Why am I gaining weight?

jc0123
jc0123 Posts: 6 Member
edited October 7 in Health and Weight Loss
I have exercised every day for the past month for around an hour and a half each day. MFP tells me I should eat 1200 a day but I do eat some of my exercise calories. My net for the day is usually not that high at all. For the past 2 weeks I have gained a pound each week and don't understand why. I don't know what I should do differently and am losing motivation.
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Replies

  • lin7604
    lin7604 Posts: 2,951 Member
    keep you net at 1200 no less. if you exercising as much as you say you are then you don't have enough calories in you.
  • carrie_eggo
    carrie_eggo Posts: 1,396 Member
    Are you weighing/measuring your food? Are you being accurate with your diary?
  • engineman312
    engineman312 Posts: 3,450 Member
    Are you weighing/measuring your food? Are you being accurate with your diary?

    this. most people tend to over estimate how much they work out, and under estimate their food intake. you need to weigh every slice of deli meat, count every nut, measure every serving of peanut butter. borderline obsessive compulsive.
  • SuddenlyPickles
    SuddenlyPickles Posts: 88
    Open your diary so we can help...

    Without seeing what you're eating/exercising, we can really only guess. Your exercise calories might be overestimated, you might be netting waaay too low, your carb/fat/protein macros might be out of whack, your water intake might suck, you might be entering the wrong foods into your diary (beware of misleading items in the MFP database)...
  • JJinWI
    JJinWI Posts: 197 Member
    Keep sticking with it. I gained three pounds my first month - very frustrating. I had been working out weekly with a trainer and doing lots of weights and cardio. Imagine my disappointment when we weighed in a month later - UP three pounds! He told me not to stress about it. We then used a device to measure body fat and I was down 1%. (I didn't know much about body fat percentages and thought 1% was atrocious.) He said that it was terrific and I was going in the right direction.

    Keep on plowing through and start taking measurements with a tape measure!
  • ddelynn5
    ddelynn5 Posts: 3
    Maybe, your gaining musle. I did that before don't give up ! Its awesome you can excerise!:tongue::happy:
  • jc0123
    jc0123 Posts: 6 Member
    I am doing a lot of weight training but I didn't think it was possible to put on a pound of muscle in only a week. I opened up my diary though I am a little embarrassed lol. Thank you everyone for your help! I try to be pretty accurate and am for the most part with meals but sometimes its hard when I am picking at things so a lot of times for snacks i do the 'Quick add' option
    For exercise I have been doing Biggest Loser power sculpt and cardio max videos as well as working on the elliptical.
  • SuddenlyPickles
    SuddenlyPickles Posts: 88
    Good for you for opening it up -- I know it's scary, but it's also freeing :)

    On a cursory glace, you're netting pretty low (on average). Remember that MFP has already built in a deficit, so you should be eating more to give your body that fuel to work out. There's some awesome threads on here about the big should I eat exercise calories/should I not eat exercise calories debate. Search for 'em and give 'em a read. I used to be of the "non eating" camp, but (proud to say that) I'm now reformed. Since it's hard to accurately estimate your caloric burn without a heart rate monitor (did you say you had one?), you might not want to eat *all* your exercise calories... But some, certainly. You don't want to be netting 500 calories per day -- your body deserves more than that! That said, your food choices look great. So keep doing that... Just eat more.

    And, like others said, be true to your diary and log everything!
  • carrie_eggo
    carrie_eggo Posts: 1,396 Member
    Reading through some threads may help you....I'd start here: http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/429284-if-you-re-not-losing-and-in-a-calorie-deficit-update
  • juliesummers
    juliesummers Posts: 738 Member
    Where are your fresh fruits, vegetables, and legumes?
  • Rae6503
    Rae6503 Posts: 6,294 Member
    http://www.bodyrecomposition.com/fat-loss/why-big-caloric-deficits-and-lots-of-activity-can-hurt-fat-loss.html
  • bjfmade
    bjfmade Posts: 543 Member
    Be careful eating all exercise calories back if you are not using a HRM. The numbers on MFP are estimates, does not take into account your weight and how much effort you are putting into your workout!
  • itsuki
    itsuki Posts: 520 Member
    Try getting your net calories to 1200. Your net is 300-500 on many days - this could be preventing you from losing weight! Also, I'll second the "more veggies" sentiment I'm seeing. :)
  • bizco
    bizco Posts: 1,949 Member
    It's one or both of these:
    1. You're consuming more calories than you're logging
    2. You're overestimating the amount of calories burned during exercise.

    Do you use a digital food scale to weigh everything that goes into your mouth? Are you logging all beverages? Are you logging everything used to cook with (oils, butter, marinades, etc)?

    Do you wear quality HRM to accurately log calories burned from exercise? Are you subtracting the number of calories you would have burned any way without exercise?

    To lose weight you need a calorie deficit, period.

    If you're doing hard core weight lifting make sure you take and log your measurements in MFP.
  • kenyonsmom10
    kenyonsmom10 Posts: 97 Member
    I have exercised every day for the past month for around an hour and a half each day. MFP tells me I should eat 1200 a day but I do eat some of my exercise calories. My net for the day is usually not that high at all. For the past 2 weeks I have gained a pound each week and don't understand why. I don't know what I should do differently and am losing motivation.


    If you are exercising honestly for 1.5 hours a day your calories should be closer to 1800 (net about 1300) .... you need to eat more.
  • becoming_a_new_me
    becoming_a_new_me Posts: 1,860 Member
    Remember that muscle weighs more than fat. When my scale lies to me, I get out the measuring tape...it never lies!
  • moylie
    moylie Posts: 195
    If you're really burning that many calories, than YOU NEED TO EAT MORE. You should at least hit 1200 net everyday. Eat at least 75% of your exercise calories back. I know it sounds scary, but eating more has it's benefits. And it helps to include healthy fats (nuts, avocados), plenty of fresh fruit and vegetables, lots of lean protein, legumes, and/or protein replacement powders. Is your goal set to lose 2lbs/week? I would try changing it to 1lb/week, and then have your calorie net around 1400-1500. Hang in there!
  • 3dogsrunning
    3dogsrunning Posts: 27,167 Member
    http://www.bodyrecomposition.com/fat-loss/why-big-caloric-deficits-and-lots-of-activity-can-hurt-fat-loss.html

    ^^^^^^ this. You have to copy and paste the link in your browser since MFP on allows their links to be clicky, but it is a must read in your situation.
  • Tori_356
    Tori_356 Posts: 510 Member
    try something new. mix it up a little bit. your body may be used to the same routine everyday. i'm currently trying to do this myself. it's hard to break out of a rut!
  • havingitall
    havingitall Posts: 3,728 Member
    Eat real food....whole grains, lean meats, fruits and veggies. Get rid of the sangria, the pizza and the processed stuff
  • karinaes
    karinaes Posts: 570 Member
    you are eating
    Bread - Italian, 1.5 oz
    Hormel - Chili With Beans, 3 cup
    and white chocolate chips and you are wondering why you are not losing any weight? :noway:


    edit: read this-- http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/416542-i-hope-this-helps
  • arlo1028
    arlo1028 Posts: 76 Member
    Are you weighing/measuring your food? Are you being accurate with your diary?

    this. most people tend to over estimate how much they work out, and under estimate their food intake. you need to weigh every slice of deli meat, count every nut, measure every serving of peanut butter. borderline obsessive compulsive.


    Ditto!

    Best advice, keep protein and carbs (mostly fiber) as priority, and keep sugar and fat on the lower amount (20%-30%).
    Also, log in your measurements DON'T just go by the scale.

    Good Luck. and STAY FOCUS!
  • jc0123
    jc0123 Posts: 6 Member
    Yes, I admit yesterday wasn't one of my best days

    Thank you everyone for your help and all the responses I've gotten !
  • Rae6503
    Rae6503 Posts: 6,294 Member
    you are eating
    Bread - Italian, 1.5 oz
    Hormel - Chili With Beans, 3 cup
    and white chocolate chips and you are wondering why you are not losing any weight? :noway:


    edit: read this-- http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/416542-i-hope-this-helps

    You can lose weight just fine eating the above foods. You don't have to eat perfectly "clean" to lose weight.

    It appears that the OP is eating too little and/or exercising too much. Our bodies do not respond well to this. It causes our bodies to release hormones that mask (through water retention), slow and even stop weight loss. Additionally large calorie deficits can lead to a lot of muscle loss. Moderate calorie deficits are key.

    http://www.bodyrecomposition.com/fat-loss/why-big-caloric-deficits-and-lots-of-activity-can-hurt-fat-loss.html

    http://www.bodyrecomposition.com/fat-loss/setting-the-deficit-small-moderate-or-large.html


    Also, you won't be gaining pounds of muscle in a calorie deficit. So the argument "muscle weighs more than fat" is not valid here. (and it doesn't weigh more than fat it is more dense).
  • auticus
    auticus Posts: 1,051 Member
    Eating too little is one main affector.

    The thing about muscle: you don't typically gain muscle from a deficit. So everyone saying "maybe its muscle"... no. If you are starving yourself I'm willing to bet the bank that you aren't gaining muscle.

    A healthy male can gain upwards of 2 lbs of muscle a month if he's lifting heavy AND taking in the appropriate calories (ie not starving).

    Keep that in mind.
  • erickirb
    erickirb Posts: 12,294 Member
    Maybe, your gaining musle. I did that before don't give up ! Its awesome you can excerise!:tongue::happy:

    No muscle gaining on less than 1200 Net cals/day. You need a caloric surplus to build any measurable amount of muscle.
  • jeffazi
    jeffazi Posts: 198
    Maybe, your gaining musle. I did that before don't give up ! Its awesome you can excerise!:tongue::happy:

    This! I have a tape measure and a body fat caliper that I use along with my scale. If you're doing lots of strength training and cardio you are putting on muscle and burning fat. It's my understanding that muscle weighs more than fat (someone correct me if I'm wrong). That probably doesn't account for all of the weight you're adding but it could explain some of it. Do your clothes fit better? Do you look leaner? The only way to tell is to know your measurements and body fat. Several years back, I was working out HARD and I stayed at the same weight for months but my bodyfat percentage dropped a couple percentage points. My 2 cents. : )
  • Ge0rgiana
    Ge0rgiana Posts: 1,649 Member
    And some of the sodium numbers are not very good. Cutting back on processed food will bring that number down. You don't gain fat or muscle that fast, but you can pack on water pretty quick.
  • MaximalLife
    MaximalLife Posts: 2,447 Member
    Yep, you've engaged in a typical form of self sabotage in that your metabolism is shutting down in response to your poor food intake.

    Once again....
    MFP has already figured out your total calories you need to eat per day to lose 1lb etc. a week. That's WITHOUT exercise. You'll notice that when you actually add exercise in, the calorie limit goes up. Why? Because it's telling you to eat your exercise calories. Large deficits aren't really good to do because while you will lose weight, what kind of weight will it be? In many cases you'll lose lean muscle tissue which LOWERS your metabolic rate even more. Then you have to eat even less to compensate for less of a calorie burn to continue to lose the same amount of weight each week.
    Be efficient. Exercise hard and eat back the calories. The hard exercise will RAISE your metabolic rate and burn more fat at rest.
  • TWrecks1968
    TWrecks1968 Posts: 138 Member
    Are you weighing/measuring your food? Are you being accurate with your diary?

    this. most people tend to over estimate how much they work out, and under estimate their food intake. you need to weigh every slice of deli meat, count every nut, measure every serving of peanut butter. borderline obsessive compulsive.

    I agree. I overestimate my calories in and underestimate the calories out. The loss has not been huge for me, but consistent and eerily accurate.
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