GAINED 4 pounds!!! WHAT THE HECK!
ademiter
Posts: 176 Member
Ok, just over the last 2 weeks I have GAINED 4 pounds! I have been steadily losing about a pound a week with a plateau every now and then, BUT I am now gaining weight!
Could it be muscle? I exercise 30-60 minutes EVERYday, eat my exercise calories back and I stay right at or below my calorie/carb/fat goal. The only exercise I do is the elliptical, but I do the extreme hillclimb (burning somewhere around 500 calories in a 30 min. workout). I know there's a lot of resistance and I'm working my legs and rear end, but gaining 4 pounds because of it?? HELP! What should I do differently?
Could it be muscle? I exercise 30-60 minutes EVERYday, eat my exercise calories back and I stay right at or below my calorie/carb/fat goal. The only exercise I do is the elliptical, but I do the extreme hillclimb (burning somewhere around 500 calories in a 30 min. workout). I know there's a lot of resistance and I'm working my legs and rear end, but gaining 4 pounds because of it?? HELP! What should I do differently?
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Replies
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Ok, just over the last 2 weeks I have GAINED 4 pounds! I have been steadily losing about a pound a week with a plateau every now and then, BUT I am now gaining weight!
Could it be muscle? I exercise 30-60 minutes EVERYday, eat my exercise calories back and I stay right at or below my calorie/carb/fat goal. The only exercise I do is the elliptical, but I do the extreme hillclimb (burning somewhere around 500 calories in a 30 min. workout). I know there's a lot of resistance and I'm working my legs and rear end, but gaining 4 pounds because of it?? HELP! What should I do differently?
What are you using to gauge your exercise cals? I am 190 lbs and its almost impossible for me to burn that running, which my HR gets up around 180 nd stays there. You do not look in your profile pic to be 500 lbs. I'm guess you're WAY overestimating your exercise cals.0 -
You may be overestimating your exercise calories, you should get a heart rate monitor to make sure (if you don't have one already). It could also be water weight.0
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samething happen to me i was freaking out but dont worry my friend this is a good thing what u gain was muscle but with in 2 week or so the weight will go away. i gain 3 pound at one time didnt understand why, weight my self again later and i went down 4.5 pounds keep doing what u r doing now and dont weight ur self for 2 weeks at least0
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oh dont eat back all the calories u exercise0
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I woudn't panic. Have you gained any INCHES? keep track of your size, if your not getting bigger, than it's probably just muscle.
I had the same problem, excercising intensively for 30-40 mins a day I gained a little weight and never lost it, I am the same size though.. although it's almost impossible to burn 500 cals in 30 mins, that would take at least an hour of intensive excercise, 30 mins will burn about 250-300 cals as long as it's intensive, you should really be sweating!
Are you sure you're not eating excess calories because you're overestimating what you've burnt?0 -
3 things:
1) You probably aren't burning that much.
2) Your body needs at least 1 day of rest. Overtraining will cause you to retain a lot of water.
3) Are your calorie goals correct to start with?0 -
3 things:
1) You probably aren't burning that much.
2) Your body needs at least 1 day of rest. Overtraining will cause you to retain a lot of water.
3) Are your calorie goals correct to start with?
This. A rest day is just as important as a workout day as your body needs to repair the muscles. If not, water retention is huge. Also, unless you ate 14000 extra calories over and above your TDEE, then it isn't fat. Do yourself a favor, if MFP or the elliptical is estimating your exercise calories, eat 75% of them back. It has been proven that many machines over estimate so you continue to use their product. Most over estimate by 20% but some go up to 40% overestimation.0 -
How does MFP work? For me:
1. Eat clean
2. Meet your calorie goals, don't fall below them
3. Set your goals to lose 1lb/week unless otherwise advised by a doctor
4. Log every bite--if you are tasting during cooking chew gum or just log each taste.
5. Keep your routine varied, try something new: Zumba, martial arts, body combat, Tai Chi, power yoga...keep your body confused and your mind from getting bored.
I reached my goals in September. I also read Everyday Food magazine (makes it easier to log--nutrition info included), www.dailygarnish.com, and Whole Living Magazine. You can get free recipes on all of their websites.0 -
oh dont eat back all the calories u exercise
You are supposed to, to ensure you lose your goal amount of weight. Just make sure they are a good estimate (not the machine or MFPs estimate)
OP: Most likely water retention. It will not be muscle gain, as it would take months to gain 4 lbs of muscle in a caloric surplus, so if you are in a deficit, there is not a chance you would put on that much muscle.0 -
I would also suggest changing your routine up - I don't know how long you've been doing that, but if you do the same thing every day, your body gets very good at doing that. Hit the treadmill one day, the bike another, maybe take a class once a week. Keep your body guessing! It also keeps me from getting bored at the gym.0
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Nearly impossible to help you without seeing your diary, but the advice given you is awesome. Only thing I can add is make sure you are eating enough!! Eating to low will stall your weight loss, and make it difficult if not impossible. Go to Fat2Fitradio.com and use their calculators.How does MFP work? For me:
1. Eat clean
2. Meet your calorie goals, don't fall below them
3. Set your goals to lose 1lb/week unless otherwise advised by a doctor
4. Log every bite--if you are tasting during cooking chew gum or just log each taste.
5. Keep your routine varied, try something new: Zumba, martial arts, body combat, Tai Chi, power yoga...keep your body confused and your mind from getting bored.
I reached my goals in September. I also read Everyday Food magazine (makes it easier to log--nutrition info included), www.dailygarnish.com, and Whole Living Magazine. You can get free recipes on all of their websites.0 -
4 lbs fat gain would mean you ate at least 14,000 calories OVER maintenance. About an extra 1000 over your maintenance per day. Does that sound familiar? No? Well then, probably not fat.
4 lbs of muscle? Only Bruce Banner can gain muscle that fast, and only if you make him really angry.
Water retention.0 -
oh dont eat back all the calories u exercise
You are supposed to, to ensure you lose your goal amount of weight. Just make sure they are a good estimate (not the machine or MFPs estimate)
OP: Most likely water retention. It will not be muscle gain, as it would take months to gain 4 lbs of muscle in a caloric surplus, so if you are in a deficit, there is not a chance you would put on that much muscle.
MFP has already given you a deficit, so you must eat back those calories!0 -
You know, my husband has often said that you can't trust that darn elliptical and what it says I'm burning! UGH! The workout that I do on the elliptical is VERY INTENSIVE (I am POURING sweat and I feel like I'm going to DIE!!!) but I push through it. It's actually a 35 min.workout now that I think about it. I will estimate that I burned HALF those calories from now on. I will also just eat my 1200 cal. diet. Do you all think that 1200 is ok or should it be a little higher? I appreciate ALL of your advice sooooo much!
My start weight was 196. My goal weight is 150. My current weight WAS 173 but now I'm 177.0 -
Ok, so I DO need to eat back my exercise calories??0
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LOL! Thanks!0
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4 lbs fat gain would mean you ate at least 14,000 calories OVER maintenance. About an extra 1000 over your maintenance per day. Does that sound familiar? No? Well then, probably not fat.
4 lbs of muscle? Only Bruce Banner can gain muscle that fast, and only if you make him really angry.
Water retention.
LOL! Thanks!0 -
Hey i like your thinking. It helps me. Fitnesspal gives me a larger number than my machine. I have muscle and bone problems. i rarley count in the extra calories. My gastric bypass doesnt allow me to eat the amount given. Thanks for your input again it made sense to me.0
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Ok, so I DO need to eat back my exercise calories??
If you used MFP to set your calorie goal then YES! They have already created a deficit for you! But I still feel they don't give you enough. Check out Fat2fitradio.com0 -
4 lbs fat gain would mean you ate at least 14,000 calories OVER maintenance. About an extra 1000 over your maintenance per day. Does that sound familiar? No? Well then, probably not fat.
4 lbs of muscle? Only Bruce Banner can gain muscle that fast, and only if you make him really angry.
Water retention.
:flowerforyou:0 -
Oh my goodness, YES, you need to eat more than 1200 calories. If you EAT 1200, burn 400 and don't eat them back, your body is only getting 800 calories/day. EAT!!!!!!!!!! :bigsmile:0
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I've learned to NOT go by the machine calories all the time...I got a HRM and here is what happened...
Elliptical:
Machine= Around 600 or so for an hour
HRM= Around 300 or so for an hour
^300 calorie difference
Treadmill:
Machine= About 450 or so for an hour
HRM= About 400 or so for an hour
^50 calorie difference
Bike:
Machine= About 400 calories or so for an hour
HRM= About 300 or so for an hour
^100 calorie difference
Sometimes, if I can't use my HRM or forgot it or something, I will have to use the machine. However, I always take off some calories, based off of what I've burned in the past with my HRM and what not.
Also, do you strength train? Have you lost inches? Do you drink a lot of water? Is it TOM? These can all play a factor!
My last suggestion, don't weigh everyday, and DO eat your exercise calories!
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4 lbs of muscle? Only Bruce Banner can gain muscle that fast, and only if you make him really angry.
Ha! This made me laugh out loud. :laugh:0 -
Ok, so I DO need to eat back my exercise calories??
Your net calories are the important bit. So, in a general sense, yes.
Let's say you need 2000 calories.
To diet, you eat 1500 calories.
You exercise 500 calories, and eat 1500 calories.
Now you've only netted 1000 calories. You need 500 more calories.
Here's a problem scenario:
Your serving sizes are bigger than you think. You really ate 1850 calories.
Your exercise burned less than MFPs database said. Maybe only 300 calories.
You eat the extra 500 calories.
You net 2050 calories in reality.
Of course you can have the opposite problem too, but the above is far more likely.
This is why a lot of people use a heart rate monitor.0 -
You know, my husband has often said that you can't trust that darn elliptical and what it says I'm burning! UGH! The workout that I do on the elliptical is VERY INTENSIVE (I am POURING sweat and I feel like I'm going to DIE!!!) but I push through it. It's actually a 35 min.workout now that I think about it. I will estimate that I burned HALF those calories from now on. I will also just eat my 1200 cal. diet. Do you all think that 1200 is ok or should it be a little higher? I appreciate ALL of your advice sooooo much!
My start weight was 196. My goal weight is 150. My current weight WAS 173 but now I'm 177.
1200 might be enough on days you don't workout, but on days you workout you should be eating 1200 Net (1200 plus what you burned) If you are using MFP or the machine I would eat back 60-75% of those cals to make up for any overestimation.0 -
1) Where you are in your lady cycle can totally vary your water weight. If you are either ovulating or getting very close to TOM, your weight can go up. Mine sometimes goes up six or seven POUNDS practically overnight! O.o
2) If you are working intensely on the elliptical, it isn't out of the question to consider a burn of 10-11 calories per minute. I am at 150ish and burn a good 10 per minute on average doing a 20-30 minute HIIT session. I have found that the machine is inaccurate though. Yesterday, my HRM registered 210 for a 20 minute workout, the machine was 389! Big difference...0 -
4 pounds of muscle in 2 weeks is not possible. Water.0
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RE: Your question about the elliptical calorie estimate. I use a heart rate monitor when I use the elliptical and find the elliptical overestimates my calorie burn by 1/3 - 1/2 so using half the number you see is a good conservative strategy - "worst" case is you underestimate a bit which means you may see a bigger drop in weight/inches - a nice thing. Just make sure you are eating right so you aren't losing too much at once. I always try to eat a little less than my food goal for the day to account for overestimates on exercise and forgetting to log in something small.
I agree with the other poster that if you can afford to buy a heart rate monitor, you should! It will also help if you mix up your workout - you can wear it running, biking, etc. Some of them even work under water for swimming. Keep going - you are doing GREAT!0 -
I've learned to NOT go by the machine calories all the time...I got a HRM and here is what happened...
Elliptical:
Machine= Around 600 or so for an hour
HRM= Around 300 or so for an hour
^300 calorie difference
Treadmill:
Machine= About 450 or so for an hour
HRM= About 400 or so for an hour
^50 calorie difference
Bike:
Machine= About 400 calories or so for an hour
HRM= About 300 or so for an hour
^100 calorie difference
Sometimes, if I can't use my HRM or forgot it or something, I will have to use the machine. However, I always take off some calories, based off of what I've burned in the past with my HRM and what not.
Also, do you strength train? Have you lost inches? Do you drink a lot of water? Is it TOM? These can all play a factor!
My last suggestion, don't weigh everyday, and DO eat your exercise calories!
THANK YOU!!! I don't do any strength training and I know I need to. Since I started in Jan. I have lost inches in my waist. I need to drink MORE water!0 -
THANK YOU!!! I don't do any strength training and I know I need to. Since I started in Jan. I have lost inches in my waist. I need to drink MORE water!
If you don't strength train why did you think any of the gain would be muscle?0
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