What am I doing wrong??
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garita93
Posts: 276 Member
Ok, this is taking a lot of courage because I am usually very closed off to personal things but I need help. I gained 4lbs in the last week and I exercised more. Looked through my food diary and I did slip on Saturday but not terribly. Last week I did Zumba Monday, Wednesday and Friday. No exercise on Tuesday. Thursday and yesterday did the Last Chance workout and treadmill on Saturday. My calorie goal that MFP set up is 1480. My diary is public any help would be greatly appreciated, just please try not to be to terribly mean, I am trying my hardest here. 
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Replies
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Hi,
This is my first post on here, i normally don't post on community stuff either but im struggling a bit myself.
I gained 3lbs last week even though I ate well (apart from one day) and exercised during the week to. However this week I lost 5lbs and I only did a few extra exercise classes.
Perhaps its a case of gaining muscle mass with the extra exercise, or perhaps its the body getting use to the calorie and exercise regime. Either way my advice is don't give up, losing weight is best done slowly i think.
Did you track everything that you ate and drank?
Darren0 -
Your diary is not public0
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Your diary isn't public. But even without that you can rest assured you absolutely definately have not gained 3lbs of fat in a week.
For that you'd need a daily intake of approx 3500Cals - I doubt you've been doing that!
So this fluctuation will be down to the greatest variable in weight which is water volumes stored in our muscles and fat cells. Variations in carbohydrate intake, exercise output and to a lesser degree sodium intake all have a large effect.
So yes your weight may be higher than last week but you aren't 'fatter' and it's definately nothing to be troubled about.
After a big day saturday I was 4.4lbs heavier on Sunday. 2.2lbs lighter than that today and should be 2.2lbs lighter again tomorrow - water has a BIG effect.0 -
I am tracking every single bite that goes in my mouth, even cough drops and gum! Trying to be completely honest with myself.
My apologies, my diary was on friends only, I have changed it to public.0 -
Your diary doesn't look too bad. A little high on the sodium some days. I think the biggest thing would be to up your water to help with the sodium. And if last week you really punched it up with the workouts, you could have gained some muscle along with water retention in the muscle as it heals from the exercise. Gains suck, but I don't think you are doing anything wrong. Just keep logging and keep working out. If you are still having trouble after a few weeks, try varying your workouts, eating more or less calories. It's not an exact science. Just keep a positive attitude! And use a measuring tape. That was my saving grace when I plateaued last month. I didn't lose any weight but inches were leaving. So that kept me going. Keep us updated!0
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Maybe you set your activity too high?0
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Water weight. When you exercise, and particularly with increasing exercise, your body stores water for 2 reasons. One, it stores water for aid in muscle repair, and two, when you exercise, you use glycogen. When you increase exercise, your body stores more glycogen in preparation for the increased exertion. It takes roughly 4 parts water to store one part glycogen, so if your body stores an extra pound of glycogen, you will also gain 4 pounds of water weight.
As for the person who suggested it was muscle, it takes months of hard work and eating over maintenance to build 4 pounds of muscle, you can't accidentally do it in a week on a calorie deficit.0 -
You joined last month. Have you only just started working out? Are you new to Zumba, etc.? If so, you could have fluid retention or muscle activation due to beginner's gains. The loss will follow once your body gets used to the new regimen of activity.
If you are sure about your activity level, and are accurate as far as logging, weighing, and measuring...then I'd suggest patience. For me, it took weeks for the losses to start showing on the scale, but in the big picture, the trend is down and I've lost exactly 1 pound per week for this year (the rest of my ticker is from last year).
Remember...if you are eating at a deficit and pushing your body, but still fueling it adequately (don't eat too low), then you WILL lose fat. It's not a straight line process, ie: 1 pound poofs right before weigh in day every week. Sometimes, for some people, it goes along in spits and spurts, and I nearly always show a big jump before a big loss (I weigh every day). Don't get discouraged...just focus on getting fit, and the weight will follow.0 -
Water weight. When you exercise, and particularly with increasing exercise, your body stores water for 2 reasons. One, it stores water for aid in muscle repair, and two, when you exercise, you use glycogen. When you increase exercise, your body stores more glycogen in preparation for the increased exertion. It takes roughly 4 parts water to store one part glycogen, so if your body stores an extra pound of glycogen, you will also gain 4 pounds of water weight.
As for the person who suggested it was muscle, it takes months of hard work and eating over maintenance to build 4 pounds of muscle, you can't accidentally do it in a week on a calorie deficit.
If you are on a low-moderate carb diet you won't be able to replenish glycogen stores and so all that water will be excreeted. If you are working out that will happen within a day or two. This is why people "lost" 3kgs in their first week but only 0.5kgs every week thereafter. Then when you have one day of eating substantial carbohydrates it'll all be replenished.
re:sodium - significantly lower effect on water than carbohydrate intake (more accurately glycogen storage).0 -
now your diary is open I have had a look and have a question - what exercise are you doing that is buring 750 Cals?0
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I have measured myself but haven't lost any inches. I have been doing Zumba for a year now 3 days a week. the only thing I have changed since joining MFP is my calorie intake and trying to exercise more. I only lost 6lbs prior to joining MFP doing Zumba. My daily activity level is very low, I have a full time desk job and then I do the Zumba and other workouts for exercise plus house work (which I don't log).
So more water I should be drinking? That will make all the difference? I drink at least 4 glasses everyday, more when I am at home.
According to the zumbacalories.com website for my weight it shows burning 712 for 60min for moderate, which I do higher then that but didn't want to over shoot the estimate.0 -
Hello there,
I haven't posted before, but I looked through your diary, and thought I could help with this one. It does look like you may have retained some water, due to high sodium intake. I tend to retain lots of water, because I love my salt!, but yes, drinking more water will get rid of excess water. Try it out, and I think you will see your weight come back down.0 -
Your diary does not look too bad... however are you logging all your water? I took quick peek and noticed your water intake on days are low and some days you don't have any listed. That along with the combo of the high sodium on a couple of days I saw will more than likely cause a water gain... and yes can be fairly high. You are doing great! Keep it up and try to get in more water and see where you go from there.0
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So now I think we are getting close to it.
I think it very unlikely that you are burning that level of calories in an hour of Zumba. It's probably more like 400. It's a medium intensity exercise with pause periods inbetween. I'd be surprised if you could burn that much running 10k in an hour.
Most exercise caloric burn estimates are heavily inflated to appeal to the consumer.
I think when you are dilligently following advice from these forums about eating back your exercise calories you are actually eating more and possibly putting your intake for that day back up to near maintenance levels.
It's your call, but I would suggest you assume 400 Cals only for that workout and try it for a week.0 -
Water weight. When you exercise, and particularly with increasing exercise, your body stores water for 2 reasons. One, it stores water for aid in muscle repair, and two, when you exercise, you use glycogen. When you increase exercise, your body stores more glycogen in preparation for the increased exertion. It takes roughly 4 parts water to store one part glycogen, so if your body stores an extra pound of glycogen, you will also gain 4 pounds of water weight.
As for the person who suggested it was muscle, it takes months of hard work and eating over maintenance to build 4 pounds of muscle, you can't accidentally do it in a week on a calorie deficit.
This is exactly what I would say too! It always makes me laugh when people say it is muscle! Keep at it and make sure you take a rest day for muscle repair.0 -
According to the zumbacalories.com website for my weight it shows burning 712 for 60min for moderate, which I do higher then that but didn't want to over shoot the estimate.
Try seeing how much MFP shows if you log your Zumba time as Aerobics, High impact. See how close it is to that and if there is a huge difference maybe take the average of the two...? I use a HRM and find that the High impact aerobics is really close to what I actually burn during Zumba. Just a thought...0 -
I agree with the possibility that you are not burning as much as you think in Zumba and other classes. I do Zumba 2x a week and burn between 320 and 410 (I weigh 150). I do every high intensity move she offers (versus the low intensity alternative). I eat only 50-75% of those calories.
If you want to be more accurate, get a good HRM.0 -
Hi there! Zumba is very high intensity so I would assume your calorie count for 60 min is correct. However, I would suggest eating back your calorie goal plus half of your exercise calories. That is what helped me. I used to eat back all my exercise calories and then changed it to half and my scale started moving. Track your measurements also. Always weigh in one day after a rest day. Your body retains water durning exercise days to repair the torn muscle tissue. If you need any motivation you can friend request me! I love to help people get their results and I'm still working on mine so I like having people motivate me also.
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Congrats on your success so far! 9 pounds in a month is great!
I have to agree that your calorie burn for Zumba seems really high - you're probably burning more like 500 to 600. Pretty much any burn that gives you more than 10 calories per minute has to be really intense and although I will agree that Zumba can get you sweating, it's not exactly intense.
My suggestion is to definitely increase your water intake. Drink at least 8 cups per day, up to 12 on the days you're active. You did have some high sodium days in there so be careful of those. Water weight from high sodium meals can take a few days to come off.
I'd also suggest mixing up your workouts. When you've been doing the same thing after a while, your body doesn't respond as well. You can still do Zumba but do some strength training or more intense cardio 2 or 3 days per week to add some challenges to your routine.0 -
Ok, I've went over the last week and this is what I've come up with. First of all you need more water!
Water helps your sytem in so many ways. Helps remove toxins, release fat cells easier, and if your retaining water (water weight) it acually helps release more water from your system. Rule of thumb is 8 cups per/day, but if you can go for 12. I try to drink 16oz per hr, or until I pee clear to put it blunt.
Second
I've noticed cookies, brownies, sugars, processed foods, creme cheese, etc. This is BAD! Well you can eat it sometimes but the saying goes you are what you eat. I used to eat anything I wanted, worked out hardcore, and no results. Got stronger but I was'nt loosing weight.
I was'nt fat but I was'nt skinny either. You want to eat 5 times per/day. Split your meals out. If it takes time in prepping it and cooking it, chances are it's healthier for you than right out of the bag. Try to incorporate slow burning carbs and possibly more protein, this helps boost yoru metabalism with eating more frequently throughout the day.
EX:
7:30 - 8-30
oatmeal 2 Servings
Cal = 260
10:30 - 11:30
Turkey sandwhich with---
Turkey Breast
Whole Wheat Bread
Low fat cheese
Tomatoes
Cal = 440
1:30 - 2:30
Snack
Cottage Cheese = 120
Non Fat Yogurt = 140 cal (perferred Greek)
Sunflower Seeds 1/4 cup = 160 cal
Fruit (blueberries/ Strawberries, Banana, Apple, etc) = 120 cal
ETC.
4:30 - 5:30
Baked Chicken breast skinless = 150cal 3oz
Spinach, Brocolli, Brussle Sprouts, etc 1 cup (boiled drained wo/salt) = 41 cal
Brown rice 1/4 cup = 40 Cal
Cal = 231
7:30 - 8:30
1 Piece whole wheat bread = 100 cal
2 oz almond butter = 160 cal
Daily total 1230 cal roughly
Cut out as many sweets as possible, treat yourself one day a week where you splurge:
Sat or Sun pig out
No soda, lemonaide, etc
Coffe black with nothing added!
Water Water Water
If you like hotsauce, put as much as you want on your food, it also helps with your metabolism.
Foods with Monounsaturated fats help fight the bad fats in your body, helps release then and gets rid of them. Eat plenty of fruits and veggies, chicken breast, turkey meat. Limit your red meat to 3 times per week if that. Try to cut it out all together!
Hope this helps, think I'm starting to ramble now!
Good Luck to you!0
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