Working out and GAINING Weight...

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paulabanks77
paulabanks77 Posts: 10
in Health and Weight Loss
I have been working out for almost 3 weeks, which has consisted of going to the gym everyday for a minimum of 90 minutes. Utilizing the treadmill at different speeds and inclines, along with the elliptical machine and strength training 2-3 times a week. When I first started I weight 218.6 today I weighed in and I am up to 225.6 that's 7 POUNDS!!!! I have been eating, 1550 calories a day, and logging everything on myfitnesspal. I am on the last day of my "cycle", could this be a factor in the weight gain? Or could I be gaining muscle? I am very frustrated and ready to go to McD's (LOL..just a joke) but seriously I am very frustrated because I have been putting in great effort and have been committed to this goal. Help Anyone????

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  • shaunshaikh
    shaunshaikh Posts: 616 Member
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    Look for results on places other than the scale -- i.e. measurements, aerobic threshhold (VO2Max), and body fat%.
  • FitBride080611
    FitBride080611 Posts: 60 Member
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    between the muscle mass you're most likely gaining and your cycle...most likely it's a combo of building muscle mass and holding water. Keep things going for now and you shoulkd see it drop within a few weeks
  • erickirb
    erickirb Posts: 12,293 Member
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    you could be retaining water due to the new program. Muscles store water to help protect them from damage and aid in recovery. Once you get use to the new routine your muscles will shed this water weight. Give it some time and take measurements instead.
  • Fat2FitChick
    Fat2FitChick Posts: 451 Member
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    Check this out and see if it answers your questions. It certainly did for me and now I see the difference!

    http://www.dailyspark.com/blog.asp?post=why_the_scale_goes_up_when_you_start_a_new_workout_plan
  • meggonkgonk
    meggonkgonk Posts: 2,066 Member
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    Are you eating enough? If you arent eating very much on a regular day, you body will gain any time you have a normal amount of food so as to prevent starvation. you are eating 1550- how much are you burning? Your NET and GOAL numbers on your homepage should be relatively close at the end of each day.

    Are you working out very hard, so as to shock and puch your muscles? They retain water to repair.

    TOM can cause you to gain- also water retention.

    Are you tracking sodium? Also can cause water retention.
  • hpsnickers1
    hpsnickers1 Posts: 2,783 Member
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    I have been working out for almost 3 weeks, which has consisted of going to the gym everyday for a minimum of 90 minutes. Utilizing the treadmill at different speeds and inclines, along with the elliptical machine and strength training 2-3 times a week. When I first started I weight 218.6 today I weighed in and I am up to 225.6 that's 7 POUNDS!!!! I have been eating, 1550 calories a day, and logging everything on myfitnesspal. I am on the last day of my "cycle", could this be a factor in the weight gain? Or could I be gaining muscle? I am very frustrated and ready to go to McD's (LOL..just a joke) but seriously I am very frustrated because I have been putting in great effort and have been committed to this goal. Help Anyone????

    Is that 1550 before or after exercise? Make sure you eat what you have burned and stay above 1200 (general baseline number. Staying under this for too long will make your body stop burning fat). Plus you are doing strength training. Muscle takes up less space than fat does. That's why measurements work better. Check out this post from another fitness site:

    http://www.sparkpeople.com/mypage_public_journal_individual.asp?blog_id=3926473&SPShared=TRUE

    Don't worry about the numbers on the scale so much. Focus on how you feel and how your clothes are fitting. You might be surprised.
  • cmbneeley
    cmbneeley Posts: 160 Member
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    i did the same thing! some one pointed me to this site: http://www.livestrong.com/tools/body-fat-calculator/

    so i took my measurements to get my BF%age.
    multiply your BF% by your total weight to get your "fat weight."
    Subtract your "fat weight" from your total weight to get your "other weight" (muscle, bone , organs, skin, water, etc).

    By taking measurements and tracking my BF%, I learned that I've lost 17 lbs or fat, but i've also gained 9 lbs of "other weight", most likely muscle from strength training. but it took me a month to start seeing the scale drop. My waist and hips were shrinking (because muscle is denser than fat, so the same weight of muscle takes up less volume than the same weight of fat), but the scale couldn't tell the difference until the last week or so.
  • cmbneeley
    cmbneeley Posts: 160 Member
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    and sicne you just had your period, wait a couple days and weigh in again, since you could be retaining water.
  • KWSR16
    KWSR16 Posts: 91
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    If your body is anything like mine when I am on my cycle it sucks up water and holds it all in like a camel!! :laugh: Don't give up just yet though. A week after my last day I weighed myself again and I had lost a little over 2 lbs. Also, make sure you are being true to yourself with your food intake. Just because you dont write it down doesnt mean those calories don't count :grumble: . (Even though I would LOVE it if it worked that way!!) And like Shaun said, you may start noticing changes in other ways besides your scale. Dont forget to look for those! They are just as important. NSV's (non-scale victories) can sometimes be the best kind! :love: Dont give up. Maybe you need to give your body a little time to adjust to this new lifestyle that you are now putting in through. Just keep at it. If you bite it, you write it! And dont kill yourself on the exercise equipment. Easing into it more may help your body adjust a little better so it can use the calories you give it more effectively.
    Hope this helps! :wink:
  • roma2011
    roma2011 Posts: 33 Member
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    I'm so glad you posted this topic, my weight has jumped up from 75.5 kg to 76.8 kg since I started working out on spin circuits ten days ago (which I find SO tough). I've been so disciplined about my food so it has been extremely discouraging (not to mention baffling) to see the scales creeping up. It's great to see that there are some logical explanations for it, and they totally make sense. The link to the article given above has really set my mind at ease. Thanks!
  • paulabanks77
    paulabanks77 Posts: 10
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    Thanks everyone for all the responses, I feel SO much better now that I got some explanations and feedback on the topic. The link was also a great help and really helped me understand why I was gaining instead of losing. ColisKinksCurls thanks for posting that for me. Greatly appreciated!!
  • Fat2FitChick
    Fat2FitChick Posts: 451 Member
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    Your welcome girl! Glad I could help!
  • roma2011
    roma2011 Posts: 33 Member
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    Just to add, since I last posted my weight has dropped down from 76.8kg to 75.4! Had two nights in a row where I was constantly going to the bathroom, so that must have been me shedding all the water that my muscles were camelling around the place for the last two weeks or so. Mondays work out was also the first workout where I felt no major aches and pains afterwards, so recovery must be a little easier for my muscles now.

    Don't despair people, the temporary weight gain will disappear!

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