I'm not losing weight...I'm gaining!!! HELP

aloggains83
aloggains83 Posts: 1
in Health and Weight Loss
Since mid-June I have been doing Zumba and using MFP. With beach trips this summer I was not as diligent as I could be. I am a graduate student and now that the semester has began and I'm back in a routine, I have really been committed to trying to get healthy and lose weight. I need to lose about 30-40 lbs to be at a healthy BMI. I have been logging everything for four weeks and working out 3-5 times a week. Most often my workout is Zumba on campus for an hour. I've also joined a health and weight loss/management group that meets once a week. The bottom line is I have steadily gained a pound each week, putting me up 4lbs since this semester started. Why am I GAINING instead of LOSING when I am working out and making healthy food choices?
HELP!

Replies

  • meridianova
    meridianova Posts: 438 Member
    before all the "you're eating too much"-type responses come in... the one piece of advice that really made a difference for me was making sure that i measured everything properly. which means a food scale. if you don't have one, they're fairly cheap and amazon has a huge range. make sure that everything you're eating gets measured somehow, whether that's by portion or by physical weight.

    and as a side note, don't rely on volume measurements for dry goods. the actual weights can vary too much. volume should only be for wet/gloopy foods.
  • Branstin
    Branstin Posts: 2,320 Member
    Exercise could cause your muscles to retain water. How are you measuring your calories eaten and burned? Are you eating back any of your exercise calories? How has your sodium intake been over the last month?
  • kestrelx
    kestrelx Posts: 2
    Are you taking any other measurements. with a tape measure or something?

    It might be that you are burning the fat but replacing it with muscle. other measurements would be able to help narrow it down.
  • IronPlayground
    IronPlayground Posts: 1,594 Member
    before all the "you're eating too much"-type responses come in... the one piece of advice that really made a difference for me was making sure that i measured everything properly. which means a food scale. if you don't have one, they're fairly cheap and amazon has a huge range. make sure that everything you're eating gets measured somehow, whether that's by portion or by physical weight.

    and as a side note, don't rely on volume measurements for dry goods. the actual weights can vary too much. volume should only be for wet/gloopy foods.

    How is your response not an "eating too much" response?

    Anyway, it's a good response, though. If you are not weighing and measuring, there is a chance you are eating more than you are estimating.

    Other possibilities could be change in exercise routine. If it's become more intense, there could be some water retention.

    Also, look at your macronutrients. Are you eating more carbs than before.

    Do you have any medical conditions that you failed to mention in your OP?

    There's probably a very simple solution, but you haven't provided us with enough info to help.
  • RGv2
    RGv2 Posts: 5,789 Member
    Are you taking any other measurements. with a tape measure or something?

    It might be that you are burning the fat but replacing it with muscle. other measurements would be able to help narrow it down.

    Highly doubtful. Gaining muscle is really.......really hard. Especially gaining enough to affect the scale.

    In these cases it's normally an issue with logging correctness, water weight from exercise, or a combination. In any case, the OP really needs to unlock their diary for further help.
  • pander101
    pander101 Posts: 677 Member
    before all the "you're eating too much"-type responses come in... the one piece of advice that really made a difference for me was making sure that i measured everything properly. which means a food scale. if you don't have one, they're fairly cheap and amazon has a huge range. make sure that everything you're eating gets measured somehow, whether that's by portion or by physical weight.

    and as a side note, don't rely on volume measurements for dry goods. the actual weights can vary too much. volume should only be for wet/gloopy foods.

    How is your response not an "eating too much" response?

    Anyway, it's a good response, though. If you are not weighing and measuring, there is a chance you are eating more than you are estimating.

    Other possibilities could be change in exercise routine. If it's become more intense, there could be some water retention.

    Also, look at your macronutrients. Are you eating more carbs than before.

    Do you have any medical conditions that you failed to mention in your OP?

    There's probably a very simple solution, but you haven't provided us with enough info to help.

    Was going to say pretty much the same thing. But these are good baseline places to start if you are having issues losing. Especially the food scale if you are not already using one.

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