Exercising but gaining weight
missrabbitt1
Posts: 10 Member
So ive been exercising for about 2 months now. I was out 2 weeks Bcuz of a surgery but right back afterwards. I drink on weekends but do not smoke anymore, I'm 9 months cigarette free. I do cardio and I switch it up for example.. I do 20 min treadmill 1 min run 3 min walk and over and over. Or I do 12 incline on the treadmill at 2.7 speed which you feel the burn instantly! Then I use the bike around 10 to 15 mins on hill plus . Or the elliptical on fat burn. Then a few weight machine and free weights after. But my issue is I've GAINED 6 lbs. And I'm not happy about it. I'm loving going to the gym it's a lot of fun and I want to keep going bur how can I lose my weight?! I eat decent.. but I don't restrict myself entirely. I eat what I want but I try to not go overboard. Plz help!
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Weight management is determined by calorie intake. If you're gaining weight, then you're taking in more calories than your body uses in a day. If you want to stop the gain then you need to eat less in some way, shape, or form.5
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What do you mean by you eat decent? Are you counting calories?3
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I find it hard to believe that I'm eating THAT much though.. it doesn't add up to me. I'm eating the same way I did before I started working out. And I was maintaining my weight quite normally. Now.. it's the opposite.0
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missrabbitt1 wrote: »
That's where you're going wrong. Start logging everything. If you need to, a food scale will help immensely in getting accurate portion sizes.3 -
Have you been weighing yourself regularly and you've seen a cumulative gain of 6 lbs or did you just hop on the scale for the first time in 2 months and see the jump in the scale? If you hadn't been on the scale in a while, what you're seeing could just be a fluke.
Is it close to TOM? I easily retain 2-5 lbs of water weight every month.
But it's either water or you're eating more than you think. Maybe try logging everything you eat for a couple of weeks honestly just to see where you're at?0 -
bethannien wrote: »Have you been weighing yourself regularly and you've seen a cumulative gain of 6 lbs or did you just hop on the scale for the first time in 2 months and see the jump in the scale? If you hadn't been on the scale in a while, what you're seeing could just be a fluke.
Is it close to TOM? I easily retain 2-5 lbs of water weight every month.
But it's either water or you're eating more than you think. Maybe try logging everything you eat for a couple of weeks honestly just to see where you're at?
I admit it's been about the first time I've been on the sCale since. And I just was hoping for a smaller number than what I started out with. What is TOM?0 -
You could exercise 10 hours a day, 7 days a week. But if you're eating above your TDEE you will gain weight. Losing weight is 80-90% diet/10% exercise, some people will say it's 100% diet.2
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missrabbitt1 wrote: »
That's where you're going wrong. Start logging everything. If you need to, a food scale will help immensely in getting accurate portion sizes.
I know portion sizes of everything.. this is where I'm confused. I do not eat a lot of junk or I never eat burgers etc. I cook everyday at home and eat lots of produce. It's weird.0 -
Christine_72 wrote: »You could exercise 10 hours a day, 7 days a week. But if you're eating above your TDEE you will gain weight. Losing weight is 80-90% diet/10% exercise, some people will say it's 100% diet.
Literally my diet consists of home cooked meals I make. My meats, all kinds of produce , but I never eat out. Or if I do I choose something healthier if I can. BUT no mcdonalds and stuff in my diet.1 -
missrabbitt1 wrote: »I find it hard to believe that I'm eating THAT much though.. it doesn't add up to me. I'm eating the same way I did before I started working out. And I was maintaining my weight quite normally. Now.. it's the opposite.
Okay. What do you think is causing it, then?0 -
diannethegeek wrote: »missrabbitt1 wrote: »I find it hard to believe that I'm eating THAT much though.. it doesn't add up to me. I'm eating the same way I did before I started working out. And I was maintaining my weight quite normally. Now.. it's the opposite.
Okay. What do you think is causing it, then?
That's what I'm trying to figure out.. I want to rule out some things. But I don't see how my food consumption could be it. I either eat salmon or chicken breast for dinner with a salad or broccoli or asparagus etc. Lunch is a salad and breakfast is one egg & half a bagel or toast. I went backwards here but this is typically what I eat everyday. Excluding snacks.0 -
If I want a piece of chocolate, I eat a piece of chocolate. I don't starve myself entirely but I don't binge either.1
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missrabbitt1 wrote: »bethannien wrote: »Have you been weighing yourself regularly and you've seen a cumulative gain of 6 lbs or did you just hop on the scale for the first time in 2 months and see the jump in the scale? If you hadn't been on the scale in a while, what you're seeing could just be a fluke.
Is it close to TOM? I easily retain 2-5 lbs of water weight every month.
But it's either water or you're eating more than you think. Maybe try logging everything you eat for a couple of weeks honestly just to see where you're at?
I admit it's been about the first time I've been on the sCale since. And I just was hoping for a smaller number than what I started out with. What is TOM?
TOM....time of month, ie your cycle.
Weighing once is not really tracking your weight. Weight can fluctuate a lot.0 -
Aaron_K123 wrote: »missrabbitt1 wrote: »bethannien wrote: »Have you been weighing yourself regularly and you've seen a cumulative gain of 6 lbs or did you just hop on the scale for the first time in 2 months and see the jump in the scale? If you hadn't been on the scale in a while, what you're seeing could just be a fluke.
Is it close to TOM? I easily retain 2-5 lbs of water weight every month.
But it's either water or you're eating more than you think. Maybe try logging everything you eat for a couple of weeks honestly just to see where you're at?
I admit it's been about the first time I've been on the sCale since. And I just was hoping for a smaller number than what I started out with. What is TOM?
TOM....time of month, ie your cycle.
Weighing once is not really tracking your weight. Weight can fluctuate a lot.
I see. Thanks for clearing that up for me. But no TOM here .. so I can also rule this out as well.0 -
diannethegeek wrote: »Weight management is determined by calorie intake. If you're gaining weight, then you're taking in more calories than your body uses in a day. If you want to stop the gain then you need to eat less in some way, shape, or form.
This. You need to log everything you eat and drink and do so accurately.2 -
missrabbitt1 wrote: »
There is your problem. When people increase exercise often two things happen 1) They eat a little more 2) They do less the rest of the day. What that does in counteract the extra calories you burned exercising leaving you at maintenance or even in a surplus. That is consistent tracking and no "guesstimating" is needed.1 -
missrabbitt1 wrote: »missrabbitt1 wrote: »
That's where you're going wrong. Start logging everything. If you need to, a food scale will help immensely in getting accurate portion sizes.
I know portion sizes of everything.. this is where I'm confused. I do not eat a lot of junk or I never eat burgers etc. I cook everyday at home and eat lots of produce. It's weird.
It's possible your guesstimating of sizes has gotten off. Even eating whole foods you can gain weight if you aren't careful.2 -
missrabbitt1 wrote: »diannethegeek wrote: »missrabbitt1 wrote: »I find it hard to believe that I'm eating THAT much though.. it doesn't add up to me. I'm eating the same way I did before I started working out. And I was maintaining my weight quite normally. Now.. it's the opposite.
Okay. What do you think is causing it, then?
That's what I'm trying to figure out.. I want to rule out some things. But I don't see how my food consumption could be it. I either eat salmon or chicken breast for dinner with a salad or broccoli or asparagus etc. Lunch is a salad and breakfast is one egg & half a bagel or toast. I went backwards here but this is typically what I eat everyday. Excluding snacks.
Unless you are logging everything, everyday you simply don't know.
Here is a video that shows just how far off guesstimation and using the wrong measuring tools can be.
https://youtu.be/vjKPIcI51lU
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Before I started calorie counting in October last year, I had endless attempts at losing weight and getting fitter.
Inevitably, every time I'd try to lose weight by joining a gym or stepping up my exercise in another way, I'd end up gaining weight at quite a fast rate.
I thought, like you, I was eating the same. I clearly wasn't. Exercise makes me hungrier, and while I'd use an extra 300 calories a day exercising, I'd overcompensate by eating an extra 500 or so of food. That doesn't mean I'd eat an additional meal so it wasn't that easy to spot - it was an extra spoonful of pasta here, an extra slice of bread there, an extra biscuit etc. It adds up very quickly. It's incredibly easy to accidentally overeat and not notice it. Particularly if your only measure of how much you eat is until you are full - as when stepping up your exercise, it's likely your body wants more and more food until you feel full.
I know some people feel uncomfortable about calorie counting, but I found it an absolute revelation. I counted a bit before actually changing anything about how much I eat, to find out what my average intake was - turns out about 2,300-2,500 calories when eating until full, way too much for me. I've been slowly losing since October last year by eating 1,600-1,800 most days. Lost close to 16kg, and I feel great.6 -
Are you focusing mainly on cardio?
When doing cardio, are you huffing and puffing and sweating & keeping your heart rate in the cardio zone for at least 30 minutes non stop?
Logging your food is also important when you start out because there are probably many foods that have a lot more calories than you think they do, and by logging, you will learn what they are.
Also look at the nutritional information when you log, and this will help you make better choices of eating healthier.
Sounds to me like you are taking the right approach, but you are just having a little trouble getting started.
Total health includes a good fitness level and a healthy well balanced diet, and in my opinion is the best long term way to achieve and maintain a healthy body weight.
If you go on the CDC website, they have all the information you need to do this.
I know it's frustrating at first, but you can learn how to do this. You already have the right idea.0 -
I think it is a combo of things. Perhaps a perfect storm that has gone unnoticed unless there is strict attention to the scale since beginning.
Water weight! First and foremost this is a bugger and can be caused by hormones, sodium, hydration and lack there of, carb intake, muscle recovery, lack of needed rest, etc. Then the good ole food guestimation.
But you do not have to use MFP at all if you do not want to, it is just that if you ask us what is wrong we point to the "tools" and how you are using them.. but..
However, the "body" could really care less about the logging or what you put on the diary or NOT.. It reacts to all the calories you put it in and how many. So take the day to day fluctuations and if you want a method to see almost precisely to the gram how you are eating, use the MFP + food scale = results.0 -
It could also be that you are gaining muscle. Maybe look for the non scale signs of weight loss, like clothes fitting better, more energy, so on.0
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It's not as weird as you're thinking it is. The problem is you're guessing with everything. Weight loss comes down to Calories in VS Calories out...You need to burn MORE calories than you consume, and unless you're weighing all your food, including booze...and unless you have some way of determining how much you are actually burning each day, you're guessing all the way around. Do yourself a favor and get a digital food scale...at least by weighing your food, you can start to get a better idea of what really is going on with your body. Over a few weeks, you will see your trends..I know you believe you know portion size, so did I...but you will be crazy surprised when you see the real numbers, me thinks...3
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TerriMcElrath wrote: »It could also be that you are gaining muscle. Maybe look for the non scale signs of weight loss, like clothes fitting better, more energy, so on.
Not six pounds worth4 -
TerriMcElrath wrote: »It could also be that you are gaining muscle. Maybe look for the non scale signs of weight loss, like clothes fitting better, more energy, so on.
While I agree that the way clothes fit and body measurements are good indicators of success, there is no way she gained 6 pounds of muscle in two months. She didn't even gain one pound of muscle in two months doing the type of exercise she's doing.4 -
It's more likely miscalculation of calories, water weight, or a combination of both.0
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TerriMcElrath wrote: »It could also be that you are gaining muscle. Maybe look for the non scale signs of weight loss, like clothes fitting better, more energy, so on.
Not six pound unless she it using anabolic steroids.3 -
missrabbitt1 wrote: »
Study after study shows that people consistently underestimate how many calories they consume.
Get a food scale and prepare to have your mind blown.0 -
This discussion has been closed.
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