What am I doing wrong!?

ang16
ang16 Posts: 91
edited September 27 in Motivation and Support
I am no stranger to exercise but let myself go after my wedding as the stress was unbelievable and I also had lots of assignments due for college.

But 21 days ago, I got my motivation back and started losing approx 1.5-2 lbs a week. Bit then I started really trying to train harder this week. The result... Putting weight on, almost all I have lost! I know about muscle weighing more than fat but really?!!! Will I never see 10 stone again????

I'm really upset(not enough to quit), but it's the psychological aspect of it all.

Anyone go through this? Have been told to get away from the scales and just do measurements ..... I'm in 1200 calories a day and eat more when training... Although I may have 300 calories left at the end... But believe me, I don't starve! I love food. Especially healthy food!

I'm feeling quite down as I was 2lbs away from losing half a stone....

Thanks for reading.

Replies

  • Edestiny7
    Edestiny7 Posts: 730 Member
    Your muscles retain water when you workout, causing you to weigh more. It is not fat weight. You are doing fantastic and you would find if you stopped exercising for 4 or 5 days (don't!) that your weight would drop because your muscles would release the water.
  • rileysowner
    rileysowner Posts: 8,330 Member
    If you just increased the intensity of your workouts this might be happening to you. http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/200544-why-do-you-sometimes-gain-weight-when-starting-a-new-exercis

    You would not have put on muscle that fast. Also make sure you are drinking enough water, especially with working out more you will need more to compensate for the water you lose while exercising.
  • CoachGena
    CoachGena Posts: 13
    There is this delicate balance between eating too much or too little. If your body feels deprived of food or vitamins, it will start storing. It's good to keep your body guessing. Eat a variety of foods. It's okay to be a little bit hungry but don't let yourself get really hungry. And mix up your exercise routine.
    I highly recommend a scale w/ a body fat calculator. I hear from quite a few people that they are not losing weight, just body fat.
  • ChitownFoodie
    ChitownFoodie Posts: 1,562 Member
    Sometimes the 1200 calorie diet doesnt work. I can't see your diary, so i can't comment on your carb/protein/fat intake. Have you tried zig zagging your calories? It has stopped me from plateauing and actually made me lose weight quicker. If you are interested you can go to http://www.freedieting.com/tools/calorie_calculator.htm and plug in your stats, click the link that says 7 day calorie cycle (zig-zag), and it will tell you how many calories you should eat a day. It takes into consideration the amount of exercise you already do, so you don't have to worry about eating your exercise calories.

    also, i changed my goals to 30% carbs, 35% protein and 35% fat. works great too!
  • slonej
    slonej Posts: 2
    I totally get where you are coming from. I don't know if you use artificial sweetener? I had the same thing happen to me. I was eating all the right foods but when i got on the scale I had gained two lbs instead of a loss. My cousin saw me drinking my Splenda sweetened tea one day and suggested that that was my problem. She said that Artificial Sweetener causes water retention. As Im sure its not the case for everyone. I stuck with drinking nothing but water for one day and lost 3 lbs! I couldn't believe it. Now I use Stevia. It works for me. I know how frustrating it can be. Good Luck to you.
  • Ervie317
    Ervie317 Posts: 179 Member
    Muscle does not weigh more than fat, a lb is a lb, but it is more dense so even though you may weigh more because you have built up muscle you will look slimmer than if that was weight from fat.
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