Feel like I'm doing it wrong

Okay so now that I figured out the right thing to search on this forums, disregard the part about measurement/weight gain and skip down to the "do I have bad form" part!

H̶i̶ ̶e̶v̶e̶r̶y̶b̶o̶d̶y̶!̶ ̶ ̶H̶e̶r̶e̶'̶s̶ ̶m̶y̶ ̶l̶o̶n̶g̶ ̶s̶t̶o̶r̶y̶.̶ I̶ ̶l̶o̶s̶t̶ ̶1̶8̶ ̶l̶b̶s̶.̶ ̶i̶n̶ ̶t̶h̶e̶ ̶f̶a̶l̶l̶ ̶f̶r̶o̶m̶ ̶S̶e̶p̶ ̶t̶o̶ ̶D̶e̶c̶.̶ ̶j̶u̶s̶t̶ ̶b̶y̶ ̶c̶o̶u̶n̶t̶i̶n̶g̶ ̶c̶a̶l̶o̶r̶i̶e̶s̶ ̶a̶n̶d̶ ̶o̶c̶c̶a̶s̶i̶o̶n̶a̶l̶l̶y̶ ̶d̶o̶i̶n̶g̶ ̶c̶a̶r̶d̶i̶o̶ ̶a̶n̶d̶ ̶b̶o̶d̶y̶w̶e̶i̶g̶h̶t̶ ̶w̶o̶r̶k̶o̶u̶t̶s̶.̶ ̶ ̶I̶ ̶s̶l̶a̶c̶k̶e̶d̶ ̶o̶v̶e̶r̶ ̶t̶h̶e̶ ̶h̶o̶l̶i̶d̶a̶y̶s̶ ̶b̶u̶t̶ ̶d̶i̶d̶n̶'̶t̶ ̶g̶a̶i̶n̶ ̶i̶t̶ ̶a̶l̶l̶ ̶b̶a̶c̶k̶ ̶(̶j̶u̶s̶t̶ ̶4̶ ̶p̶o̶u̶n̶d̶s̶ ̶f̶l̶u̶c̶t̶u̶a̶t̶i̶o̶n̶)̶.̶ ̶ ̶T̶h̶e̶n̶ ̶I̶ ̶d̶e̶c̶i̶d̶e̶d̶ ̶I̶ ̶w̶a̶n̶t̶e̶d̶ ̶t̶o̶ ̶l̶i̶f̶t̶ ̶w̶e̶i̶g̶h̶t̶s̶ ̶&̶ ̶b̶o̶u̶g̶h̶t̶ ̶N̶R̶O̶L̶4̶W̶ ̶ ̶I̶ ̶s̶t̶a̶r̶t̶e̶d̶ ̶w̶i̶t̶h̶ ̶n̶o̶ ̶p̶r̶i̶o̶r̶ ̶l̶i̶f̶t̶i̶n̶g̶ ̶e̶x̶p̶e̶r̶i̶e̶n̶c̶e̶;̶ ̶t̶h̶e̶ ̶f̶i̶r̶s̶t̶ ̶w̶e̶e̶k̶ ̶I̶ ̶d̶i̶d̶ ̶t̶h̶e̶ ̶w̶o̶r̶k̶o̶u̶t̶s̶ ̶a̶t̶ ̶h̶o̶m̶e̶ ̶w̶i̶t̶h̶ ̶d̶u̶m̶b̶b̶e̶l̶l̶s̶,̶ ̶s̶o̶ ̶m̶y̶ ̶f̶i̶r̶s̶t̶ ̶d̶e̶a̶d̶l̶i̶f̶t̶s̶ ̶w̶e̶r̶e̶ ̶c̶r̶a̶p̶-̶f̶o̶r̶m̶ ̶d̶u̶m̶b̶e̶l̶l̶ ̶d̶e̶a̶d̶l̶i̶f̶t̶s̶ ̶w̶i̶t̶h̶ ̶1̶0̶ ̶l̶b̶s̶ ̶(̶l̶o̶l̶ ̶ ̶m̶y̶ ̶o̶w̶n̶ ̶n̶0̶0̶b̶ ̶s̶t̶u̶p̶i̶d̶i̶t̶y̶)̶.̶ ̶ ̶T̶h̶e̶n̶ ̶I̶ ̶g̶o̶t̶ ̶a̶ ̶g̶y̶m̶ ̶m̶e̶m̶b̶e̶r̶s̶h̶i̶p̶.̶ ̶ ̶I̶ ̶h̶a̶d̶ ̶m̶y̶ ̶s̶i̶s̶t̶e̶r̶-̶i̶n̶-̶l̶a̶w̶ ̶w̶h̶o̶ ̶c̶o̶m̶p̶e̶t̶e̶s̶ ̶i̶n̶ ̶l̶i̶f̶t̶i̶n̶g̶ ̶c̶o̶m̶e̶ ̶t̶o̶ ̶t̶h̶e̶ ̶g̶y̶m̶ ̶w̶i̶t̶h̶ ̶m̶e̶ ̶3̶ ̶t̶i̶m̶e̶s̶ ̶o̶v̶e̶r̶ ̶t̶h̶e̶ ̶l̶a̶s̶t̶ ̶m̶o̶n̶t̶h̶ ̶t̶o̶ ̶h̶e̶l̶p̶ ̶m̶e̶ ̶w̶i̶t̶h̶ ̶f̶o̶r̶m̶,̶ ̶w̶a̶r̶m̶-̶u̶p̶s̶,̶ ̶e̶t̶c̶.̶ ̶(̶b̶u̶t̶ ̶n̶o̶w̶ ̶h̶e̶r̶ ̶t̶r̶i̶a̶l̶ ̶m̶e̶m̶b̶e̶r̶s̶h̶i̶p̶ ̶t̶o̶ ̶m̶y̶ ̶g̶y̶m̶ ̶i̶s̶ ̶u̶p̶ ̶a̶n̶d̶ ̶s̶h̶e̶ ̶l̶i̶v̶e̶s̶ ̶r̶e̶a̶l̶l̶y̶ ̶f̶a̶r̶ ̶a̶w̶a̶y̶ ̶s̶o̶ ̶I̶'̶m̶ ̶b̶a̶c̶k̶ ̶o̶n̶ ̶m̶y̶ ̶o̶w̶n̶ ̶a̶g̶a̶i̶n̶)̶.̶ ̶ ̶I̶ ̶w̶e̶n̶t̶ ̶f̶r̶o̶m̶ ̶c̶r̶a̶p̶-̶f̶o̶r̶m̶ ̶1̶0̶-̶l̶b̶ ̶d̶e̶a̶d̶l̶i̶f̶t̶s̶ ̶a̶n̶d̶ ̶b̶o̶d̶y̶w̶e̶i̶g̶h̶t̶ ̶s̶q̶u̶a̶t̶s̶ ̶t̶o̶ ̶5̶0̶-̶l̶b̶ ̶b̶a̶r̶b̶e̶l̶l̶ ̶s̶q̶u̶a̶t̶s̶ ̶a̶n̶d̶ ̶d̶e̶a̶d̶l̶i̶f̶t̶s̶ ̶t̶h̶a̶t̶ ̶f̶e̶l̶t̶ ̶g̶r̶e̶a̶t̶.̶ ̶ ̶ ̶ ̶N̶o̶w̶,̶ ̶I̶'̶m̶ ̶a̶b̶o̶u̶t̶ ̶t̶o̶ ̶d̶o̶ ̶S̶t̶a̶g̶e̶ ̶1̶ ̶W̶o̶r̶k̶o̶u̶t̶ ̶A̶ ̶f̶o̶r̶ ̶t̶h̶e̶ ̶6̶t̶h̶ ̶t̶i̶m̶e̶ ̶l̶a̶t̶e̶r̶ ̶t̶h̶i̶s̶ ̶e̶v̶e̶n̶i̶n̶g̶.̶ ̶ ̶I̶ ̶t̶o̶o̶k̶ ̶o̶n̶e̶ ̶w̶e̶e̶k̶ ̶o̶f̶f̶ ̶b̶e̶c̶a̶u̶s̶e̶ ̶I̶ ̶w̶a̶s̶ ̶s̶i̶c̶k̶ ̶(̶a̶b̶o̶u̶t̶ ̶t̶w̶o̶ ̶w̶e̶e̶k̶s̶ ̶a̶g̶o̶)̶.̶ ̶ ̶F̶o̶r̶ ̶t̶h̶e̶ ̶h̶e̶a̶v̶y̶ ̶l̶i̶f̶t̶ ̶o̶n̶ ̶t̶h̶e̶ ̶l̶a̶s̶t̶ ̶t̶w̶o̶ ̶w̶o̶r̶k̶o̶u̶t̶s̶,̶ ̶m̶y̶ ̶s̶q̶u̶a̶t̶s̶ ̶w̶e̶r̶e̶ ̶8̶5̶ ̶a̶n̶d̶ ̶m̶y̶ ̶d̶e̶a̶d̶l̶i̶f̶t̶s̶ ̶w̶e̶r̶e̶ ̶1̶0̶5̶.̶ ̶ ̶M̶y̶ ̶p̶r̶o̶b̶l̶e̶m̶:̶ ̶I̶'̶m̶ ̶n̶o̶t̶i̶c̶i̶n̶g̶ ̶a̶ ̶n̶e̶g̶a̶t̶i̶v̶e̶ ̶i̶m̶p̶a̶c̶t̶.̶ ̶ ̶M̶y̶ ̶w̶e̶i̶g̶h̶t̶ ̶a̶n̶d̶ ̶m̶y̶ ̶m̶e̶a̶s̶u̶r̶e̶m̶e̶n̶t̶s̶ ̶h̶a̶v̶e̶ ̶b̶o̶t̶h̶ ̶g̶o̶n̶e̶ ̶u̶p̶.̶ ̶ ̶I̶ ̶h̶a̶v̶e̶n̶'̶t̶ ̶b̶e̶e̶n̶ ̶c̶o̶u̶n̶t̶i̶n̶g̶ ̶c̶a̶l̶o̶r̶i̶e̶s̶ ̶e̶v̶e̶r̶y̶ ̶d̶a̶y̶ ̶s̶i̶n̶c̶e̶ ̶D̶e̶c̶e̶m̶b̶e̶r̶,̶ ̶b̶u̶t̶ ̶f̶r̶o̶m̶ ̶D̶e̶c̶ ̶-̶ ̶m̶i̶d̶-̶F̶e̶b̶ ̶I̶ ̶m̶a̶i̶n̶t̶a̶i̶n̶e̶d̶ ̶b̶e̶t̶w̶e̶e̶n̶ ̶1̶5̶9̶ ̶a̶n̶d̶ ̶1̶6̶2̶ ̶l̶b̶s̶ ̶w̶i̶t̶h̶o̶u̶t̶ ̶t̶r̶a̶c̶k̶i̶n̶g̶ ̶o̶r̶ ̶b̶e̶i̶n̶g̶ ̶s̶u̶p̶e̶r̶ ̶a̶n̶a̶l̶ ̶a̶b̶o̶u̶t̶ ̶w̶h̶a̶t̶ ̶I̶ ̶a̶t̶e̶.̶ ̶ ̶N̶o̶w̶ ̶t̶h̶a̶t̶ ̶I̶'̶v̶e̶ ̶s̶t̶a̶r̶t̶e̶d̶ ̶l̶i̶f̶t̶i̶n̶g̶ ̶w̶e̶i̶g̶h̶t̶s̶,̶ ̶m̶y̶ ̶e̶a̶t̶i̶n̶g̶ ̶h̶a̶b̶i̶t̶s̶ ̶h̶a̶v̶e̶ ̶r̶e̶m̶a̶i̶n̶e̶d̶ ̶t̶h̶e̶ ̶s̶a̶m̶e̶,̶ ̶b̶u̶t̶ ̶m̶y̶ ̶w̶e̶i̶g̶h̶t̶ ̶&̶ ̶m̶e̶a̶s̶u̶r̶e̶m̶e̶n̶t̶s̶ ̶a̶r̶e̶ ̶g̶o̶i̶n̶g̶ ̶u̶p̶.̶

I'm also really worried about my form - my back hurt after my last deadlifts workout and I don't feel like my core is getting any stronger; those seem like they would be red flags that I'm doing it wrong. In addition, it honestly doesn't feel like a humongous workout. My legs get wobbly at the end (for example) but my heart doesn't feel like it's pumping (except on Step-Ups and Lunges, which are the work of the devil - sometimes I need my inhaler after those!)

Am I doing something wrong? Did I go too heavy too quick? Is my form back to crap? I'm going to ramp up calorie counting soon (winter has just depressed me so much it's hard for me to keep up with my good habits), but I want to make sure I'm doing the workout effectively, too. I'd appreciate any advice anybody has.

Replies

  • lavendy17
    lavendy17 Posts: 309 Member
    Ugh, I hear ya!
    I am up to workout b-7 in s1. I gained 6 lbs!! heaviest I've been in years!
    I have not been perfect in eating, but nothing too different. I've eaten like this for a long time and maintained. Some old posts in this forum seem to discuss this issue- apparently gaining in stage 1 is very common. I still feel discouraged. I know the number on the scale is not the end of the story, but I am a life time member at weight watchers and if I don't lose back the weight, I'm gonna have to start paying again and that kinda sucks!
  • SlytherinPrefect
    SlytherinPrefect Posts: 64 Member
    Ugh! That's awful, I hope you lose it back. I was sort of expecting the weight gain but not the measurements gain! :( I'm editing my initial post to fix this because you helped me find the other forum posts about the gain! Now I just have to figure out form. :(
  • lavendy17
    lavendy17 Posts: 309 Member
    Regarding form, I saw one member say that when we up the weights, we freak ourselves out about form. I know that I feel my lower back a lot more when I do pretty much every exercise but it can just be muscles.
    The way I see it, my aches come and go so I am assuming it's soreness and not bad form.

    Keep watching videos and read about form as a refresher.
    There's a guy who has a site where he really goes into detail about it but I can't remember... I think if you google something like strong lifts or 5x5... sorry I can't remember.
  • gracielynn1011
    gracielynn1011 Posts: 726 Member
    Bumping this thread, since its been a few months. Curious to see if you all have had the results that your looking for.

    I've also gained about 6 lbs, and seen an increase in measurements. 1.5 in just on my hips. Thighs and waist increase also. I am almost finished with stage 2 and wondering if I continue on, will I see better results? My scale was down this morning by 2 lbs, but still 4 lb higher than my last logged weigh in. Of course tomorrow, the scale will probably be back up.
  • sunshinelively
    sunshinelively Posts: 249 Member
    For ^me if I'm honest it's food. I gained about 4 lb in stage 1 and it's still there. I had also started hormone replacement as part of my muscle building strategy at post menopausal middle age so I'm sure that's part of it.

    I became ravenously hungry in stage 1 I know I ate more than I had been. Plus there was the adjustment to all that protein, where previously I had been vegan with pretty low protein intake. Personal theory is that stage 1 really wakes up your muscles and you're packing on those early muscle gains. Your body craves calories to fuel this. The other piece is the water retention in the developing muscle groups, this also adds weight to the scale.

    Heavy lifting is a completely different way to go about changing your body than cals restriction. You see very gradual changes. I've been taking pictures every 2 stages - I do see change but not big ones. Over time, from point one to end point, I'm sure the change will look like a big one, but I have to keep doing the work without that constant scale reinforcement. As a person who loves food, I also love immediate gratification and reward, so the lack of immediate with heavy lifting is different and maybe even feels like deprivation at times.

    I'm thinking long term - getting older and I don't want to be frail and with low bone density. Figure I'm building the health platform for old age. Looking at my parents in their 70s I know it's not really all that far off, so I need to do this or risk radical lifestyle changes as I age. It's reality for sure.

    So if you can find a long term reason that motivates you to continue, it helps a lot. Remember, this is a total lifestyle change, the process is more important than the immediate outcome.

    HTH
  • sunshinelively
    sunshinelively Posts: 249 Member
    Forgot to mention I'm about to start stage 5. I have lost a half inch off my waist but other than waist haven't been measuring , going more by pictures.

    Also sorry for the long philosophical post ^^ I guess I just needed to hear myself say all that!!
  • gracielynn1011
    gracielynn1011 Posts: 726 Member
    Thanks Sunshine! Thanks the kind of answer I was looking for. Some of mine is probably food also, I haven't been as strict over the summer holidays. With birthdays in June, and then July 4th, I'm sure I have been a less stringent in logging. Last week I attempted to cut some calories out, but found that I was very lethargic and just couldn't seem to function as well. That was at around 1600-1800 per day, so not a drastic cut back, but enough to make a difference. I went back over the book a few days ago, and re-evaliated my calorie needs based of the recommendations there. It says 1900-2300 depending on activity level. I'm going to also focus on eating better quality foods, because the junk has been a killer for me.

    I am finishing stage 2 this week, so you are a bit ahead of me, and this is the feedback I'm looking for. I believe I will stick it out, for those small changes that I will get in the next few stages. Small change is still progress, am I right?