how

You may be putting on muscle if you're not used to exercising. Muscle weighs more than fat, but it burns more calories AND it looks better.

Also make sure you're measuring your food really well. If you don't have a kitchen scale, get one. Count every piece of food and beverage (other than water) that passes your lips. You might be getting more calories than you think you are.

Don't worry about the weight yet. Concentrate on getting fit and eating right and try looking at how many inches you're losing rather than how many pounds. That's a more realistic sign of what you're doing.

Not sure. Is what you're eating high in sodium? Maybe its water weight?

Can't see your diary but, this is what I was wondering too. You may also need to eat a bit more. Maybe eat back 1/2 your calories.

I suggest using the Search engine at the top of these forums to look up similar posts to yours. There is a plethora of information for newbies regarding immediate "weight gain" after working out really hard for what could be the first time.

In a nut shell; your body retains water to help aid the recovery of those muscles you just worked out. Therefore; the water weight makes you think you put on actual pounds, but its just not the case.

Two items; its takes 3500 calories above your resting metabolic rate to put on one pound. You clearly didn't do that; so you are fine.
Second; make sure you are NETTING 1200 calories...not just eating 1200 calories and then subtracting 400 in a workout, meaning you are netting 800 cals. You body is going to hold on to whatever calories it gets and you will end up sabotaging your weight loss.

If your goal is 1200 cals per day; and you workout totals 400 calories; it means you get to eat 400 more cals that day because MFP has already calculated your weightloss at 1200 cals.

Make Sense? Oh, and avoid high sodium and processed foods. Eat clean, unprocessed, low sodium meals and you'll watch the weight fall off. When you workout; give it all you got; do not half *kitten* a workout. Its better to put 110% into a 20 min workout, then half *kitten* an hour and a half. You will see muscular results a lot quicker this way as well.

That's all I got; good luck!

do you clothes feel tighter/smaller?