3 weeks of weight watchers a LOAD of running ...result ...NO WEIGHT LOSS?!!!

XCHOCOLATECRAZYX
XCHOCOLATECRAZYX Posts: 38 Member
edited November 11 in Health and Weight Loss
So I this evening weight din for the 3rd week doing ww..

First week - maintained but did start running and run around 18mile that week ate fresh foods LOADS water and low carbs (but was probably holding eater due to time of month)

Second week - lost 2.5lb did around 22 mile running and same food as before

Third week -GAINED 2.5lb! Roughly same amount of running same kind of foods only difference I did go running this morning which I normally don't on evening of weigh in..I do feel really bloated and tight stomach tonight which is odd as its not time of month due or anything

My consultant was shocked as much as me...I just find it frustrating as I like the plan and the free aspect of free veg salad and fruit although I never go OTT with it...it's always worked in the past for me but when I look back I was eating "less points". I was going to do a full month of ww before switching to mfp but I can't afford to have any more maintains or gains I have a wedding to attend coming up so need to look my best and I know mfp works as I have done it before and lost weight


My consultant told me to try eating more carbs this week...surely this wouldn't make a difference to weight loss as its calories in Vs caloires out isn't it??

Thanks
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Replies

  • clambert1273
    clambert1273 Posts: 840 Member
    for me it has always been CICO... and nothing is free - including fruits & veggies.
  • SueInAz
    SueInAz Posts: 6,592 Member
    No, eating more carbs isn't going to make a difference. Are you actually counting calories? You don't mention them in your post.

    If you aren't losing weight, you're either retaining water or not eating at a calorie deficit. Running doesn't make a lot of difference if you're eating more calories than you burn and running doesn't burn as many calories as you probably think it does. Are you using a heart rate monitor on your runs to measure and track your calorie burns?

    Honestly, I think you might need to either choose to count calories or follow WW. Trying to do both at the same time seems to drive many people crazy. On a calorie counting plan, fruits and veggies aren't "free" because they have calories; some of them, like bananas, have a lot of calories.
  • omma_to_3
    omma_to_3 Posts: 3,265 Member
    There are lots of reasons. Water retention being a big one. You jumped from now running to running 18 - 22 miles a week? Or were you running before and upped your mileage? Your muscles could be retaining water due to the increased workouts.

    You should watch the fruit with WW too. Nothing in life is free, and you can eat a lot more calories in fruit than you expect. My husband put together a container of grapes and strawberries for me today. I recognized that it was WAY too big. If I had eaten the entire container, it would have been over 200 calories in fruit.
  • Fleetwoodly
    Fleetwoodly Posts: 9
    Have you tried measuring yourself? Taking before - and after photo's? Do your clothes fit better, or even got too big? Those are better indications than that scale.
  • tostaky
    tostaky Posts: 30 Member
    Youve probably put on muscles... Are you clothes slightly bigger yet you have the same weight?
  • maidentl
    maidentl Posts: 3,203 Member
    tostaky wrote: »
    Youve probably put on muscles... Are you clothes slightly bigger yet you have the same weight?

    This is highly unlikely.
  • girlviernes
    girlviernes Posts: 2,402 Member
    muscle repair my friend.
  • XCHOCOLATECRAZYX
    XCHOCOLATECRAZYX Posts: 38 Member
    Thanks for input ... I'm currently doing weight watchers and weight watchers only I have been doing it for 3 weeks I use to calorie count and lose every week but I got a bit too obsessed trying differnt r method such as 5.2 high protein low carb rather then just sticking to my calorie allowance of 1700 and keeping it easy..that's why I decided to do ww after new year as I never felt as obsessed with it as I did cal counting ...of am honest I would have stook to ww but I really want to lose weoght and I know I can do that with MFP...

    Like I said though tonight my belly does feel really swollen like it would if it was time of month but thats not due for two weeks! I have taken measurements when I started 3 months ago but will only be taking them monthly ...my clothes feel same I think haven't noticed difference really....only thing it can be is am obviously eating too much with the free items even if I think I'm not its the only logical explanation ....oh well back to mfp I go least I know it works!

    Thanks for advice and opinions guys x
  • XCHOCOLATECRAZYX
    XCHOCOLATECRAZYX Posts: 38 Member
    And I wasn't running prior to 3 weeks ago when I started
  • SarcasmIsMyLoveLanguage
    SarcasmIsMyLoveLanguage Posts: 2,668 Member
    You're making it too complicated. If you stress about sticking to a specific diet (low carb or whatever), eliminate that variable. The only thing you need to do is stick to your calories. That's it, that's all.

    As for the running - great that you've taken up running but be smart about it. Going from nothing to 18 miles in your first week is a recipe for injury.
  • XCHOCOLATECRAZYX
    XCHOCOLATECRAZYX Posts: 38 Member
    Yes I know as I said I MADE IT COMPLICATED by researching and reading this boards all the time which I won't do again lol Iv learned keep it as simple as possible...and I know I run the risk of injury but I always warm up and a good stretch after ...suppose and just des rate to get the weight off xx
  • SueInAz
    SueInAz Posts: 6,592 Member
    XCHOCOLATECRAZYX wrote: »
    Yes I know as I said I MADE IT COMPLICATED by researching and reading this boards all the time which I won't do again lol Iv learned keep it as simple as possible...and I know I run the risk of injury but I always warm up and a good stretch after ...suppose and just des rate to get the weight off xx

    I get the part about being desperate, really I do, but you have to take a deep breath and a step back. Stress will actually make it harder for you to lose weight. If you put yourself in a position where you can't workout at all because you've injured yourself that's certainly not going to help the situation, either.

    Warming up is not going to save you from an overuse injury. There's a rule for running which says you should never increase your weekly mileage by more than 10%. That means if you ran 3 miles last week you shouldn't run more than 3.3 miles this week and 3.6 miles next week. There's a slow progression for building mileage for a reason. You've broken that one by a lot. You should also not run more often than every other day for at least the first few months. Your joints, shins, etc. need time to recover after each run. Running every day or doing high impact cardio on the days between running put you at a high risk for injury.
  • ImDowner
    ImDowner Posts: 35 Member
    I've been on WW for three weeks also, and I think I'm going to cancel and just do MFP. I've been tracking both just out of curiosity, but following WW. My first week I lost 1 lb, last week 0.8lb, and my next weigh in is tomorrow (as of this morning it was around - 0.6lb). My settings are to lose 2 lbs/week. I'm not eating my exercise calories back or my weekly points. Generally, WW has me eating ~300 calories/day more than MFP says I should eat in order to lose 2lbs/week.

    Another issue I've had is that if I have a breakfast of approximately 400 calories of Raisin Bran and milk (I really love Raisin Bran, y'all), that is quite literally half of my daily WW point gone before 9am, so I have had a couple days of coming in ~400 under what MFP says I should eat. This, of course, balances out with the days I'm over on calories, but with the way my brain works, I just don't think WW is for me.
  • Liftng4Lis
    Liftng4Lis Posts: 15,151 Member
    tostaky wrote: »
    Youve probably put on muscles... Are you clothes slightly bigger yet you have the same weight?

    No^

    OP You are either retaining water from the new exercise or you're not in a deficit, sorry. Everything counts. Weigh and measure and log it all. Remember, patience is key, keep doing what you're doing and you'll lose.
  • pdwhitlock
    pdwhitlock Posts: 83 Member
    This may have been answered already I didn't read all the replies after the original post, but are you eating those weight watchers meals? I stay away from the packaged foods when I'm cutting down. Just from what I've seen in the past, they are loaded with sodium and other stuff that may be causing you to feel bloated. I stick to fixing my own meals. Except for today when I ran short on time making my meals for the day. Also, if you find yourself coming in under your calorie goal, my pt said your body will slow down metabolism to make your body retain the calories you are eating and in turn, your weightloss may not be what you expect.
  • mollyhammar
    mollyhammar Posts: 6 Member
    I recently quit WW because I just wasn't losing weight. I think that the free fruit and veggies add up, so for me it's better to go with straight calories on MFP. It keeps me honest about tracking everything that goes in my mouth. Also, I noticed that my calorie limit on MFP is only 1300/day, which is lower than what I was eating with WW. (It really motivates me to exercise to earn a few more calories!) Good luck.
  • obscuremusicreference
    obscuremusicreference Posts: 1,320 Member
    Do I understand you correctly and you're weighing in the evening? I get that you have to do that in meetings, but you should begin weighing yourself, buck naked and post-bathroom, first thing in the AM. I agree that you will have some muscle repair weight and it's possible that you have sodium weight (and possibly real gain if you've been eating too many "free" fruits and veggies), but your weight in the evening is going to include what you've consumed that day. We can hold something like five pounds of waste in our intestine, plus food in the stomach.
  • WalkingAlong
    WalkingAlong Posts: 4,926 Member
    XCHOCOLATECRAZYX wrote: »
    And I wasn't running prior to 3 weeks ago when I started
    Unless they've changed in the past 7 months, WW doesn't encourage you to even start adding exercise until several weeks in. The reason is it can screw with the scale. Going from zero to 20+ miles a week of running is going to cause water weight issues and you won't know if your diet is working or not for a while.

    How many points are you on, and do you eat all your weeklies and activity points and how many servings of fruit per day? If you don't have much to lose, WW can be a little too generous. Some people have to pass on some things-- like weeklies or more than 2 fruit servings a day, without counting them.

  • Cortneyrenee04
    Cortneyrenee04 Posts: 1,117 Member
    When you start new exercise, you'll hold onto lots of water to repair your muscles. Running 20 miles a week is a lot! It'll take you a while to get used to that.

    Upping your carbs won't help you lose weight. Unless I guess you lowered something else to have you in a deficit. But I love high protein high fats for me.

    Agree with the others that there's no free foods!
  • bogwoppt1
    bogwoppt1 Posts: 159 Member
    How on earth did you go from not running to running 18 miles a week?? I want to know your magic trick.
  • mrsmknitta
    mrsmknitta Posts: 13 Member
    I recently switched from doing mfp to ww. I felt I just needed a change due to boredom. I did not lose anything after three weeks. I decided to count the calories along with the points and I realized that I was eating way more on ww. Especially if I ate all my weekly points and activity points. In the end, I canceled ww and came back to mfp.
  • arditarose
    arditarose Posts: 15,573 Member
    mrsmknitta wrote: »
    I recently switched from doing mfp to ww. I felt I just needed a change due to boredom. I did not lose anything after three weeks. I decided to count the calories along with the points and I realized that I was eating way more on ww. Especially if I ate all my weekly points and activity points. In the end, I canceled ww and came back to mfp.

    Interesting! I always wondered about those WW points.
  • Iwishyouwell
    Iwishyouwell Posts: 1,888 Member
    Lots of people stalled out on WW with their dumbass "free" foods.

    Take a look at WW boards after they made that last change. Dozens of people wondering why they're stalling, despite admitting 5, 6, 7 or more pieces of "free" fruit.
  • WalkingAlong
    WalkingAlong Posts: 4,926 Member
    The boards are open to the public but people who are actually in WW as in they attend meetings or read the online materials provided should know they can't eat 5+ pieces of fruit a day and lose unless they're very overweight. There are guidelines.

    I think most people didn't lose fast enough on the new program because WW started it with the base points level too high. They soon lowered it, for smaller people. Still, people average over 1800 calories a day on WW now. That's not going to work for a lot of us, not without leaving some of those extra points on the table every week.
  • curiousorange
    curiousorange Posts: 16
    When I feel bloated, I find that those activia yogurts really help. Or those yogurt drinks with the good bacteria. Green tea helps me as well.
  • jussy123
    jussy123 Posts: 22 Member
    No one has mentioned it, but are you pregnant? Being bloated and feeling tight around the abdomen was one of my first signs. Maybe peeing on a stick is a good idea.
  • XCHOCOLATECRAZYX
    XCHOCOLATECRAZYX Posts: 38 Member
    thanks everyone...i still have the bloated feeling like its ladies time so strange and a bit painful too is certainly feels like im retaining water on my stomach for some odd reason!
  • Mike_Is_Fit
    Mike_Is_Fit Posts: 8 Member
    It sounds most likely that this is exercise induced inflammation. It is totally normal and will continue to happen. Your body holds onto extra water after exercise when it repairs muscle. The amount of time this lasts will vary from person to person. For me, it lasts about 24 hours after each run. I may be as much as 5 lbs heavier the day after I run and then it is gone just as fast. If you are running every day (since you were not running at all before), you might consider running every other day. This will give your muscles a proper chance to heal.

    Muscle recovery is really the name of the game. The only way to get better at running is through recovery. The run is just the stimulus for recovery.
  • boredlimodriver
    boredlimodriver Posts: 264 Member
    My wife does WW and I always laugh at her "free" fruits and veggies. It's not free, they contain calories.
  • 1princesswarrior
    1princesswarrior Posts: 1,242 Member
    I always get bloated after running. Sometimes I will gain as much as 3 inches in the waist area and my legs really swell. And this is when I am running consistently 5 miles every other day. That could be masking your loss if you are truly eating at a deficit. Especially if you went from not running to 18-20 miles a week.
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