>:O Why?!!!

swissdutchess
swissdutchess Posts: 109
edited September 19 in Motivation and Support
Ok. I don't get it. I've been running outside for about 7 months now (4-5 miles a morning) and lost a lot of weight, which came off quite fast. I hit a plateau at the beginning of the year that lasted up until a week or two ago, when I got a gym membership. I wanted to change it up, get cross training and all. For the last two weeks I've done cycling classes, sprints on the treadmill, and strength training on the equipment, and still running outside, burning 500-800 calories a day, and working out 5-6 days a week. Before I hit the plateau I wasn't eating all my calories. I'd only eat around 1200-1300, so when I wasn't loosing anything, I thought I needed to eat all or close to all my cals since I was burning more and in different ways at the gym. I ate 6 small meals a day (each 150-250 cals), knowing that I had to fuel my body and keep my metabolism going. I was afraid I would be eating too much (even w/out ever going over my limit), but I did it anyway. I made sure to eat lots of fruits, veggies, fibers and whole grains. I even ousted 1/2 a cup of ice cream from my diet every evening, though I still have a small piece of chocolate after dinner every night to keep myself happy.

When I was plateauing, I fluctuated between 155-159 lbs, never more, never less. Once I got my gym membership, switched up my work outs and ate more often throughout the day, I was hoping that would change. It did, and in a bad way! I got on the scale this morning and weighed 160lbs! I was so upset that I was back in the 160s because I have worked so hard to stay out of them. This site keeps saying I'll be in the 140s in 5 weeks if I keep it up, but its been saying that for a long long time. My friend at work who is way into fitness says that I can't look at it in a bad light, that I need to be positive and keep the perspective that I am changing my life style and my body, and not stress over lbs. But its hard not to, especially when they were coming off so fast not too long ago. He also said it could be water weight, and that if I want to loose more, I should go back to eating 1200-1300 cals/ day and not eat the ones I burn. But Bob on Biggest Loser said we should eat all our calories. I know I can loose so much more, but I just don't know what to do. And I feel like eating so often won't help me loose weight.

Advice? Support? Suggestions? :(

Replies

  • swissdutchess
    swissdutchess Posts: 109
    Ok. I don't get it. I've been running outside for about 7 months now (4-5 miles a morning) and lost a lot of weight, which came off quite fast. I hit a plateau at the beginning of the year that lasted up until a week or two ago, when I got a gym membership. I wanted to change it up, get cross training and all. For the last two weeks I've done cycling classes, sprints on the treadmill, and strength training on the equipment, and still running outside, burning 500-800 calories a day, and working out 5-6 days a week. Before I hit the plateau I wasn't eating all my calories. I'd only eat around 1200-1300, so when I wasn't loosing anything, I thought I needed to eat all or close to all my cals since I was burning more and in different ways at the gym. I ate 6 small meals a day (each 150-250 cals), knowing that I had to fuel my body and keep my metabolism going. I was afraid I would be eating too much (even w/out ever going over my limit), but I did it anyway. I made sure to eat lots of fruits, veggies, fibers and whole grains. I even ousted 1/2 a cup of ice cream from my diet every evening, though I still have a small piece of chocolate after dinner every night to keep myself happy.

    When I was plateauing, I fluctuated between 155-159 lbs, never more, never less. Once I got my gym membership, switched up my work outs and ate more often throughout the day, I was hoping that would change. It did, and in a bad way! I got on the scale this morning and weighed 160lbs! I was so upset that I was back in the 160s because I have worked so hard to stay out of them. This site keeps saying I'll be in the 140s in 5 weeks if I keep it up, but its been saying that for a long long time. My friend at work who is way into fitness says that I can't look at it in a bad light, that I need to be positive and keep the perspective that I am changing my life style and my body, and not stress over lbs. But its hard not to, especially when they were coming off so fast not too long ago. He also said it could be water weight, and that if I want to loose more, I should go back to eating 1200-1300 cals/ day and not eat the ones I burn. But Bob on Biggest Loser said we should eat all our calories. I know I can loose so much more, but I just don't know what to do. And I feel like eating so often won't help me loose weight.

    Advice? Support? Suggestions? :(
  • livinwell
    livinwell Posts: 47
    I agree with your friend. Eventually you will be happy with the scale if you just keep it up and if you are happy with your "body image" who cares what the scale says.

    Chin up!:flowerforyou:
  • amtish
    amtish Posts: 7
    Sometimes when you train at the gym, you gain more muscle. When you go on your runs, you're doing cardio and you're working the same muscles every day. But when you go to the gym and you start working on different points of your body, those muscles start to build too. So in your first couple of weeks in the gym, you're going to see a weight gain; muscle is heavier than fat. After a month or so, you will see your weight start to decline again.

    My trainers always told me that when I am in the gym, don't do workouts with heavy weights, because that builds muscle. If you're going for weight loss, just do more repitition.

    Hope that helps. And all of this is just my opinion, I could be wrong. That's just how I have always looked at it.
  • Iceprincessk25
    Iceprincessk25 Posts: 1,888 Member
    If you're doing weight training PLEASE REMEMBER that muscles weighs more than fat!! I would suggest having your body fat measured and to take your measurements with a tape measure. Scales are the devil and sometimes lie!! You can't base all your happiness on what that number says.

    Please keep up your good work!:smile:

    The effects of weight training takes WEEKS to start showing externally. A lot of the changes that are going on right now are internal.

    It you want to build muscle mass - heavy weight, less reps

    If you want to tone muscle mass - low weight, with tons of reps!
  • kendallalissa
    kendallalissa Posts: 249
    Thank you for posting this, as I am having the same issues! I've been at 137.5 since the end of January! My MFP settings are put so that I lose 1 lb. per week, but it's not happening. I'm even eating correctly, working out, and eating all my cals (+exercise cals). However, I have noticed that I've been working out more often and including weight training daily, rather than 3-4x/week. So, I'm thinking now having read what others have commented on, maybe my weight is staying the same due to the strength training. And I can definitely live with that. My nutritionist does my measurements in two weeks, and I hope my theory proves correct! Otherwise, I'll be devistated!!! And, yes, my clothes are all fitting the same (if not bigger actually), so I suppose I should just quit with the weekly weigh-ins. They only make me frustrated!!!!!!!!!!! Thanks again!!!! :flowerforyou:

    98575.png
    Created by MyFitnessPal.com - Online Calorie Counter
  • Iceprincessk25
    Iceprincessk25 Posts: 1,888 Member
    Thank you for posting this, as I am having the same issues! I've been at 137.5 since the end of January! My MFP settings are put so that I lose 1 lb. per week, but it's not happening. I'm even eating correctly, working out, and eating all my cals (+exercise cals). However, I have noticed that I've been working out more often and including weight training daily, rather than 3-4x/week. So, I'm thinking now having read what others have commented on, maybe my weight is staying the same due to the strength training. And I can definitely live with that. My nutritionist does my measurements in two weeks, and I hope my theory proves correct! Otherwise, I'll be devistated!!! And, yes, my clothes are all fitting the same (if not bigger actually), so I suppose I should just quit with the weekly weigh-ins. They only make me frustrated!!!!!!!!!!! Thanks again!!!! :flowerforyou:

    98575.png
    Created by MyFitnessPal.com - Online Calorie Counter

    Please don't give up weight training because of what your scale says!! Having more muscle will actually help you burn calories faster. It has a high calorie requirement to function so the more you have the better your metabolism!!
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