Starting to gain with exercise :(

Zaefandel
Zaefandel Posts: 9
in Health and Weight Loss
Hi. This may be long, but I feel I need to explain. I'd like some guidance or maybe help me understand what I'm doing wrong. Please don't bash me, I know I'm very heavy. I'd like to keep this thread positive please.

Let me start off saying I'm a severely overweight female. I'm 5 foot 9 and I have over 200 pounds to lose, in my late 30's. I weigh over 300 pounds. I have had a struggle all my life and I'd get on atkins and lose 60-70 pounds super fast and not working out and then stop and I'd gain it all back and sometimes plus more. That's how I've gotten here, plus starving myself. I started on May 1st, 2014 just watching everything I eat. I eat in moderation so I don't feel I've been depriving myself. My huge issue has been I don't eat enough. I'd skip meals all day and just eat dinner. Yeah, this is terrible. I know that. But, now I'm making myself eat much more frequently, like 4-6 times a day. It's taken me 3 months alone to get into this as a habit. If I don't watch the clock I can still end up skipping meals/snacks. However, I just hit the 3 month mark, which is the longest I've stuck with anything so far.

As of August 1st I've lost right at 24 pounds. Averaging 8.3333 a month. This is without zero exercise. I've felt good and July 31st I've started adding in walking around my neighborhood. I've done 4 walks. First one starting out at a mile and as of my last walk I did 2.88 miles. I'm using Mapmywalk to count the distance and time etc. I also have a BodyMedia Link armband. I'm averaging 16.36 min miles. It's not super fast, but at least I'm out there doing it. I'll get faster in time. My neighborhood is very hilly and on the app it shows we have a total elevation change of 60 feet. So my legs are really getting a work out. My shins absolutely kill me but I don't stop. My calories burned for my walks range from 720 to up to 988 last night.

Here's my issue. Since I started walking I've actually gained weight. In the past two days I've gained almost 3 pounds back. I have not changed my eating. At all. I've been more strict on myself the past month and have really been consistent. The first day I lost 2 pounds so I was super motivated the second day and didn't change weight from previous day. Exact same. Then the third day (yesterday) I gained .2 pound from the first day and then this morning I gained 2.8 pounds from yesterday morning! Wearing same thing, same time of day, first thing in morning before any food or water and same scale.

Am I gaining muscle? Am I not eating enough? Am I eating too much?

I feel a lot better but after getting on the scale this morning I'm getting discouraged. My calorie deficit for the past 4 days (since starting my walks) has been this...

Thursday 1996 consumed and 1468 deficit (3464 burned), Friday 1678 consumed and 2233 deficit (3911 burned), Saturday 1660 consumed and 2372 deficit (4032 burned) and Sunday 2035 consumed and 1835 deficit (3870 burned).

I'm eating a lot of fruits and vegetables. I drink nothing but water and tea with stevia. I drink over 10 glasses of water a day and over 5-6 glasses of tea. I know my calories seem high, but according to MFP and BodyMedia I'm "allowed" slightly over 2000 for my weight. I never go over 2000, I only did last night because I ate a nectarine after my long walk.

It seems on the days I have a higher deficit I gain. The days I had a lower deficit I lost. BodyMedia tells me I need to have about 1,000 calorie deficit. So do I have too big of a deficit?

I am so confused!!!! I know it's only been 4 days with exercise but I don't want to gain anymore!!! LOL Here I thought I was doing good with my exercise and it seems just eating healthier I was losing more. I never gained just eating what I've been eating.

Replies

  • psuLemon
    psuLemon Posts: 38,431 MFP Moderator
    Exercise = water retention. Dont worry about the day by day weigh ins... just the trends over 4-6 weeks.


    BTW, no you won't gain muscle by walking. Second, meal timing and frequency don't effect weight loss. There is no reason you can't eat 1 meal a day, as long as you are getting enough calories and nutrients for your exercise and reach your deficit.

    And a normal body will fluctuate up to 10 lbs a day in water weight.
  • vismal
    vismal Posts: 2,463 Member
    Your day to day changes in weight are virtually meaningless. So many things can cause them. You certainly did not gain lbs of muscle from walking. It takes a females roughly a month to gain a single lb of muscle and that's if they are lifting weights, and eating in a slight surplus. Water retention is the most likely cause of your weight shift. Pay no attention to it. Weigh yourself daily but then after 7 days, take an average weight. After a month or 2 compare those average weights to each other. This will be a MUCH more telling story of actual weight loss then comparing day to day. Agree with the above poster as well, eating frequency doesn't effect results. Total calories and macronutrients for the day do. If you prefer to get your calories in 2 meals that's no better or worse then in 6 meals.
  • Zaefandel
    Zaefandel Posts: 9
    I forgot to add that until I started walking I only did weekly weigh ins. However, I thought I was going to have good progress with burning more calories so I started weighing every day since I started walking. I got excited the first day I had the loss when I walked the previous night. That's what started the daily weighing. Then when I gained I started freaking out so of course I had to weigh this morning lol then to find out I gained 2.8 pounds overnight.
  • brower47
    brower47 Posts: 16,356 Member
    1. Am I gaining muscle? 2.Am I not eating enough? Am I eating too much?

    1. You are not gaining muscle. It is possible for the obese to gain a little muscle initially while eating at a deficit but only if adequate protein is being consumed and a progressive weight training program is being followed. Walking, alone, will not gain you muscle. The weight increase is likely water weight which is common when anyone begins a new exercise routine.

    2. I can't actually answer this fully since your diary is locked so I can't form an idea of whether or not you're logging accurately in both exercise and food.
  • Lelah77
    Lelah77 Posts: 177 Member
    First off, a HUGE round of applause for you. I am very proud of you for sticking with it. Congrats on your hard work and determination. It can be hard to take the "slow & steady" route, but I saw that magical word: HABIT. Great job!!!!!

    Second, good for you for starting simple with walking. The extra movement will help you. And with a long journey ahead, walking may be all you need for quite some time.

    As for your weight gain, I agree with PP. A new exercise routine, no matter how simple, may cause water retention. Tired muscles need the water to heal and grow. This is normal. Continue to track normally and watch for patterns. You are still headed in the right direction! Don't be discouraged by a bounce in the scale. Keep your head in the game.
    I do disagree with the single meal, get your calories, be ok thing, but I am not going to split hairs over diet preferences.

    Keep up the excellent work!! Wooot!!!!!
  • meltedsno
    meltedsno Posts: 208 Member
    that is exactly the reason why I quit weighing on the scale. too much fluctuation and I'd get frustrated with the ups and downs.... in the past year I weighed one time (only because I had -- pre op physical). From July 1, 2013 to Nov 21/22 (or there abouts) I lost 52 lbs. That would never have happened had I continued to weigh myself like I was. Since November, I have stepped on the scale once -- about a month ago. I was at my sister's house and she is the only one who knows what I weigh because I did not want to look.... I would guess I am down another 50 lbs or so.... and am now wearing a comfortable size 4. Will I ever know what I weigh? some day, yes... but not today.

    My advice is to continue walking/exercising and following a food plan and do not weigh for a month and see where you are at then....Seriously, in the 50 years I've tried to lose weight, I truly believe it was the scale that was my culprit...
  • Zaefandel
    Zaefandel Posts: 9
    Sorry, this is my first post. I didn't know things we're locked. If I did I locked it a few years ago when I joined MFP.

    I have my bodymedia link, MFP and MapMyWalk all linked together with my accounts.
  • Zaefandel
    Zaefandel Posts: 9
    I've had issues with that dreaded scale in the past. It gets obsessing for me, as I'm sure others. When I did atkins last year I was weighing every single day. I finally had to hide it from myself lol. I agree I feel like I do better when I don't pay attention to numbers. But you know losing weight is all about the numbers.

    I feel like complete junk when I used to eat once a day at dinner. I feel so much better spreading it out through the day and it's so much easier to not over indulge when you don't feel starving all day then eat way too much at dinner to compensate. Now my meals are normal meals in portion size and I feel much more nutritionally satisfied.

    Yes, I said habit. It took me 3 months to make a new habit and break my old one. I still struggle but it's much easier now since I feel better with my new habit. People say it takes 2 weeks to make a new change into a habit ... lol not with me, I still have to watch that I don't go back to my old ways.

    Thanks for the help. Hopefully it is just some extra water retention and it will decide to go away soon lol :)

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