counting calories + exercise = weight gained? annoyed....

marylemay wrote: »

Are there others like this? people who count their calories and exercise but are still gaining weight. I understand that a portion of it is muscle but if that were all true I'd be one buff chick and I am not... I'd like to just stop the gain. If possible, go back to my beginning weight. what do I do?!?

Okay so, it seems you're new to MFP and I'm going to give you the low-down.

One of the biggest things with MFP forum culture is to be really sure you're eating what you believe you're eating. The best thing would be to weigh your food- not measure it using cups (I learned that lesson). Log everything, and it means logging every nibble, bite, lick, finger swipe-lick, or even a cooking spoon sip to taste. Yes, you have to count those because if it's got calories, it counts to your total calorie intake. You can certainly use cups to weigh foods in them, but don't ever trust those things to be super accurate. I like to take a food item, say dressing, weigh the entire darn thing on the scale and then take out what I want to eat while watching the scale's number change. When you do that, you can lick the spoon to your delight

If you recently started, it's imperative to give it time. By time, I mean give it a good month to 6 weeks. Don't weigh yourself more than once a week, as it'll drive you crazy and weight loss is NOT linear! I can't stress that enough.

Make sure your workouts are effective workouts, not some nilly willy thing barely breaking a sweat. USE those muscles, sweat, rehydrate yourself, and be consistent.

If you have an underlying health condition, keep that in mind as insulin sensitivity can make weight loss more difficult (if you have it). Other metabolically-related illnesses can make weight loss difficult too, and I think it's important to consult with your doctor about those specific needs.

I say start with these things. There are relevant links that I know would be useful, so if anyone takes note of them and can readily post them please do.

So read what troutlilly advises above....set your activity level on MFP to what you feel it is...MFP will give you your calorie goal....pick up a food scale, they're cheap 15$ at Walmart or amazon....start weighing, by the gram. Log everything, including your workouts....After a short amount of time this will be super easy to do because your regular foods will already be there....If you manage to burn more a day than you eat, you will lose weight. I aim for at least 500 a day. Good luck, it sounds like you're pretty active, so you will probably ace this!

Also take a look at this flowchart to see if you can pinpoint your problem.

marylemay wrote: »

I don't weigh my food. do you guys mean going by grams rather than 'half a cup'?

I do exercise a good portion, my hobby is circus arts: aerial conditioning and contortion, so a lot of strength. It's also spring which means the beginning of triathlon season, so cardio will be picking up more: biking, running and begrudgingly swimming.

The main reason i exercise and try to keep weight off is because i have heart and lung disease (Pulmonary arterial hypertension). it's important to keep really healthy and keep the weight gain off. if i can get it down then even more kudos.

Yes you have to weigh by grams, ounces, fluid ounces, etc. Measurements like "half a cup" vary because different foods have different masses.

If you're a woman in your 40s hormonal changes can make a big difference. At some point in their 40s, many women often see an increase in weight, seemingly out of the blue, despite their normal workout routines and proper diet. Balancing your hormones, getting the proper amounts of macronutrients, doing sufficient strength training, getting enough sleep and decreasing stress is important.

We lose an average of 5 percent of our muscle mass every 10 years after the age of 35—if we don't do anything about it. We see drastic effects when we lose muscle: We gain weight. If you don't intentionally rebuild muscle through exercise, you'll need to eat 150 to 450 fewer calories every day every 10 years to maintain your current weight.

Major dietary factors that can contribute to muscle loss are inadequate protein intake, insufficient calorie intake, and chronic, low-level metabolic acidosis (or an abnormally increased acidity in the body’s fluids).