So much hard work, and all I got was a 2 pound weight gain

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  • kokoforskinny
    kokoforskinny Posts: 91 Member
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    You feel satisfied cause your body is fueling off the muscle you have. You need to eat wait you burn or there is no point to what you are doing.
  • Dunsirn
    Dunsirn Posts: 82 Member
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    Your body may be in starvation mode....please read this article.

    http://trainingaspects.com/starvation-mode-deciphered

    I thought we'd done this to death and decided it was a myth...??

    Stavation mode doesn't exist until you're about to die (ie "actually starving") and even then, it's impossible to put weight on
  • niricava
    niricava Posts: 89 Member
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    http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/512956-tdee-what-is-it-and-why-you-should-not-eat-below-your-bmr

    Explains Total Daily Energy Expenditure
    Thanks for this.
    Bump!
  • qtgonewild
    qtgonewild Posts: 1,930 Member
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    a whole free day?
  • chosenusernametaken
    chosenusernametaken Posts: 20
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    You can maintain the muscle your currently have when on a deficit I think, but you can't build muscle when you are on a deficit. So yes, you are strength training and you are probably getting stronger, but you are basically just maintaining what you already had.

    I think that is the case anyway but could be wrong. Someone else will clarify I'm sure.

    And ignore the posters who try to be funny. I am actually surprised that it took so long for them to join in. You have been pretty understanding and asking a lot of questions so the useless comments aren't necessary.

    Thanks! I guess it's part of that whole fear of how can I possibly eat more and lose weight!?!?!? I'm sure you can imagine the amount of reading I intend to do this weekend!

    I guess it's about adding the RIGHT things. Up my protein, cutting out 4-5 apples a day and substituting veggies... It seems like I used to have such a natural balance to the things I ate and my activities and working out - I dropped the weight and then it seems I maintained fairly easily.

    Yeah, I'm a little older, but the only other difference is that I quit smoking. That shouldn't have it out of whack like this, should it?
  • chosenusernametaken
    chosenusernametaken Posts: 20
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    a whole free day?

    Yeah, and when I dropped a bunch of weight years ago, the free day was the catalyst to significant drops. I was sort of stuck at 20 pounds lost till someone introduced me to Body for Life and Fit for Life.

    It just doesn't seem to work that way anymore.
  • Hornsby
    Hornsby Posts: 10,322 Member
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    You can maintain the muscle your currently have when on a deficit I think, but you can't build muscle when you are on a deficit. So yes, you are strength training and you are probably getting stronger, but you are basically just maintaining what you already had.

    I think that is the case anyway but could be wrong. Someone else will clarify I'm sure.

    And ignore the posters who try to be funny. I am actually surprised that it took so long for them to join in. You have been pretty understanding and asking a lot of questions so the useless comments aren't necessary.

    Thanks! I guess it's part of that whole fear of how can I possibly eat more and lose weight!?!?!? I'm sure you can imagine the amount of reading I intend to do this weekend!

    I guess it's about adding the RIGHT things. Up my protein, cutting out 4-5 apples a day and substituting veggies... It seems like I used to have such a natural balance to the things I ate and my activities and working out - I dropped the weight and then it seems I maintained fairly easily.

    Yeah, I'm a little older, but the only other difference is that I quit smoking. That shouldn't have it out of whack like this, should it?

    I'm the same age as you basically (I'm 35) and I quit smoking just 3 months prior to getting fit (Jan 2013 quit smoking, and April 2013 started trying to get fit). Didn't play a role in weight loss in my opinion, but really I have no idea.
  • lilawolf
    lilawolf Posts: 1,690 Member
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    Wow. Lots of information and misinformation on here.

    1. You are eating WAY too little. Is there a reason that you are trying to lose so quickly? I lost just over a pound a week at about 1650 cals with just a 20 minute walk a day. I'm 5'9 and started at 172lbs. No need to go crazy.

    2. I don't know about you, but many people get constipated when they first start a diet. Does your belly feel hard and full for no reason? Any change to your bathroom habits? Try a laxative if so. This killed my loss for a couple of weeks until I got back on track.

    3. You are not gaining muscle even if you are getting stronger. Only obese noobies lifting heavy (less than 10 reps to failure) will gain muscle. You can get stronger without gaining muscle.

    4. Your muscles are probably retaining water. I gained 3-5lbs when I first started lifting. This is why pictures, measurements, and the way your clothes fit is key.

    5. Your apples are fine! Yes they are sugar and it would be better if you could pair with fat or protein to keep your blood sugar levels more stable, but it isn't going to make you hold every ounce of fat. Your overall macros for the whole day are way more important than a single meal. Make sure you get enough protein.

    6. I understand that you weighed a month ago on a single day and compared it to a single day today. Is that right? Who knows what your water weight, salt intake, TOM, bowel weight, etc was on these two days? Not weighing every day is a good idea, but it sometimes you are unlucky in which days you pick in the natural fluctuations.

    7. Log your free day, and log your exercise. Use circuit training or something similar and the amount of time. You don't need to look at reps or anything else. Your weekly deficit is what matters, not any particular day so having a big calorie day is fine with your huge deficit other days. You just need to know where you are at and what your numbers are so that you can tweak from there.

    8. Do your research. Read through this to learn what your BMR, TDEE, body fat, deficit, goal, etc are/should be:
    http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/974888-in-place-of-a-road-map-2k13
  • tigersword
    tigersword Posts: 8,059 Member
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    It's the excessive apples. Sure, they're healthy, but packed with natural sugar-your trainer is right. Lay off the fruit basket. Plus, it could very well BE muscle. I always gain 2-5lbs when i start a diet, but my clothing fits better.
    Um. No. Apples will not cause weight gain unless they put you over maintenance calories. You also do not build muscle on a calorie deficit, especially a large one.

    Your weight gain is due to water retention, you certainly aren't putting on 2-5 pounds of muscle. That's extreme even for a man with 10 times more testosterone than you have.
  • skinnyinnotime
    skinnyinnotime Posts: 4,141 Member
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    You're eating a low calorie daily allowance and doing mega long workouts on top of that, so your net is very low, making it hard for your body to lose any weight.

    Increase you cals, or eat your workout cals or workout less.
  • BabyNurseJen
    BabyNurseJen Posts: 64 Member
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    I'm about your height and a bit heavier than you. When I started, I ate around 1200 for a week or so just because I really wasn't hungry for more since I switched to healthier foods. I also worked out pretty hard, so I know I was retaining water too. After about a week I was not pleasant to be around. I increased to 1500-1600 calories/day and it's started to fall off. Of course this is only over the last 3 weeks so I can't give any long term info. Maybe it would have started to fall off if I had stayed at 1200, but also I might be single due to my husband refusing to be around me.
  • Mcgrawhaha
    Mcgrawhaha Posts: 1,596 Member
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    i dont think 1 free day per week will get you the results you desire. i had one of these days every other week... you more than likely maintained, and the 2 pound "gain" is merely sodium bloat / instinal waste / or natural weight fluctuation.

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