joined zumba last year/ 25# heavier this year HELP!!!
candicelvt123
Posts: 17
After 8 weeks of zumba , 2-3x/week I gained a staggering 20#! My doctor did a metabolic blood panel on me and I'm all normal. I need some answers or guidance.
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Replies
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Hey there,
I find it HIGHLY doubtful that anybody could gain 20lb in 8 weeks. That would meant that you would have to consume a staggering 70,000 (or thereabouts) calories over your maintenance.
Now, were it 2-4lb I would say that you need to make sure you are logging accurately but it is still a high likelihood of it being water-weight.
Try not to be discouraged. Set yourself a certain day and time during the week (I usually find that morning after you have slept is a good time because most food from the previous day is digested and having much less of an impact on your result) and stick to that time. being sure that the scales you are using are good and working.
You can do this!!!
Wishing you all the very best with your goals!
Adam0 -
If it is not your scale, or if you are weighing yourself with heavy clothes on - you are definately going over on your calories, especially if your doctor ruled out a medical reason.
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- Log accurately - get better results.0 -
It was 20#_ but I wasnt logging food. I am not shallow enough to gain weight and then go to the doctor claiming not knowing what's up. It was 20# in a solid 8 weeks, 7 of the pounds were in the first 2. I know what I'm talking about, it frustrating. That's why I'm here counting calories is BC I need answers where and why this weight keeps addingHey there,
I find it HIGHLY doubtful that anybody could gain 20lb in 8 weeks. That would meant that you would have to consume a staggering 70,000 (or thereabouts) calories over your maintenance.
Now, were it 2-4lb I would say that you need to make sure you are logging accurately but it is still a high likelihood of it being water-weight.
Try not to be discouraged. Set yourself a certain day and time during the week (I usually find that morning after you have slept is a good time because most food from the previous day is digested and having much less of an impact on your result) and stick to that time. being sure that the scales you are using are good and working.
You can do this!!!
Wishing you all the very best with your goals!
Adam
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Water weight? Muscle? Eating way too many calories?0
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I came here for support not to be ridiculed, I was not over eating and drinking outside of my normal lifestyle that I have lead.....taking on a new exercise routine and watching what I eat is my lifestyle that's why I went to the doctor. Stress and hormonal imbalance are a huge factor. Thanks everyone for the support0
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What were you eating? Exercise can only do so much if you aren't eating right.0
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I started this MFP only a week ago and I am recording everything to see what the problem is bc I usually have a handle on my weight, fluctuations of 5-10#, but things are different.... Maybe my age, metabolism..... Owell, I'm here and support is what I need0
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Track your calories. Use a food scale for accuracy, don't guess. Your doctor confirmed a hormonal imbalance? Did your doctor suggest a certain type of diet? For example, some hormonal issues are benefited by eating lower carbs.0
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Does you Zumba class utilize weights? You could have gained some muscle...which weighs more than fat.0
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Candice, what is it you weigh now? You look pretty thin by your picture. Could it be you are adding muscle weight? Also, not sure of your age, but you could be having some hormonal weight gain? I know I can gain 7 pounds in just water and lose it within a few days. Maybe we are more talking 15 pounds? I don't get it. Did your doctor take any blood tests to see what is going on?0
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I get your situation is frustrating, and you want answers but if you doctor told you everything on the medical side was fine and working properly, then you were in fact eating and drinking too much. You said you weren't counting your calories when you started gaining the weight, so you cant tell us for 100% fact that you weren't over eating. Calories is VS calories out is how to lose weight if you are gaining weight then you are consuming more than you're burning. No one is ridiculing you. You asked a question and people were kind enough to respond. You can't get upset because people answered your question, but not the way you wanted.0
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Zumba is unrelated to your weight gain entirely (it has a relatively low calorie burn). Unless maybe you stopped doing other, more strenuous exercises to allow time for Zumba and ate too much.
1250 calorie per day surplus - it can happen. If you used to burn say 200 extra a day than you did and ate 900 more (which can add up really easily). Even 1200 cals for food alone can add up easily. Especially over the Christmas holidays since you wouldn't even have to eat that much over every day. I know I easily ate 3000 over maintenance at least 6 times alone over Christmas.
Likely part of the 20 pounds is water and glycogen too (plus maybe your muscles are retaining water from the exercise). So say 7 lbs (that part you gained quickly) is water weight. That's only 812 extra cals a day. Let's put it this way... 2 tbsp. of peanut butter is 200 calories. A cookie is around 150. A bigger portion of pasta and you have another 100. Maybe a muffin around 3-400. And there you have it. about 800 calories. Even an extra apple per day is 100 calories. And maybe you haven't even noticed it because you could have just been grazing - a few nuts here, a bite of cake there, hand full of crackers or cereal there, licking the spoon of your cookie batter here... etc.
But I should point out it likely isn't muscle. Women don't gain muscle easily. You have to work very hard to gain muscle as a woman. Even if it were muscle, there is a limit to how much of the extra calories your body could use to build that muscle. No more than 2 lbs would be my guess and that's assuming you were doing a program such as Stronglifts or Strong Curves (heavy weight lifting).0 -
Just wanted to add (and I'm not saying you are eating too much for sure), but some years ago I hired a personal trainer at LA Fitness and was going about 5 days per week, swimming laps, working out on weights and he about killed me on my workouts. He also told me that it would do nothing for me unless I stopped eating so much and too much junk. He was so right. All that hard work was for nothing. I kept eating pizza, drinking beer, eating sweets and didn't lose anything. I now know the eating part is about 75 to 80 percent of losing weight. We are here to help you figure this out!0
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Candice, without wanting to be rude to those who have answered/commented so far...
Ignore anyone who tells you your weight gain is the result of eating too much! (Not everything in the world of weight is about food!)
While a lot of exercise, especially if you are not accustomed to such a program, can cause you to eat a little more every now and then, the extra food would immediately be offset by the extra calorie burn of the exercise.
But, if you were not doing any kind of exercise prior to the Zumba, you are most definitely going to see an increase in muscle mass. Have you checked your measurements? (Has your clothing size gone up?) If you are not gaining a lot of inches in conjunction with your increase in weight, chances are it is simply an increase in muscle mass and nothing else. And, since your doctor has already ruled out any biological/medical cause for the increase, this takes us right back to increase in muscle.
That being said, I would be remiss if I did not add that, although muscle, being far more dense than fat, will take up far less space in your body and, as you lose fat and gain muscle, there is usually a decrease in size, in your case, given the alarming 20# weight gain, you should be seeing some obvious muscle bulk to offset the fat loss. Furthermore, the lower your body's fat percentage, the more rapidly exercise is likely to affect the visual dimension of your body. That is, the less fat you have to start with, the more quickly you will begin to see the muscle development.
In any case, at this point, building muscle should be nothing to worry about. You do, however, need to be aware of building too much muscle and, depending upon what you want to achieve in your workout, you might actually want to eat more in order to offset the effects of the muscle toning.0 -
Women don't gain 20# of muscle in 8 weeks. A woman bodybuilder who is trying to gain muscle can't do that in a year.0
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The numbers on the scale are far from the whole picture. Muscle weighs more than fat for the same volume. If the zumba is helping you build muscle, that is great for your overall health and metabolism. Have you taken measurements? How are your clothes fitting?0
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ReeseG4350 wrote: »Candice, without wanting to be rude to those who have answered/commented so far...
Ignore anyone who tells you your weight gain is the result of eating too much! (Not everything in the world of weight is about food!)
While a lot of exercise, especially if you are not accustomed to such a program, can cause you to eat a little more every now and then, the extra food would immediately be offset by the extra calorie burn of the exercise.
But, if you were not doing any kind of exercise prior to the Zumba, you are most definitely going to see an increase in muscle mass. Have you checked your measurements? (Has your clothing size gone up?) If you are not gaining a lot of inches in conjunction with your increase in weight, chances are it is simply an increase in muscle mass and nothing else. And, since your doctor has already ruled out any biological/medical cause for the increase, this takes us right back to increase in muscle.
That being said, I would be remiss if I did not add that, although muscle, being far more dense than fat, will take up far less space in your body and, as you lose fat and gain muscle, there is usually a decrease in size, in your case, given the alarming 20# weight gain, you should be seeing some obvious muscle bulk to offset the fat loss. Furthermore, the lower your body's fat percentage, the more rapidly exercise is likely to affect the visual dimension of your body. That is, the less fat you have to start with, the more quickly you will begin to see the muscle development.
In any case, at this point, building muscle should be nothing to worry about. You do, however, need to be aware of building too much muscle and, depending upon what you want to achieve in your workout, you might actually want to eat more in order to offset the effects of the muscle toning.
This isn't correct as Zumba is a cardio exercise, not a strength exercise.0 -
LeanButNotMean44 wrote: »
I never said it was muscle .....read the post before you pass judgment0 -
candicelvt123 wrote: »LeanButNotMean44 wrote: »
I never said it was muscle .....read the post before you pass judgment
You didn't say it, other people did. It was to them these comments were aimed at.
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Sounds like your doctor was fairly unhelpful. I think you need some personal support, and I doubt that you're going to find someone with a similar experience who also has the same same situation as you here on mfp. As others have said, it's likely you gained 5-7 pounds of 'water weight' (glycogen stores) upon starting up a new exercise program. The other 15 lbs? Who knows?? It is a drastic and frustrating amount of weight to gain - I wouldn't blame Zumba, so I think you (with the help of a doctor or nutritionist, maybe?) need to look at the combination of your food intake, stress and hormones.0
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LeanButNotMean44 wrote: »
I never said it was muscle .....read the post before you pass judgment0 -
Owell.....all in all, here I am. If I have the support from these blogs this should help me be accountable0
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It could just be additional water weight mixed with some new muscle!
I'm extremely sensitive to sodium and will literally go up and down 5lbs every other day from the water weight. Some weeks are worse than others.
I also tend to gain weight when I'm not doing the right kind of cardio (everyone is different). I have to run/jog in order to lose lbs or just maintain my weight. Maybe try jogging--see if it helps!
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jasmine_noel wrote: »Sounds like your doctor was fairly unhelpful. I think you need some personal support, and I doubt that you're going to find someone with a similar experience who also has the same same situation as you here on mfp. As others have said, it's likely you gained 5-7 pounds of 'water weight' (glycogen stores) upon starting up a new exercise program. The other 15 lbs? Who knows?? It is a drastic and frustrating amount of weight to gain - I wouldn't blame Zumba, so I think you (with the help of a doctor or nutritionist, maybe?) need to look at the combination of your food intake, stress and hormones.
....I completely agree with this.0 -
I completely understand your frustration- I have been there. For me, there was a medical explanation, but I took the "your results are fine" from the doctor as the answer for the longest time. But before I go into those details, let me first start off by saying that everything that the previous posters wrote are accurate and are 100% true for everyone. For almost every person, adjusting those factors makes all the difference in the world- which is why it is the first suggstion brought up, and many people swear by it. So even though every single one of those factors can still be contributing (even a tiny bit), but maybe there are other reasons also. For me, I measured everything. Then I read a post about weighing everything instead, and that was what helped me "fine tune" my weight loss- it really did help and make a difference. There are many reasons why it does make a difference, I just can't remember those reasons now- and they weren't all the obvious reasons either.
Ok- now lets get on to the medical part. Have you started any medications or has the formula or brand changed? Do you know what your doctor tested you for? Do you have the actual numbers? What were your thyroid numbers- did they test both T3 & T4? Did they run your hormones, especially if peri-menopause? Did they test your vitamin levels- like D? Did the test you for Celiacs? Did you test your RMR/BMR?
Its critical that you know what your doctor has/has not tested you for and the actual numbers. Once you have those results, then you need to do your research. For example, the thyroid. Not all doctors agree on what the numbers for a "normal range" are, what one doctor thinks is low and treats, another thinks is normal (maybe the low end of normal. but still normal). One doctor will treat symptoms, another will only treat the numbers. Even day to day your numbers can change- I have Hashimoto Thyroiditis and the hallmark of that is the numbers fluctuate all the time, which is why it took so long to catch even though I had symptoms long before they were able to catch it in my bloodwork. My doctor says that happens to other things besides the thyroid, as our blood levels change all the time. Even the type of synthroid medication used to regulate the thyroid can make a difference for some people. This is a good example of why you need to do your research, so you can ask the right questions. Also for me, I have Chronic Low Vitamin D (another autoimmune disorder). When my numbers are not in the normal range, I am unable to lose weight and can gain (though it has to be severely low before the gain happens). I know other vitamin levels in the body can have an effect- just don't know which ones off the top of my head.
As for your RMR/BMR, if you research your blood work results and it truly is in the normal range (and not borderline), and you have taken every step to weigh your food and track every lick, taste and bite, then you need to have your RMR/BMR tested. This will surprise many people- but not everyone has the same RMR/BMR. So the recommendations you get on how many calories to eat is pretty accurate for a heavy majority of people, but not everyone. I am an example of that. My doctor said that I have a very low RMR/BMR rate. He said he has a few people who can't eat more then 1000 calories a day or they will gain weight, he has one that can't eat more then 500 calories a day. I was shocked, as this goes against everything you read and are told about. So, to prove it to me, he had me tested. He was right, I did have an extremly low rate (I am not alone, I met someone else on here that also has been tested very low by her doctor). He put me on a 1000 calorie diet with working out daily, and even with that- I can still struggle (which is why weighing my food can make a difference). I am still trying to fine tune it and find my majic number for losing weight at a reasonable rate while eating as many calories as I can.
So what I recommend you do (besides getting the actual results of your bloodwork), is to for at least 1 month; Weigh all food and prepare every meal yourself (that way you will have 100% control and eliminate any variables), use a properly set up HR monitor for all work out activity (ie: Zumba)- even use a Fitbit (or similar device if your HR monitor does not have that function) to track steps when you are not in Zumba (you may be surprised at how inactive you are), and track everything- every bite, lick and taste (even things like gum, vitamin supplements, cough medicines etc....). I did this and went to my doctor with all of these results charted out, including my daily weight. I even printed out all of the scans for checking into the gym and took pics of every food scale measurement and HR monitor measurement....just so I can prove it in case my doctor did not believe me. Fortunately he did believe me, and did not look at it. But by bringing it in, he knew I was serious and had the data to back up what I was telling him. (At that point, I was eating 1300-1500 calories a day and working out 4 hrs every day and the scale didn't move). The best decision I ever did was to track all of that for a month and bring it in to him and have the conversation- I feel like we are now partners down this journey and he is willing to seriously explore all options because I proved I was serious.
I know this was long, but I hope that it helps. Please keep me updated as to what you discover- good luck with finding your answer.0 -
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OP, if you gained 20 lbs, how many dress/pants sizes did you go up? Do you know how many inches you gained. Muscle, water or fat - 20 lbs is going to make a noticeable difference in how you look. Are you sure the scales you are using are working properly?
Are you on any medications that could have caused this? You say your doctor said your metabolic panel is fine, but what about everything else. Did he do a full blood panel? Was s/he not concerned with an unexpected weight gain of 20 lbs in 8 weeks. That should be legitimate concern from a medical standpoint.0 -
Honestly, I would be concerned from a medical standpoint as a PP suggested.
I would recommend you see an endocrinologist and try and find an answer here.
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