Weight gain, not loss?

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Sinnui
Sinnui Posts: 15
in Health and Weight Loss
Hello, everyone! I am in need of some serious help, because I am rather confused!

So, I began tracking my weight on Monday (June 23) and officially began tracking my exercise and food intake the very next day (I bought my Fitbit Zip Monday night, so I wanted to start tracking with it). But, since Monday, when I was 176, I have GAINED weight. I’m now 178, 2 pounds heavier. =( I’m 5’5” and am 23 years old, female.

I have been working out every day since Tuesday, for at least 30 minutes. It’s mostly been cardio, walking/elliptical/jogging, but on Tuesday I did so squats, 60 of them, and my legs felt it on Wednesday and Yesterday (they’re actually a wee bit sore still today).

I eat between 1500-1600 calories per day, which I think is a fair amount, since my goal is to lose 1 pound a week to lose a total of 31 pounds. But, now it’s like, I have to re-lose those 2 pounds plus another pound to stay on track. I can’t figure out what’s going on, I thought I was doing well, but I guess not?

Thank you in advance for your time and help, I really appreciate it!
(My diary should be open for the public, if you want to see it.)

Replies

  • BigT555
    BigT555 Posts: 2,067 Member
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    dont sweat it, its probably water weight from the additional exercise you are now doing, very common to see this for beginners. give it a couple weeks and you'll start to see the numbers on the scale

    dont worry, if you are in a deficit then you are losing fat, the added water weight is just masking this
  • Sinnui
    Sinnui Posts: 15
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    dont sweat it, its probably water weight from the additional exercise you are now doing, very common to see this for beginners. give it a couple weeks and you'll start to see the numbers on the scale

    dont worry, if you are in a deficit then you are losing fat, the added water weight is just masking this

    Thank you. That actually does make sense; I have been drinking a lot more water too, so I don’t dehydrate. Should I just keep doing what I’m doing (and keep changing my eating habits to healthier ones) and just not weigh myself for a bit, so I don’t sweat the weight gain?
  • BigT555
    BigT555 Posts: 2,067 Member
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    dont sweat it, its probably water weight from the additional exercise you are now doing, very common to see this for beginners. give it a couple weeks and you'll start to see the numbers on the scale

    dont worry, if you are in a deficit then you are losing fat, the added water weight is just masking this

    Thank you. That actually does make sense; I have been drinking a lot more water too, so I don’t dehydrate. Should I just keep doing what I’m doing (and keep changing my eating habits to healthier ones) and just not weigh myself for a bit, so I don’t sweat the weight gain?
    keep doing what your doing in terms of diet and exercise, stepping off the scale is up to you. as long as you know that water weight will skew your results for the first few weeks then you might as well continue to track it
  • 4legsRbetterthan2
    4legsRbetterthan2 Posts: 19,590 MFP Moderator
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    dont sweat it, its probably water weight from the additional exercise you are now doing, very common to see this for beginners. give it a couple weeks and you'll start to see the numbers on the scale

    dont worry, if you are in a deficit then you are losing fat, the added water weight is just masking this

    he is right

    Also keep in mind that your weight fluctuates daily as well. If you have just now started regularly weighing yourself you would not have noticed. Typical culprits are variations in sodium or carb intake, exercise, and hydration levels. If you track regularly you can see what normal fluctuations are for you and then start looking for a trendline in your weight report that will show you your actual progress.
  • SeaDragonIsland
    SeaDragonIsland Posts: 25
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    Thank you 4legsRbettert, I was so upset this morning when I weighed in and saw that I had gain 1.2 lbs. I've worked at keeping my calories count close to 800-1000. Yes it my seem low but any more than that and I don't lose at all (been on this diet for almost a yr. now). Guess I really never thought of my sodium count. I went way over yesterday. That explains a lot.
  • Sinnui
    Sinnui Posts: 15
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    keep doing what your doing in terms of diet and exercise, stepping off the scale is up to you. as long as you know that water weight will skew your results for the first few weeks then you might as well continue to track it

    Okay, I think I will do that then. Keep tracking and see what happens and where it goes. Thank you!
    he is right

    Also keep in mind that your weight fluctuates daily as well. If you have just now started regularly weighing yourself you would not have noticed. Typical culprits are variations in sodium or carb intake, exercise, and hydration levels. If you track regularly you can see what normal fluctuations are for you and then start looking for a trendline in your weight report that will show you your actual progress.

    Looking at my nutrition chart on here, I see that I do eat a lot of carbs, about 50% each day. That seems like a lot to me, and, my fat percentage for the past 2 days was 38%. So, I think I'm eating too many carbs and foods with too much fat. I have to re-evaluate my foods too that I eat and try to lower those, or at least get the fat one down first! Thank you!
  • WonkaCat
    WonkaCat Posts: 42
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    I've decided not to weigh myself for a while, until I feel that my body is adjusting to the excercise that I've incorporated. I got a bit discouraged the last time I weighed myself, as I felt like I had lost some weight (my clothing seems to be fitting slightly better) but my scale disagreed. Good luck!
  • Sinnui
    Sinnui Posts: 15
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    I've decided not to weigh myself for a while, until I feel that my body is adjusting to the excercise that I've incorporated. I got a bit discouraged the last time I weighed myself, as I felt like I had lost some weight (my clothing seems to be fitting slightly better) but my scale disagreed. Good luck!

    It is rather discouraging to see the scale say the opposite of what you feel! I think I'm just going to weigh myself once a week, so that it doesn't kill my motivation and mindset that what I am doing is healthy and right for my body. Good luck to you as well! =)
  • rkimmins
    rkimmins Posts: 3
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    First let me commend you for taking charge of your body and beginning a new way of living for improved health.

    I could tell by your question that your have made some recent changes to the methods you are using to achieve your weight loss goals. Using FitBit devices and measuring your weight are both useful to provide a snapshot into your progress. But these are just tools to help you track your progress. The optimal word here is "track". A better way to gage your progress is to keep accurate records of your weight, body fat % and BMI over time. These data trends will provide a more informative look at what is actually happening.

    You also mentioned the number of calories you are eating and this is helpful but doesn't really look at the total picture. Make sure your are making the most nutritionally sound food choices to assure your optimal health. Consider the DASH Diet for Weight Loss as a starting point for healthy eating. This food guide is based on healthy eating that you can use for the rest of your life and is based on fresh fruits and vegetables, non-fat dairy products and small amounts of lean protein.

    Lastly, don't rely too much on your daily weight as a guide of your efforts. There are multiple factors that affect your weight and the pounds on the scale do not provide any information about the different factors. Consider your car as an example of your total weight. Your muscles are the engine and your fat is the fuel tank. Both of these will affect the total weight of the car. If we increase the fuel tank (i.e. put on weight) then the car will weight more. As we drive the car (i.e. exercise) then the fuel weight will do down. But, if we put in a larger motor (i.e. building muscles) then we an actually have more energy and burn the fuel at a faster pace. So if you are burring the fuel at the same time that you are increasing engine size then the overall weight of the car may stay the same.

    A little bit of molecular biology may also help in reaching your goals. The fuel that all animals use is ATP (Adenosine Triphosphate). We store a limited amount of this compound in our bodies for quick response. When we start to exercise then we initially use up the readily available ATP. The next fuel we use is glycogen, the only carbohydrate that animals manufacture. Glycogen can quickly be converted into ATP. We store a limited amount of these two chemicals for our "flight or fight" requirements. Both of these fuel burning chemical reactions do not require oxygen (anaerobic respiration). Once you have used up your store of ATP and glycogen then the body must look to your fat as a fuel source (beta oxidation). The fat burning reactions must have oxygen in order to be accomplished (aerobic respiration). This is when your breathing rate increases to bring in oxygen and your heart rate increases in order to move the oxygen to where it is needed. Your metabolism increases making your body temperature rise and then you sweat to help cool your body. To burn fat you need to first use up your stored ATP and glycogen which usually takes about 15 minutes of consistent physical activity. Once your heart rate is up and you begin to breath faster and sweat then you are into your aerobic respiration phase which converts fat into ATP. This is why so many fat burning exercises try to get your heart rate up. These "cardio" exercises are wonderful at helping you to burn fat. But you also need for your muscles to become able to respond to exercise by building a more efficient circulation pathway and storing more ATP for the anticipated energy expenditure. We call it muscle building, but what is actually occurring is your muscles changing to the anticipated use that you are placing on them. You are building a bigger engine.

    Hope this helps. :love:
  • StaciMarie1974
    StaciMarie1974 Posts: 4,138 Member
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    It is very normal for you to retain water weight when you begin a new fitness routine.

    Its also normal to have extra water weight at other times - due to high sodium 1-2 days before, a restless/sleepless night, stress, or at certain points in your monthly cycle. For that last one, all women are different. Some gain during PMS, some after.

    If at any point you find yourself frustrated over a temporary up mark on the scale - do your best to hold on for another 2-3 weeks, and trust in the process. I weigh daily and the chart looks like a jagged mess, but the end of month weigh in is always lower than the beginning point.
  • Sinnui
    Sinnui Posts: 15
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    Rkimmins:
    Thank you for all of the information that you have provided, it’s very helpful! I’m going to look into the DASH Diet to help me with losing weight and really getting into the habit and routine of eating healthier, fresher foods. =)

    From your knowledge on how exercise works with weight loss, this was eye opening for me. I’m going to get a body fat % done, since my university’s gym has someone that does this with a weird-looking machine. I know very little for how the body works for burning fat other than the general “eat healthy and exercise”, haha. So, I have gained a lot of knowledge from this and have realized that I need to put some weight lifting into my workouts, instead of just doing cardio only, so that I can “build a bigger engine” and burn more fuel. Maybe I should do more than just 30 minutes of cardio whenever I work out as well? I don’t know if that would be too much, or if it would still be okay.


    StaciMarie197:
    Thank you for the information. =) I will definitely hold out and keep my motivation going, I’m ready to rid of this excess weight, haha. I have been a bit tired lately, so I should go to bed earlier, in case this is a part of the cause as well.
  • 4legsRbetterthan2
    4legsRbetterthan2 Posts: 19,590 MFP Moderator
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    Also keep in mind that your weight fluctuates daily as well. If you have just now started regularly weighing yourself you would not have noticed. Typical culprits are variations in sodium or carb intake, exercise, and hydration levels. If you track regularly you can see what normal fluctuations are for you and then start looking for a trendline in your weight report that will show you your actual progress.

    Looking at my nutrition chart on here, I see that I do eat a lot of carbs, about 50% each day. That seems like a lot to me, and, my fat percentage for the past 2 days was 38%. So, I think I'm eating too many carbs and foods with too much fat. I have to re-evaluate my foods too that I eat and try to lower those, or at least get the fat one down first! Thank you!

    Just to clarify, your carbs will effect your weight by changing water retention. Cutting carbs does not make you lose any better/ faster. They can help contribute to daily fluctuations if your intake varies, say you eat 150 grams/day normally and then go out sat night and eat 250, you will likely see a temporary increase on the scale. Cutting your carb intake as part of your diet might shed a few lbs, but its not real weight loss, just water, and when you return to eating whatever a normal level for you is it will come right back.

    The calories in food come from the macronutrints in them: fat= 9cal/g and protein and carbs= 4 cal/g. That is why if you preset your macros yourself you set your calorie goal and then set your macros as a % of your calorie intake. Macro targets should reflect your fitness goals (for example a runner might want to increase their carb intake so they have more quick energy access while a weight lifter might be increasing protein to support muscle growth) and personal eating preferance (some people find they are more hungry on a primarily carb diet and have a harder time sticking to their calorie goal but feel fuller when they eat more fat and protein). Cutting back/out one macronutrient will not effect weight loss unless you are not making up the resulting calorie cut with another one (hence why carb cutting is believed to be so helpful for weight loss, usually it simulaneiously results in a calorie cut and the dieter attributes the loss to less carbs)
  • Sinnui
    Sinnui Posts: 15
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    Also keep in mind that your weight fluctuates daily as well. If you have just now started regularly weighing yourself you would not have noticed. Typical culprits are variations in sodium or carb intake, exercise, and hydration levels. If you track regularly you can see what normal fluctuations are for you and then start looking for a trendline in your weight report that will show you your actual progress.

    Looking at my nutrition chart on here, I see that I do eat a lot of carbs, about 50% each day. That seems like a lot to me, and, my fat percentage for the past 2 days was 38%. So, I think I'm eating too many carbs and foods with too much fat. I have to re-evaluate my foods too that I eat and try to lower those, or at least get the fat one down first! Thank you!

    Just to clarify, your carbs will effect your weight by changing water retention. Cutting carbs does not make you lose any better/ faster. They can help contribute to daily fluctuations if your intake varies, say you eat 150 grams/day normally and then go out sat night and eat 250, you will likely see a temporary increase on the scale. Cutting your carb intake as part of your diet might shed a few lbs, but its not real weight loss, just water, and when you return to eating whatever a normal level for you is it will come right back.

    The calories in food come from the macronutrints in them: fat= 9cal/g and protein and carbs= 4 cal/g. That is why if you preset your macros yourself you set your calorie goal and then set your macros as a % of your calorie intake. Macro targets should reflect your fitness goals (for example a runner might want to increase their carb intake so they have more quick energy access while a weight lifter might be increasing protein to support muscle growth) and personal eating preferance (some people find they are more hungry on a primarily carb diet and have a harder time sticking to their calorie goal but feel fuller when they eat more fat and protein). Cutting back/out one macronutrient will not effect weight loss unless you are not making up the resulting calorie cut with another one (hence why carb cutting is believed to be so helpful for weight loss, usually it simulaneiously results in a calorie cut and the dieter attributes the loss to less carbs)

    I do want to become more of a runner/jogger, so I think, based upon what you’ve said that I should have my carbs higher. I didn’t know that they had such an effect on water retention, though. Thank you for all of the information, I am becoming more and more informed for the better thanks to you and the others here. =)
  • 4legsRbetterthan2
    4legsRbetterthan2 Posts: 19,590 MFP Moderator
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    I do want to become more of a runner/jogger, so I think, based upon what you’ve said that I should have my carbs higher. I didn’t know that they had such an effect on water retention, though. Thank you for all of the information, I am becoming more and more informed for the better thanks to you and the others here. =)

    my advice (it sounds like you are newish) would be to just stick with the MFP macro targets for the time being. Learn to stick to your goal, learn to be accurate, and get a good idea of what foods have what macros in them and what a balanced meal plan is. Start running if you are ready for it, a great place to start is with C25k. Beginner level running does not really take any changes in macros, but if you decide you like it and want to get into distance running you might need to think about your macros more at that time.

    There can be alot to learn with healthy living and weight loss and there are lots of very informed people on MFP so try to make a few friends with similar interests as you and people who have met goals you would like to achieve. Then you can hopefully get lots of helpful feedback along the way.
  • 40tmw
    40tmw Posts: 17 Member
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    This is helpful and encouraging. I've been eating healthy (1200 cal./daily) and working out consistently for a month now. The first week and a half I lost 5 lbs. Then the scale stopped moving - even though I've kept going. The only variable is that I started core strength training - squats, leg lifts, push ups, etc. The only think I can attribute the stalling to is new muscle. Because I can visibly see my face getting thinner and my clothes are fitting better. So, I know I am "re-shaping."

    It is just hard because for many (maybe women especially) the scale is a motivator to keep going! So, I wonder, at some point, will the scale "catch up" and the weight loss start showing again? I lost 40 lbs 2 years ago and I didn't have this happen then. Should I stop the strength training? I don't want more bulk, I just wanted to help tone as I lost weight. I already do cario 3-4 times a week.

    I am persevering and being patient - but sure would like to see the fruits of my labor when I step on that scale! :wink:
  • 4legsRbetterthan2
    4legsRbetterthan2 Posts: 19,590 MFP Moderator
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    This is helpful and encouraging. I've been eating healthy (1200 cal./daily) and working out consistently for a month now. The first week and a half I lost 5 lbs. Then the scale stopped moving - even though I've kept going. The only variable is that I started core strength training - squats, leg lifts, push ups, etc. The only think I can attribute the stalling to is new muscle. Because I can visibly see my face getting thinner and my clothes are fitting better. So, I know I am "re-shaping."

    It is just hard because for many (maybe women especially) the scale is a motivator to keep going! So, I wonder, at some point, will the scale "catch up" and the weight loss start showing again? I lost 40 lbs 2 years ago and I didn't have this happen then. Should I stop the strength training? I don't want more bulk, I just wanted to help tone as I lost weight. I already do cario 3-4 times a week.

    I am persevering and being patient - but sure would like to see the fruits of my labor when I step on that scale! :wink:

    1. You will not put on more muscle mass while eating at a deficit, you have to eat at a surplus to actually build muscle. You can make the muscle you have stroger. As you lose fat you will see your muscles more making it appear they are growing.
    2. It is commong to experience weight gain when starting a new workout routine because your muscles retain water as part of their recover. Usually the extra weight stays around for a bit and then as your muscles adapt it sheds off in a few weeks. If you stop and start and stop and start you will just extend this, so keep going.
    3. It is very very difficult for a woman to actually put on muscle because we do not have testosterone. Heavy lifting will not make you "bulky" but it will give you the toned appearance most women strive for. Many many years of heavy heavy lifting with extreme attention to diet and macronutrients with several rounds of bulkng and cutting may get you there, but it will not happen on accident.

    keep being patient and chugging along, you will get there in time :smile:

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