. Made more sense to me.
  • edorice
    edorice Posts: 4,519 Member
    Maybe try calorie cycling. On a regular 15oo calorie plan you can do:

    day one 1200 calories
    day two 1600 calories
    day three 1400 calories
    day four 2200 calories (splurge)
    day five 1200 calories
    day six 1600 calories
    day seven 1400 calories.
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