I am gaining more weight the more I walk
Replies
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lalalalalaurie wrote: »Do you really think that it is the increased walking causing your weight gain?
Actually, yes, pondeee, I did. And reason being, I read an article in which they did a study where women who excercized vigorously and gained more fat than the ones who didn't.
I assume the reason is because they were eating more because the exercise was making them hungrier or the weight gain was from some other nefarious, mysterious and unknown reason. Maybe over extension releasing some weird hormone thing.
And frankly? I do wonder if something is wrong with my body.
Exercising can make us more hungry, which is why people often report that increasing exercise -- without using portion control -- can make them gain weight.0 -
lalalalalaurie wrote: »Do you really think that it is the increased walking causing your weight gain?
Actually, yes, pondeee, I did. And reason being, I read an article in which they did a study where women who excercized vigorously and gained more fat than the ones who didn't.
I assume the reason is because they were eating more because the exercise was making them hungrier or the weight gain was from some other nefarious, mysterious and unknown reason. Maybe over extension releasing some weird hormone thing.
And frankly? I do wonder if something is wrong with my body.
Yes ... exercise can make us hungry, and if we don't pay attention to how much we're really eating, we can easily eat more than what we're burning.
But I'll also point out that walking is not "exercising vigorously". Walking doesn't burn all that much in the way of calories.
For example, you'd probably have to walk for half an hour to burn off a banana ... or 13 cashews.
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You've already gotten a bunch of great advice! Get a food scale & weigh your portions. Thats really job one!
I do walk for weight loss. I do body weight resistance exercise & I walk. I'm just ending my first 10-week session & I had everything set to lose one pound a week, but I've actually lost 12.7 lbs.
Very quickly when I started step tracking I could see that I already got about 7500 steps a day just being a mom & a special ed sub. So I upped my goal to 100k a week. The first 50k are just maintenance but the second 50k are truly workouts. I vary between hill climbs, hikes, and fast neighborhood loops.
If I stay under my calorie allotments, walk my 100k steps, & do some weight bearing exercises I lose weight. Every 10 weeks I reset my goals based on my new weight, which gradually ratchets down calories & burns. I try to make 80% of my diet very wholesome and give myself 20% for all the unmentionables like a pint of beer or a bowl of ice cream or a Taco Bell run... When I travel I up the walking & eat all of my exercise calories if I want them. I thought I would maintain doing this, but I lost a pound on my recent vacation week.
You can do this! I love the attitude adjustment I get from walking. It's like a B12, vit C, Motrin & Prozac all rolled into one for me.0 -
lalalalalaurie wrote: »Do you really think that it is the increased walking causing your weight gain?
Actually, yes, pondeee, I did. And reason being, I read an article in which they did a study where women who excercized vigorously and gained more fat than the ones who didn't.
I assume the reason is because they were eating more because the exercise was making them hungrier or the weight gain was from some other nefarious, mysterious and unknown reason. Maybe over extension releasing some weird hormone thing.
And frankly? I do wonder if something is wrong with my body.
What kind of study was this? Did they also say all women were on a scheduled diet where a registered dietitian approved what they were eating, or was it just that they had to exercise vigorously and no one recorded their intake vs. output?
Again with this, unless they can confirm they had a well maintained balanced diet then how do we know what they were eating and if it did, in fact, outweigh what they burned?
Further, tightening up what you eat will help to reduce the amount of body fat you have . . . . so with that in mind, the opposite of that (or gaining body fat) will come from . . . .? Eating too much.0 -
acorsaut89 wrote: »lalalalalaurie wrote: »And not losing. And I am obese.
I am counting calories. It's almost magical how wrong this is going.
It's disheartening. But I am addicted to walking and don't want to stop.
So are you sure you're counting calories accurately? And what do you mean you're addicted to walking? How often do you do it? For how long? How far do you go? If you're burning that many calories (which you would burn a decent amount if you're very obese as the bigger you are, the more it will take to keep you moving) then you're more than likely eating back more than what you burn.
With walking, depending on how fast and how far, your calorie burn will be far less than more intense exercises. I'm not saying that makes it wrong, I'm just saying you need to take that into account. You're not going to burn nearly as many calories walking as with something like running, eliptical, rowing, HIIT circuit training, etc. And that's ok - perhaps those are your goals and you're working your way up. Either way, you really have to take into account the fact that you need to burn more than you consume to lose. It's not easy, especially when it's SO easy to gain the weight, but there's a very real potential you're eating more than you think you are.
You should be weighing/measuring everything as accurately as possible. It's not easy to do, and it can be time consuming but it will help you to see how much you may have been over eating in the past. I've gone from 340lbs to 255lbs. It's not easy . . . but you can do it if you want to. I work out six days a week, now but didn't always.
Good luck to you
Feel free to add me, or reach out if you ever need anything.
Thank you! Good loss you have there that is so much weight gone.
I find that I do fudge things a little if I am perfectly Honest about it. I just was confused because I always fudged and was losing weight before I walked. Maybe I am now making subconscious exceptions because I am walking and feel entitled to more food. I don't know. I feel a bit self unaware when it comes to food.
When I say addicted to walking it means that at the very least I get the 10k steps, but sometimes I am up to 15k and on rare occasion 30k steps.
I feel odd when I don't. But it is mostly city walking. I think for me this walking is a compromise over doing nothing which is what I was doing before. I plan to eventually work out more.
I will add you, thanks!
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lalalalalaurie wrote: »Thanks everyone.
This has been helpful. I think the problem is likely my loose eyeballed portion size. I have never weighed my food. So maybe that is the golden ticket to solving this.
Weigh your food, as this is where the weigh loss will come from, a deficit. If you're not losing, you're not in one.0 -
Do you really think that it is the increased walking causing your weight gain?
If the problem were that she'd been really overestimating walking calories, then it could. The more she walks, the farther over she goes. The more she gains, the more she feels she should walk. Kind of a vicious cycle.
But, OP already said she'd been eyeballing portions so that's the most likely culprit.
Exactly. And I try not to eat my exercise calories, but when I do allow it, I am probably being too lenient with portion sizes.
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PS that documentary oolou recommended is really good!0
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Oh! And another strange thing...
When I was purposely eating my exercise calories I was losing and when I attempted to stop I started gaining.
But perhaps my eyeballing allowing for bigger portions to make up for my sense of deprivation from cutting back on eating exercise calories? And in the end I was eating out of control and didn't realize.
I also have been very stressed and depressed so I did wonder if this was a cortisol thing.
For those that asked, I wear a Fitbit and purely just record steps (and calories) that way.0 -
acorsaut89 wrote: »lalalalalaurie wrote: »Do you really think that it is the increased walking causing your weight gain?
Actually, yes, pondeee, I did. And reason being, I read an article in which they did a study where women who excercized vigorously and gained more fat than the ones who didn't.
I assume the reason is because they were eating more because the exercise was making them hungrier or the weight gain was from some other nefarious, mysterious and unknown reason. Maybe over extension releasing some weird hormone thing.
And frankly? I do wonder if something is wrong with my body.
What kind of study was this? Did they also say all women were on a scheduled diet where a registered dietitian approved what they were eating, or was it just that they had to exercise vigorously and no one recorded their intake vs. output?
Again with this, unless they can confirm they had a well maintained balanced diet then how do we know what they were eating and if it did, in fact, outweigh what they burned?
Further, tightening up what you eat will help to reduce the amount of body fat you have . . . . so with that in mind, the opposite of that (or gaining body fat) will come from . . . .? Eating too much.
There was a discussion of this in the NYT blog: http://well.blogs.nytimes.com/2014/11/12/exercising-but-gaining-weight/, and no, they did not monitor calories and suspect the reason is that people without meaning to eat more or reduce activity at other times (not everyone does, but some).
There is a similar study discussed by Matt Fitzgerald in Diet Cults (he disagrees with the conclusion that exercise is not a good way to lose weight).
If you actually monitor calories so you aren't increasing, that should mean that exercise consistently helps with weight loss, as you have a larger deficit (assuming you don't eat back the calories).0 -
lalalalalaurie wrote: »I feel odd when I don't. But it is mostly city walking. I think for me this walking is a compromise over doing nothing which is what I was doing before. I plan to eventually work out more.
When I first started I was pretty out of shape, so that's basically what I did -- I decided I live in a city and can walk basically everywhere, so I would. I added in more intense stuff gradually over time, but I think recommitting to walking was one of the most important changes I made.0 -
I've never heard of a person gaining more fat from exercising. I doubt there's anything wrong with your body, you just may need to up your game..xo0
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lemurcat12 wrote: »acorsaut89 wrote: »lalalalalaurie wrote: »Do you really think that it is the increased walking causing your weight gain?
Actually, yes, pondeee, I did. And reason being, I read an article in which they did a study where women who excercized vigorously and gained more fat than the ones who didn't.
I assume the reason is because they were eating more because the exercise was making them hungrier or the weight gain was from some other nefarious, mysterious and unknown reason. Maybe over extension releasing some weird hormone thing.
And frankly? I do wonder if something is wrong with my body.
What kind of study was this? Did they also say all women were on a scheduled diet where a registered dietitian approved what they were eating, or was it just that they had to exercise vigorously and no one recorded their intake vs. output?
Again with this, unless they can confirm they had a well maintained balanced diet then how do we know what they were eating and if it did, in fact, outweigh what they burned?
Further, tightening up what you eat will help to reduce the amount of body fat you have . . . . so with that in mind, the opposite of that (or gaining body fat) will come from . . . .? Eating too much.
There was a discussion of this in the NYT blog: http://well.blogs.nytimes.com/2014/11/12/exercising-but-gaining-weight/, and no, they did not monitor calories and suspect the reason is that people without meaning to eat more or reduce activity at other times (not everyone does, but some).
There is a similar study discussed by Matt Fitzgerald in Diet Cults (he disagrees with the conclusion that exercise is not a good way to lose weight).
If you actually monitor calories so you aren't increasing, that should mean that exercise consistently helps with weight loss, as you have a larger deficit (assuming you don't eat back the calories).
Which was the point I was making that you can't just say that a study proves vigourous exercise causes fat gain when there's so many other determining factors. Further, if intake is properly monitored (which can be tricky to learn) I would also argue, like you, that exercise is very helpful for weight loss but it shouldn't be the factor one depends on to lose weight.
ETA: I type too fast and misspell things and leave words out
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lalalalalaurie wrote: »Oh! And another strange thing...
When I was purposely eating my exercise calories I was losing and when I attempted to stop I started gaining.
But perhaps my eyeballing allowing for bigger portions to make up for my sense of deprivation from cutting back on eating exercise calories? And in the end I was eating out of control and didn't realize.
I also have been very stressed and depressed so I did wonder if this was a cortisol thing.
For those that asked, I wear a Fitbit and purely just record steps (and calories) that way.
I love how honest you are with yourself and us. A refreshing change from those who insist they are doing everything correctly.
I think you've pretty much figured out where things were going wrong for you. More exercise does make us more hungry and it's very easy to eat more calories than you've actually burned during that exercise if you aren't closely monitoring it. By making the changes you now know you need to make I think you'll start to see the results you have been expecting.0 -
"But perhaps my eyeballing allowing for bigger portions to make up for my sense of deprivation from cutting back on eating exercise calories? And in the end I was eating out of control and didn't realize."
Perhaps we have our answer. It's not the walking, it's the eating.
Calories in, usually (always) the culprit.
http://www.acaloriecounter.com/blog/why-am-i-not-losing-weight/
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When you talk about gaining weight as a result of walking, what kind of time period are you talking about, and how many pounds? For example, did you walk for two weeks, gain three pounds, stop walking and lose those three pounds? Or is it over a longer period of time? Also, how long have you been walking? Depending on the timeframe, this could just be a normal fluctuation thing. (I exercise regularly, and if I suddenly ramp up my exercise, I'll see a bump on the scale. If I later have to take a light exercise week, I'll see a drop on the scale. If I didn't know that those were both within my normal fluctuation range, I would freak).0
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I started gaining weight when I took up running initially until I realized how slowly I was running and how much extra I was eating because I felt like I worked so hard. Once I took logging seriously again and increased my running distances, the weight started coming off again. Cardio exercises are very hard when you're overweight. That was the case with me. The more weight I'm losing, the easier exercises are and the lesser wound up I feel.0
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I started gaining weight when I took up running initially until I realized how slowly I was running and how much extra I was eating because I felt like I worked so hard. Once I took logging seriously again and increased my running distances, the weight started coming off again. Cardio exercises are very hard when you're overweight. That was the case with me. The more weight I'm losing, the easier exercises are and the lesser wound up I feel.
Thanks for saying that.
It's true. When you weigh more it is so much harder to move that weight around. I remember being thin and the abundance of energy I had because of it.
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When you talk about gaining weight as a result of walking, what kind of time period are you talking about, and how many pounds? For example, did you walk for two weeks, gain three pounds, stop walking and lose those three pounds? Or is it over a longer period of time? Also, how long have you been walking? Depending on the timeframe, this could just be a normal fluctuation thing. (I exercise regularly, and if I suddenly ramp up my exercise, I'll see a bump on the scale. If I later have to take a light exercise week, I'll see a drop on the scale. If I didn't know that those were both within my normal fluctuation range, I would freak).
Over the past month my weight has steadily moved upwards and that is when I really started to walk.
Again, it is likely a counting and portion issue. It's just good to be reminded that that is the case and not some sort of hidden physical issue.
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lalalalalaurie wrote: »When you talk about gaining weight as a result of walking, what kind of time period are you talking about, and how many pounds? For example, did you walk for two weeks, gain three pounds, stop walking and lose those three pounds? Or is it over a longer period of time? Also, how long have you been walking? Depending on the timeframe, this could just be a normal fluctuation thing. (I exercise regularly, and if I suddenly ramp up my exercise, I'll see a bump on the scale. If I later have to take a light exercise week, I'll see a drop on the scale. If I didn't know that those were both within my normal fluctuation range, I would freak).
Over the past month my weight has steadily moved upwards and that is when I really started to walk.
Again, it is likely a counting and portion issue. It's just good to be reminded that that is the case and not some sort of hidden physical issue.
@lalalalalalaurie watch this video
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JVjWPclrWVY 0 -
@lalalalalaurie I just wanted to chime in on how proud I am that you are getting your ten thousand steps, plus, in a day. I am sure this will pay off in health gains.0
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queenliz99 wrote: »lalalalalaurie wrote: »When you talk about gaining weight as a result of walking, what kind of time period are you talking about, and how many pounds? For example, did you walk for two weeks, gain three pounds, stop walking and lose those three pounds? Or is it over a longer period of time? Also, how long have you been walking? Depending on the timeframe, this could just be a normal fluctuation thing. (I exercise regularly, and if I suddenly ramp up my exercise, I'll see a bump on the scale. If I later have to take a light exercise week, I'll see a drop on the scale. If I didn't know that those were both within my normal fluctuation range, I would freak).
Over the past month my weight has steadily moved upwards and that is when I really started to walk.
Again, it is likely a counting and portion issue. It's just good to be reminded that that is the case and not some sort of hidden physical issue.
@lalalalalalaurie watch this videohttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JVjWPclrWVY
I love this!!!!! It is indeed a life changer.
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acorsaut89 wrote: »lemurcat12 wrote: »acorsaut89 wrote: »lalalalalaurie wrote: »Do you really think that it is the increased walking causing your weight gain?
Actually, yes, pondeee, I did. And reason being, I read an article in which they did a study where women who excercized vigorously and gained more fat than the ones who didn't.
I assume the reason is because they were eating more because the exercise was making them hungrier or the weight gain was from some other nefarious, mysterious and unknown reason. Maybe over extension releasing some weird hormone thing.
And frankly? I do wonder if something is wrong with my body.
What kind of study was this? Did they also say all women were on a scheduled diet where a registered dietitian approved what they were eating, or was it just that they had to exercise vigorously and no one recorded their intake vs. output?
Again with this, unless they can confirm they had a well maintained balanced diet then how do we know what they were eating and if it did, in fact, outweigh what they burned?
Further, tightening up what you eat will help to reduce the amount of body fat you have . . . . so with that in mind, the opposite of that (or gaining body fat) will come from . . . .? Eating too much.
There was a discussion of this in the NYT blog: http://well.blogs.nytimes.com/2014/11/12/exercising-but-gaining-weight/, and no, they did not monitor calories and suspect the reason is that people without meaning to eat more or reduce activity at other times (not everyone does, but some).
There is a similar study discussed by Matt Fitzgerald in Diet Cults (he disagrees with the conclusion that exercise is not a good way to lose weight).
If you actually monitor calories so you aren't increasing, that should mean that exercise consistently helps with weight loss, as you have a larger deficit (assuming you don't eat back the calories).
Which was the point I was making that you can't just say that a study proves vigourous exercise causes fat gain when there's so many other determining factors. Further, if intake is properly monitored (which can be tricky to learn) I would also argue, like you, that exercise is very helpful for weight loss but it shouldn't be the factor one depends on to lose weight.
ETA: I type too fast and misspell things and leave words out
Lol! This is the exact article that had me concerned that it was the exercise that caused fat gain.
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lalalalalaurie wrote: »acorsaut89 wrote: »lemurcat12 wrote: »acorsaut89 wrote: »lalalalalaurie wrote: »Do you really think that it is the increased walking causing your weight gain?
Actually, yes, pondeee, I did. And reason being, I read an article in which they did a study where women who excercized vigorously and gained more fat than the ones who didn't.
I assume the reason is because they were eating more because the exercise was making them hungrier or the weight gain was from some other nefarious, mysterious and unknown reason. Maybe over extension releasing some weird hormone thing.
And frankly? I do wonder if something is wrong with my body.
What kind of study was this? Did they also say all women were on a scheduled diet where a registered dietitian approved what they were eating, or was it just that they had to exercise vigorously and no one recorded their intake vs. output?
Again with this, unless they can confirm they had a well maintained balanced diet then how do we know what they were eating and if it did, in fact, outweigh what they burned?
Further, tightening up what you eat will help to reduce the amount of body fat you have . . . . so with that in mind, the opposite of that (or gaining body fat) will come from . . . .? Eating too much.
There was a discussion of this in the NYT blog: http://well.blogs.nytimes.com/2014/11/12/exercising-but-gaining-weight/, and no, they did not monitor calories and suspect the reason is that people without meaning to eat more or reduce activity at other times (not everyone does, but some).
There is a similar study discussed by Matt Fitzgerald in Diet Cults (he disagrees with the conclusion that exercise is not a good way to lose weight).
If you actually monitor calories so you aren't increasing, that should mean that exercise consistently helps with weight loss, as you have a larger deficit (assuming you don't eat back the calories).
Which was the point I was making that you can't just say that a study proves vigourous exercise causes fat gain when there's so many other determining factors. Further, if intake is properly monitored (which can be tricky to learn) I would also argue, like you, that exercise is very helpful for weight loss but it shouldn't be the factor one depends on to lose weight.
ETA: I type too fast and misspell things and leave words out
Lol! This is the exact article that had me concerned that it was the exercise that caused fat gain.
You should not be worried that exercise causes fat gain at all - it doesn't. It has a huge amount of benefits, and when paired with proper nutritional intake can be very helpful in losing weight and maintaining the weight loss.0
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