Eating right, exercising, gaining weight?

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jennamarsden
jennamarsden Posts: 2
in Health and Weight Loss
5'8" and roughly 120-124 lbs. I'm very consistent in the way that I eat and the way that I exercise. I switch things up as needed, different types of cardio, weight training, etc. I go to the gym at least 4 times a week for about an hour and a half.

Every day last week I lost weight. Even if it was .2 lbs, I was at least losing weight. Every single day this week I have gained weight. I haven't done anything different. I go to sleep proud of myself for eating right and busting my butt at the gym but then I wake up and am confused why I gained weight.

I eat around 1,200 calories every day. I never starve, I snack on healthy things all day. I know I probably don't get enough protein in my diet but I'm unsure if that would be the reason I am all of a sudden gaining weight.

Any ideas? I'm getting very discouraged. I understand the scale isn't everything but I'm not seeing noticeable changes in my body either. I began this journey in march and even before that I was between 120-122 lbs.

Thank you!

Replies

  • AdrianBry
    AdrianBry Posts: 138 Member
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    what's your current bodyfat %

    so you're currently 120 pounds @ 5-8? understand that if your bodyfat is relativily normal then it's going to be a challenge for you to see a neg/pos diff. in your weight anyways

    also, when you say you gained weight was it a 5 pound gain or something extreme like that?
  • 2013sk
    2013sk Posts: 1,318 Member
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    At your height & weight.... You really don't need to lose weight!!

    Your probably not losing as you are at a very low weight as it is!!!

    You doing lots of exercise & only consuming 1200 calories isn't very got!!! Your body is holding on to everything its good!!!

    FOOD IS FUEL REMEMBER!!!
  • RGv2
    RGv2 Posts: 5,789 Member
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    I'm just going to leave this here... It'll probably get ignored, but I will anyway.

    You're TDEE (what you need to maintain your weight with that level of exercise) = 2200, you're at least 1000 calories below that.

    Why you're probably not seeing any changes is you probably need more of a re-comp vs losing weight. You're at healthy weight already, so of course the weight loss would be slow.

    At 21 you should be taking in way more than you already are, especially with your activity level......please tell us you're eating back exercise calories and 1200 is at least a net.
  • spara0038
    spara0038 Posts: 226 Member
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    At 5'8" and 120 lbs, you are medically UNDERweight according to your BMI of 18.2, so it's a good thing you're gaining!!

    If you're unhappy with your physique, maybe try weight lifting and focusing on inches rather than lbs? You may end up gaining weight even then, but you'll have a smaller waist, more tones arms/legs/butt, etc.
  • jennamarsden
    jennamarsden Posts: 2
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    what's your current bodyfat %

    so you're currently 120 pounds @ 5-8? understand that if your bodyfat is relativily normal then it's going to be a challenge for you to see a neg/pos diff. in your weight anyways

    also, when you say you gained weight was it a 5 pound gain or something extreme like that?

    How do I go about finding my bodyfat %?

    And no, nothing drastic but anywhere between a half pound and pound each day. Which isn't a big deal but it adds up.
  • vismal
    vismal Posts: 2,463 Member
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    And no, nothing drastic but anywhere between a half pound and pound each day. Which isn't a big deal but it adds up.
    The fluctuations you are seeing between this week and last week are meaningless shifts in water weight. Use several months worth of weekly weights to get a better picture of overall progress.

    What are your fitness goals? You are already underweight as others have pointed out. This does not mean that you don't have some fat or problem areas. It does however mean that losing more weight is probably not the best way to deal with problem areas. There comes a point where gaining weight in the form of lean mass, followed by another weight loss phase is the best answer. Bodybuilders call this bulk/cut cycling. The idea is to gain mostly lean mass when you are gaining weight while accepting small fat gains, then to lose mostly fat when losing weight and preserve as much of the lean mass as possible.

    Again, what you should do now ultimately depends on what your goals are. I also don't mean goal weight when I say goals, I mean what to you hope to gain from doing this? Are you just wanting to be healthy, are your goals a more aesthetic physique, do you have athletic goals in mind?

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