Really Upset. Suggestions?

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I've been working really hard the past month. I'd lost 9 lbs and I was and am very proud of myself. I wasn't exercising in the beginning. I was just eating my calorie goal. I started using an exercise bike this week and I gained a pound. Should I stick with it? Or should I go back to eating my calorie goal to see what happens then? My diary is open if you care to look.
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Replies

  • odonogc
    odonogc Posts: 223 Member
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    Definitely stick with the exercise. I had good luck with eating some, but not all of my exercise calories, but everyone is different. And make sure you aren't overestimating how many calories you are burning, some of the MFP numbers are very high.
  • renstwin
    renstwin Posts: 66 Member
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    Try eating more lean protein, fruits, vegetables, etc. You eat out a lot. Try making some changes to your diet but definitely stick with exercise. Don't give up! You can do it!
  • saxnviolin
    saxnviolin Posts: 159 Member
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    Keep exercising! THe weight will come off ! Try to exercise 3x a week while you stay in your range.Make sure
    you aren't eating too little. I didn't look at your diary but I know when I first started I lost slowly because I was eating
    too little. There are many posts about that topic. Browse the topics. You'll be fine with exercise just keep it up. :smile:
  • MelissaL582
    MelissaL582 Posts: 1,422 Member
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    Stick to it, exercise more and watch your sodium.
  • khertens
    khertens Posts: 3
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    Stick with it! Drink all your water and I don't really calculate exercise calories, but just what I take in with food. But I know others calculate exercise in order to eat more....what ever works for you. 9 pounds in one month is great! Keep it up!
  • JesterMFP
    JesterMFP Posts: 3,596 Member
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    Congratulations on 9lbs lost so far, that's fantastic! Don't be upset about a 1 lb gain, weight loss is NOT linear, and that's probably just a normal fluctuation.

    Things to consider:

    -starting a new exercise regime/programme very often makes your muscles retain water, which shows up on the scale.
    -I eat all my exercise calories but I get a pretty good estimate from my heart rate monitor. If you are going by MFP's estimates, they can be inaccurate, so perhaps only eat half of them back, and track for a while to see how you get on.
    -consider tracking your sodium levels in your diary. I'd imagine you're consuming quite a lot (Chinese food, pizza, sausages etc) and that will also make you retain water.

    Don't give up though, exercise will be doing you a lot of good, and you do need to eat enough to fuel that. Even if you have been slightly overestimating the calories burned, you will only have gone over by a small amount, and some days you are way under your goal, so it's very unlikely that you've gained a lb in fat. Just keep at it, and see how you get on in the coming weeks. Most people's weight goes up and down daily, it's the overall downward trend that's important.
  • steadk
    steadk Posts: 334 Member
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    A week isn't long enough to judge if something is working for you. Keep it up for at least 3-4 weeks and see.
  • chriskrycho
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    Also, your body reacts when you start exercising, or even just add different kinds of exercise to your routine (e.g. adding cardio when you've only been doing weights, or vice versa). It has to figure out how to allocate the nutrients again – it's learning, too, just like you are mentally.

    As well, you will hit bumps along the way; don't let them discourage you. Your body has natural plateau points. Though my weight loss goals are fairly small, I still hit a roadblock about 5 pounds above my goal weight; my body just decided it liked it there and hung out at that weight for the better part of a month. Now it's going down again. So keep your eyes on the goal; this is a long race and not a sprint.

    And 9 pounds is great for your first month! So you're doing really, really well in that long race – keep it up!
  • sherry9300
    sherry9300 Posts: 149 Member
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    After taking a glance at your diary, it wouldn't be crazy to say that it's the sodium that's adding the extra pound. If that's the case, it should go away after a day or so. Fast food has LOTS of sodium.
  • simplebeauty
    simplebeauty Posts: 22 Member
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    I see from your food diary that you are eating high calorie/low nutritional foods...lots of packaged name brands, or even restaurant items....switch to REAL food...for breakfast have eggs, turkey bacon, multigrain toast, or oatmeal with yogurt and fruit...for lunch have a chicken breast with a big green salad (and a light dressing, or oil and vinegar dressing with lemon juice)...snacks could be nuts and fruit....

    For breakfast you should eat like a king, lunch you should eat like a prince and dinner you should eat like a pauper...don't remember where I read this...but it translates that you should have most of your calories during the day when you are active, and then slowly decrease as you are reaching the end of your day.

    Exercise is necessary for proper body function...without exercise your body will use the energy from muscles instead of fat for daily activities and you will lose that muscle mass.
    Change your eating habits...REAL FOOD HAS REAL CALORIES!
  • natashamcn
    natashamcn Posts: 145 Member
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    That's a really great loss so far! Don't forget to measure your inches. You may be surprised that although the scale may not move some weeks the inches will. For me (and everyone's different! ) they are the best measure because they seem to be the most consistent (especially if you're exercising). Good luck and keep at it :)
  • yaha97
    yaha97 Posts: 1
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    You do eat out a lot :) Like renstwin said, incorporate more fruits and veggies into your diet instead of biscuits and gravy and panda express. Try to eat more whole grains and avoide refined grains like white flour, white sugar, etc. and eat more whole grains like 100% whole wheat bread and brown rice (enriched wheat flour is not whole grain) You aren't tracking your sugar, which I suggest you do. Sugar is in almost everything you eat, especially take out and processed snack crackers. You may notice that the more you excercise, the more you'll want to eat (on a junk food diet) but if you eat healthy vegetables and whole grains with each meal you'll feel more full and satisfied. Don't forget the protein! Eggs, lean meats like chicken and fish and beans! (don't go fried on the chicken, stay grilled or baked or broiled) eat protein for every meal, breakfast lunch and dinner. Definitly stick to the excercise! Try some strength training too in the next couple of weeks. start out with some basic lunges, squats, push ups sit ups etc. Muscle burns fat! Even when you're not using it. But muscle weighs more than fat so when you do start doing strength training and cardio on top of your awesomely healthy-balanced diet, stop looking at the scale and watch the inches around your waist melt away instead.
  • BrianSharpe
    BrianSharpe Posts: 9,248 Member
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    Even if you never lost another pound the benefits of exercising make it worthwhile. Your body becomes stronger and more efficient, your cardiovascular systems gets stronger - reducing the likelihood of heart attack and stroke, it helps control hypertension and reduces your risk of developing adult onset diabetes.

    I still have a way to go before hitting my "ideal weight" but since I started exercising on a consistent basis I've just felt so much better (mentally and physically)
  • AnneGenevieveS
    AnneGenevieveS Posts: 436 Member
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    new exercise does that to me too. its just muscle swelling / water in muscles. They just aren't used to the exercise, and it will all even out soon. You'll lose way more and be healthier over the long run.
  • kbmnurse
    kbmnurse Posts: 2,484 Member
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    Stick with the exercise. Could be H2O weight or that miserable monthly hormonal shift. UGGGGGGG
  • CanuckTracy
    CanuckTracy Posts: 245 Member
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    I see from your food diary that you are eating high calorie/low nutritional foods...lots of packaged name brands, or even restaurant items....switch to REAL food...for breakfast have eggs, turkey bacon, multigrain toast, or oatmeal with yogurt and fruit...for lunch have a chicken breast with a big green salad (and a light dressing, or oil and vinegar dressing with lemon juice)...snacks could be nuts and fruit....

    For breakfast you should eat like a king, lunch you should eat like a prince and dinner you should eat like a pauper...don't remember where I read this...but it translates that you should have most of your calories during the day when you are active, and then slowly decrease as you are reaching the end of your day.

    Exercise is necessary for proper body function...without exercise your body will use the energy from muscles instead of fat for daily activities and you will lose that muscle mass.
    Change your eating habits...REAL FOOD HAS REAL CALORIES!
    ^ this ;)
  • huntindawg1962
    huntindawg1962 Posts: 277 Member
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    If you just started exercising you are likely using some muscles that don't get used all that often so it would be common for those muscles to have some water retention. I work out resistance training a couple times per week - ALWAYS the next day or two is a hold or slight gain and then the water starts to break out and I see the drop in weight again.

    Keep at it - you will see benefits.
  • Lozze
    Lozze Posts: 1,917 Member
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    What Brian said. Focus on diet for weight loss, exercise for health.

    I'm going to take a stab in the dark here and say you don't know how to cook. You're 18 maybe away from home for the first time (if you're in college?) and eating junk food is the easiest option right now?

    First off, congratulations on logging what you're eating. That is the best thing you can do even if you're eating the 'wrong' foods. Secondly, no matter what people say a calorie is a calorie is a calorie. Eat the right amount of foods for your body and you will lose weight. That is fact. You might not feel the best and you might not be the healthiest you can be but you will lose weight. (if you want to read an experiment done by a scientist who ate Twinkies only you can read here http://edition.cnn.com/2010/HEALTH/11/08/twinkie.diet.professor/index.html)

    Please don't think I'm saying the best option for you to lose weight is to eat pre packaged foods. If you're eating fast food every day (or every meal) I think it's too easy to fall back into old habbits.

    Are there friends who can cook? Who you can make meals with? Can you add an extra bit of fruit to your day, or some cups of frozen veggies? Can you start drinking more water each day?

    In regards to the 1lb weight gain it is more than likely water retention. It always happens to me after starting a new exercise regime.
    Stick with the exercise. Could be H2O weight or that miserable monthly hormonal shift. UGGGGGGG

    Men get that now?
  • AnninStPaul
    AnninStPaul Posts: 1,372 Member
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    Congratulations on 9lbs lost so far, that's fantastic! Don't be upset about a 1 lb gain, weight loss is NOT linear, and that's probably just a normal fluctuation.

    Things to consider:

    -starting a new exercise regime/programme very often makes your muscles retain water, which shows up on the scale.
    -I eat all my exercise calories but I get a pretty good estimate from my heart rate monitor. If you are going by MFP's estimates, they can be inaccurate, so perhaps only eat half of them back, and track for a while to see how you get on.
    -consider tracking your sodium levels in your diary. I'd imagine you're consuming quite a lot (Chinese food, pizza, sausages etc) and that will also make you retain water.

    Don't give up though, exercise will be doing you a lot of good, and you do need to eat enough to fuel that. Even if you have been slightly overestimating the calories burned, you will only have gone over by a small amount, and some days you are way under your goal, so it's very unlikely that you've gained a lb in fat. Just keep at it, and see how you get on in the coming weeks. Most people's weight goes up and down daily, it's the overall downward trend that's important.

    ^^THIS^^
  • RuthieP25
    Options
    I go to the gym 3x a week and the next day, just about every time, I'm a pound heavier. Not sure but I think the exercise causes water retention in the muscles. The days after routine activity my weight drops or stays the same. Exercise is so good for you and the weight gain is probably just water. Good luck!