GAINED .5 LB!!!!! FRUSTRATED

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I just started this program roughly 3 weeks ago. I weighed in this morning and scale says I gained .5 lb. I was so disappointed. I know that it's hardest in the beginning and it really is only half a pound but I worked out all last week and really watched my food intake. Just looking for some words of encouragement please. I truly enjoy exercise now, I hope this is only a bump in the road. Also, I started weight training last week. Any tips or workouts that anyone would like to share I'd appreciate it.

Replies

  • Kermesha
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    Hey dont be frustrated! You have to remember that muscle weighs more than fat. With that said you started weight training last week and you probably added some muscle!!! Dont stress its a positive thing! :smile:
  • Yarnpiggie
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    The first month I was seeing a trainer I gained a pound... and lost about 10 inches. The scale isn't your only measure of success.


    and at risk of sounding really gross... this weekend when i first weighed in I had lost about .5 pounds. I hadn't eaten anything before I went to the restroom so I decided to weigh in again.... lost 2 pounds total. Yeah... i try not to think too much about that, but when it comes to .5 pounds... anything can make a difference and make that .5 disappear fast.

    We are all too tied to those big losses that we see on Biggest Loser (well I don't watch, but I know the stories. :-) ) Remember none of us have time to work out ALL DAY LONG. Real loss takes time.
  • chicabean420
    chicabean420 Posts: 173 Member
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    It's possible if you're working out you've gained some muscle. Keep with it, eventually that muscle will burn off the fat :) Are you drinking enough water? Watching your sodium intake?
  • T0M0
    T0M0 Posts: 250 Member
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    If you worked out a lot during the week you more than likely replaced fat with muscle growth.
  • fitnesspirateninja
    fitnesspirateninja Posts: 667 Member
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    I know it's frustrating to have a gain, especially if you've been doing everything right. Like the above posters already mentioned, you could have gained muscle. Or it could be normal body fluctuations. It could be water retention. Look at your overall progress - you've lost seven pounds! That's awesome. You probably feel better, and your clothes fit better or are starting to get loose. This is just one week in your life. Just keep making healthy choices, and your overall health will improve! Good luck!
  • laddyboy
    laddyboy Posts: 1,565 Member
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    Hey dont be frustrated! You have to remember that muscle weighs more than fat. With that said you started weight training last week and you probably added some muscle!!! Dont stress its a positive thing! :smile:

    Muscle does not weigh more than fat. 1 lb of fat weighs the same as 1 lb or muscle. Come on people..think about it. Remember the old joke what weigh mroe a lb of feather or a lb or rocks. LOL

    Being that they both weigh the same you may be .5 lbs heavier buy you may have gained some muscle and lost some weight. You should ditch the scale and go by measurement.
  • nezeray
    nezeray Posts: 34
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    Also there will be fluctuations in your weight in general. I've been gaining .5 lbs on some days and losing over 3 lbs the next. As long as the low weights are getting lower you're doing fine. :)

    I weigh every day and see this happen constantly through the week. Don't get discouraged! If a picky eater like me can lose weight, you can.

    James / Nezeray
  • khelwig
    khelwig Posts: 15
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    If you started 3 weeks ago and already lost 7 pounds, that is definitely a success! Your weight is going to fluxuate slightly, so don't get caught up in the number on the scale. Look at it this way: 10 pounds of fat is the size of a watermelon but 10 pounds of muscle is the size of a cantalope. They both weigh the same, but the muscle is smaller! Get it? Keep it up - you will get there!
  • Luckymam
    Luckymam Posts: 300
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    In all honesty, I doubt it's muscle - a dedicated body builder will have to train really well to gain 10lbs of muscle in a year.

    However, 0.5 lbs could be water, urine, poo (excuse me!), food lying in your gut, etc. 0.5 lbs in fat is around 1500 calories too many consumed. As far as I can tell, you haven't been eating too much so that "gain" can't possibly be fat.

    We all get too bogged down in numbers. According to my scales, I've gained 3lbs this weekend - that would mean I'd eaten at least 15,000 calories in two days. It's just not possible!

    Don't weigh yourself too often and don't let the scales dictate whether you're happy or not. You'll set yourself up for dissapointment and failure!
  • rogers8702
    rogers8702 Posts: 533 Member
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    i am in the same boat this morning, but i gained 1lb, just shake it off. if you are doing all the right things the weight will start going down. are you clothes fitting better in the 3 weeks? the scale is not always truthfull. DONT GIVE UP!
  • Mindful_Trent
    Mindful_Trent Posts: 3,954 Member
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    In all honesty, I doubt it's muscle - a dedicated body builder will have to train really well to gain 10lbs of muscle in a year.

    However, 0.5 lbs could be water, urine, poo (excuse me!), food lying in your gut, etc. 0.5 lbs in fat is around 1500 calories too many consumed. As far as I can tell, you haven't been eating too much so that "gain" can't possibly be fat.

    We all get too bogged down in numbers. According to my scales, I've gained 3lbs this weekend - that would mean I'd eaten at least 15,000 calories in two days. It's just not possible!

    Don't weigh yourself too often and don't let the scales dictate whether you're happy or not. You'll set yourself up for dissapointment and failure!

    ^^This!

    Are you eating better? (Quality & Quantity?) Are you exercising regularly? Do you drink enough water? Do you eat *enough*?Assuming the answers to all of those are YES, then you know you are doing the right thing and you need to just stick with it. your body can fluctuate a pretty big amount over the course of a day based on some of the things LuckyMam mentioned, so you really can't allow yourself to get too tied up in the scale. Just keep plugging along and you will see/feel results eventually.

    I encourage you to measure yourself (hips, waist, thighs, neck, etc.) as another means by which you can measure progress, other than the scale.
  • Yarnpiggie
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    Hey dont be frustrated! You have to remember that muscle weighs more than fat. With that said you started weight training last week and you probably added some muscle!!! Dont stress its a positive thing! :smile:

    Muscle does not weigh more than fat. 1 lb of fat weighs the same as 1 lb or muscle. Come on people..think about it. Remember the old joke what weigh mroe a lb of feather or a lb or rocks. LOL

    Being that they both weigh the same you may be .5 lbs heavier buy you may have gained some muscle and lost some weight. You should ditch the scale and go by measurement.

    lol this makes me scream at the voices in my head every time i see it but i try not to voice them out loud.

    The point is that a pound of muscle is SMALLER than a pound of fat, so it takes up less room in the body.
  • bethvandenberg
    bethvandenberg Posts: 1,496 Member
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    Ok stay calm. :) sometimes it takes our bodies a while to adjust to the change and not think that we're just trying another fad diet and blah blah blah. Hang with it. Make sure you're drinking a ton of water, and watch your sodium etc. I'm sure it'll start falling off any time here.
  • MrX8503
    MrX8503 Posts: 67
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    .5 LB is nothing, don't be frustrated. Your body weight will change all the time during the entire course of you trying to lose weight. This is why I recommend to not weigh yourself so often.

    Muscle does not weigh more than fat. 1 lb of fat weighs the same as 1 lb or muscle. Come on people..think about it. Remember the old joke what weigh mroe a lb of feather or a lb or rocks. LOL

    Being that they both weigh the same you may be .5 lbs heavier buy you may have gained some muscle and lost some weight. You should ditch the scale and go by measurement.

    1lb of fat does weigh the same as 1lb of muscle.

    But by volume, that 1lb of fat is larger than 1lb of muscle.
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