I SWEAR EXERCISE MAKES ME GAIN WEIGHT!!

MayberryMama
MayberryMama Posts: 42
edited September 26 in Health and Weight Loss
Okay, I know it makes NO sense but I have seen it time and time again. When I just maintain my 500 cal deficit and do NOT exercise, I lose consistently each week. But the minute I add exercise to the plan, I begin to gain. Mind you, I still keep my 500 calorie deficit even when I'm exercising. So the cals in/out do NOT change. Has anyone had this problem?

For example - I had been doing Turbo Fire for 5 weeks. Was pretty much stuck at 183, but over that five weeks I gained about 2 lbs, but didn't lose anything. Then I had an injury and had to cut out ALL exercise for 2 weeks. I'm now at 176. I LOST 10 lbs in two weeks with NO exercise. Over the weekend I decided to add a workout back in, just to get back in the swing of things. Woke up the next day, 1.5 lbs heavier. Again, same cal defecit.

This isn't the first time. I lost about 15 lbs with diet alone last summer. Then started an exercise program at the gym three days a week. Did not change my deficit - gained 8 lbs back before I quit. (lost it again as soon as I quit exercising) So I signed up with a personal trainer - she said she could help me not to gain while I trained by lowering carbs and taking some supplements. Again with a super vigilant diet, I gained 10 lbs - and I couldn't fit in my clothes, so I quit. We are not talking muscle here because I can feel my clothes getting tighter each time this happens.

I want to get certified to teach Turbo Kick at my local gym but I'm afraid the training and teaching will make me gain weight. Any insight is so appreciated, I am super frustrated. I want to exercise to be healthy but it just seems to mess me up!

Thank in advance!
Leslie
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Replies

  • shaunshaikh
    shaunshaikh Posts: 616 Member
    Does exercise make you gain fat? If it doesn't make you gain fat, does it really matter?
  • cmriverside
    cmriverside Posts: 34,422 Member
    I don't have an answer for you. You're a mystery of modern science. Maybe you could get a show on Discovery Health.
  • Atlantique
    Atlantique Posts: 2,484 Member
    It's normal to gain a few pounds (like 4 or less) simply because water will be stored in your muscles along with glycogen when you work them.

    Beyond that, it's your eating plan. Many people overestimate the calories burned through exercise and then overeat, thinking they're simply replacing the calories they burned in the gym when they are infact exceeding them. The other problem is that many people 'reward' themselves for hard workouts with essentially junk food that they wouldn't dare touch were they not working out.

    Could either of those problems apply to your situation?
  • Mrs_TrimWaistFatWallet
    Mrs_TrimWaistFatWallet Posts: 486
    Are you eating until you have 0 'calories remaining'? If not, thats the problem.
  • mom23nuts
    mom23nuts Posts: 636 Member
    I am in the same boat working hard at the gym and keeping to the calorie thing but I just read 2 things....maybe you are doing too much cardio and not enough weights to maintain fat burn and then going into starvation by not eating enough calories while doing high cardio....maybe you and I need more calories or less exercise or a combo of both

    or more weights and less cardio or more calories to fuel weight loss....

    Oh hell

    I am just as confused as you and I have done tons of research and one person tells me one thing and another tells me the total opposite so I am just going to experiment with toning it down on the cardio and eating more high quality calories being higher protein and less carbs and see if that makes a difference....right now all I am losing is time and not weight.

    So I am frustrated too!!!
  • Fattack
    Fattack Posts: 666 Member
    It's normal to gain a few pounds (like 4 or less) simply because water will be stored in your muscles along with glycogen when you work them.

    Beyond that, it's your eating plan. Many people overestimate the calories burned through exercise and then overeat, thinking they're simply replacing the calories they burned in the gym when they are infact exceeding them. The other problem is that many people 'reward' themselves for hard workouts with essentially junk food that they wouldn't dare touch were they not working out.

    Could either of those problems apply to your situation?

    Exactly what I was going to post. MFP does overestimate calories for certain exercises too. I found I wasn't losing very much one week where I did a lot of swimming which I'd entered as "breaststroke, general". The week after I entered it at "laps, light / moderate effort" (as I wasn't really pushing myself to do the hour's swim) and it came out as less calories burnt, and lo and behold, I lost more weight. Also it didn't *feel* like I'd done nearly 600 calories worth of exercise, 400 felt much more accurate in comparison with the exercises I do at the gym where there are Polar HRMs built within the machines.
  • brewingaz
    brewingaz Posts: 1,136 Member
    It probably does! It's muscle weight! That's a good thing. Your weight is composed of three things: lean mass weight, water weight, and fat weight. When you are working out, you are building your muscle weight while decreasing your fat weight. This is why scales should NOT be the only thing used to measure progress. Measuring is much better. Because muscle is more dense than fat, it takes much less volume. For example, 5 lbs of muscle is way smaller than 5 lbs of fat. If you're gaining weight but losing size (clothes fitting better, etc.), then you are making great progress! It's not weight you want to lose, it's FAT WEIGHT you want to lose. You want your body fat percentage down.

    Look at it like this. Person A is 170 lbs with 30 percent body fat. That means 119 lbs of them are lean mass and water weight, and 51 lbs of them are pure fat!

    Now let's look at Person B, who is also 170 lbs, but is 20 percent body fat. That means they are 136 lbs of lean mass and water (more muscle!!!) and have only 34 lbs of fat on their whole body.

    Now both people weigh the same, but who is healthier? Person B.

    Weight on the scale is just a number. People have to change their state of mind in thinking that the number on the scale is the end-all index of health. Percent body fat is the best way to go. Measuring yourself to track progress is far better than basing anything off of a scale alone. Good luck!
  • ljprevo
    ljprevo Posts: 1
    This is the biggest myth with weight loss. When you first start exercising, esp. when you had not in the past you are most likely to gain muscle weight, esp if you are toning your muscles. Keep at it, eventually the muscle's will get to a certain strength and then the fat will fly off.
  • Msaip
    Msaip Posts: 482 Member
    It's normal to gain a few pounds (like 4 or less) simply because water will be stored in your muscles along with glycogen when you work them.

    Beyond that, it's your eating plan. Many people overestimate the calories burned through exercise and then overeat, thinking they're simply replacing the calories they burned in the gym when they are infact exceeding them. The other problem is that many people 'reward' themselves for hard workouts with essentially junk food that they wouldn't dare touch were they not working out.

    Could either of those problems apply to your situation?

    This pretty much explains it. You don't want your calories deficit to affect your muscle mass
  • xHelloQuincyx
    xHelloQuincyx Posts: 884 Member
    you arnt eating enough. there are plenty of threads on here that say eat your work out cal's. so do it. you shouldnt be gaining that much weight. after eating you calories back and you still gain, then you need to talk to your dr.

    also on your profile it says you did p90x and gained weight "because of your eating habits" not just working out. so im confused.
  • jamievolner
    jamievolner Posts: 35
    Muscle weighs more than fat that's why....your muscles become heavier as they tone and you NEVER weigh yourself after exercise. It all levels out once the muscles are toned.
  • twilightemma
    twilightemma Posts: 1
    Perhaps the exercise your choosing is causing you to gain more muscle, and since muscle weighs more than fat, it could be contributing to this weight gain. Maybe simple try jogging or running outside or on a treadmill
  • Positively_Me
    Positively_Me Posts: 1,499 Member
    bump..to read later :)
  • stormieweather
    stormieweather Posts: 2,549 Member
    This is true for me as well. But it's fluid retention in one's muscles. http://www.livestrong.com/article/351391-water-retention-in-muscles-after-exercise/

    Also, the machines and MFP overestimate the calories I burn during exercise. My body is very efficient in that I rarely burn more then 2-300 calories per workout session. The machines/MFP say I burned 500-600, but if I ate that, I'd be eliminating my deficit. So I now wear a Fitbit and leave a cushion of 100 or so, of the actual burned.
  • MayberryMama
    MayberryMama Posts: 42
    Thanks guys!!

    I do try to eat clean 90% of the time, whether exercising or not. And I always increase my food intake when I exercise to match the calories burned so I still have my 500 cal defecit. I often just add a protien shake or yogurt with fruit and flax to make up the calories. Now as for whether or not the gain is fat - good question. I have only just started watching my body fat percentage, so it could be that the weight is muscle or water. But I definitely see it in my clothes - they get tight and I look heavier. Especially in the face. I really do seem to be a medical mystery. ugh.
  • fsugirl26
    fsugirl26 Posts: 207
    I wish I could lose weight by not working out :)
  • Atlantique
    Atlantique Posts: 2,484 Member
    Muscle weighs more than fat that's why....your muscles become heavier as they tone and you NEVER weigh yourself after exercise. It all levels out once the muscles are toned.

    Muscles do not 'weigh more' than fat. A pound is a pound is a pound. Muscle is much denser than fat, so 1 lb of muscle takes up less VOLUME than 1lb of fat.
  • MayberryMama
    MayberryMama Posts: 42
    Stormie - I just switched from the fit bit to the bodybugg and I am noticing a slight difference in the calculations, but not enough to freak me out. I loved that little fitbit though!

    I agree, the machines at the gym ALWAYS over calculated my burn - I kind of think that was throwing me off last summer with the trainer. But I figured my rest days would make up for it. Who knows....
  • peacepunchcaptaincruch
    peacepunchcaptaincruch Posts: 3
    I'm not sure what kind of exercise you're doing, but I definitely know what you mean. When you said, "We are not talking muscle here because I can feel my clothes getting tighter each time this happens," I immediately thought of how my skinny jeans used to fit very tight during track season. When I stopped running for a couple months, they would get looser. Maybe you should try lighter exercise, like walking the dog or light jogging. Drink a lot of water too if you're not already doing that.
  • Atlantique
    Atlantique Posts: 2,484 Member
    Thanks guys!!

    I do try to eat clean 90% of the time, whether exercising or not. And I always increase my food intake when I exercise to match the calories burned so I still have my 500 cal defecit. I often just add a protien shake or yogurt with fruit and flax to make up the calories. Now as for whether or not the gain is fat - good question. I have only just started watching my body fat percentage, so it could be that the weight is muscle or water. But I definitely see it in my clothes - they get tight and I look heavier. Especially in the face. I really do seem to be a medical mystery. ugh.

    This is why I wonder if you are accurately estimating the calories burned through exercise. If you are overestimating them and eating them back, you are no longer maintaining a deficit and could be creating a suplus of calories.
  • suzycreamcheese
    suzycreamcheese Posts: 1,766 Member
    i always gain if i do lots of exercise over a sustained period. Its disheartening. I think its probably muscle though.

    People do go to the gym to bulk up and gain weight as well as to lose weight though
  • Runnermadre
    Runnermadre Posts: 267 Member
    There's a lot of good advice here! I have the same problem, but not to the extent that you do. I love to run, but when I take a break from it, I lose weight, and starting back up always makes me gain up to 4 or 5 pounds!

    Definitely make sure you're not rewarding yourself with too much junk food. I found it helpful to drink a glass of low fat milk after a workout. The nutrients help to replenish your muscles and the protein and calcium help to build lean muscle mass and burn fat.

    Because of small mistakes in recording calories, and the sometimes overestimated calorie burn, I try to leave 100 calories at the end of the day as long as my net is over 1200.

    Another thing I've heard is good for this is to cut out ALL processed foods for a week, and if you can go organic that's even better. Don't let your sodium intake exceed recommended levels, and really push the water and green tea. This helps your body to let go of any built up water weight from exercise and also allows your liver to work more efficiently so you can burn the fat quickly with your exercise!

    Take your measurements along with watching the scale and see how these things work for you! Good Luck!
  • Bviera
    Bviera Posts: 106 Member
    This is true for me as well. But it's fluid retention in one's muscles. http://www.livestrong.com/article/351391-water-retention-in-muscles-after-exercise/

    Also, the machines and MFP overestimate the calories I burn during exercise. My body is very efficient in that I rarely burn more then 2-300 calories per workout session. The machines/MFP say I burned 500-600, but if I ate that, I'd be eliminating my deficit. So I now wear a Fitbit and leave a cushion of 100 or so, of the actual burned.

    I was just about to post the same article. Whenever we start a new exercise program, our muscles retain water to recover from the "beating" we just gave them. It's normal to gain a few pounds of water retention from our muscles for a few weeks. That's why whenever we start exercising, we HAVE to stick to it. Besides, exercise does a lot more for us than just help us lose weight. It's good for our heart, for lowering cholesterol, and for making us feel better overall (among a few things). I can't stress how important it is to exercise!
  • MayberryMama
    MayberryMama Posts: 42
    Good point about the measurements - since I started doing turbo I have definitely lost inches. So that is a good sign. But I swear I feel like my clothes are tighter after a week of hard workouts. Maybe I am storing water in there - the question is, how do I get it out?? GO AWAY WATER!!
  • Runnermadre
    Runnermadre Posts: 267 Member
    Tons of water, watch your sodium very carefully and get rid of anything processed! It does work. :-)
  • brneydgrlie
    brneydgrlie Posts: 464 Member
    How much water are you actually drinking? If you are not drinking enough, your body will hold on to every single drop it can, and you will have bloating/swelling/water weight gain. Sounds crazy I know, but the more water you drink, the less water you will retain.
  • maserati185
    maserati185 Posts: 263 Member
    Just want to say... HELLO OUT THERE... I have experienced exactly what you speak of. My focus when I eat is lower carbs/low sugar. I lost from 177lbs to 160lbs. doing a total of ONE HOUR of exercise that whole time (AND I ate plenty).

    Then... I started feeling like getting active because of being smaller, so I started doing just that. Immediately, my scales stopped going down. I've tried changing up things but I canNOT drop on the scales.

    Now, on the flip side, I can tell by pictures and smaller pants that I want to fit in that I am losing overall. I know it is SO frustrating... but as another post had said... If you're not gaining fat... does it really matter? I don't think so. I bet you are gaining muscle and/or retaining water or something else that the body does to affect the scales... and it's no biggy.

    But just to further support what you are saying... I ran 17 miles total last week, ate as I was supposed to, and didn't lose a single pound. In fact, I gained one. But my leg muscles are lookin good! ;)
  • MayberryMama
    MayberryMama Posts: 42
    You guys are all so helpful, I appreciate you so much! I will try everything and if nothing else, at least I can say I am taking good care of myself regardless of what the scales say. I am eating my subway salad and drinking my 7th bottle of water and then it's off to Turbo - gonna keep on trucking.
  • olyrose
    olyrose Posts: 569 Member
    I've had the same problem! Which is why I rarely stuck to any exercise, because it seemed like it had adverse results on my weight (I understand the health benefits, but I need something tangible to motivate me).

    I finally saw a thread on here about holding on to water the first few weeks (similar to what was posted here), so that's given me motivation to keep going. I also started exercising consistently, then taking a couple days off. The balance seemed to produce results better than trying to do something every day at first.

    And I know most people say it's muscle weight, but there is no way anyone is gaining two or three pounds of muscle from doing the elliptical for 45 minutes every other day. That makes sense after a while, but not in the initial stages.
  • Pinkkpanthur
    Pinkkpanthur Posts: 1
    Ok ... I have a very similar problem EXCEPT that I don't really believe in counting calories, so I don't monitor my food intake as closely as you do. However, I am vegetarian and I always try to step up the lean proteins and fruits and veggies as opposed to breads and dairy when I work out.

    Last time I embarked on a serious exercise plan, I gained almost 10 lbs! My friends said I looked like I was thinner, but I got so frustrated that I decided to see what would happen if I stopped exercising. I lost 8 of those pounds in less than a month. And I'm fairly certain it wasn't muscle because I could barely get my pants on anymore.

    So I did some research .... When you work out, your body releases a hormone that increases your appetite. But in an effort NOT to lose fat, since your body now thinks it will need all those extra calories to fuel the activities you're involved in, this hormone increases appetite ABOVE your body's actual needs. This is even more true of women than men. It's documented. So it isn't that you're doing anything wrong especially, it's just that even if you're eating a generally healthy amount of calories, your body is programmed not to let go of that fat due to increased calorie needs. That's my understanding anyway.

    That being said, the ONLY thing that's worked for me is doing very low key exercise, like walking and yoga, which keeps me from being totally lethargic but I'm still managing to lose. Hope you figure out what works for you!
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