ORANGE THEORY FITNESS....Gaining Weight??
sherry1002
Posts: 7 Member
I love OTF too, but I have GAINED weight!!! I have been doing it since May 2014. I average 4x/week, and typically don't do much working out on my days off because I NEED the rest! I sometimes do consecutive days, but it's really hard and I feel unproductive. I am continuing to eat like I did before OTF workouts, which is around 1200-1300 calories/day of VERY healthy food (gluten-free, raw foods, lean proteins, lots of nuts and yogurt). Before OTF, I was doing hour-long cardio workouts on the elliptical/treadmill 5/6 days a week. I wasn't burning near the amount of calories that I do with OTF. In comparison, I would burn around 300 calories...so for the week I would burn around 1500-1800. With OTF, I burn an average of 500 each time, which with four classes would be 2000. Sooooo....how am I GAINING??? Help PLEASE!?!?!?!?!?
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Replies
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You never told us how much you gained. Anyway, try weighing your food, especially the rich foods like nuts. You might be underestimating your intake.0
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Also, what is your BMI? If it's low, losing weight while doing a lot of exercising is going to be a struggle, I think. I'm not much for starvation mode but I think adaptive thermogenesis does happen and it seems like those would be the ideal conditions-- not much body fat, 1200 calorie intake and a lot of physical demands.0
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I do OT a couple times a week, that's all I could manage. It's a tough workout, and i eat more on the days I do it. I don't thin you're eating enough (if your calories are accurately tracked, weighed and measured) and I think you may be overtraining.
I'd cut back and do 3x a week at OT, and eat more on those days.1 -
OP: Read this link:
triathlete gains 15 pounds- - - -> http://www.exrx.net/Questions/StarvationEffect.html
Quote from article : "A 51 year old patient complained of a 15 lb weight gain over the last year, despite beginning a strenuous triathlon and marathon training program (2 hours per day, 5-6 days per week). A 3 day diet analysis estimated a daily intake of only 1000-1200 Calories. An indirect calorimetry revealed a resting metabolic rate of 950 Calories (28% below predicted for age, height, weight, and gender). After medications and medical conditions such as hypothyroidism and diabetes were ruled out, the final diagnosis was over-training and undereating. "
Also, if you gained 1 to 2 pounds it is water weight since you've changed your workout. So how much did you gain?1 -
I love OTF too, but I have GAINED weight!!! I have been doing it since May 2014. I average 4x/week, and typically don't do much working out on my days off because I NEED the rest! I sometimes do consecutive days, but it's really hard and I feel unproductive. I am continuing to eat like I did before OTF workouts, which is around 1200-1300 calories/day of VERY healthy food (gluten-free, raw foods, lean proteins, lots of nuts and yogurt). Before OTF, I was doing hour-long cardio workouts on the elliptical/treadmill 5/6 days a week. I wasn't burning near the amount of calories that I do with OTF. In comparison, I would burn around 300 calories...so for the week I would burn around 1500-1800. With OTF, I burn an average of 500 each time, which with four classes would be 2000. Sooooo....how am I GAINING??? Help PLEASE!?!?!?!?!?
Hi! I've been going to OTF about 1 1/2 years and about a year into it I gained about 10 lbs, though I lost pants size(?) I don't know how that happened. I am still going and have recently increased my OTF to 5-days a week M-F for the past 31 days. Also trying to increase heart rate to 84% during class and increasing weight wherever I can. I have also started a meticulous account of all meals weighing food and upping my protein. So far it looks like the scale finally moved a bit in the right direction, about -4 lbs. Still at it. My suggestion: Increase protein, reduce carbs. But I'm no expert. My diary is open to friends if you are interested. Good luck!0 -
Thank you all SO much for taking the time to respond to my post.
I really do appreciate it.
To answer one of the replies, my BMI is in "normal" range for my height. I am between 5'8" and 5'9" and my weight is at 145. I've gained 7lbs since starting OTF.
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My BMI is approx. 20. Normal range for my height. I've gained 7 lbs. 1
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Your BMI is 120 now or before you gained 7 lbs.? 20 is borderline underweight. I doubt you've gained fat, maybe water or some muscle. You can buy some calipers and test your body fat level yourself or get hydrostatic testing somewhere for about the cost of one week of OTF. Good luck!0
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Sherry - so how is the OTF going now. I just started a month ago and have gained 4 lbs already. I was losing weight before I started and now Despite still keeping calories in right place I'm gaining too. I see some muscle definition but I also look bigger. How's it going now? I was trying to lose 10 lbs... Was halfway there and then up!0
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I have been going to OTF twice per week since November. Prior to this, I must admit, I wasn't doing too much.
My weight was 122# at 5'4".
I am currently 128# - clothes fit the same but I know I am much stronger.
I track my food intake and try to increase my protein intake - Honestly, I may not be eating enough.
I try to stay at 1200 cals per day
Should I increase it? Afraid scale will keep creeping up if I do.0 -
Hi! New here! I just started OT 2 weeks ago and have also noticed just a slight weight gain! I don't get it! Have you noticed any changes recently??
Thanks!!0 -
Hi, just wanted to chime in here. I also do OTF and the scale does not move. You may want to forget about using your weight as a measurement for fat loss. OTF will make you build a lot of muscle and muscle is denser (heavier) than fat so you may gain weight but actually be losing fat. I have found that the best measuring tool is using fat calipers. You can buy them on Amazon for about $15. My sister and I both have a lot of muscle and she is LEAN at 5'4" 145lbs and I am LEAN at 5'6" 155lbs -- I'm talking you can see abs. Those numbers would be considered overweight for a lot of women at our heights but again it's b/c the muscle is smaller and heavier and we have a lot of it. Think of a pillow case -- if you fill a pillow case with sand vs feathers the shape of the pillow would be the same but they would weigh vastly different #s. muscle = sand, fat = feathers3
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sherry1002 wrote: »Before OTF, I was doing hour-long cardio workouts on the elliptical/treadmill 5/6 days a week. I wasn't burning near the amount of calories that I do with OTF. In comparison, I would burn around 300 calories...so for the week I would burn around 1500-1800. With OTF, I burn an average of 500 each time, which with four classes would be 2000.
If you're eating back the exercise calories then it's highly likely that you're overestimating the calorie expenditure.
As I recall OTF is the one where they stick an HRM on you and display them all on a screen?
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I started doing OTF on August 8th. I weigh the most I have ever weighed and weigh more than I did when pregnant. My weight was 173 in Sept 2012 and because of medication and depression due to my moms death I gained 47 lbs. I'm 5'9 and my weight was 212 on Aug 8th. Weighed the next day and was 214. Worked out 3 days a week with a healthy diet short of starvation some days in desperation to lose the weight I have struggled with the last 2 years. Lost and gained the same few lbs since then and my weight is now 217 and I even look bigger. Because I'm not a small person I have no room to continue to try this and steadily gain and NOT lose weight, I will probably end up cancelling the membership. So disgusted and disappointed as I work so hard!!!0
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I am a 40 year old male. I have been regulating my weight through diet clinics for the past 3 years to stay thin. I started OTF about 5 weeks ago. Since then, I have gained 10 lbs. I have spoken to 2 different doctors as well as the OTF trainers trying to understand what is happening. I am doing between 3 to 4 classes per week. My Fat % has only dropped by about 1%.
My clothes are are getting tight.....which is not indicative of loosing fat and gaining muscle.
I am eating approximately 1800 calories per day. I am burning around 2600 calories per week at OTF.
Can anyone explain to me what the heck is happening?0 -
sherry1002 wrote: »I love OTF too, but I have GAINED weight!!! I have been doing it since May 2014. I average 4x/week, and typically don't do much working out on my days off because I NEED the rest! I sometimes do consecutive days, but it's really hard and I feel unproductive. I am continuing to eat like I did before OTF workouts, which is around 1200-1300 calories/day of VERY healthy food (gluten-free, raw foods, lean proteins, lots of nuts and yogurt). Before OTF, I was doing hour-long cardio workouts on the elliptical/treadmill 5/6 days a week. I wasn't burning near the amount of calories that I do with OTF. In comparison, I would burn around 300 calories...so for the week I would burn around 1500-1800. With OTF, I burn an average of 500 each time, which with four classes would be 2000. Sooooo....how am I GAINING??? Help PLEASE!?!?!?!?!?
You're either overestimating calories burned, not estimating calories eaten correctly, or both.0 -
bfmiller640 wrote: »I started doing OTF on August 8th. I weigh the most I have ever weighed and weigh more than I did when pregnant. My weight was 173 in Sept 2012 and because of medication and depression due to my moms death I gained 47 lbs. I'm 5'9 and my weight was 212 on Aug 8th. Weighed the next day and was 214. Worked out 3 days a week with a healthy diet short of starvation some days in desperation to lose the weight I have struggled with the last 2 years. Lost and gained the same few lbs since then and my weight is now 217 and I even look bigger. Because I'm not a small person I have no room to continue to try this and steadily gain and NOT lose weight, I will probably end up cancelling the membership. So disgusted and disappointed as I work so hard!!!
You are underestimating your calorie intake. OTF is not causing you to gain, eating too much is.2 -
Hi Sherry, I am in the exact same position you are in!! Started OT and gained weight and it is fat! I have since went and had a VOX2 text and metabolic testing. Diagnosis - Overtraining and not eating enough. This testing has given me my personal heart rate range to stay in burn fat which was way under where my heart rate was staying while at OT. My personally designed workout plan is now 2 days of OT, 3 days of light jogging for 40 minutes, 1 long slow day 1-3 hours and one day off. It appears I actually quit doing the very exercise where I was burning fat and replaced it with OT. OT is a wonderful workout and I love how I feel when I leave there. I know I have become more fit so that is great! I think we all forget that we need balance. If you own your own heart rate monitor for OT you can use it with the App Wahoo Fitness and use it to figure out where your own fat burning zone is to stay in the zone during your workouts. I hope this all helps! Oh, one more thing, My diet was changed to 100 grams of Carbs, 75 grams of healthy fat and 100-120 grams of protein per day. 2
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Google OTF and weight gain and you will see a lot of articles about weight gain on this work out. Not all work outs are designed to help lose weight (example :Cross Fit). A high intensity workout that lasts more than 30-45 minutes, causes the body to go into stress and fight or flight syndrome where you release cortisol. This hormone causes the body to stop burning fat reserves. There is also the stress of monitoring heart levels, zones, heart rates. While you may not feel stress, your body can be responding to the stress of the work out. Not all work out types are designed for all people and to achieve their specific goals. If you are not seeing the results you want, do NOT increase the number of sessions. You had better try a different type of program and you would get better results.1
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@jillach thanks for this information!! A year and a half in I have gained 10lbs, gone up at least an inch in thighs, calves, hips, bust, biceps but have lost nothing in my waist. It's frustrating. I go three times a week. I tested out my heart monitor with the App you mentioned and sure enough my zone to stay in is under what I am seeing in my performance summary day after day. Really appreciate your insight.0
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Same thing here! I have been going 4-5 days a week for 5 months and while I feel much stronger and have more muscle I have gained weight. I have talked to several people at my OTF and they say the same. I even had my thyroid checked! Clothes fit a little different but enough for the effort in. I have always been fairly thin and I am now the heaviest I have ever been.1
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I joined OTF a little over 4months ago and have been going 5-6 days a week since joining. I have lost 36lbs so far. However, the first month I put on roughly 6lbs and was experiencing everything discribed in this thread.
After spending a lot of time focusing on my diet, I wasn't eating nearly enough calories to support the workout regimine. I was burning 800-1100 calories a day working out and only consuming 1300 calories (I had the fitness level in my fitness pal set to seditary). As soon as I increased my calorie count to 1800 calories a day (and updated my activity level to "active") the pounds, inches and % of body fat started dropping dramatically. I didn't not want to believe that I wasn't eating enough, but sure enough, as soon as I increased my intake, the weight started melting away.
HIIT workouts also result in calorie afterburn. Don't be afraid to increase your calorie count (within reason) while doing HIIT training.2 -
PS some of the weight gain is also attributed to increased muscle mass, muscle swelling acids and water rentention as well.2
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sherry1002 wrote: »I love OTF too, but I have GAINED weight!!! I have been doing it since May 2014. I average 4x/week, and typically don't do much working out on my days off because I NEED the rest! I sometimes do consecutive days, but it's really hard and I feel unproductive. I am continuing to eat like I did before OTF workouts, which is around 1200-1300 calories/day of VERY healthy food (gluten-free, raw foods, lean proteins, lots of nuts and yogurt). Before OTF, I was doing hour-long cardio workouts on the elliptical/treadmill 5/6 days a week. I wasn't burning near the amount of calories that I do with OTF. In comparison, I would burn around 300 calories...so for the week I would burn around 1500-1800. With OTF, I burn an average of 500 each time, which with four classes would be 2000. Sooooo....how am I GAINING??? Help PLEASE!?!?!?!?!?
You are not doing those workouts, eating <1300 calories a day, and gaining weight.
Start weighing and logging everything you eat, you will discover a much high calories it.
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Hi Sherry, I am in the exact same position you are in!! Started OT and gained weight and it is fat! I have since went and had a VOX2 text and metabolic testing. Diagnosis - Overtraining and not eating enough. This testing has given me my personal heart rate range to stay in burn fat which was way under where my heart rate was staying while at OT. My personally designed workout plan is now 2 days of OT, 3 days of light jogging for 40 minutes, 1 long slow day 1-3 hours and one day off. It appears I actually quit doing the very exercise where I was burning fat and replaced it with OT. OT is a wonderful workout and I love how I feel when I leave there. I know I have become more fit so that is great! I think we all forget that we need balance. If you own your own heart rate monitor for OT you can use it with the App Wahoo Fitness and use it to figure out where your own fat burning zone is to stay in the zone during your workouts. I hope this all helps! Oh, one more thing, My diet was changed to 100 grams of Carbs, 75 grams of healthy fat and 100-120 grams of protein per day.
I did the same... I had my active metabolic test, then I went to see a nutritionist at the same gym. I train in a group fitness 4x week. My protein is 160gr Fat 60-62gr Carb 90-100 gr. I now know my zones, so when class tells you to run at zone 4 you know exactly where you are supposed to be. If you are training 5x week and burning 500+ cal depending on all your stats I would say you need a min of 1500-1600 cal day. Even on non training days. So many people starve their bodies when doing strenuous exercise and you need to feed your body. With good proteins and good fat. If you are not eating enough calories your body will just stop burning.. it will shut down. So that could be your issue. I would definitely spend the money and look for a nutritionist at Orange Theory if they have them. They will be able to give you a better idea based on their own workouts etc. They should also have all your stats, weight/height BF etc so you would get a better idea. Orange Theory isn't cheap so I would def spend the extra $ and see a nutritionist there and figure it out.0 -
I was searching this exact topic a 3 weeks ago and thought I would share my experience so that maybe it could benefit someone else. I am 54 yrs.old, in fairly good shape (former marathon runner, but now just trying to be maintain my fitness and energy level), and was doing Orange Theory 3 times a week and doing moderate strength training 3 times a week, and eating fairly healthily with a cheat day once a week. After 4 months of doing OT consistently I had gained 3 pounds (yes- probably muscle), but I also gained 1 inch in my thighs, 1 1/2 inches in my waist and 2 inches in my hips. This doesn't like much, but I am only 5'2 and even though I loved OT and how fit and energetic I felt afterwards, I did not fit into my clothes and look the way I wanted to considering how hard I worked out. I quit OT and have gone back to running/elliptical 4 times a week and doing XHIT work out videos for firming arms, legs, and abs. It's only been 3 weeks since I stopped OT and I have lost those 3 pounds, but even better, my measurements have gone to below what they were when I started doing OT. I haven't checked with a nutritionist, but what I have figured out for me is that OT made me insanely hungry, and even though I was eating healthy, I definitely was eating more that I needed to cover calories burned. Also, the high number of weighted squats and rowing that we did caused my behind to to get bigger (not what I wanted). I spent a lot of time in the orange and red zones at OT (because I really wanted to push myself) which contributed to my hunger. All in all, I have decided that for my age and fitness goals (maintain and stay firm), OT was not a good fit. I probably could have worked out more in the green and orange zones while at OT, but I don't need to be paying for OT in order to work out at a moderate level. Hope this helps someone-even if just to confirm that yes- OT can make you "bigger" and gain weight if you are eating more than you burn! I can say that OT did help my break the plateau that I had hit so I am grateful for that.
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