Need advice please

teresadutton
teresadutton Posts: 217 Member
edited November 25 in Fitness and Exercise
I am within 5 - 10 pounds of my goal weight. I have lost 90 pounds with no exercise. I decided it was time to start toning up and working out to lose the last 5-10 pounds. But since I have starting working out, I am doing circuit training 2x a week and just moving more in general, I have stopped losing weight. What the heck??!!! I know nothing about exercise because I have always avoided it like the plague. Am I doing something wrong? I keep my calories in 1000 to 1200 range everyday.

Replies

  • ThickMcRunFast
    ThickMcRunFast Posts: 22,511 Member
    Starting an exercise routine will usually cause water retention in your muscles (for repair), its normal.

    however with so little to lose and with an exercise routine, only eating 1000-1200 cals is quite low. You should probably start eating more toward maintenance.
  • valmaebel
    valmaebel Posts: 1,045 Member
    First of all, weight is not the most accurate measurement of fitness. Muscle is denser then fat, so you could be losing inches around the waist and be gaining weight. When I was in high school and the most fit I had ever been, I would gain about 10 pounds during the swim season, a time when I was swimming laps about 3 hours a day. Do you only weigh yourself or do you also measure your waist and hips and such?
    It will take a few weeks for the activity level to kick in. You will probably gain weight from gaining muscles and your body will have to adjust to it first. So be patient and stick with it for a month and see what happens.
    Also, have you changed your fitness level on MFP? If you are no longer sedentary, or lightly active your calorie consumption should actually increase slightly.
    Finally, if you are looking only to drop a number on a scale your missing out on the bigger picture of fitness. A person's activity level has been shown in multiple studies to have a large affect on future health problems. Even heavier people who are physically active are far less likely to have health problems (like high blood pressure, heart disease, diabetes, etc) then even skinny people who aren't active. So being so close to your goal, you may want to consider switching your goals or tweaking them a bit.
  • malibu927
    malibu927 Posts: 17,562 Member
    How long has it been since you lost weight and how do you measure those 1000-1200 calories? With so little to lose, you have to be precise in your logging.
  • teresadutton
    teresadutton Posts: 217 Member
    valmaebel wrote: »
    First of all, weight is not the most accurate measurement of fitness. Muscle is denser then fat, so you could be losing inches around the waist and be gaining weight. When I was in high school and the most fit I had ever been, I would gain about 10 pounds during the swim season, a time when I was swimming laps about 3 hours a day. Do you only weigh yourself or do you also measure your waist and hips and such?
    It will take a few weeks for the activity level to kick in. You will probably gain weight from gaining muscles and your body will have to adjust to it first. So be patient and stick with it for a month and see what happens.
    Also, have you changed your fitness level on MFP? If you are no longer sedentary, or lightly active your calorie consumption should actually increase slightly.
    Finally, if you are looking only to drop a number on a scale your missing out on the bigger picture of fitness. A person's activity level has been shown in multiple studies to have a large affect on future health problems. Even heavier people who are physically active are far less likely to have health problems (like high blood pressure, heart disease, diabetes, etc) then even skinny people who aren't active. So being so close to your goal, you may want to consider switching your goals or tweaking them a bit.


    A pound is a pound...doesn't matter if it is a pound of muscle or a pound of fat or a pound of feathers, a pound is a pound. I get so tired of hearing myths like "muscle weighs more than fat so if you are working out that is why you are gaining weight" BS.....muscle takes up less space than fat but it still weighs the same.
  • valmaebel
    valmaebel Posts: 1,045 Member
    Ummm...that's what I said. I said muscle is DENSER than fat and that you could be losing inches but gaining weight. Not a myth, a fact. Try actually reading what I wrote.
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