I would rather quit than feel this bad
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Posts: 46 Member
So first week of working out solidly mon-thur plus counting cals for the first time in my life I see I gained 2 lbs. is this normal? Has anyone actually experienced this or is is just rumored to be normal when will I start losing?Should I stop counting? I could have handled staying the same but going up crushed me.
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A new workout routine will often make one retain water. Our body holds on to water in the muscles to help with recovery. It is 100% normal and shouldn't be anything you worry about. If it doesn't go away in a few weeks, reevaluate.0
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satanicbunny wrote: »So first week of working out solidly mon-thur plus counting cals for the first time in my life I see I gained 2 lbs. is this normal?
It's very common, yes.
There are a number of possible explanations but the predominant cause is likely to be fluid retention due to ramping up exercise levels.
You can tell pretty much nothing at this point.
Keep going and if things haven't improved after a month re-assess your methods.
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Water retention it is. As you keep exercising and hydrating, it'll resolve. Don't give up!0
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Totally normal to gain a few lbs of water weight when you first start exercising. Just stick with it and it will drop off. (assuming you're logging accurately and truly in a deficit)0
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I_Will_End_You wrote: »Totally normal to gain a few lbs of water weight when you first start exercising. Just stick with it and it will drop off. (assuming you're logging accurately and truly in a deficit)
Thanks! I am logging correctly and am using a food scale. Im just worried if i stay the course being up more.0 -
satanicbunny wrote: »So first week of working out solidly mon-thur plus counting cals for the first time in my life I see I gained 2 lbs. is this normal?
It's very common, yes.
There are a number of possible explanations but the predominant cause is likely to be fluid retention due to ramping up exercise levels.
You can tell pretty much nothing at this point.
Keep going and if things haven't improved after a month re-assess your methods.
Thank you
Im down 80 so far it took years bc of slacking but it's gone . I just worry if counting is right for me I hope it is
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satanicbunny wrote: »So first week of working out solidly mon-thur plus counting cals for the first time in my life I see I gained 2 lbs. is this normal? Has anyone actually experienced this or is is just rumored to be normal when will I start losing?Should I stop counting? I could have handled staying the same but going up crushed me.
I definitely see regular "weight gains" particularly on days after my workouts. I went up 1.8 pounds on Wednesday and down 1.8 on Thursday this week. It's just water; makes that are stressed and repairing themselves will swell with water.
Fat cells can also swell with water as they are being emptied of fat. This can cause "stalls" - my longest so far was about 11 days of no net loss, then four pounds of loss in the next two or three days as that water emptied. Of course the fat itself was lost over the entire two weeks, but it didn't show on the scale for a while.
Fat loss can actually be close to linear, but weight loss is not. It's something you need to learn to accept as it's not something you can control.
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The day after workout thing gave me relief because this is the first day this week I haven't worked outrankinsect wrote: »satanicbunny wrote: »So first week of working out solidly mon-thur plus counting cals for the first time in my life I see I gained 2 lbs. is this normal? Has anyone actually experienced this or is is just rumored to be normal when will I start losing?Should I stop counting? I could have handled staying the same but going up crushed me.
I definitely see regular "weight gains" particularly on days after my workouts. I went up 1.8 pounds on Wednesday and down 1.8 on Thursday this week. It's just water; makes that are stressed and repairing themselves will swell with water.
Fat cells can also swell with water as they are being emptied of fat. This can cause "stalls" - my longest so far was about 11 days of no net loss, then four pounds of loss in the next two or three days as that water emptied. Of course the fat itself was lost over the entire two weeks, but it didn't show on the scale for a while.
Fat loss can actually be close to linear, but weight loss is not. It's something you need to learn to accept as it's not something you can control.
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I'm on board with the water retention and the fact that a week is too short a time period to measure effectiveness. If doing both is too overwhelming, have you considered focusing on just the calorie counting instead of worrying about completing an exercise regimen on top of that? If weight management is your goal, calorie counting can really help and you can always add exercise into your routine after you get the counting/logging process settled.
Great loss, by the way!0 -
satanicbunny wrote: »satanicbunny wrote: »So first week of working out solidly mon-thur plus counting cals for the first time in my life I see I gained 2 lbs. is this normal?
It's very common, yes.
There are a number of possible explanations but the predominant cause is likely to be fluid retention due to ramping up exercise levels.
You can tell pretty much nothing at this point.
Keep going and if things haven't improved after a month re-assess your methods.
Thank you
Im down 80 so far it took years bc of slacking but it's gone . I just worry if counting is right for me I hope it is
Congratulations on your previous loss. That's great.
Calorie counting is a good fit for some people, for others not so much. It is definitely worth giving it a good trial period of at least 4-6 weeks though in my opinion. Really it's like learning any skill. Learning to become competent can take effort, dealing with uncertainty and set backs. However once you have a good handle on the skill it ultimately provides you with far more benefits over the long term than the initial short term cost.
Good luck whatever you go with.0 -
tincanonastring wrote: »I'm on board with the water retention and the fact that a week is too short a time period to measure effectiveness. If doing both is too overwhelming, have you considered focusing on just the calorie counting instead of worrying about completing an exercise regimen on top of that? If weight management is your goal, calorie counting can really help and you can always add exercise into your routine after you get the counting/logging process settled.
Great loss, by the way!
Thanks!
I go to the gym bc I really love it especially lifting. I hate calorie counting though . Makes me feel a bit insane at times lol0 -
A few years ago I was working out by lifting heavy or doing HIIT or plyometrics, 6 days per week. I was injured and had to stop all exercise completely. Within two weeks of inactivity I lost close to 10 lbs that stayed off for the duration of my inactivity. Water weight can be quite large and is very real.
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I started a fairly intense workout program same time I started counting as well and only saw a 0.3 pound loss on the scale in the first five weeks (I only weigh once a month). I knew I was doing everything right, though, and by the end of the second month I was down almost 6 pounds, which was good because I'm only on 0.5 pound/week. I haven't weighed again yet but know I'm losing because of how my clothes are fitting. If you're really, really, really being accurate and honest about your logging, trust the process and it will come off.0
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satanicbunny wrote: »tincanonastring wrote: »I'm on board with the water retention and the fact that a week is too short a time period to measure effectiveness. If doing both is too overwhelming, have you considered focusing on just the calorie counting instead of worrying about completing an exercise regimen on top of that? If weight management is your goal, calorie counting can really help and you can always add exercise into your routine after you get the counting/logging process settled.
Great loss, by the way!
Thanks!
I go to the gym bc I really love it especially lifting. I hate calorie counting though . Makes me feel a bit insane at times lol
It can be overwhelming when you first start counting and logging. There are a ton of little tricks you can learn to make it easier.
- I pre-log every day using estimates of what I'm going to eat and then just update the entries when I weigh.
- I also make easily updated recipes (when the tool is working) and meals to take some time off the logging process.
- Find USDA database entries easier by typing "raw" or "cooked" after the food.
These are some helpful threads on the topic:
http://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/discussion/1234699/logging-accurately-step-by-step-guide/p1
http://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/discussion/1296011/calorie-counting-101/p1
http://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/discussion/10012907/logging-accuracy-consistency-and-youre-probably-eating-more-than-you-think/p10 -
I gained some water weight too when I first started going to the gym. I went from sedentary to 5 day a week workouts. The water weight stayed for about 4 weeks, but did go away.0
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I hate counting calories too, so I don't and haven't for many years. It's good for a little bit to see where you are at and have a starting point, but it's not required for everyone. You lost a lot of weight without it, congrats on that. Eating should never stress you out, whether its worrying about logging the calorie content or whatever.
But yes to the original question, as others have said sometimes there are ups and downs and its quite normal0 -
You don't have to count calories if it's not your thing. It works for many people. But it's simply a tool. It's not magic. And if it drives you crazy, and if you're maintaining or able to lose without counting, that's totally fine, too.
I see by your profile that you only have a few pounds left to lose. Those "last 10 pounds" might come off much more slowly than the first 80 that you lost -- it's fairly typical for loss to be very slow near the end. It's also possible that you don't really need to lose those 10 pounds, that your goals can be achieved via strength training and recomp instead. The scale is sometimes besides the point once you get down to those last few vanity pounds.
Good luck!0 -
I hate counting calories too, so I don't and haven't for many years. It's good for a little bit to see where you are at and have a starting point, but it's not required for everyone. You lost a lot of weight without it, congrats on that. Eating should never stress you out, whether its worrying about logging the calorie content or whatever.
But yes to the original question, as others have said sometimes there are ups and downs and its quite normal
This is very true. OP, is there a particular reason you decided to start counting and logging after having so much success without it?0 -
tincanonastring wrote: »satanicbunny wrote: »tincanonastring wrote: »I'm on board with the water retention and the fact that a week is too short a time period to measure effectiveness. If doing both is too overwhelming, have you considered focusing on just the calorie counting instead of worrying about completing an exercise regimen on top of that? If weight management is your goal, calorie counting can really help and you can always add exercise into your routine after you get the counting/logging process settled.
Great loss, by the way!
Thanks!
I go to the gym bc I really love it especially lifting. I hate calorie counting though . Makes me feel a bit insane at times lol
It can be overwhelming when you first start counting and logging. There are a ton of little tricks you can learn to make it easier.
- I pre-log every day using estimates of what I'm going to eat and then just update the entries when I weigh.
- I also make easily updated recipes (when the tool is working) and meals to take some time off the logging process.
- Find USDA database entries easier by typing "raw" or "cooked" after the food.
These are some helpful threads on the topic:
http://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/discussion/1234699/logging-accurately-step-by-step-guide/p1
http://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/discussion/1296011/calorie-counting-101/p1
http://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/discussion/10012907/logging-accuracy-consistency-and-youre-probably-eating-more-than-you-think/p1
I will mention that I pre-log too, but I don't update my diary with actual numbers - I weigh out the portion I already logged and try to keep it close to the plan. If I'm off by a few grams it's not the end of the world, particularly as I aim to come in slightly under. I only update if I am significantly off for some reason.0 -
rankinsect wrote: »tincanonastring wrote: »satanicbunny wrote: »tincanonastring wrote: »I'm on board with the water retention and the fact that a week is too short a time period to measure effectiveness. If doing both is too overwhelming, have you considered focusing on just the calorie counting instead of worrying about completing an exercise regimen on top of that? If weight management is your goal, calorie counting can really help and you can always add exercise into your routine after you get the counting/logging process settled.
Great loss, by the way!
Thanks!
I go to the gym bc I really love it especially lifting. I hate calorie counting though . Makes me feel a bit insane at times lol
It can be overwhelming when you first start counting and logging. There are a ton of little tricks you can learn to make it easier.
- I pre-log every day using estimates of what I'm going to eat and then just update the entries when I weigh.
- I also make easily updated recipes (when the tool is working) and meals to take some time off the logging process.
- Find USDA database entries easier by typing "raw" or "cooked" after the food.
These are some helpful threads on the topic:
http://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/discussion/1234699/logging-accurately-step-by-step-guide/p1
http://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/discussion/1296011/calorie-counting-101/p1
http://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/discussion/10012907/logging-accuracy-consistency-and-youre-probably-eating-more-than-you-think/p1
I will mention that I pre-log too, but I don't update my diary with actual numbers - I weigh out the portion I already logged and try to keep it close to the plan. If I'm off by a few grams it's not the end of the world, particularly as I aim to come in slightly under. I only update if I am significantly off for some reason.
Agreed. I've been doing it long enough that I know about how much I'm going to have and weigh out my portions to the gram I'm seeking. The only things I end up changing at this point are calorie-dense foods. Using the estimates when I first started out really helped me stay on top of what I was eating.0 -
A few years ago I was working out by lifting heavy or doing HIIT or plyometrics, 6 days per week. I was injured and had to stop all exercise completely. Within two weeks of inactivity I lost close to 10 lbs that stayed off for the duration of my inactivity. Water weight can be quite large and is very real.
I started lifting weights again Oct 29 and by Nov 10 had gained seven pounds. I have a cold and haven't lifted weights since Nov 7 or walked since Nov 10 and am down five pounds. It's threads like this that keep me from freaking out.
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I think everyone is right on the water. Just a tip though, I got depressed the first week I started, so I started taking measurements. They go down even when the scales don't, and then you don't feel that bad because you know that you are making progress.
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satanicbunny wrote: »satanicbunny wrote: »So first week of working out solidly mon-thur plus counting cals for the first time in my life I see I gained 2 lbs. is this normal?
It's very common, yes.
There are a number of possible explanations but the predominant cause is likely to be fluid retention due to ramping up exercise levels.
You can tell pretty much nothing at this point.
Keep going and if things haven't improved after a month re-assess your methods.
Thank you
Im down 80 so far it took years bc of slacking but it's gone . I just worry if counting is right for me I hope it is
That's AMAZING!! Well done!
Slow and steady wins the race.
You've got this. Don't give up, eat your food and power through.0 -
Thanks!
I go to the gym bc I really love it especially lifting. I hate calorie counting though . Makes me feel a bit insane at times lol [/quote]
Well then welcome to the asylum!!0
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