Not losing weight, in fact GAINING

I started out at 57 kg around about 2-3 months ago with a goal weight of 55 kg. Before starting out I ate what I what but was fairly active (Netball two nights a week, Squash once or twice a week). However, since starting out counting calories and joining the gym I seem to have gained weight, the last weight in being 58.8kg. What am I doing wrong???

General food:

Brk - small banana
Snack - 8 almonds
Lunch - salad (lettuce, tomato, capsicum, small amount of protein, no dressing)
Snack - 1-2 kiwi
Dinner - obviously varies, generally veges and some form of protein

Gym:

Three nights a week

Night 1 - 15 min crosstrainer, leg weights, ab work, 20 min treadmill (8.5kph, 3% incline)
Night 2 - mixed cardio for approx. 50 mins, followed by ab work
Night 3 - 15 min crosstrainer, arm weights, ab work, 20 min treadmill (8.5kph, 3% incline)

Any tips or advice much appreciated

Replies

  • d3m1urge
    d3m1urge Posts: 38
    You go to the gym. You build muscle. You have lost fat and gained muscle.


    Hence, weight gain.
  • gg868
    gg868 Posts: 5
    But that much? Really? I understand that some of that would be attributed to muscle but looking back at some old records I have and 2 years ago at 14% body fat I was 54.7kg, it just doesn't seem to add up to me that's all.
  • Ready2Rock206
    Ready2Rock206 Posts: 9,487 Member
    I doubt you're gaining muscle - you're hardly eating any calories according to your general food listed. Can't build muscle on that much of a deficit.

    Are you really eating that little? Are you logging everything? Weighing all your food?

    Maybe if you open your diary we could be of more help.
  • d3m1urge
    d3m1urge Posts: 38
    And wow, eat more
  • Sreneesa
    Sreneesa Posts: 1,170 Member
    You are not gaining muscle on a deficit.
  • SnuggleSmacks
    SnuggleSmacks Posts: 3,731 Member
    No, it takes a lot of effort, and a calorie surplus, to build muscle. From the looks of your meal list, you aren't eating nearly enough. What is your calorie goal, and how many calories are you eating? If you're severely undereating, you'll sabatoge your weightloss.

    The weight is likely water being stored in your muscles to aid recovery from your increased workouts.
  • DivineChoices
    DivineChoices Posts: 193 Member
    Please open up your diary. It'll help people give educated suggestions.
  • x1v16
    x1v16 Posts: 66
    You seem very particular about your weight. Women should keep their body far percentage between 19% and 24% ideally. If you are actually below that and still trying to slim down it's probably not making you healthier and your body has probably slowed it's metabolism to hold onto the pounds you are so desperate to lose. I honestly think you should concentrate your efforts on accepting your body and aiming to be healthy instead of to be skinny as possible.
  • Branstin
    Branstin Posts: 2,320 Member
    No, it takes a lot of effort, and a calorie surplus, to build muscle. From the looks of your meal list, you aren't eating nearly enough. What is your calorie goal, and how many calories are you eating? If you're severely undereating, you'll sabatoge your weightloss.

    The weight is likely water being stored in your muscles to aid recovery from your increased workouts.

    +1
  • SLLRunner
    SLLRunner Posts: 12,942 Member
    You go to the gym. You build muscle. You have lost fat and gained muscle.


    Hence, weight gain.
    No, that's not how it works.

    However, it could be water retention or normal fluctuation, or even you body getting used to the changes.

    Y o the trying to lose 3 pounds?
  • Carley
    Carley Posts: 88
    Simple, you need to eat a lot more.
  • 2013sk
    2013sk Posts: 1,318 Member
    Have you worked out your BMR & TDEE???

    Eat 10% or 20% less than your TDEE!!

    Wow you hardly eat, plus you exercise too!

    I would bump up your calories the next couple of weeks, then weigh and see if its gone down.
  • 2013sk
    2013sk Posts: 1,318 Member
    PS - Just tried to add up some of your diary, and its way under 1,000 calories. How many calories do you NET a day?

    How many calories do you burn through exercise?

    All these things you need to take into consideration : )
  • gg868
    gg868 Posts: 5
    BMR and TDEE? I don't know what that is :-\. Calories are about 1100 a day.... 300-400 through exercise but I do eat more on workout days to balance

    I would open my diary, but I think the one I have on my phone is under a different username maybe because this one is saying I haven't logged in for a long time! I'll figure it out and get it up.
  • eldamiano
    eldamiano Posts: 2,667 Member
    I reckon you need to add a burger/veggie burger to that diet....
  • rodduz
    rodduz Posts: 251 Member
    You could be getting noob gains on a deficit but that diet is literally nothing! Surely that is not all you can be eating!
  • belleamore1234
    belleamore1234 Posts: 105 Member
    I started out at 57 kg around about 2-3 months ago with a goal weight of 55 kg. Before starting out I ate what I what but was fairly active (Netball two nights a week, Squash once or twice a week). However, since starting out counting calories and joining the gym I seem to have gained weight, the last weight in being 58.8kg. What am I doing wrong???

    General food:

    Brk - small banana
    Snack - 8 almonds
    Lunch - salad (lettuce, tomato, capsicum, small amount of protein, no dressing)
    Snack - 1-2 kiwi
    Dinner - obviously varies, generally veges and some form of protein

    Gym:

    Three nights a week

    Night 1 - 15 min crosstrainer, leg weights, ab work, 20 min treadmill (8.5kph, 3% incline)
    Night 2 - mixed cardio for approx. 50 mins, followed by ab work
    Night 3 - 15 min crosstrainer, arm weights, ab work, 20 min treadmill (8.5kph, 3% incline)

    Any tips or advice much appreciated

    Muscle weighs more than fat!
  • gg868
    gg868 Posts: 5
    So obviously I'm eating too few calories, any suggestion as to what I should be adding in, eating more of or often etc?
  • Eleonora91
    Eleonora91 Posts: 688 Member
    First of all, we can't give you accurate advices unless you log your foods and exercises for a bit.
    Gaining weight usually means you're eating more than you're burning, but that might not be your case, even though we can't know that without knowning exactly what you're eating, and how much you're eating of it.
    Once you've started logging foods and exercises accurately for a few weeks, if your intake is reasonable and nothing particular happens (such as water retention), you should definitely see a loss.
    Just keep sure you're eating enough and give it enough time to work. I haven't understood how long have you been doing this for and how long did it take you to "gain" this weight, but you should definitely give it 2-4 weeks to see reliable results.
  • wifeymou1112
    wifeymou1112 Posts: 129 Member
    Forget the scale! The scale is not your friend!
  • elbaldwin0525
    elbaldwin0525 Posts: 159 Member
    Why do people automatically associate weight gain with gaining muscle? she isnt lifting not one weight according to her program. I'd say it has something to do with body getting accustomed to your low calories and now your metabolism is shot. Try upping the calories a bit to see what happens or just dont worry about the scale. Focus on what you see in the mirror because according to your photo, you have already gotten to a optimal point.
  • elbaldwin0525
    elbaldwin0525 Posts: 159 Member
    I started out at 57 kg around about 2-3 months ago with a goal weight of 55 kg. Before starting out I ate what I what but was fairly active (Netball two nights a week, Squash once or twice a week). However, since starting out counting calories and joining the gym I seem to have gained weight, the last weight in being 58.8kg. What am I doing wrong???

    General food:

    Brk - small banana
    Snack - 8 almonds
    Lunch - salad (lettuce, tomato, capsicum, small amount of protein, no dressing)
    Snack - 1-2 kiwi
    Dinner - obviously varies, generally veges and some form of protein

    Gym:

    Three nights a week

    Night 1 - 15 min crosstrainer, leg weights, ab work, 20 min treadmill (8.5kph, 3% incline)
    Night 2 - mixed cardio for approx. 50 mins, followed by ab work
    Night 3 - 15 min crosstrainer, arm weights, ab work, 20 min treadmill (8.5kph, 3% incline)

    Any tips or advice much appreciated

    Muscle weighs more than fat!


    ^^^WRONG....muscle and fat weigh the SAME. muscle is just denser
  • littlekitty3
    littlekitty3 Posts: 265 Member
    Eat more. But I. Addition to setting more eat more of the unprocessed junk.
    When I was cutting calories I gained weight and no not muscle weight.
  • fairygirlpie9
    fairygirlpie9 Posts: 288 Member
    First of all, we can't give you accurate advices unless you log your foods and exercises for a bit.
    Gaining weight usually means you're eating more than you're burning, but that might not be your case, even though we can't know that without knowning exactly what you're eating, and how much you're eating of it.
    Once you've started logging foods and exercises accurately for a few weeks, if your intake is reasonable and nothing particular happens (such as water retention), you should definitely see a loss.
    Just keep sure you're eating enough and give it enough time to work. I haven't understood how long have you been doing this for and how long did it take you to "gain" this weight, but you should definitely give it 2-4 weeks to see reliable results.

    This.