Frustrated

pcn2020
pcn2020 Posts: 6 Member
in Getting Started
NEWBIE HERE...I've been using the app for about 2wks. I initially saw a few pounds come off but now it's going back up. I stay within my calories and only 1x did I go over in my "fat" and it was because I had a glass of milk before bed. I use an elliptical at least 4x's/wk (2.5 miles) and I use a sitting bike (3 miles). Besides this I do an aerobic dance workout routine called Body Groove at least 3x's/week. What am I doing wrong? I'm sick and tired of not being able to break this number that constantly goes back and forth by 3pds😟

Replies

  • quiksylver296
    quiksylver296 Posts: 28,442 Member
    edited January 2021
    Water weight fluctuates and will show up on the scale. Are you female? Do you have a menstrual cycle? I go up 2-3 lbs during ovulation and menstruation. Could that be the issue?

    If you are eating within your calories, be patient!!! You can’t gain fat if you aren’t overeating.
  • springlering62
    springlering62 Posts: 7,421 Member
    edited January 2021
    MFP is designed to count calories. Fat is just an incidental macro. You can eat too many calories while still eating little fat. My fat count is generally quite low, for example, but I eat a lot of calories because I am very active.

    Are you weighing and logging and minding your calories?

    If you’ve only been on the app two weeks, that’s waaaaay too short a time to have an indication of what you’re doing so far will be effective for you. You need a minimum of four weeks, preferably more, particularly if you are a female. Water weight from periods can have a big effect.

    If you’ve only begun exercising recently and are sore, that can cause water retention as well, as your body retains water for muscle repair.

    There’s many many things that could make you feel like you are yo-yo’ing.


    http://https//community.myfitnesspal.com/en/discussion/10683010/the-weird-and-highly-annoying-world-of-scale-fluctuations/p1

    http://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/discussion/1080242/a-guide-to-get-you-started-on-your-path-to-sexypants/p1
  • pcn2020
    pcn2020 Posts: 6 Member
    Thanks for the input...I've been exercising for about a year but of course covid shut the gyms down for a few months (I'm in Michigan). When I 1st buckled down and started consistently going tk the gym I could only do .3 on the elliptical but now I'm up to 2.5 miles so that's definitely an improvement. I guess I didn't put enough into the female aspect. I am at the tail end of my cycle which lasts anywhere from 7-10 days.
  • wunderkindking
    wunderkindking Posts: 1,615 Member
    pcn2020 wrote: »
    Thanks for the input...I've been exercising for about a year but of course covid shut the gyms down for a few months (I'm in Michigan). When I 1st buckled down and started consistently going tk the gym I could only do .3 on the elliptical but now I'm up to 2.5 miles so that's definitely an improvement. I guess I didn't put enough into the female aspect. I am at the tail end of my cycle which lasts anywhere from 7-10 days.

    The period (heh, see what I did there?) right before I start through the first couple of days of menstruating I *consistently* weigh a couple/3 pounds more. A few days smack in the middle of my cycle (not when bleeding, but of the whole thing from start to start) I consistently weigh a pound or so LESS than the rest of the time.

    Scale-weight can be a useful indicator but you REALLY have to watch the overall trend over at least a month, or even better from month to month. This is especially true if you're someone with a monthly cycle. Hormones are *fun* (I say, sarcastically).
  • pcn2020
    pcn2020 Posts: 6 Member
    Lol...perfect puns!!! Thank you for the encouragement. I will keep my focus and see what happens in a few months.
  • tinkerbellang83
    tinkerbellang83 Posts: 9,130 Member
    Just to give you a visual understanding of fluctuations too, this is my weight chart from 2017:

    9ntmu8ba4tde.jpg

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