Just started exercising yet I gained weight.. So discouraged.

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latina0514
latina0514 Posts: 27 Member
in Health and Weight Loss
I have lost 37 lbs without really exercise and I started being faithful to the gym the last week or so and stayed within my calorie allowance yet the scale shows a 2 lb gain. Not sure what I am doing wrong. I focus mostly on cardio at the gym, not a whole lot of weights so I don't think I'm building muscle yet. Is this common? Any advice or encouragement would be appreciated.
Thank you in advance!
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Replies

  • AlciaMode
    AlciaMode Posts: 421 Member
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    Weight is not everything. You may have gained s couple pounds but if you had measured yourself you would see a smaller number. Have you noticed your clothes fitting any tighter or are they actually getting looser? Keep at it, the real results take time.
  • JenMc14
    JenMc14 Posts: 2,389 Member
    edited May 2015
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    If you're body is not used to exercise, then it could just be adjusting. Your muscles could be holding water. Give it a few weeks. It is incredibly unlikely that you will gain muscle at a calorie deficit doing only cardio. I would definitely add resistance training in sooner rather than later as well.
  • Sarauk2sf
    Sarauk2sf Posts: 28,072 Member
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    When you start exercising (or change the intensity/type), you will retain water in your muscles (its a 'self defense/repair' mechanism). It can be quite a few pounds. Be patient and keep your diet in check. It will stabilize.
  • dalila747
    dalila747 Posts: 153 Member
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    This happened to me as well. i started doing a thrice weekly bootcamp workout and went up about 3 lbs. Most people will tell you it is water weight wain from the muscle inflammation and it should go down once the muscles recover. Unfortunately for me it has not gone down. So I bought myself a tape measure to see if I'm losing that way. Just keep at it. Eventually things will balance themselves out and exercise is much more than just about weight loss.
  • missiontofitness
    missiontofitness Posts: 4,074 Member
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    Water retention from exercise can happen.
    Water retention from eating sodium can happen.
    Bodily waste inside of you can happen.

    Weight loss is not linear, and some week there are gains. As long as you are in a calorie deficit, weighing your food, and not overestimating your burns, gains will be temporary.
  • 257_Lag
    257_Lag Posts: 1,249 Member
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    That is VERY common when you start a new routine. Give it a week. Muscles retain water to repair themselves.
  • juggernaut1974
    juggernaut1974 Posts: 6,212 Member
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    New exercise = water retained by muscles.

    Very common for weight to go up a bit when starting a new exercise regimen, but it's likely water weight, not fat.
  • astrampe
    astrampe Posts: 2,169 Member
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    Water retention due to your body holding back water to repair muscles. It is common when one starts a new exercise program. Ditch the scale and take your measurements instead.....You cannot build muscle doing only cardio, and definitely cannot build 2lbs of muscle in a week.... Drink lots of water and keep on doing what you are doing....
  • erinm5
    erinm5 Posts: 55 Member
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    If your diet is accurate as you suggest then it could be water retention due to increased activity. Give yourself at least another 2 weeks of consistent and accurate logging and exercising and the scale will start to move in the right direction. Be patient it will happen!! =)
  • MelWick524
    MelWick524 Posts: 215 Member
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    I can fluctuate 8lbs in a day, lol. Give it time. Do what you're doing. Relax. Weight loss isn't linear. Congrats on your weight loss so far!
  • dalila747
    dalila747 Posts: 153 Member
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    When would you all say that this water weight drops off, everything else being equal? It's been about a month since I started exercising and I still haven't lost the extra 3. At what point do you say, wait, maybe it's not water?
  • auroranflash
    auroranflash Posts: 3,569 Member
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    missiontofitness wrote: »
    Water retention from exercise can happen.
    Water retention from eating sodium can happen.
    Bodily waste inside of you can happen.

    Weight loss is not linear, and some week there are gains. As long as you are in a calorie deficit, weighing your food, and not overestimating your burns, gains will be temporary.

    ^^^^ This. Especially when you have less to lose initially, you'll see fluctuations. When I first start logging/exercising, I lose about 5 or 10lbs like nothing, but from then on it's slow and stagnant. Resistance training will most definitely help you look and feel better and stronger. Don't forget it's good for your bones, too!
  • montanasnowflake
    montanasnowflake Posts: 9 Member
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    AlciaMode wrote: »
    Weight is not everything. You may have gained s couple pounds but if you had measured yourself you would see a smaller number. Have you noticed your clothes fitting any tighter or are they actually getting looser? Keep at it, the real results take time.

    EXCELLENT statement....one that I have found true for myself as well. Go more by how your clothes feel than what the scale says.

  • latina0514
    latina0514 Posts: 27 Member
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    Thanks for the responses.. I will start taking measurements and ditch the scale for a while. I feel better know, I'm not giving up I just want to make sure I stay on track.
  • maidentl
    maidentl Posts: 3,203 Member
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    dalila747 wrote: »
    When would you all say that this water weight drops off, everything else being equal? It's been about a month since I started exercising and I still haven't lost the extra 3. At what point do you say, wait, maybe it's not water?

    Are you trying to lose or maintain? If you are trying to lose and your weight isn't coming down after a month, I'd say you're probably not eating in a deficit.
  • LivingtheLeanDream
    LivingtheLeanDream Posts: 13,345 Member
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    Its completely natural for scales to show a gain with newbie workouts, its just water weight - being active is good for us in so many ways so keep up your new habit :smile:
  • latina0514
    latina0514 Posts: 27 Member
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    MelWick524 wrote: »
    I can fluctuate 8lbs in a day, lol. Give it time. Do what you're doing. Relax. Weight loss isn't linear. Congrats on your weight loss so far!

    Thank you!
  • LivingtheLeanDream
    LivingtheLeanDream Posts: 13,345 Member
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    maidentl wrote: »
    dalila747 wrote: »
    When would you all say that this water weight drops off, everything else being equal? It's been about a month since I started exercising and I still haven't lost the extra 3. At what point do you say, wait, maybe it's not water?

    Are you trying to lose or maintain? If you are trying to lose and your weight isn't coming down after a month, I'd say you're probably not eating in a deficit.

    ^^ ok just seeing this reply, and agree with above answer, rule of thumb is if no loss in 3 weeks then you are probably eating too much or over estimating the calorie burn of your exercise.
  • Saphira291
    Saphira291 Posts: 54 Member
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    the same thing happened to me in the last week. I took a tape measure though and noticed I lost a few inches in various areas. It really is a good idea to measure rather than look at the scale it seems.
  • dalila747
    dalila747 Posts: 153 Member
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    maidentl wrote: »
    dalila747 wrote: »
    When would you all say that this water weight drops off, everything else being equal? It's been about a month since I started exercising and I still haven't lost the extra 3. At what point do you say, wait, maybe it's not water?

    Are you trying to lose or maintain? If you are trying to lose and your weight isn't coming down after a month, I'd say you're probably not eating in a deficit.

    Trying to lose. Currently MFP has me at 1200. According to my TDEE -500 for 1 lb a week I would be at around 1014, which I hear is no bueno. I just have a feeling that I have a very low metabolism (I'm extremely small boned and have very little muscle).

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