1st week, GAINING! Please help

sparkle422
sparkle422 Posts: 9
edited October 7 in Introduce Yourself
Im just finishing my first week on MFP, and I've gained almost 3 lbs. I'm working out, eating back most of those exercise calories and I'm gaining everyday. I'm really getting scared. Im 5'2" and 128.6 lbs. today. Last month I was 123.0. When I began I was 126.0. I'm afraid I'm never going to lose. My calories are set at 1230, but I'm wondering if that's a little too low. I've read Jillian michaels said to multiply 12 times your weight, I did that and got 1350. I'm wondering should I up the calories or what? Please help, I feel lost!

Replies

  • PoleBoy
    PoleBoy Posts: 255 Member
    What changes have you made? How much were you eating/drinking before, what exercise were you doing before, were you losing or gaining before?
  • idaretodream
    idaretodream Posts: 27
    I just read an article yesturday that talked about that, it is not uncommon...just keep going, maybe less carbs, could be lots of things..but don't stop.
  • mejecs
    mejecs Posts: 6 Member
    Check your fat and carb consumption (the MFP pie chart is excellent for this) 1200 calories of fat and carbs will not cause you to lose weight. Shoot for more protein than carbs. I try to keep my daily calories around 40% protein, 35% carbs and 25% fat. Also, give your body some time to adjust to yiur new routine. If you are exercising A LOT more, your muscles may be retaining water. Make sure you are drinking 8+ cups a day.
  • caramia311
    caramia311 Posts: 49 Member
    How tall are you and how much do you want to lose?
  • jrsey86
    jrsey86 Posts: 186 Member
    I agree with mejecs. On my first week, I gained some weight, too. Your body is just adjusting to the change. Analyze your diet and drink more water. Plus, everybody's different. For example, I can't eat back the calories that I burn from exercising, or I would never lose anything.:tongue:
  • RoboLikes
    RoboLikes Posts: 519 Member
    This happened to me last week - i was down 10lbs, changed nothing, and started gaining weight back quickly. I dont know what it was, maybe water retention or bloating, because it all fell off again. Keep eating healthy and exercising, it will fluctuate back down.
  • dlaplume2
    dlaplume2 Posts: 1,658 Member
    For someone that is 5'2" and 128 lbs, you are in a normal weight range. I don't know what you are trying lose as a goal, but make sure you set your weekly goal low. .5lb should do it. And keep in mind the closer you are to you normal weight the slower it comes off and the less room there is for error. Make sure you are logging every bite you take and wear a HRM to get an accurate count of calories burned from exercise. You should also take measurements. Are your close fitting better?
  • KmyShu2
    KmyShu2 Posts: 1
    This is a really good article I read about why people experience weight gain when they first stat a work-out program. It helped me to not freak out and quit before I gave my body a chance to get used to the changes I was making.

    http://www.dailyspark.com/blog.asp?post=why_the_scale_goes_up_when_you_start_a_new_workout_plan
  • sparkle422
    sparkle422 Posts: 9
    I haven't really change my diet much, just adding more calories now. I eat very healthy, but before to maintain my weight of 121/122 I'd have to live on protein bars for lunch. If I ate anything else, I'd gain. I know I most likely lived below 1200 calories or a little less. I'm tired of eating like a bird, and I always worked out, treadmill, yoga, p90x, and when I did those exercises with my past calorie count I'd always gain. I understand now I was probably in starvation mode. The thing that worries me is I have done the hcg diet 2x in 2011, and fear that i'll never lose weight on my own because that somehow messed up my hypothalamus. I wish I could have a guarantee when the scale will stop going up because today its really discouraging. Everyday this week I'm hoping for a miracle.
  • sparkle422
    sparkle422 Posts: 9
    Well here's an update. Today is the first day in a week that I didn't gain, I didn't lose either. I'm the same as yesterday. I have to say I'm satisfied it didn't go up. I've had a hard time increasing my calories last week because I'm so used to rationing everything I eat, but I figured I'd go for it. Looking back at my diary my net calories were below 1200 all week. I ate back exercise calories, but I was still below. So yesterday I ate around 1600, worked out and burned over 370, so my net was around 1280. I hope this plan works. Today I'm resting from exercise and I'll eat around 1250-1300 and see what happens tomorrow.
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