Diet and cardio and gaining weight??? Help!

fddee
fddee Posts: 24 Member
edited November 13 in Health and Weight Loss
Hi. I am a 41 year old mother of three, still nursing my 19 month old. I have been dieting and started cardio (hiit) for almost two weeks now and have GAINED 2 pounds. Advice? What am I doing wrong?

Replies

  • StaciMarie1974
    StaciMarie1974 Posts: 4,138 Member
    Give it more time. Could be TOM/stress/new exercise routine water weight gain.

    Accurate logging, eating at a deficit. Key to success for weight loss. So be honest & accurate about what you consume & what you burn, and give it time to 'work'.
  • ewartluft
    ewartluft Posts: 79 Member
    What she ^^ said. Also, how much/little are you eating? This is going to sound completely backward, but if you're not eating enough calories a lot of times your body will hold on to or even add more fat (especially when you're breast feeding). A friend of mine who was breast feeding actually lost weight -and inches- when she stopped working out.
  • malibu927
    malibu927 Posts: 17,562 Member
    ewartluft wrote: »
    What she ^^ said. Also, how much/little are you eating? This is going to sound completely backward, but if you're not eating enough calories a lot of times your body will hold on to or even add more fat (especially when you're breast feeding). A friend of mine who was breast feeding actually lost weight -and inches- when she stopped working out.

    No. If you're in a deficit, you'll lose.

    OP, it could be a number of reasons. I also gained in my first two weeks, and then it reversed. Make sure you're logging everything you eat as accurately as possible, including using a food scale if need be.
  • galgenstrick
    galgenstrick Posts: 2,086 Member
    HIIT Cardio is going to increase your muscle mass and may increase your weight slightly. Your weight will increase based on a ton of factors. So it's best not to use a scale as your only measure of progress. For example, if you eat a salty meal and weigh yourself in the morning, you'll be holding on to a lot more water than if you didn't eat the salt. try using pictures or a tape measure in addition to the scale to judge your progress. Also weight yourself at the same time of day (preferably after waking up in the morning before eating or drinking).
  • brianpperkins
    brianpperkins Posts: 6,124 Member
    galgenstrick wrote: »
    HIIT Cardio is going to increase your muscle mass and may increase your weight slightly. Your weight will increase based on a ton of factors. So it's best not to use a scale as your only measure of progress. For example, if you eat a salty meal and weigh yourself in the morning, you'll be holding on to a lot more water than if you didn't eat the salt. try using pictures or a tape measure in addition to the scale to judge your progress. Also weight yourself at the same time of day (preferably after waking up in the morning before eating or drinking).
    No it won't. It is difficult enough for a woman to build appreciable muscle mass when on a surplus ... it does not happen at a deficit.

    Applying Occam's Razor here ... the likely reasons are underestimating intake and/or overestimating exercise burn. With a closed diary, it's impossible for anyone to honestly assess.
  • Liftng4Lis
    Liftng4Lis Posts: 15,151 Member
    Are you in a deficit?
  • zoezoekende
    zoezoekende Posts: 27 Member
    May you're not eating enough. Your body needs nutrition, to make the milk and keep all systems working. Make healthy choices and eat at least 6 times daily.
  • Christine_72
    Christine_72 Posts: 16,049 Member
    zoezoekende wrote: »
    May you're not eating enough. Your body needs nutrition, to make the milk and keep all systems working. Make healthy choices and eat at least 6 times daily.

    The bolded part has never made sense to me. @zoezoekende what is the science behind this??
  • sbahlezinwe67
    sbahlezinwe67 Posts: 84 Member
    featherdee wrote: »
    Hi. I am a 41 year old mother of three, still nursing my 19 month old. I have been dieting and started cardio (hiit) for almost two weeks now and have GAINED 2 pounds. Advice? What am I doing wrong?

    As stressing as it is but my experience has Been that if I workout hard I don't loose weight of I even gain weight but if I stop and eat at a deficit and occasionally walk than the scale mooves, I was kind of adapting into working out 4 days a week for the first time in my life, my main aim in doing all that is to be healthy and most importantly loose weight so I decided to stick with what makes me loose weight
  • Sued0nim
    Sued0nim Posts: 17,456 Member
    Holy cow - eat more to lose weight, gain muscle in a defecit from cardio and meal timing

    Bro-Science Bingo!

    OP what are your stats and can you set your diary to public please
  • natashajf
    natashajf Posts: 35 Member
    You definitely need to make sure you are not starving yourself as you need to eat the right food and nutrients to make that milk.
    Another important factor to weight loss is sleep. I know that is a tough one for mums, particularly with a baby. But your body won't do what it needs to do to convert fat to fuel if you aren't sleeping enough.
  • zoezoekende
    zoezoekende Posts: 27 Member
    edited March 2015
    http://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/group/3817-eat-more-2-weigh-less

    And eating 6 times keeps the bloodsugar levels better, you feel better with smaler meals.
  • fddee
    fddee Posts: 24 Member
    Thanks for all the input. I haven't been to great with my MFP online food diary, but am getting better., that said I am certain that I am definitely at a deficit, around 1200 calories a day and trying to exercise 5x's a week, cardio and weights. I will try to figure out my settings and make them public.
  • brianpperkins
    brianpperkins Posts: 6,124 Member
    featherdee wrote: »
    Thanks for all the input. I haven't been to great with my MFP online food diary, but am getting better., that said I am certain that I am definitely at a deficit, around 1200 calories a day and trying to exercise 5x's a week, cardio and weights. I will try to figure out my settings and make them public.

    If you are at a deficit .. you will lose. It's the basic math of thermodynamics. Your hit or miss logging makes an honest assessment of your intake impossible.
  • zoezoekende
    zoezoekende Posts: 27 Member
    Hope you can translate this I'm from Holland

    http://www.dieetvandaag.nl/3314/2013/10/10/onderzoek-6-keer-per-dag-eten-om-af-te-vallen/
  • lemonlionheart
    lemonlionheart Posts: 580 Member
    sbahlezinwe67 wrote: »
    featherdee wrote: »
    Hi. I am a 41 year old mother of three, still nursing my 19 month old. I have been dieting and started cardio (hiit) for almost two weeks now and have GAINED 2 pounds. Advice? What am I doing wrong?

    As stressing as it is but my experience has Been that if I workout hard I don't loose weight of I even gain weight but if I stop and eat at a deficit and occasionally walk than the scale mooves, I was kind of adapting into working out 4 days a week for the first time in my life, my main aim in doing all that is to be healthy and most importantly loose weight so I decided to stick with what makes me loose weight

    There is no way that working out more is hindering your weight loss, unless it is causing you to eat more as you get hungrier. What is way more likely is that when you exercise hard your muscles hold on to water to repair, which can show as a gain on the scale. This goes away once your body gets used to the activity! Please don't let this discourage you from exercise, exercise is your friend :)
  • hhnkhl
    hhnkhl Posts: 231 Member
    depends on what you are eating for the diet....it could also be water retention
  • fddee
    fddee Posts: 24 Member
    edited March 2015
    [quote
    There is no way that working out more is hindering your weight loss, unless it is causing you to eat more as you get hungrier. What is way more likely is that when you exercise hard your muscles hold on to water to repair, which can show as a gain on the scale. This goes away once your body gets used to the activity! Please don't let this discourage you from exercise, exercise is your friend :)
    [/quote]

    This makes the most sense! Here's hoping I see a change soon. and I made my diary public. Thanks
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