Working Out, Eating Great, Gaining Weight! Help!!

meghannoellec
meghannoellec Posts: 4
in Introduce Yourself
I am losing my mind and my motivation here! I am working out 3-5 times a week doing intense cardio and weight lifting. I eat 1200 calories a day in healthy food and I only drink water. But I am gaining weight?? I am so frustrated. My best friend says that I am just gaining muscle, but the thing is I can tell that I'm not losing fat. What is going on with me? A year ago I was able to just cut my diet down and not work out and lost 10 pounds. I gained it back and it's been such a struggle to lose it this time around.

Replies

  • 4legsRbetterthan2
    4legsRbetterthan2 Posts: 19,589 MFP Moderator
    Not enough information, when did you start dieting, exercise plan, and what has your gain looked like?
  • scubasuenc
    scubasuenc Posts: 626 Member
    How tall are you? How much do you currently weigh? How long has this been going on? And how do you know you are only eating 1200 calories per day? Do you weigh and log *everything* that goes in your mouth?
  • terizius
    terizius Posts: 425 Member
    I am currently helping a female friend of mine train. She started on a new lifting program a few weeks ago and is horrified to see that her weight is going up. Fortunately, I have been keeping records of her body measurements for the last 6 months and started doing BF% tests on her weekly for the past few weeks. Even though her weight is increasing, her measurements are mostly going down and her BF% is down 2%. If you aren't doing it now, I strongly encourage you to take measurements because they can tell a much different story than the scale..
  • davepearson86
    davepearson86 Posts: 158 Member
    Open your diary and provide stats for anyone to offer any useful advice
  • kyndalkeener
    kyndalkeener Posts: 1 Member
    I've been going through something similar. Don't rule out stress as part of the issue. Stress has all kinds of negative effects on the body. I'm looking at it this way: February is a new month. Lets get a fresh state of mind, make realistic goals and continue working at it. Don't be too hard on yourself. It's not supposed to be easy. We can do this!
  • diannethegeek
    diannethegeek Posts: 14,776 Member
    How much weight have you gained and over what period of time?

    As others have said, we don't have all the information. First guess would be that if your exercise routine is new you might be holding some extra water weight while your muscles repair. That should go away after a few weeks though.

    You are very unlikely to be gaining muscle while eating 1200 calories a day. The body just doesn't work like that.
  • meghannoellec
    meghannoellec Posts: 4
    I just opened up my diary so you guys can see. I'm 5'4" and really trying to get fit.
  • crystal_lynn88
    crystal_lynn88 Posts: 16 Member
    This may sound crazy but you might need to eat MORE!!! Of course it could also be other things but you didn't really give us that much info and we can't see your diary or anything...
  • meghannoellec
    meghannoellec Posts: 4
    I just opened up my diary so it's public now.
  • crystal_lynn88
    crystal_lynn88 Posts: 16 Member
    How much water do you drink a day? And what is your current weight?
  • meghannoellec
    meghannoellec Posts: 4
    And I know people are saying 1200 is too little, but to be honest I'm pretty small in the first place. I am really having to push to lose anything.
  • seaweedeater1
    seaweedeater1 Posts: 12 Member
    I have been in the same boat -- 10 lbs gained during past year even though I've been tracking and staying easily at 1200 net. I burn at least 400 cal/day with cardio and walking. Every day. I was feeling desperate, so I had my body fat measured. Wow, was I surprised! 12.8% body fat for a 5'4" 123 lb 59-year-old woman. (This was on an In-Body520 machine; I don't quite believe it, so am going to have a DXA retest to verify.) I have increased my exercise over the past year -- notice I'm swimming a bit more strongly and have really improved my hill-capabilities on the road bike; also was trying to spin once a week.(I'm not breaking any records here -- just try to do my best; at almost-60, my objective is to make sure I don't injure myself so I can be out there the next day.) My pants have started fitting too snugly on the thighs, and I wondered, What's Up With That?!? I thought muscle was supposed to make us smaller. But perhaps if we're already pretty muscular and we add muscle on top of that, it builds weight and size? I'm very healthy, but want to be smaller. So I'm going to cut back calories by 200 for a few weeks, replace some of the bike/spin with a bit more jogging, and hope the old knees can handle it.
  • crystal_lynn88
    crystal_lynn88 Posts: 16 Member
    Well, if you don't want to tell us your weight and stuff, you need to drink a lot of water so you don't retain water because it could be water weight. And you can calculate ur BMR and TDEE online (just google BMR calculator and TDEE calculator) and the amount of calories you consume need to be above your BMR but below your TDEE for you to lose weight. :)
  • NoExcusesFitnessCoach
    NoExcusesFitnessCoach Posts: 106 Member
    I just helped someone with the very same issue (and I've had the issue myself). With limited info, it's hard to figure out the issue, but here are some possibilities:
    1. When you start a new workout program, there is an adjustment period. I'll usually go about 3-4 weeks after starting a new program/routine before seeing results.
    2. Are you snacking? Eating every 2-3 hours will boost your metabolism, which will in turn speed up weight loss. I just helped a friend who hadn't lost a pound in spite of working out 6 days a week doing Insanity (very intense program!). I looked at his diary and told him to start snacking. One week later, 3 pounds were gone. Might help you too!
    3. Too few calories could = starvation mode/no weight loss. I don't know how many you should have, but that's also a possibility.

    I'm no expert, but these are things I've experienced myself, so I figured I'd share.

    Good luck :smile:
  • diannethegeek
    diannethegeek Posts: 14,776 Member
    I see a lot of quick added calories and frozen meals. There's nothing wrong with Lean Cuisine-type meals, but you should be aware they tend to have a lot more sodium than fresh foods. Sodium can cause you to retain water, which can mask your weight loss.

    Track your food accurately. A food scale is best, but at the very least no more quick added calories. Reach your calorie goal. Being below 1200 calories isn't going to do your body a lot of favors. Until you have an accurate picture of how much you're eating any other advice isn't going to be helpful.
  • knt6742
    knt6742 Posts: 36
    It doesn't look like you log consistently and have a lot of quick added calories. Make sure you are logging everything accurately including your exercise. If this is all new (like within a couple weeks) it's probably water retention from a new exercise program. But if you continue to gain then you know that you are eating more calories than you are burning.

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