why am i gaining weight instead of losing weight?

xl0velym3rm4idx
xl0velym3rm4idx Posts: 16 Member
in Health and Weight Loss
i'm 5'9, and i recently started weight training a few weeks ago. The first few days was tough, but i feel stronger now. I also started personal training this past week. My current schedule:
monday - (1 hr )personal training then zumba
wednesday - 1 hr nike training
thursday - (1hr) body combat then body pump
saturday - (1hr) body combat then body pump
Sunday (depending on my mood, i may weight train or not)

I've discovered that i've gained weight - A LOT of weight...i don't know if it's because i've started weight-training, or because i've just gotten fat. I eat a lot and drink a lot of water throughout the day. Is there something i'm doing wrong?
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Replies

  • diannethegeek
    diannethegeek Posts: 14,776 Member
    Opening your diary might help us give better answers. It's not uncommon to see a slight gain when you start a new exercise routine or increase an old one because our bodies flood sore muscles with water to help cushion and heal them during the repair process. This can mask any fat loss that's happening.

    Are you tracking your food in addition to weight training? How many calories are you eating and are you weighing/measuring your portion sizes?
  • AmyWininger
    AmyWininger Posts: 150 Member
    How much weight is a lot of weight? And stength training causes you to retain water. Also, it could have been something you have eaten, such as too much sodium. I wouldn't worry too much, unless you are simply eating to much. If you have gained 15 pounds, then yeah, that wouldn't be good. but, after I strength train or have a bad sodium day, I gain about 4 to 5 pounds. They normally go away within 3 to 4 days though.
  • susannamarie
    susannamarie Posts: 2,148 Member
    Are you tracking your food and sticking to a calorie goal?
  • annabarratt1
    annabarratt1 Posts: 9
    You may have gained muscle. In that case well done!!:wink:
  • TavistockToad
    TavistockToad Posts: 35,719 Member
    i'm 5'9, and i recently started weight training a few weeks ago. The first few days was tough, but i feel stronger now. I also started personal training this past week. My current schedule:
    monday - (1 hr )personal training then zumba
    wednesday - 1 hr nike training
    thursday - (1hr) body combat then body pump
    saturday - (1hr) body combat then body pump
    Sunday (depending on my mood, i may weight train or not)

    I've discovered that i've gained weight - A LOT of weight...i don't know if it's because i've started weight-training, or because i've just gotten fat. I eat a lot and drink a lot of water throughout the day. Is there something i'm doing wrong?

    What's eating 'a lot'? If it's over tdee then yes, you may have gained fat, but if you're in a deficit it's a lot more likely it's just water retention from the exercise. Ditch the scales and go by measurements, how your clothes fit & your reflection.
  • jennifer_417
    jennifer_417 Posts: 12,344 Member
    If you started weight training very recently, you may experience a gain due to muscles holding onto water in order to repair themselves. If it's been a few months, it may be because you're putting on muscle, though putting on a LOT of weight in that time through strength training in that time is unlikely.

    A good indicator of how you're actually doing is how your clothes fit. Are they looser? Then who cares what the scale says? Are they tighter? Then you might want to take a closer look at what you're eating, because, barring a health problem, you're not eating at a deficit, and you're gaining fat.

    Edit for typo.
  • gigglesinthesun
    gigglesinthesun Posts: 860 Member
    It might just be water, but you need to have a calorie deficit to lose weight. When you say you eat a lot, does that mean you are tracking your calories? If not, chances are you are not eating a calorie deficit. However, depending on what sort of exercise you are doing and if you are eating at a surplus you may have gained some muscle, though probably not enough to say that you 'have gained a lot of weight'. I can't remember how much muscle a women puts on on average a month, but it's not an awful lot.

    http://www.acaloriecounter.com/blog/why-am-i-not-losing-weight/
  • Sarauk2sf
    Sarauk2sf Posts: 28,072 Member
    Are you logging your food accurately, including using a digital food scale? How much more are you eating calorie wise? How much weight have your gained and over what period?
  • Sarauk2sf
    Sarauk2sf Posts: 28,072 Member
    It might just be water, but you need to have a calorie deficit to lose weight. When you say you eat a lot, does that mean you are tracking your calories? If not, chances are you are not eating a calorie deficit. However, depending on what sort of exercise you are doing and if you are eating at a surplus you may have gained some muscle, though probably not enough to say that you 'have gained a lot of weight'. I can't remember how much muscle a women puts on on average a month, but it's not an awful lot.

    http://www.acaloriecounter.com/blog/why-am-i-not-losing-weight/

    Under 'ideal' circumstances (i.e. at a surplus with a good progressive loading strength routine) a woman in her first year of lifting can only put on an average of about 1lb a month.
  • xl0velym3rm4idx
    xl0velym3rm4idx Posts: 16 Member
    i'm still eating the same amount as i usually do. I get pretty sore after a workout too. It's just really discouraging.
  • astrampe
    astrampe Posts: 2,169 Member
    Everybody gets sore after a workout it's normal. You did not answer - how much weight did you gain? How much do you normally eat? It's probably just water weight - keep on doing what you're doing - it will level off in a few weeks...
  • jwdieter
    jwdieter Posts: 2,582 Member
    When I eat a lot, I gain weight too. It's all so confusing.
  • Sarauk2sf
    Sarauk2sf Posts: 28,072 Member
    i'm still eating the same amount as i usually do. I get pretty sore after a workout too. It's just really discouraging.

    Are you logging your food accurately, including using a digital food scale? How much more are you eating calorie wise? How much weight have your gained and over what period?
  • socioseguro
    socioseguro Posts: 1,679 Member
    Hi

    I second a previous poster suggestion to open your diary, so we can provide some suggestion.

    Body weight loss is the result of eating at a deficit. Calories burned should be more than calories ingested.

    You are sharing your exercise level. However, if you are eating more calories than you are burning, your body weight will increase.

    I also second the suggestion to log everything you eat and measure and/or weight everything you eat.

    Good luck in your journey
  • Nikoruo
    Nikoruo Posts: 771 Member
    Well the answer to this depends on several things.

    1) How long have you been doing these training exercises

    2) How much weight/how quick have you been gaining

    3) Are you also eating healthy and to your calorie goals?


    Assuming you are eating to your calorie goals i would say it's just you simply gaining muscle which weighs more. If you are gaining like 5 pounds in one week however i would either blame that on water retention. Having too much sodium or eating more than your calorie goals. So it really depends on those questions :O
  • MityMax96
    MityMax96 Posts: 5,778 Member
    i'm still eating the same amount as i usually do. I get pretty sore after a workout too. It's just really discouraging.

    Are you logging your food accurately, including using a digital food scale? How much more are you eating calorie wise? How much weight have your gained and over what period?

    +1
    need to track and log. you are most likely consuming more than you need
  • xl0velym3rm4idx
    xl0velym3rm4idx Posts: 16 Member
    i started at 160, but now i'm around 170.
  • jwdieter
    jwdieter Posts: 2,582 Member
    Need some fundamentals work. Probably should just read this:

    http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/1080242-a-guide-to-get-you-started-on-your-path-to-sexypants
  • xl0velym3rm4idx
    xl0velym3rm4idx Posts: 16 Member
    is 10 lbs normal for about a month's work? i dont think so.
  • Sarauk2sf
    Sarauk2sf Posts: 28,072 Member
    is 10 lbs normal for about a month's work? i dont think so.

    Not really. You are likely gaining weight (as in water and food weight and fat).

    Again...are you logging accurately and using a food scale? How much are you eating.
  • xl0velym3rm4idx
    xl0velym3rm4idx Posts: 16 Member
    its hard to keep track of my food calories...i make my own food, but i dont follow recipes, i guesstimate.
  • jess17587
    jess17587 Posts: 153
    Due your period? Or pregnant?
  • littleburgy
    littleburgy Posts: 570 Member
    In the past I gained weight despite heavy exercise because I didn't track intake at all. I think if you can accurately monitor calorie intake (amount set for loss, not maintenance), you will be more likely to see results barring any medical issues.

    I started Les Mills this year, too. Love the classes. :smile:
  • SherryTeach
    SherryTeach Posts: 2,836 Member
    Guessing about your food intake nearly always leads to eating more calories than you realize. If it is important to get to the bottom of this issue, the OP will need to enter recipes accurately into her recipe database and get a better grasp on exactly how many calories she is really consuming.
  • Sarauk2sf
    Sarauk2sf Posts: 28,072 Member
    its hard to keep track of my food calories...i make my own food, but i dont follow recipes, i guesstimate.

    Outside possibly 4 lbs or so of water retention, that is most likely where your problem is

    http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/872212-you-re-probably-eating-more-than-you-think
  • skylark94
    skylark94 Posts: 2,036 Member
    its hard to keep track of my food calories...i make my own food, but i dont follow recipes, i guesstimate.

    That is likely your problem. You're probably consuming more calories than you think you are. Use the MFP recipe builder to accurately calculate what you are eating.
  • Sarauk2sf
    Sarauk2sf Posts: 28,072 Member
    What is your 'guestimated' caloric intake, on average?
  • MityMax96
    MityMax96 Posts: 5,778 Member
    its hard to keep track of my food calories...i make my own food, but i dont follow recipes, i guesstimate.

    then all the more reason to weigh and measure
    could be very easy to ingest a lot of calories depending on what you are using
  • MityMax96
    MityMax96 Posts: 5,778 Member
    What is your 'guestimated' caloric intake, on average?
    or what are you eating daily/weekly
  • mdhummel
    mdhummel Posts: 201 Member
    If you are eating too many calories that could be causing the weight gain. The question is: are you gaining muscle or are you gaining fat? Muscle is denser than fat and takes up less space so if you are losing inches than the weight gain is muscle, but if you are gaining inches it is fat.

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