2 Weeks Of Working Out = Weight Gain??

LeGaCyGiAnT124
LeGaCyGiAnT124 Posts: 158 Member
in Getting Started
My girlfriend and I got a gym membership exactly 2 weeks ago from today. Since starting, we have been doing a lot of cardio (in attempts to burn fat) before doing strength. We have been doing a 30 minute express circuit, 2 miles on the treadmill, stairs, bicycles, etc.

Every time we go we do at least an hour to at most an hour and 45 minutes. I started out at 200lbs on the 3rd, and weighed myself this morning at 204.6. Am I doing something wrong? I want to get a polar monitor to get an accurate heart rate number and # of calories burned, because I don't believe the machines are very accurate.

My food intake consists of oatmeal for breakfast with 2% milk, grapes for a snack, small lunch, a protein bar before the gym, and then eat dinner after the gym. Opinions please! Thanks.

-Brandon

Replies

  • wilsoje74
    wilsoje74 Posts: 1,720 Member
    Do you count your calories?
  • jessicahill530
    jessicahill530 Posts: 65 Member
    How many calories are you eating? How many does MFP say to eat? What you listed as your food doesn't sound like nearly enough for someone at 200lbs.
  • charleyreedto175
    charleyreedto175 Posts: 60 Member
    If you are working out and really working up a sweat then more than likely you simply have water weight. If you drink sports drinks stop. Focus on just water and a better diet. Friend me if you want You can look at my work outs and food that I eat.
  • SailorKnightWing
    SailorKnightWing Posts: 875 Member
    Water retention. Starting new exercise routines often causes the muscles to retain water as they repair, even for cardio if you're doing more than usual. Your weight should go back down soon.
  • _G4BR13L_
    _G4BR13L_ Posts: 131 Member
    Its Water!
  • pixietoes
    pixietoes Posts: 1,591 Member
    I know this is going to sound crazy, but if you're working out that much your body might be holding on to every calorie in response. I have sometimes gained weight in that situation, if you add another couple hundred calories it might make the difference in how your body reacts to the great workouts. It might be worth doing for 3 days just to see if that's what's going on for your system.
  • Mother_Superior
    Mother_Superior Posts: 1,624 Member
    First things first, understand that scale weight can vary between 1 and 5 pounds (or more in some cases) on a daily basis depending on hormone levels, and water and food intake. Scales are really only valid when measurements are taken over time (read a month or two), and then averaged.

    Depending on the amount of exercise, and intensity, it could be the water/glycogen that your muscles are retaining to pair themselves. Set a reasonable calorie goal and macro division for your fitness goals, stick to it for a couple of months and then re-evaluate.
  • jlapey
    jlapey Posts: 1,850 Member
    Most likely water retention from starting a new program. Wait at least a month or so before you decide if your program is working or not and adjust accordingly. Also, weight can fluctuate daily by 4 pounds.
  • sweetpea03b
    sweetpea03b Posts: 1,123 Member
    Without knowing the amount of calories you're eating its hard to say.... but I would wager a guess that you're not eating enough. You want to stick with a moderate deficit... burning more and eating less is not the way to go. That being said... I wait to really take my weight seriously after I've had 2 rest days in a row for everything to settle down (I will usually be up on weight on workout days due to muscle recovery, etc because my workout is a lifting routine).

    I would do your TDEE Calculations and BMR and make sure that you're going with the right goal for calorie intake everyday. Good luck!
  • Sunshine2plus2
    Sunshine2plus2 Posts: 1,492 Member
    Sounds like you are eating to less for the amt of exercise you are doing!
  • thesupremeforce
    thesupremeforce Posts: 1,206 Member
    Yep, you'd need to share your daily calorie intake before I'd be able to make an educated guess. Most likely, you're not eating at a deficit. The gain may very well be water weight (or at least most of it), but you're not going to lose unless you're eating at a deficit. Make sure you're logging your calories accurately.
  • torycw77
    torycw77 Posts: 3 Member
    It could be that you may have galactic acid in your muscles along just plain ol' putting on a little muscle mass. Keep going and don't sweat it (...see that, see what I did :-D ). Also, don't be TOO restrictive with calories. Make sure you're eating enough. Finally, I just bought a heart rate monitor and it has made working out more productive in terms of my circuit and cardio workouts. For example, I started doing my circuit weights first and hard, which elevates my heart rate. By the time I get to my elliptical portion, my heart rate is high for more efficient fat burning.
  • LeGaCyGiAnT124
    LeGaCyGiAnT124 Posts: 158 Member
    I have my calorie intake right around 2,000 calories. I was doing a little research, and it seems like the first few weeks is just water retention from starting a new workout that your body is not used to at all. I don't want to eat so much that I feel bloated, if that makes sense? I try to eat smaller, healthier portions. We have been doing really good in the last few months, but recently I have been trying to be as healthy as possible. I don't drink anything besides water, coffee, 2% milk, sweetened iced tea, or occasionally orange juice. Pop is no where in my diet, and I only drink pop if we have friends over for a drinking night (which is very very rare).

    My daily routine is to wake up, have at most 2 cups of coffee with 2 tablespoons of sugar and 2 packets of french vanilla creamer on my hour commute to work, eat oatmeal with milk and a tablespoon of sugar around 2-3 hours after waking up. Then I eat my grapes around an hour after my oatmeal, and then my lunch an hour after that (5-600 calories at most) with water as my drink. Then I don't eat for probably 3-4 hours and then we go to the gym. I usually eat a 90 calorie Fiber One bar before we go just for a little energy boost. Workout like stated previously, go home and cook dinner, eat, shower, bed, repeat.

    We have Wednesday's and Sunday's off and don't change the eating habits on those days.

    I don't starve myself by any means. Let me know if you guys need more information. I am a picky eater, and don't like a lot of foods. It's hard for me to have a set diet, just because of how picky I am lol.

    Thanks for the responses so far!!

    -Brandon
  • xiamjackie
    xiamjackie Posts: 611 Member
    Yea, I'd have to say I'm 5'0 125 pounds and I'm eating more than you and doing less cardio than you. I would say adjust your food intake accordingly and eat at a slight deficit, start moving some weights around, and eventually you'll start to see a loss. It can be slow though, so don't give up.

    Edit* with your additional comment above, it seems like you are eating a good amount and decently healthy stuff. Just track everything, like I said... start weight lifting. You definitely don't need to lose weight first in order to start weight lifting. And it will help for sure! Be patient.
  • jofjltncb6
    jofjltncb6 Posts: 34,415 Member
    It could be that you may have galactic acid in your muscles along just plain ol' putting on a little muscle mass. Keep going and don't sweat it (...see that, see what I did :-D ). Also, don't be TOO restrictive with calories. Make sure you're eating enough. Finally, I just bought a heart rate monitor and it has made working out more productive in terms of my circuit and cardio workouts. For example, I started doing my circuit weights first and hard, which elevates my heart rate. By the time I get to my elliptical portion, my heart rate is high for more efficient fat burning.

    On a totally unrelated topic, Galaga was far superior to Galaxian.

    OP, are you logging your food? Your diary was closed, so I couldn't tell. A description of what foods you eat is completely irrelevant (for weight loss). It's the quantity that counts.

    Also, a temporary bump up in weight is perfectly normal when you start an exercise activity. That said, you may still be eating at a surplus...who knows? And if you aren't logging, you don't know either...(although you may also be eating too little...again, who knows?).
  • LeGaCyGiAnT124
    LeGaCyGiAnT124 Posts: 158 Member
    How much should I be eating? Lol. Yesterday for lunch it was a a half of a homemade stuffed green pepper with brown rice, tomato sauce, 80/20 ground meat, and a little of Great Value Mozzarella cheese ( I would say at most 600 calories?). Dinner was 2 1/2 thin cut grilled BBQ pork chops with sauteed onions and baked diced potato's with olive oil and buttermilk Hidden Valley on them (80 calorie per 2 Tablespoons.) I almost always have a glass of iced tea for dinner too. I can't drink water and only water.

    This just gives an idea of what my lunch and dinner size portions are like.
  • AlwaysInMotion
    AlwaysInMotion Posts: 409 Member
    For starters, try to log your food & exercise here on MFP as accurately as possible. (Weighing food & logging every bit can be eye-opening!) Also, consider trying the TDEE (Total Daily Energy Expenditure) method for calculating your calorie needs based on your increased activity level. To find out how to calculate TDEE, search for TDEE on MFP. I recommend googling "TDEE Scooby" for great info on TDEE. The TDEE method will help you tailor your diet/exercise plan based on your personal stats. I think using an HRM is also a great idea - nearly all of them will estimate your calorie burn while exercising and will help you dial things in even better!

    I also just recently seriously upped my cardio/strength training and had a weight gain blip (3 lbs) at the beginning. It was water. I dropped it shortly after my body recovered from the initial shock of more intense activity.
  • skullshank
    skullshank Posts: 4,323 Member
    How much should I be eating? Lol. Yesterday for lunch it was a a half of a homemade stuffed green pepper with brown rice, tomato sauce, 80/20 ground meat, and a little of Great Value Mozzarella cheese ( I would say at most 600 calories?). Dinner was 2 1/2 thin cut grilled BBQ pork chops with sauteed onions and baked diced potato's with olive oil and buttermilk Hidden Valley on them (80 calorie per 2 Tablespoons.) I almost always have a glass of iced tea for dinner too. I can't drink water and only water.

    This just gives an idea of what my lunch and dinner size portions are like.

    go here: http://www.fitnessfrog.com/calculators/tdee-calculator.html

    your tdee is the amount of cals you burn doing your day to day activities. you can safely eat 75-80% of that number for healthy weight loss.

    based on what youre saying, it sounds like you might be doing ok calorie wise.

    im about 225 atm, and i shoot for 2,000cals/day...most of which is dinner. like you, i have oatmeal, a light lunch, gym after work...and then i DESTROY some dinner lol.

    if youre lifting, make sure youre getting enough protein to maintain your LBM while losing fat.

    patience is a huge player in this game. sounds to me like youre off to a great start! keep it up and enjoy the rewards!
  • jofjltncb6
    jofjltncb6 Posts: 34,415 Member
    How much should I be eating? Lol. Yesterday for lunch it was a a half of a homemade stuffed green pepper with brown rice, tomato sauce, 80/20 ground meat, and a little of Great Value Mozzarella cheese ( I would say at most 600 calories?). Dinner was 2 1/2 thin cut grilled BBQ pork chops with sauteed onions and baked diced potato's with olive oil and buttermilk Hidden Valley on them (80 calorie per 2 Tablespoons.) I almost always have a glass of iced tea for dinner too. I can't drink water and only water.

    This just gives an idea of what my lunch and dinner size portions are like.

    I'd start with logging what you already normally eat to get an idea of your maintenance calories. Track for at least a couple of weeks weighing (solids) and measuring (liquids) everything that has calories. From there, there are a number of approaches that I'm sure others will point you to. None of them will work, however, if you don't log.
  • LeGaCyGiAnT124
    LeGaCyGiAnT124 Posts: 158 Member
    It could be that you may have galactic acid in your muscles along just plain ol' putting on a little muscle mass. Keep going and don't sweat it (...see that, see what I did :-D ). Also, don't be TOO restrictive with calories. Make sure you're eating enough. Finally, I just bought a heart rate monitor and it has made working out more productive in terms of my circuit and cardio workouts. For example, I started doing my circuit weights first and hard, which elevates my heart rate. By the time I get to my elliptical portion, my heart rate is high for more efficient fat burning.

    On a totally unrelated topic, Galaga was far superior to Galaxian.

    I am starting to log my diary now. I signed up here a year ago and did it for a little bit and then stopped. I started doing it 2 days ago and plan to keep at it. I will see why it's locked?

    OP, are you logging your food? Your diary was closed, so I couldn't tell. A description of what foods you eat is completely irrelevant (for weight loss). It's the quantity that counts.

    Also, a temporary bump up in weight is perfectly normal when you start an exercise activity. That said, you may still be eating at a surplus...who knows? And if you aren't logging, you don't know either...(although you may also be eating too little...again, who knows?).
  • roblock81
    roblock81 Posts: 26 Member
    Also how much water are you drinking? You need to drink LOTS of water so your body will not retain it all. Also check sodium levels. Sodium will make you retain water also. Of course drink enough water and it will flush the sodium also!!

    I know for me when I started working out I did just cardio & diet. I lost a good amount of weight but then added in a good strength training routine. I probably gained about 3-4 lbs that week and from what I can guess it was just my bodies reaction to the new weight routine and about 1 month in I really started to drop and noticed a big difference in my physical appearance even though the scale did not change much! Being new to strength training you will gain some muscle weight fast the first 1-2 weeks it seems just from them attempting to recover.
  • LeGaCyGiAnT124
    LeGaCyGiAnT124 Posts: 158 Member
    Also how much water are you drinking? You need to drink LOTS of water so your body will not retain it all. Also check sodium levels. Sodium will make you retain water also. Of course drink enough water and it will flush the sodium also!!

    I know for me when I started working out I did just cardio & diet. I lost a good amount of weight but then added in a good strength training routine. I probably gained about 3-4 lbs that week and from what I can guess it was just my bodies reaction to the new weight routine and about 1 month in I really started to drop and noticed a big difference in my physical appearance even though the scale did not change much! Being new to strength training you will gain some muscle weight fast the first 1-2 weeks it seems just from them attempting to recover.

    With the computer desk job I have now, I would say 32 ounces to 48 ounces at the most (2-3 16.9 oz bottles). Being that it's winter, I don't have the desire to drink as much water as I do if it were 80 degrees out.
  • bromackey
    bromackey Posts: 1
    I would REALLY like to help you with this....if you're open to that. I'm a wellness coach and personal trainer, and I fought the same uphill battle myself before doing a lot of research. Now, I'm in the best shape of my life.
  • LeGaCyGiAnT124
    LeGaCyGiAnT124 Posts: 158 Member
    I would REALLY like to help you with this....if you're open to that. I'm a wellness coach and personal trainer, and I fought the same uphill battle myself before doing a lot of research. Now, I'm in the best shape of my life.

    Shoot shoot. Lol. I don't want this to be my second job, but willing to accept help from someone else.
  • skullshank
    skullshank Posts: 4,323 Member
    I would REALLY like to help you with this....if you're open to that. I'm a wellness coach and personal trainer, and I fought the same uphill battle myself before doing a lot of research. Now, I'm in the best shape of my life.

    fo' freeeeee?!

    tumblr_m141nmUjro1rn95k2o1_250.gif

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