Struggling- gaining with exercise

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btsrc5
btsrc5 Posts: 6 Member
in Motivation and Support
I have been religious about tracking everything I eat since the beginning of June. I added exercise 3 weeks ago (5x a week, Jillian Michaels or Turbo Jam or hiking).

Since i added exercise, I have actually gained 3 lbs.

My total weight loss sits at 16 lbs right now. I have another 100 lbs to lose, so I am not close to my goal at all.

I don't understand how I all not losing. Calories in vs calories out, right? I am not eating my exercise calories so I should have significant calorie deficits. I am very frustrated and feeling very discouraged.

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  • BekahC1980
    BekahC1980 Posts: 474 Member
    edited September 2015
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    Water retention from exercise could be reason
  • btsrc5
    btsrc5 Posts: 6 Member
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    BekahC1980 wrote: »
    Water retention from exercise could be reason

    For three weeks? I thought maybe that was it for the first week, but after gaining two weeks after that too I am thinking it has to be something else.
  • WildePillar
    WildePillar Posts: 120 Member
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    btsrc5 wrote: »
    I have been religious about tracking everything I eat since the beginning of June. I added exercise 3 weeks ago (5x a week, Jillian Michaels or Turbo Jam or hiking).

    Since i added exercise, I have actually gained 3 lbs.

    My total weight loss sits at 16 lbs right now. I have another 100 lbs to lose, so I am not close to my goal at all.

    I don't understand how I all not losing. Calories in vs calories out, right? I am not eating my exercise calories so I should have significant calorie deficits. I am very frustrated and feeling very discouraged.

    If you're doing Jillian Michaels, could you possibly be gaining muscle weight?

    Also, you have to make sure that you're eating enough. You said you have a significant calorie deficit, which can sometimes work AGAINST you. What are your caloric needs at this point? How much would you said you're taking in on a daily basis? If you're eating too little, your body will go into starvation mode and store everything as fat... be careful!
  • arditarose
    arditarose Posts: 15,573 Member
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    WildePillar wrote: »
    btsrc5 wrote: »
    I have been religious about tracking everything I eat since the beginning of June. I added exercise 3 weeks ago (5x a week, Jillian Michaels or Turbo Jam or hiking).

    Since i added exercise, I have actually gained 3 lbs.

    My total weight loss sits at 16 lbs right now. I have another 100 lbs to lose, so I am not close to my goal at all.

    I don't understand how I all not losing. Calories in vs calories out, right? I am not eating my exercise calories so I should have significant calorie deficits. I am very frustrated and feeling very discouraged.

    If you're doing Jillian Michaels, could you possibly be gaining muscle weight?

    Also, you have to make sure that you're eating enough. You said you have a significant calorie deficit, which can sometimes work AGAINST you. What are your caloric needs at this point? How much would you said you're taking in on a daily basis? If you're eating too little, your body will go into starvation mode and store everything as fat... be careful!

    Jillian Michaels, in a deficit-no. Muscle gain happens in a caloric surplus with heavy lifting.

    Also, if she was eating "too low" she'd still be losing weight. Starvation mode in this sense is a myth.

  • arditarose
    arditarose Posts: 15,573 Member
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    OP, if you could open your diary we might be able to help you. Maybe something is off.
  • btsrc5
    btsrc5 Posts: 6 Member
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    WildePillar wrote: »
    btsrc5 wrote: »
    I have been religious about tracking everything I eat since the beginning of June. I added exercise 3 weeks ago (5x a week, Jillian Michaels or Turbo Jam or hiking).

    Since i added exercise, I have actually gained 3 lbs.

    My total weight loss sits at 16 lbs right now. I have another 100 lbs to lose, so I am not close to my goal at all.

    I don't understand how I all not losing. Calories in vs calories out, right? I am not eating my exercise calories so I should have significant calorie deficits. I am very frustrated and feeling very discouraged.

    If you're doing Jillian Michaels, could you possibly be gaining muscle weight?

    Also, you have to make sure that you're eating enough. You said you have a significant calorie deficit, which can sometimes work AGAINST you. What are your caloric needs at this point? How much would you said you're taking in on a daily basis? If you're eating too little, your body will go into starvation mode and store everything as fat... be careful!

    I eat between 1200 and 1500 cals a day.
  • btsrc5
    btsrc5 Posts: 6 Member
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    arditarose wrote: »
    OP, if you could open your diary we might be able to help you. Maybe something is off.

    I will try to figure out how to do that. Thanks
  • arditarose
    arditarose Posts: 15,573 Member
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    btsrc5 wrote: »
    arditarose wrote: »
    OP, if you could open your diary we might be able to help you. Maybe something is off.

    I will try to figure out how to do that. Thanks

    It's under Settings I believe.
  • 999tigger
    999tigger Posts: 5,235 Member
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    Id guess that you were eating more than you realise, such that you were only on a small deficit to begin with and the exercise has just led you to eat a bit more as well as retain a bit of water. Your diary will give a good indication, am sure ardita will be able to see what the issue most likely is.

    You also don say how long it took you to lose the 16? sometimes its just patience.
  • btsrc5
    btsrc5 Posts: 6 Member
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    999tigger wrote: »
    Id guess that you were eating more than you realise, such that you were only on a small deficit to begin with and the exercise has just led you to eat a bit more as well as retain a bit of water. Your diary will give a good indication, am sure ardita will be able to see what the issue most likely is.

    You also don say how long it took you to lose the 16? sometimes its just patience.

    Since the beginning of june, so 3 months.
  • Frequently_Fabulous
    Frequently_Fabulous Posts: 132 Member
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    I'd be happy to look at your diary and exercise and give you feedback! I sent us a friend request. I work in the medical field and have lost 100 pounds, so I feel I usually have a couple good tricks and tweaks to share! :)
  • JamestheLiar
    JamestheLiar Posts: 148 Member
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    arditarose wrote: »
    OP, if you could open your diary we might be able to help you. Maybe something is off.

    I was thinking the same thing, OP. Reasons for weight gain are most often found in the food diary, not in the exercise diary. Is it possible you've increased your daily calorie intake to make up for the calories you think you're burning with the exercise? If so, you could be over-estimating the calorie burn and eating too much.

    Let's have a look.
  • TnTWalter
    TnTWalter Posts: 345 Member
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    you're probably over estimating your calories burned in your workouts. That's my best guess. So either put in half the calories you think you burned or just don't eat back the exercise calories. See if that makes a difference. Also, measure. Sometimes when we don't lose weight we still lose inches which is a plus! [building muscle].
  • SueInAz
    SueInAz Posts: 6,592 Member
    edited September 2015
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    If you aren't losing weight you are not burning fewer calories than you eat. It's almost always that simple. If you haven't been eating back any exercise calories (one of the usual suspects), that can't be it. That's leaves the fact that you are probably eating more calories than you think you are.

    How are you verifying the calories you are entering into your diary? Are you using a kitchen scale to weigh food portions? Using measuring cups? Eyeballing portions? Choosing generic entries like "medium banana"? Are you using other people's meal entries or creating your own recipes?

    The less weight you have to lose the more imperative it is that your diary entries be accurate. Using a food scale to weigh as much of your food as possible, and then entering it into your diary using grams or ounces, is the best way to ensure accuracy and teach yourself to eyeball portion sizes later. You can get away with being less accurate when you have a lot more to lose but when you can only create a small deficit you have to be much more exact. Eating portions that are larger than you think or forgetting to log a couple hundred calories each day can easily stall your progress.
  • btsrc5
    btsrc5 Posts: 6 Member
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    Thank you. I just ordered a food scale. I have been using measuring cups, entering my own recipes (love the barcode scanner), using nutritional info from packages, etc. But I don't have a scale yet.

    I haven't been eating exercise calories, so overestimating those isn't my problem.

    I have an appointment for a physical next month to get my blood checked too, just in case.

    Thank you again
  • magicmarigold
    magicmarigold Posts: 40 Member
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    Nothing scientific and people will probably come and say I'm wrong but I track my weight once a week. But make sure I weigh the morning after my rest day from exercise. If I weigh the day after exercising I either show a gain or no weight loss but when I have a day off and then weigh. Wooosh the weight has dropped again! I'm guessing it's something to do with muscles retaining water? I know it's silly and doesn't really make a difference but it's worth a go!
  • SueInAz
    SueInAz Posts: 6,592 Member
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    magicmarigold wrote: »
    Nothing scientific and people will probably come and say I'm wrong but I track my weight once a week. But make sure I weigh the morning after my rest day from exercise. If I weigh the day after exercising I either show a gain or no weight loss but when I have a day off and then weigh. Wooosh the weight has dropped again! I'm guessing it's something to do with muscles retaining water? I know it's silly and doesn't really make a difference but it's worth a go!

    Yes, muscles retain water for repair after strenuous exercise but, as you've noted, it's temporary. And it's even scientific! The water gain from the exercise is disguising your fat loss progress. However, it's not going to be the reason that the OP can't lose weight over a long period of time. :smile:

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