Disappointed and demotivated -- weight gain after new routine

myztic
myztic Posts: 37 Member
edited December 1 in Fitness and Exercise
Hi everyone!
I'm feeling so demotivated.
My weight has started quickly creeping up (probably due to my thyroid issues) and I started watching my diet for the last two weeks. Started logging again this week and exercising to ripped in 30. I also did c25k on Monday (week one day one). I started when I saw my weight at 112 (2 weeks ago), last week I was at 112.8. This morning I weighed myself it's 114. What is going on? I'm 5'1 normally 108 pounds (that's when I look skinny fat...)

Replies

  • aub6689
    aub6689 Posts: 351 Member
    Exercise can cause inflammation and therefore water retention. I don't think you have enough information to consider the 112-114 jump to be weight gain.
  • sanfromny
    sanfromny Posts: 770 Member
    Muscle repair from new exercise program. Give it time and drink more water. You'll even out
  • myztic
    myztic Posts: 37 Member
    Ok so I shouldn't be going crazy with the ridiculous weight gain that makes me not feel like working out today? I started at 112... So I thought the 112.8 was just normal exercise water weight gain but it seems like that part is sticking over the last two weeks.
    I tried to tell myself that it's me gaining muscle ... But as long as I know it's normal. I see so many other People with wonderful losses their first week.
  • sanfromny
    sanfromny Posts: 770 Member
    No you're not going crazy...boy I wish I could find this old thread, the girl started at 125 ended at 136 and she looked freaking fantastic, she looked 15lbs lighter rather than 11lbs heavier. Her before and after were fantastic. If I find it I'll post the link, but I wouldn't worry about the scale so much. The scale is the devil! lol
  • aub6689
    aub6689 Posts: 351 Member
    Does ripped in 30 contain strength training? (added weights or body weight)
  • ucfali21
    ucfali21 Posts: 3 Member
    Same thing happening to me -- Since January, I've been running 3 times a week (working my up to 6 miles) and strength training and yoga on my non run days. The scale hasn't budged. Started logging my meals and I'm not over eating -- had a long talk with my doctor and hopefully after my lab work comes back, we can come up with a solution.
    In the past, a low/no carb diet worked for me, but really hard to maintain.
    Good luck...if you find a solution, let me know!
  • rileysowner
    rileysowner Posts: 8,336 Member
    myztic wrote: »
    Ok so I shouldn't be going crazy with the ridiculous weight gain that makes me not feel like working out today? I started at 112... So I thought the 112.8 was just normal exercise water weight gain but it seems like that part is sticking over the last two weeks.
    I tried to tell myself that it's me gaining muscle ... But as long as I know it's normal. I see so many other People with wonderful losses their first week.

    More often than not the water retention from a new workout program is measured in pounds not just .8 pounds. Track your food carefully, keep working out, and the weight will come off. Sometimes drinking a lot of water helps.
  • rileysowner
    rileysowner Posts: 8,336 Member
    ucfali21 wrote: »
    Same thing happening to me -- Since January, I've been running 3 times a week (working my up to 6 miles) and strength training and yoga on my non run days. The scale hasn't budged. Started logging my meals and I'm not over eating -- had a long talk with my doctor and hopefully after my lab work comes back, we can come up with a solution.
    In the past, a low/no carb diet worked for me, but really hard to maintain.
    Good luck...if you find a solution, let me know!

    Different situation. This weight gain was from a change in workout routine which is very normal. If your weight has not budged since January you are likely eating more than you think, or if you eat back exercise calories, you are not burning as much as you think. Either way, you are at maintenance if you have stayed the same weight for 5 months.
  • 2011rocket3touring
    2011rocket3touring Posts: 1,346 Member
    aub6689 wrote: »
    Exercise can cause inflammation and therefore water retention. I don't think you have enough information to consider the 112-114 jump to be weight gain.

    This. Start measuring yourself and check in 30 days if your logging faithfully and eating mostly clean.
  • myztic
    myztic Posts: 37 Member
    edited May 2016
    I'm starving though. I'm eating around 1400-1500 calories and feel so hungry. I exercise off about 200 calories and not sure how to increase that. I started couch to five k also so I will burn more today too. I have no idea how anyone can burn 500 calories in an hour (without a gym membership.) any suggestions? also, Any suggestions for low calorie but really filling meals?
  • JoRocka
    JoRocka Posts: 17,525 Member
    It's been a week.
  • lorrpb
    lorrpb Posts: 11,463 Member
    Fluctuations of a few pounds are perfectly normal. Nothing you get stressed over. Certainly not an excuse to quit exercising!
  • lorrpb
    lorrpb Posts: 11,463 Member
    myztic wrote: »
    I'm starving though. I'm eating around 1400-1500 calories and feel so hungry. I exercise off about 200 calories and not sure how to increase that. I started couch to five k also so I will burn more today too. I have no idea how anyone can burn 500 calories in an hour (without a gym membership.) any suggestions? also, Any suggestions for low calorie but really filling meals?
    myztic wrote: »
    I'm starving though. I'm eating around 1400-1500 calories and feel so hungry. I exercise off about 200 calories and not sure how to increase that. I started couch to five k also so I will burn more today too. I have no idea how anyone can burn 500 calories in an hour (without a gym membership.) any suggestions? also, Any suggestions for low calorie but really filling meals?

    The first few weeks of C25k are mostly walking & will not burn many extra cals. Since you are so hungry, try increasing your cals and move to this goal slower. Otherwise you risk binging. Did you read the sticKY posts here on mfp that explain how to lose weight & give you lots of tips? I encourage you to do that!
  • thefuzz1290
    thefuzz1290 Posts: 777 Member
    Don't worry about the scale, worry about how your clothes fit. Remember, a woman 5'1" 110lbs at 30% bf won't look as good as a person 5'1" 120lbs at 15%bf. Also, don't get in the habit of looking too much at weekly progress, but judge success at the end of each month.
  • myztic
    myztic Posts: 37 Member
    That is true. Since the first week of couch to five k is a minimal calorie burn, what could I do to up the burn? I'd love to be able to work out daily for an hour and burn 500 calories --- but I haven't been able to figure out how to do that yet
  • myztic
    myztic Posts: 37 Member
    Thefuzz that is so true. If I don't drop my calories down to 1200 but still exercise I should inevitably still see better fitting of my clothes since I would be gaining muscle anyway?
  • thefuzz1290
    thefuzz1290 Posts: 777 Member
    If you've been sedentary for a long period of time (or your whole life) doing virtually anything will gain muscle (though running will have you gain the least amount of muscle). Don't drop your calories too low, or you won't lose fat. The buzzword is "starvation mode," but essentially your body wants to keep hold of your fat stores for emergency energy and you could gain fat. You're fairly thin as it is and you might want to throw in weight training as well (even if its just calisthenics) for body composition's sake. I peeked at your diary and you might want to try to up your protein and lower your carbs slightly (nothing drastic, but maybe 80g protein/130 carbs). Every body is different and responds to stimulus differently, so you'll just have to play around with diet and exercise until you find what works for you.
  • AnvilHead
    AnvilHead Posts: 18,343 Member
    thefuzz1290 wrote: »
    If you've been sedentary for a long period of time (or your whole life) doing virtually anything will gain muscle (though running will have you gain the least amount of muscle). Don't drop your calories too low, or you won't lose fat. The buzzword is "starvation mode," but essentially your body wants to keep hold of your fat stores for emergency energy and you could gain fat. You're fairly thin as it is and you might want to throw in weight training as well (even if its just calisthenics) for body composition's sake. I peeked at your diary and you might want to try to up your protein and lower your carbs slightly (nothing drastic, but maybe 80g protein/130 carbs). Every body is different and responds to stimulus differently, so you'll just have to play around with diet and exercise until you find what works for you.
    "Starvation mode" is a big load of BS which has been scientifically disproven over and over. You don't gain fat in a caloric deficit.
  • wilsoncl6
    wilsoncl6 Posts: 1,280 Member
    myztic wrote: »
    I'm starving though. I'm eating around 1400-1500 calories and feel so hungry. I exercise off about 200 calories and not sure how to increase that. I started couch to five k also so I will burn more today too. I have no idea how anyone can burn 500 calories in an hour (without a gym membership.) any suggestions? also, Any suggestions for low calorie but really filling meals?

    Just a quick look at your diary indicates that the likely reason that you're hungry is that most of your calories are coming from carbs, which it should, but you might want to switch it up a little and start taking in a lot more protein and shift down on your carbs. Protein takes longer to break down and makes you feel fuller longer. Carbs are the quickest and easiest to break down for energy and will empty out of your stomach quicker. You may be hitting your caloric goal but you're body may not have adjusted yet, thus causing hunger pangs. Drinking a lot of water will help fill that hole also. You can definitely burn 500 calories in an hour but with high intensity cardio. I wouldn't go about trying to burn more calories and worry more about shifting the substance of where your calories are coming from. Also, not sure what the above poster is talking about but your body doesn't have a "starvation mode". It will look for any energy source that it can find to feed it's energy needs, or it will try to force you to slow down because you don't have the energy to support what you want to do. As you get older, your body may not function as efficiently as it used to but that's not something you probably need to worry about right now.
  • thefuzz1290
    thefuzz1290 Posts: 777 Member
    edited May 2016
    AnvilHead wrote: »
    You don't gain fat in a caloric deficit.

    Never said gain, but you retain it longer.
  • AnvilHead
    AnvilHead Posts: 18,343 Member
    thefuzz1290 wrote: »
    AnvilHead wrote: »
    You don't gain fat in a caloric deficit.

    Never said gain, but you retain it longer.

    You didn't? Let's see:
    Don't drop your calories too low, or you won't lose fat. The buzzword is "starvation mode," but essentially your body wants to keep hold of your fat stores for emergency energy and you could gain fat.

    Looks to me like that's exactly what you said. You don't gain fat or "hold on to it longer" in a caloric deficit. If that was the case, there would be a lot of fat anorexics and obese people in third world countries with food scarcity problems.
  • thefuzz1290
    thefuzz1290 Posts: 777 Member
    Then I mistyped: "and you could gain fat." And you're going to the extremes with anorexics and legitimate starvation, not someone on an extreme caloric deficit. Someone eating 900 calories isn't anorexic or starving, but they're eat much less than they should.
  • myztic
    myztic Posts: 37 Member
    So I need to swap it up and add protein instead of as many carbs... Ok I can do that. Do I need to change anything in my food log settings for that or just find more protein rich foods.
  • AnvilHead
    AnvilHead Posts: 18,343 Member
    edited May 2016
    thefuzz1290 wrote: »
    Then I mistyped: "and you could gain fat." And you're going to the extremes with anorexics and legitimate starvation, not someone on an extreme caloric deficit. Someone eating 900 calories isn't anorexic or starving, but they're eat much less than they should.
    Sure they are. And there are a lot of potential problems with that including malnutrition, loss of lean body mass, hair loss, fatigue/inability to support workouts, organ damage (in extreme cases), etc.

    But fat gain is not one of the potential problems. Again, you do not gain fat while in a caloric deficit. That's not how energy balance works.

    OP's issue is most likely that she just started exercising (a video workout routine and C25K), and she's retaining water/glycogen in her muscles as her body adapts to the new demands imposed upon it. It has nothing to do with "starvation mode" (which, again, isn't a real thing). She's also not gaining any appreciable amount of muscle on a 1200 calorie diet and doing a bunch of cardio, so muscle gain is not the culprit. That's not how energy balance works either.
  • thefuzz1290
    thefuzz1290 Posts: 777 Member
    myztic wrote: »
    So I need to swap it up and add protein instead of as many carbs... Ok I can do that. Do I need to change anything in my food log settings for that or just find more protein rich foods.

    A high protein diet helps lean people out, in most cases, but I'd slowly up your protein to carb ratio until you get used to it.
  • myztic
    myztic Posts: 37 Member
    Should I be using a protein powder?
This discussion has been closed.

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