Feel like crying

LeGreenfairy22
LeGreenfairy22 Posts: 5
in Health and Weight Loss
Hello everyone,

I'm new to the forums. A year and a half ago I quit smoking ( cold turkey after smoking a pack a day for 18 years) and I gained about 10 pounds soon there after which was fine with me as I was under weight as a smoker. ( diet consisted of black coffee and cigarettes) my weight was pretty stable for a while until a few months ago I decided to join the gym and I became completely obsessed! I loved the feeling I got after a good workout plus it felt great being able to do the elliptical for 45 minutes at level 8 without feeling that I was going to loose a lung.
As soon as I started working out, I started gaining weight and not muscle but fat. I gain about 10 pounds per month and it's driving me insane. I buy a pair of jeans only to find that I can't close them 3 weeks later. I eat very healthy (i think) and diet consists of lean protein, vegetables and brown rice. I snack on apples or low fat yogurt.
I've already had a complete physical to rule out thyroid disorder or anything else. I made an appt to go see a nutritionist next week so I will be keeping a food journal starting today.
Has this ever happened to anyone? What could cause a 25pound weight gain since starting the gym back in June?

Replies

  • pander101
    pander101 Posts: 677 Member
    Overeating. Doesn't matter if you're eating healthy and going to the gym, if you're consuming more calories than your body can burn your going to gain weight. Are you measuring your food with a scale? Or just guessing? Measuring cups don't work for anything solid. You can lose weight eating anything you want as long as you stick to a deficit. But my guess to as to why you're gain it that you're eating more than you think.
  • dbmata
    dbmata Posts: 12,950 Member
    Let me taste your tears.
  • LeGreenfairy22
    LeGreenfairy22 Posts: 5
    Thanks for the response Pander. I am not using food scale but I will probably purchase one soon.
    After I quit smoking I discovered that food tastes soooo much better and started eating 3 meals per day. I gained between 8-10 pounds and stayed at that weight for a year. As soon as I joined the gym I noticed that I would be getting hungry a lot quicker than before so instead of a 2 egg omelette (1whole +1egg white) I would add an extra egg white. And if I was starving between meals, I'd have an apple or some other piece of fruit.
    I was never a big eater and my new appetite was a big surprise. It's only recently that I began to give myself slightly bigger portions than normal.
    I haven't gone to the gym in a few weeks because I developed tendinitis in my shoulder but I did go jogging a few days ago and started doing squats at home along with a few sit ups. Sure enough I found a few extra pounds the next day
  • TavistockToad
    TavistockToad Posts: 35,719 Member
    you're eating too much....

    but the weight gain the day after exercise is just water retention.
  • jenilla1
    jenilla1 Posts: 11,118 Member
    My sister and I gained weight over the course of our first marathon training. That's because we were burning a ton of calories and then overeating them back, because hard work makes you hungry. We weren't tracking calories at the time. Since tracking my calories, I have not had that problem. I suspect that you are overeating like we were. :flowerforyou:
  • KarenJanine
    KarenJanine Posts: 3,497 Member
    What is your height / weight now? If you were very underweight owing to your black coffee and cigarette diet then perhaps your body is just returning to a healthy level of body fat now you have started eating more.

    In any case, continuing to gain is a result of eating more calories than your body is burning. Get a food scale and be precise in logging and measuring your food - this is the only way of knowing exactly how much you are eating.
  • LeGreenfairy22
    LeGreenfairy22 Posts: 5
    Thank you all for your responses! I started keeping a food journal today and will continue through the weekend to show the nutritionist on Monday.
    I've also done a little research on this site as well as others and started wondering if it's possible that I'm under eating? The weight gain only started as soon as I joined the gym. Given I have not been counting calories but based on what I have read I should be consuming 1500 calories per day given that I used to do 45 minutes cardio and about 45 weight training. I think I consume about 1200 ( judging by what the meal plans say).

    Karenjanine,
    I am 5'3 and currently weigh 130. I would like to go back to my pre-gym days of 115
  • TavistockToad
    TavistockToad Posts: 35,719 Member
    Thank you all for your responses! I started keeping a food journal today and will continue through the weekend to show the nutritionist on Monday.
    I've also done a little research on this site as well as others and started wondering if it's possible that I'm under eating? The weight gain only started as soon as I joined the gym. Given I have not been counting calories but based on what I have read I should be consuming 1500 calories per day given that I used to do 45 minutes cardio and about 45 weight training. I think I consume about 1200 ( judging by what the meal plans say).

    Karenjanine,
    I am 5'3 and currently weigh 130. I would like to go back to my pre-gym days of 115

    no, you havent gained 25lbs by undereating
  • p_emmel5
    p_emmel5 Posts: 39 Member
    Keeping a daily log and seeing a nutritionist are the 2 smartest things you can do. We can give you all sorts of advice or offer opinions, but without seeing your daily log 90% of is said here is based on guess work. Your nutritionist will be able to get you dialed in quickly. See sure they know your food intake and exactly how much you work out.

    Good for you on dumping the smokes :flowerforyou:
  • lamps1303
    lamps1303 Posts: 432 Member
    Thank you all for your responses! I started keeping a food journal today and will continue through the weekend to show the nutritionist on Monday.
    I've also done a little research on this site as well as others and started wondering if it's possible that I'm under eating? The weight gain only started as soon as I joined the gym. Given I have not been counting calories but based on what I have read I should be consuming 1500 calories per day given that I used to do 45 minutes cardio and about 45 weight training. I think I consume about 1200 ( judging by what the meal plans say).

    Karenjanine,
    I am 5'3 and currently weigh 130. I would like to go back to my pre-gym days of 115

    I doubt it. It's so easy to grossly underestimate how much you're eating - I know from experience. As others have said, you will never truly know how much you're eating until you start logging and weighing all your food and liquids. This includes things like oil used in cooking, fruit and veg (just because it's healthy doesn't mean it doesn't need to weighed!), drinks (especially alcohol).

    Use a scale to measure all solids and cups/spoons/measuring jug to measure all liquids. Do not use cups to measure food - can be hugely inaccurate.

    Weigh food in it's dry/uncooked state.

    GL
  • Allterrain_Lady
    Allterrain_Lady Posts: 421 Member
    I agree with everything that's been said. If you don't mesure and weight your food and don't keep track of it, you have no idea about what your calories intake is.
    You're probably in for a big surprise. A lot of us went through it. We survived and reassessed goals and diet.
    Knowledge is power.


    You didn't gain that much weight by undereating. That's not possible. A plateau and/or a couple of pounds gain can be explained by undereating. Not 25lbs.

    Do not get discouraged. There's a way around everything.
  • Liftng4Lis
    Liftng4Lis Posts: 15,151 Member
    Start tracking your calories. Caloric deficit = weight loss.
  • hehlh01
    hehlh01 Posts: 12 Member
    Big hugs! It's very important to keep an honest food journal and to stick with what mfp tells you. Are you drinking plenty of water? What is your sodium intake looking like? I also do 3 meals a day plus 2 snack to keep my metabolism going. I've also learned that when I walk a ton, I do have to bump up my food just a bit. Good luck!
  • penny0919
    penny0919 Posts: 123 Member
    It is VERY common to start eating a lot more when starting a workout routine. Not only do we feel physically hungrier, we tell ourselves "hey, now I'm working out, It's ok if I eat this". You aren't gaining 10 lbs from an extra egg white or apple here and there, but now that you are going to keep a food journal you should get a more accurate picture.

    Good luck and CONGRATULATIONS on quitting smoking!
  • rightoncommander
    rightoncommander Posts: 114 Member
    Running your numbers, if you are of average build, 5'3" and 130lb is a perfectly healthy weight. 105lb is borderline underweight.

    Is there any reason you think that you should be 115lb? Do you have a slender build (narrow wrists and ankles for instance)? Since you're already a healthy weight I'd hate to think of you quitting exercise to control your weight - you might end up (even) thinner, but you'll be less healthy.

    Either way, logging, both of food and of exercise, is definitely the best thing you can do right now. It can be difficult to accurately estimate exercise calories burned, especially anaerobic workouts, but if you're mostly doing aerobic work then a good heart rate monitor will give you a pretty accurate idea of how much you are burning. 1200 calories seems like an awful lot - I weigh more than you and would have to run 10 miles to burn that much.

    Best of luck! But don't rely on luck, you need DATA!
  • LeGreenfairy22
    LeGreenfairy22 Posts: 5
    Thank you again everyone for the encouragement and support.
    A few months ago I went to Vegas and allowed myself to over indulge at the buffets. I didn't gain an ounce. It's just so frustrating that the weight gain started happening as soon as I joined a gym and began working out.

    Rightoncomman, I do have a very small build. Tiny shoulders and very small wrists and ankles.

    Regarding smoking, it's been 1 year, 6 months and 2 days since my last cigarette. I still miss it. If ever I see someone smoking outside I always try to walk behind them to get a whiff of their smoke. Quitting was the hardest thing I've ever had to do in my life and I will never pick up a cigarette again. Not because I don't want to...but because I know that if I ever smoke again I will become an addict and will eventually need to quit again. Those first 5 days of quitting I looked like Linda Blair when she starred in the Exorcist movie and I can never put myself through that again.
    Quitting smoking was my first, last and only attempt
  • sparacka
    sparacka Posts: 137 Member
    Read this:

    http://www.sparkpeople.com/blog/blog.asp?post=why_the_scale_goes_up_when_you_start_a_new_workout_plan

    It was very comforting to me when my scales starting creeping up after I began lifting.

    ETA: but also, buy a food scale.
  • baconslave
    baconslave Posts: 7,018 Member
    I find that exercising sometimes increases appetite so that you may end up eating more and not realizing. Track, track, track. Measure and log everything you eat. Drink enough water. Keep to your calorie goal. I don't eat back my calories on here (the calories that I earn for exercise.) Others do. See which works better.

    Do all the above, and if you are consistent and you still are gaining weight, then think something is off. Until then, assume you are accidentally using "calorie creep" and don't realize it.

    Weight loss wars are won and lost in the kitchen, btw. Be perfect in the kitchen. Consistency + time = success. Exercise just makes your shape more pleasant and gives you more stamina when you move.
  • Arekha
    Arekha Posts: 45 Member
    Last year I started exercising, and I gained wt. I was not tracking what I was eating, atleast not counting calories, and felt hungry all the time to the point I stopped going to the gym. This was my first attempt ever to lose wt since it was never an issue before.

    This time, since I am older and wiser:), (read have MFP ) realize that I need to control/track and understand what I am eating and that is the key. So I started there firsts and then slowly added the workouts. I eat back everything, but have a means to track and control and not wonder why I was gaining when working out.

    Definitely can overeat healthy food...
  • LeGreenfairy22
    LeGreenfairy22 Posts: 5
    Last year I started exercising, and I gained wt. I was not tracking what I was eating, atleast not counting calories, and felt hungry all the time to the point I stopped going to the gym. This was my first attempt ever to lose wt since it was never an issue before.

    This time, since I am older and wiser:), (read have MFP ) realize that I need to control/track and understand what I am eating and that is the key. So I started there firsts and then slowly added the workouts. I eat back everything, but have a means to track and control and not wonder why I was gaining when working out.

    Definitely can overeat healthy food...

    This is EXACTLY how I feel. I am usually starving half an hour after I eat but feel strange eating again so I just drink water or grab an apple. I don't measure or count calories but I know what portion size looks like (the old make a fist and this is how much protein, starch and vegetables you need). I am really looking forward to seeing what the nutritionist will tell me Monday.

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