I do between 2 to 3 hours of cardio a day and I'm still gaining weight, please help.

charlied8817 · January 2018

In a nut shell, I started working out in May of 2017. I was 255ish pounds, 28 years old and 6'2.

I've been on a calorie count diet since then as well. Since May I've gotten down to 182.4( that was mid day this Saturday 1-20) since then I've gained weight, a loy of weight. I weighed in a few moments ago at 191.3.

My one day a week off are Sundays, i didn't go crazy over eating. I ate approx. 3500 on my day off, pretty much learn protien, nuts, fruits and veggies.

I've progressively put more weight on since Saturday. Monday i was 18t, Tuesday i was betwewn 185-187 , i didn't weigh yesterday.

Ive been under my daily calorie goal every day( since I've started in May I've gone over 6 times , 3 where during thr holidays) I make a point to under estimate my calories burned while exercising and overstating when I'm eating just to be on the safe side when I'm logging. I eat about 3,600 calories ( 45-50 carb 25 fat rest protein- I rarely hit my fat )on average, I have an active lifestyle so according to my fitness pal my maintenance is 2600 and I burn between 24 and 2600 a day

This has really bumed me out. What is wrong with me?

What can I do to help get this number down? And why is it fluctuating so much and staying there?

If it was water, wouldn't it quickly jump up and down?

I know this gets brought up a lot but I have never read a case like mine where it's such a drastic increase. It is pretty common for me to pack on a couple pounds here in there but it's never done this at this amount for this long.

RuNaRoUnDaFiEld · January 2018

It's only been since Sunday. chill. It can just be a high salt meal.

What do you mean on Tuesday you were 185-187? Are you weighing multiple times a day and expecting the same result?

Tacklewasher · January 2018

Maybe open your diary, but I know a sushi meal can add 3-4 lbs on me. I use too much soy sauce.

charlied8817 · January 2018

RuNaRoUnDaFiEld wrote: »

It's only been since Sunday. chill. It can just be a high salt meal.

What do you mean on Tuesday you were 185-187? Are you weighing multiple times a day and expecting the same result?

I weighed in the Am before my workout and in the PM after a run.

Even tho it's been 5 days?

Thanks for your reply.

callsitlikeiseeit · January 2018

fitoverfortymom · January 2018

I eat more calories on the weekends than I do during the week, including a boatload of carbs. I'm about 5lbs heavier on Monday and sometimes down by as much as 3lbs (on top of losing the fake 5lb weekend gain) by Friday.

Maybe you could log your weight daily in a trending app like Libra or Happy Scale rather than worrying about the minutia of normal, daily weight fluctuations.

TriPaulCantRun · January 2018

Are your calorie numbers definitely right? I'm a similar size to you and mine are much lower than that. Losing I'm at about 1,900 per day.

RuNaRoUnDaFiEld · January 2018

charlied8817 wrote: »

RuNaRoUnDaFiEld wrote: »

It's only been since Sunday. chill. It can just be a high salt meal.

What do you mean on Tuesday you were 185-187? Are you weighing multiple times a day and expecting the same result?

I weighed in the Am before my workout and in the PM after a run.

Even tho it's been 5 days?

Thanks for your reply.

5 days is nothing, our bodies can hold on to water weight for months in the case of surgeries etc.

You can't weigh twice a day and compare the numbers. Weigh the same time every day wearing nothing. The morning after using the bathroom is most accurate.
If you do it later in the day you have added food weight and water weight from eating and drinking. After a run you will hold water for muscle repair but some days you will have lost due to sweating etc.

Why are you running every single day?

jflongo · January 2018

I work out 1 hr / day. I'm 6'1" about 205 lbs, and my settings put me at 1810 calories per day. I don't eat the additional calories for Net Calories. I stay at 1810, or a hair lower. I have my set a sedentary since I work at my desk most of the day, and set at 1 lb / week loss. I am set a 40% carbs / 35% prot / 25% fat. Are you watching your Macros as well?

To me 3600 calories a day is way too much, don't trust that it says your are burning 2600 calories each day. You are eating double what I eat per day. I would try dropping down to 2200 calories per day and watch your macros.

charlied8817 · January 2018

TriPaulCantRun wrote: »

Are your calorie numbers definitely right? I'm a similar size to you and mine are much lower than that. Losing I'm at about 1,900 per day.

I weigh all my food and count down to the pretzel I eat. If I'm not sure or go out to eat I over estimate to be on the safe side.

For exercise calories, i under estimate what the cardio machines say. I use a fitbit and Samsung health for runs and I average those numbers together.

speedingticket · January 2018

So before Saturday, everything was going fine? If that's the case, don't worry. You can't have gained 9lbs in fat since Saturday. Worry about it if the trend continues to go up over the next few weeks (or if you start to feel unwell, of course, in which case see a Dr). My weight fluctuates by about 5lbs day to day (which is a lot relative to my size as I'm 160 and a 5'6 female). And that's fluctuations based on weighing at the same time of day, on an empty stomach, etc. If I weighed in the evening or after a meal, it would be even more.

rainbowbow · January 2018

At your size it could certainly be water weight, but my take is this...

if you're not losing weight appropriately you are eating too many calories. i would question how much you are actually burning with exercise/maintenance because those numbers don't sound right to me.

charlied8817 · January 2018

jflongo wrote: »

I work out 1 hr / day. I'm 6'1" about 205 lbs, and my settings put me at 1810 calories per day. I don't eat the additional calories for Net Calories. I stay at 1810, or a hair lower. I have my set a sedentary since I work at my desk most of the day, and set at 1 lb / week loss. I am set a 40% carbs / 35% prot / 25% fat. Are you watching your Macros as well?

To me 3600 calories a day is way too much, don't trust that it says your are burning 2600 calories each day. You are eating double what I eat per day. I would try dropping down to 2200 calories per day and watch your macros.

I under estimate my exercise calories and RARELY eat anywhere near my total for the day. I normally eat 35-50% back.

I'm normally at 23-26k steps daily.

speedingticket · January 2018

By the way, why are you doing 2-3 hours of cardio a day? If it's because you're involved in a low impact sport you love, then fine (although that sounds like an unsustainably intense regime if you only started training in the last 12 months?), but you really don't need to be doing that amount of cardio if it's just for the purpose of weight loss, you risk burning out.

charlied8817 · January 2018

speedingticket wrote: »

So before Saturday, everything was going fine? If that's the case, don't worry. You can't have gained 9lbs in fat since Saturday. Worry about it if the trend continues to go up over the next few weeks (or if you start to feel unwell, of course, in which case see a Dr). My weight fluctuates by about 5lbs day to day (which is a lot relative to my size as I'm 160 and a 5'6 female). And that's fluctuations based on weighing at the same time of day, on an empty stomach, etc. If I weighed in the evening or after a meal, it would be even more.

Before Sunday, it was normal for me to jump 2-4 lbs. Obviously depending on what I ate and what not. It's never been this mich weight for so long. A couple days I get.

I always weight in the AM after the bathroom , naked. Same scale.

laur357 · January 2018

Have you recalculated your calorie amounts since you lost weight? You won't have the same results if you're eating the same number of calories MFP recommended when you were 70 pounds heavier.

charlied8817 · January 2018

speedingticket wrote: »

By the way, why are you doing 2-3 hours of cardio a day? If it's because you're involved in a low impact sport you love, then fine (although that sounds like an unsustainably intense regime if you only started training in the last 12 months?), but you really don't need to be doing that amount of cardio if it's just for the purpose of weight loss, you risk burning out.

It's something that gradually happened. I just kept increasing resistance and time.

It's for weight loss and staying in shape for distance runs ( 10ks halfs etc)

charlied8817 · January 2018

rainbowbow wrote: »

At your size it could certainly be water weight, but my take is this...

if you're not losing weight appropriately you are eating too many calories. i would question how much you are actually burning with exercise/maintenance because those numbers don't sound right to me.

RuNaRoUnDaFiEld wrote: »

charlied8817 wrote: »

RuNaRoUnDaFiEld wrote: »

It's only been since Sunday. chill. It can just be a high salt meal.

What do you mean on Tuesday you were 185-187? Are you weighing multiple times a day and expecting the same result?

I weighed in the Am before my workout and in the PM after a run.

Even tho it's been 5 days?

Thanks for your reply.

5 days is nothing, our bodies can hold on to water weight for months in the case of surgeries etc.

You can't weigh twice a day and compare the numbers. Weigh the same time every day wearing nothing. The morning after using the bathroom is most accurate.
If you do it later in the day you have added food weight and water weight from eating and drinking. After a run you will hold water for muscle repair but some days you will have lost due to sweating etc.

Why are you running every single day?

I weigh on the same scale, in the am, after the bathroom naked.

To stay in shape and not gain is why I run 6 out of 7 days a week.

charlied8817 · January 2018

laur357 wrote: »

Have you recalculated your calorie amounts since you lost weight? You won't have the same results if you're eating the same number of calories MFP recommended when you were 70 pounds heavier.

Yes- Everytime I loss i update it in Samsung health and MFP.

I normally finish each day well in the green. On average of 1000 calories.

SportyKirsty · January 2018

HI

3500 is about 1000 more calories than the average sized man requires to sustain their weight so by eating 3500 you are likely to gain in many instances. Note i say average sized - perhaps at your original starting point 3500 was a suitable consumption for weight loss but as you've worked out and lost weight that initial figure isnt going to be the same. A smaller man wont need the same calories to sustain their weight, so do you need to review youer needs?

When you exercise, what exercise are you doing? cardio, strength and conditioning? these can vary greatly in the calorie burn, after burn, are you drinking fluids throughout your workouts? is your salt intake too high so are you retaining water? are you weighing yourself in the same clothes and at the same time of day.

Also how are you recording your food and exercise are you under estimating food and over estimating exercise? ive noticed a lot of the exercise readings on this are incorrect as its specific perhaps to the person who created the entry and I don't know their stats.

Also the more exercise you do the more muscle you can build, muscle is more dense than fat. don't just rate your success and failures on your weight do a measure of how you feel in your own clothes, get a measuring tape.

Hope all this helps! xx

speedingticket · January 2018

How much of your cardio is running, and how many miles are you running a week? It's not massively relevant to your weight gain, I would just be concerned about injury risk (which is obviously very relevant to keeping weight off). I understand wanting to exercise more than is strictly necessary for weight loss- I am a runner/triathlete, and I train for my health (physical and psychological) not weight loss (if anything it can make it much harder)...but 2-3 hours is a lot. I am hoping/assuming that a lot of those hours are cross training and/or resistance training (although that wouldn't count as cardio so maybe not?).

I do between 2 to 3 hours of cardio a day and I'm still gaining weight, please help.

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