Yes, it's only been a week, but...

Kelekat
Kelekat Posts: 174 Member
in Health and Weight Loss
Not only have I lost no more than a pound, I've gained that pound back.

I don't get it. I actually started dieting and working out several days before I started logging. I've stayed right at 1,200 calories. My BMI is 1,432, so there's a nice deficit before I even start exercising.

I've done cardio every day (yesterday was admitedly shorter because I'm nearly too sore to move), I'm weight training three days a week. And the scale acts as if I'm still free eating and spending my evenings on the couch in front of the television.

I've never had a problem shedding at least a permanent couple of pounds at this stage. I do intend to up my weekday cardio once the weight training shock to my leg muscles subsides--but I do intend to continue to hike for several hours a day each Saturday and Sunday.

Any tips or suggestions would be appreciated.

Replies

  • EmCarroll1990
    EmCarroll1990 Posts: 2,832 Member
    Have you measured yourself? It seems your doing a lot of working out, so maybe you're not losing pounds but have lost inches?
  • Kelekat
    Kelekat Posts: 174 Member
    No, I haven't.

    Nothing really feels as if it's getting any looser although my boyfriend said my arms look a little smaller--but really, what does he know? :smile:
  • Laceybaby1967
    Laceybaby1967 Posts: 82 Member
    You may actually not be consuming the correct number calories. If you're working out hard, and you are staying at 1200, which is already a deficit, you may not be getting enough fuel into your system; hence, it may be in starvation mode.
  • Captain_Tightpants
    Captain_Tightpants Posts: 2,215 Member
    It's probably just fluid weight fluctuating.

    Add a sodium line to your nutrients tracked and make sure your sodium intake is not sky high. And if you're working out hard, make sure you're getting plenty of water.

    Are you weighing yourself on an even floor, unclothed, after going to the bathroom, at the same time/same day each week?
  • Helloitsdan
    Helloitsdan Posts: 5,564 Member
    Not only have I lost no more than a pound, I've gained that pound back.

    I don't get it. I actually started dieting and working out several days before I started logging. I've stayed right at 1,200 calories. My BMI is 1,432, so there's a nice deficit before I even start exercising.

    I've done cardio every day (yesterday was admitedly shorter because I'm nearly too sore to move), I'm weight training three days a week. And the scale acts as if I'm still free eating and spending my evenings on the couch in front of the television.

    I've never had a problem shedding at least a permanent couple of pounds at this stage. I do intend to up my weekday cardio once the weight training shock to my leg muscles subsides--but I do intend to continue to hike for several hours a day each Saturday and Sunday.

    Any tips or suggestions would be appreciated.

    Eat 1600 calories a day. Set macros to protein 30% carbs 40% fats 30% and eat the macros daily. You will lose inches in no time. Oh yea...throw the scale away because it doesnt know what its doing! =D
  • Kelekat
    Kelekat Posts: 174 Member
    How would I know? I can track my cardio-calories, but I know that my workouts are expending calories as well. There seems to beno way to track weight training calories.
  • Kelekat
    Kelekat Posts: 174 Member
    Is there some sort of calorie counter to use for weight training that anybody is aware of?
  • 3dogsrunning
    3dogsrunning Posts: 27,167 Member
    Read this
    http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/350212--why-scales-lie?hl=Why+scales+lie&page=1#posts-4730712


    The scale is the least reliable measure of your progress. And yes, it's only been a week. By placing all of the emphasis on your scale you are setting yourself up for frustration and possibly failure.
  • calcorn1
    calcorn1 Posts: 28
    remember that MFP calorie suggestion for you is already a defiet level.. you 'might' be under eating... if you are working out hard, your body actually needs you to replenish what you worked out. sounds a lil strange i know... I too have a hard time eating back those calories...
  • 3dogsrunning
    3dogsrunning Posts: 27,167 Member
    How would I know? I can track my cardio-calories, but I know that my workouts are expending calories as well. There seems to beno way to track weight training calories.

    Search weight lifting or strength training under the cardio section and you will get a calorie value. It is pretty low.
  • carlageek
    carlageek Posts: 32 Member
    A week isn't really enough time to resolve meaningful changes in your body weight.

    You might have lost a pound or two of fat in that week. But, your total body weight depends upon more than just the amount of fat you have. Fluid-weight swings of 2-4 pounds are very common. Some of the causes of fluid retention are within your control, and some are not. Retaining fluid after starting an exercise plan (or after stepping up your exercise) is almost guaranteed.

    That means that your weight will jump around for a few weeks as your body gets used to the new routine. Fluid swings will sometimes happen even after you are in a groove (they happen due to hormones, weather, sodium intake, how much sleep you get, exercise, all sorts of things you can't always control), and they can easily mask a week or two or three of real fat loss. It's just part of the process.

    So, don't worry about it - wait it out, trust your plan, and give it 3-4 weeks before you decide whether it's working. Most people do not see weight loss week after week like clockwork - it just doesn't work that way. You have to force yourself to take a longer term view.
  • bellavie23
    bellavie23 Posts: 83 Member
    I would say increase your calories some..you are working out quite a bit and eating a low amount of calories, I would eat some more *clean eating* and see if that gives your body the fuel it needs and up your water intake if you aren't drinking much. Good luck :) hang in there!
  • lagcrg
    lagcrg Posts: 38 Member
    It sounds like you workout a lot which is good, but you may not be eating enough for your body to want to lose. My understanding is that the more active you become the more you need to put in. So I look at losing weight as, eat what mfp suggest if you have a day mostly at rest, but eat more (somewhere between mfp and bmi) on days you workout. You should start to see a difference over a week or so. Good luck, and don't give up.
  • aagnew01
    aagnew01 Posts: 33 Member
    I heard a saying that goes : "It takes 4 weeks for you to notice, 8 weeks for your friends to notice and 12 weeks for the whole world to notice" Keep at it, your body needs time to adjust and get acclaimated to the "new program".....at least 4 weeks!!! Dont forget to take measurements!!! Sometimes you will lose inches before pounds!!!
  • Kelekat
    Kelekat Posts: 174 Member
    Thank you all. Great information and encouragement in every post. I'll come back and read this every time I feel discouraged. Because I am really pushing myself, I will attempt to eat back some of my calories that I expend through exercise--some days, you just feel like you can't shove in another bite (that was me last night).

    I'll take pertinent measurements when I get home tonight and try to stay off the scale, except for a weekly weigh-in. I really had no idea how many factors can influence a weigh-in.:happy:
  • asherby85
    asherby85 Posts: 20
    If you've been working out alot your muscles might be holding onto water. Remember to have a rest day in there if you are working out all the time that you need to have a rest day in there. You don't necessarily have to not work out but you can just do something low impact like going for a walk. Keep it up!
  • megaron01
    megaron01 Posts: 37 Member
    It's only been a week.............give it more time!!
  • boa74
    boa74 Posts: 18
    I heard a saying that goes : "It takes 4 weeks for you to notice, 8 weeks for your friends to notice and 12 weeks for the whole world to notice" Keep at it, your body needs time to adjust and get acclaimated to the "new program".....at least 4 weeks!!! Dont forget to take measurements!!! Sometimes you will lose inches before pounds!!!


    I have been feeling just the same! I started this 'diet' 3 weeks ago and have only lost about 2lbs which keeps fluctuating back to 0 and then up to 4lbs, this is very frustrating as I am putting so much effort in.

    You have made me feel so much better saying that it can take quite a while for the weight loss to get going. I feel a bit more motivated now!!!!!

    So thank you!
  • Kelekat
    Kelekat Posts: 174 Member
    I tried to stay away from the scales--truly I did. But it drew me in with its evil magnetism (probably so that it could laugh behind my back at my newly renewed angst).

    I've gained another pound and a half as of this morning--just since yesterday. At this rate, I'm going to diet and exercise my way up to 180 pounds.
  • carlageek
    carlageek Posts: 32 Member
    Kelekat, a few weeks ago I experienced a 5-pound gain over about two days. I don't know what caused it - hormones, a sore muscle that needed healing, the weather, something I ate, an unholy combination of all of those factors.

    It took nearly a week for that bloat to subside, and it drove me crazy while it was happening. But the important thing was I knew it was not fat. I KNEW it. I had not eaten 5 x 3500 = 17,500 calories over my maintenance level to gain 5 pounds of fat. It was a fluctuation that was beyond my control and I just had to stick to my plan and wait it out.

    After a week or so, the bloat subsided, the 5 pounds melted off in a few days, and they took a few extra pounds with them, so that about 10-11 days after hitting that weird gain, I was at a new all-time low.

    I know it's hard, I know it's crazymaking, but you just have to trust your plan and be patient. If you keep eating and exercising to plan, the weight will come off. You won't be able to tell every single day, or even every single week, but month over month you will see the results.
  • Kelekat
    Kelekat Posts: 174 Member
    So my trainer seems to think that my weight gain is related to the fact that I work out in the evening and then go home and eat dinner, even though I have calories remaining. Because I'm not eating until about 7 and going to bed about 9, I'm going to bed on a full stomach.

    So, on the trainer's advice, I'm off solid food for dinner and relegated to protein shakes within one hour of my workout.

    Yum.....
  • rainbowbow
    rainbowbow Posts: 7,490 Member
    So my trainer seems to think that my weight gain is related to the fact that I work out in the evening and then go home and eat dinner, even though I have calories remaining. Because I'm not eating until about 7 and going to bed about 9, I'm going to bed on a full stomach.

    So, on the trainer's advice, I'm off solid food for dinner and relegated to protein shakes within one hour of my workout.

    Yum.....

    Get a trainer who knows what he's talking about. Stick to your deficit, eat back the calories you burn, and you WILL lose weight.

    Honestly, they still let trainers spread ridiculous myths like that?
  • Kelekat
    Kelekat Posts: 174 Member
    Something isn't right.

    I've been dieting for 9 days, working out for 7 and I've gained three pounds. I haven't lost enough fat to start making muscle, so honestly, I'm at a loss.

    I stayed the same weight fairly consistently by just sitting on my fat butt on the couch eating Baskin Robbins for months. Now I'm moving and eating right and I'm gaining weight.

    At this point, I'm willing to try his "20g protein shakes" for dinner. I'll just eat a bit more than I did today during the day to ensure I eat enough calories.
  • rainbowbow
    rainbowbow Posts: 7,490 Member
    Im assuming since you have a trainer you are doing strength training. I'm also assuming that because you are paying someone to show you how to exercise that you weren't before. That being said when I started strength training I gained about 5lbs from water weight. I was sore and my muscles were retaining water. Also, let me ask you this.... What now?

    Are you going to drink a shake instead of eating dinner for the rest of your life? Forever? Because when you start actually consuming real food and replace a 100-200 calorie shake with a 400-600 calorie dinner you will gain again.

    If this is a lifestyle change and you plan on doing this indefinitely you need to realize you did not gain this weight over night and you will not lose overnight. This takes time, but if you change your activity level, your eating habits, and stick with it you WILL reach your goal. It may not be now, next month, or even a year from now. But if you eat a balanced diet, learn to change your habits, the only obstacle in your way is YOU.

    I highly doubt something is wrong because you are gaining weight after starting a training regimen.

    Also pro-tip I'm sure your trainer didn't tell you. Your weight is just a number and means absolutely NOTHING. You need to focus on body fat- period. Stressing about 3 pounds seems ridiculous because unless you have consumed 10500 calories over your TDEE in the past week it isn't body fat.
    Something isn't right.

    I've been dieting for 9 days, working out for 7 and I've gained three pounds. I haven't lost enough fat to start making muscle, so honestly, I'm at a loss.

    I stayed the same weight fairly consistently by just sitting on my fat butt on the couch eating Baskin Robbins for months. Now I'm moving and eating right and I'm gaining weight.

    At this point, I'm willing to try his "20g protein shakes" for dinner. I'll just eat a bit more than I did today during the day to ensure I eat enough calories.
  • TashaLLN
    TashaLLN Posts: 1 Member
    Both burning fat and building muscle are hydrolic processes, meaning that in order to do either, your body uses water. If you are not drinking enough water, your body cannot sufficiently build muscle or burn fat, which can leave you just damaging your body without showing any progress. I drink 4-6 bottles of water a day (meaning 8-12 glasses of water a day) because i run 10 miles a day and do strength training. Make sure you drink enough water, and give it time!
  • rainbowbow
    rainbowbow Posts: 7,490 Member
    Also check out

    http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/474504-seven-months-of-admittedly-inconsistent-strength-training
  • Kelekat
    Kelekat Posts: 174 Member
    I do thank everyone for their input. I think that I wasn't clear in my last posting about my evening meal replacements.

    I had a discussion with my trainer last night about my weight gain over the last week and a half. She had me talk to one of the guys at the gym with an actual degree in nutrition. I have to work out after work, which has me eating dinner at about 7:00-7:30. I have to get up so early for work that I go to bed by 9:00. He was concerned that my food didn't have a chance to digest, so he suggested that I have the majority of my calories before I work out every day and substitute a protein based shake for my evening meal--and to have that within 45 - 60 minutes of my workout. I did so last night--I made a shake with 21g protein powder, 3/4 C 1% milk, 1/2 C water, a frozen banana, and frozen berries and cherries. A good 330 calories, so I'm not starving myself with a 200 calorie meal replacement.

    I woke up this morning feeling better than I have for awhile, plus the scale moved and for the first time in a week and a half, it wasn't up!

    I'm sure that I won't replace EVERY evening meal with a protein shake. On my cardio days, especially as the days get longer, I have the opportunity to exercise AFTER I eat my last meal of the day. On strength training days though, I have to go from work to the gym--which makes dinner awfully late.

    I believe I'm hydrating well--I drink 8-10 cups of water a day...most often more. My "work" water cup is the size of a large fast food soft drink cup and I fill it up several times a day. Plus I finish off a 23.7 oz. bottle during my workouts and cardio exercise.

    There is so much good information on MFP and I really appreciate the amount of accumulated knowledge there is in these forums.
  • Helloitsdan
    Helloitsdan Posts: 5,564 Member
    Lol read this! Youll eat every meal at night.
    BTW you are still under eating and wont lose much weight that way..

    Great article by Martin Berkhan about night eating and the metabolic effects in humans.
    Enjoy!

    http://www.leangains.com/search/label/Fat Loss

    When you plateau send me a PM and i'll run dietary numbers that will make the fat fall right off of you!
    =D

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