DONE EVERYTHING?

Claymay95
Claymay95 Posts: 8
edited November 7 in Introduce Yourself
I'm 19 female 5'6" and 134-140 lbs. earlier this summer I was 125 and still not comfortable with my health, body, weight, so on. I monitor calorie intake and began lifting a 2 weeks ago.. Alternating between upper and lower body and I run about 3 times a week. I used to run everyday but with the weights and college starting back up I've gotten out of that routine. I only eat "healthy" foods. Frozen fruit (no sugar added) spinach, kale, eggs, salsa, grilled chicken, quinoa, rice(brown), and frozen to steamed veggies. That's literally all my diet is.. Oh and half an avocado almost everyday. I only drink water and green tea. No coffee no soda. I'm concerned that I've gained so much in two months (almost 10lbs) when nothings changed.. And over a week into doing weights and I'm already pushing 140 (NEVER BEEN THIS HEAVY IN MY LIFE). Help help help. Also been horribly bloated and gassy for about a week. What do I do? What am I doing wrong? Advice? You can see my body/ food choices for reference on my Instagram >>>healthyskinnyhappyfit<<<<

Replies

  • 17BigDaddy
    17BigDaddy Posts: 32 Member
    Welcome, add me as a Friend
  • acmanna
    acmanna Posts: 200 Member
    A few guesses (I'm sure some people more informed than I will jump in)
    1. you could be gaining muscle
    2. You possibly could be consuming more calories than you think, it seems like you have things pretty much under control but a food scale could help in making sure
    3. Could be water weight, are you about to or on your period? I gain up to 8 or 9 pounds sometimes during the time of the month and it all falls off plus some afterwards.

    Don't let yourself get down, you seem to have a lot of things going good for you. Enjoy college and best wishes to you!
  • Phrick
    Phrick Posts: 2,765 Member
    edited December 2014
    When you start any new exercise - but particularly weight lifting exercise - your muscles retain water to cushion and repair themselves. This shows up as added scale weight. IT IS NOT FAT. And it will dissipate as your body becomes accustomed to the new routine. Don't fret, don't sweat it, and if you're going to be lifting then it is probably wise to stop focusing on scale weight and instead take measurements and focus how your clothes fit. "Newbie" muscle gain is possible but will be minimal - you might gain several OUNCES of muscle but not pounds worth.

    Additionally - how are you calculating your food intake? Just because you only eat "healthy" (whatever that means) doesn't automatically mean you are eating at an appropriate calorie level to lose weight. If you're not measuring your food in some fashion (preferably on a food scale in gram weight increments for the most accuracy) then you really have no idea how much you're actually eating.

    finally, scale weight fluctuates on a daily basis due to many factors, among them:
    - your hydration level
    - your sodium intake
    - where you are in your menstrual cycle
    - the last time you pooped
    - your workout schedule
    - your stress levels
    ...to name a few

    Relax. Take measurements. Be patient. These things take time.
  • fatcity66
    fatcity66 Posts: 1,544 Member
    User deactivated. And I could have sworn they already made a similar post earlier...
  • DawnieB1977
    DawnieB1977 Posts: 4,248 Member
    Have you taken measurements? How do your clothes feel?

    It could be any number of things, as has been mentioned above.
  • jonjhayden
    jonjhayden Posts: 165 Member
    acmanna wrote: »
    A few guesses (I'm sure some people more informed than I will jump in)
    1. you could be gaining muscle
    2. You possibly could be consuming more calories than you think, it seems like you have things pretty much under control but a food scale could help in making sure
    3. Could be water weight, are you about to or on your period? I gain up to 8 or 9 pounds sometimes during the time of the month and it all falls off plus some afterwards.

    Don't let yourself get down, you seem to have a lot of things going good for you. Enjoy college and best wishes to you!
    ^^^This^^^

    I think there is no doubt that you are gaining muscle. This will result in a weight gain. Is all weight gain bad? Isn't the actual goal fat loss and optimal body composition not a small number of the scale? This being said, of course one of the ways to monitor body composition is using a scale, but it is only a indirect, quick, incomplete (and often misleading) measurement. I would strongly suggest you research other ways to monitor your body composition in addition to your weight. The number on the scale would only be a short term, intermediate measure where a more accurate, complete measure would be your ultimate indicator of success.

    Methods such as a BodPod measurement, hydrostatic body fat test, or an iDEXA scan. My preferred method is the iDEXA. It has several benefits: (1) it gives a highly accurate body composition measure including a breakdown of lean muscle mass, body fat mass and bone density, (2) it also will indicate where you are carrying your extra fat and your muscle symmetry, (3) you can get a print out that shows your skeletal frame, muscle and fat (very motivating), (4) the scan can be done quickly - about 10 minutes. The drawbacks to iDEXA scans are: (1) the cost - between $100-$150/scan - but really that isn't that bad if you plan on having one every 3 months or so, (2) availability - it can be hard to locate facilities that offer iDEXA scans. I use DEXAfit but they only have facilities in Chicago and Atlanta. I am sure that you could research and find one relatively close to you.

    I also agree with acmanna's point number 2. It is possible that while you are eating healthy, that you are overeating your target number of calories. I would suggest purchasing a food scale and closely measuring and logging your serving sizes of the healthy foods that your are consuming.

    Stay positive.
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