GAINING weight while still dieting and exercising!!!

Actually, a pound is a pound. But, a pound of muscle is much smaller than a pound of fat. Think of it in comparison to a pound of steak versus a pound of feathers.

Don't worry about the weight gain for a week or two if you aren't eating more calories. It isn't real. If your exercising is more intense it could be some water weight gain. Bottom line is, it takes well over 3000 calories to make a pound, so unless you've been pigging out to the extreme, you just need patience.

Likely water retention/glycogen storage as your muscles repair themselves. No worries if you're keeping everything else in check.

what they said ^^

Sounds to me like you're leveling out. Your body is adjusting. It's probably water for one, but more importantly muscle. My suggestion would be to keep doing what you're doing.. maybe switch your macros up (increase protein or something) a bit or something but let your body catch up. Give it another couple weeks and I bet you'll see another loss.

looks like you don't have a lot to lose, so it may be that your intense exercise is causing your muscles to hold onto some water.
I was reading this on another thread, you might find it helpful:
Article taken from:
http://www.columbussports.com/content/writers/dan_falkenberg/ive-started-working-out-why-am-i-still-gaining-weight.shtml


Sorry admins if this is too long but I found the orginal format hard to read.


By Dan Falkenberg
Here’s a question I hear all the time, and to be honest, even though I know why it happens, it can still be disheartening to see your client so disappointed because after a few weeks of working out very hard, he hasn’t lost any weight but has actually gained weight instead! This may have even happened to you and left you standing on the scale with a confused look on your face. I think this is a big contributor to why so many people aren’t successful at weight loss programs. Sure, some are just plain lazy and don’t exercise with enough intensity, but some become so discouraged with the scales that they simply just give up. Whatever you do, don’t give up! Here’s why.

I hope by now that we all know that losing fat takes time and effort. For many, simply hopping onto a treadmill and walking for 20 to 30 minutes isn’t going to cut it; for a very small number of people yes, but for many no. Most of us have to have a very structured and intense program to be successful at dropping the fat.

Here’s the first step to success. Are you ready? Ignore the scale. Here’s the first step to success. Are you ready? Ignore the scale. That’s right. Don’t even step onto a scale for the first month of your exercise program. I know it’ll be hard, but don’t do it. I know some of you are scale addicts; well, consider this Day 1 of your scale detox program. Remember, a successful “weight” loss program is based on the number of lbs. of fat burned off, not the number of overall lbs. burned off. This is why you see programs out there that guarantee 6 lbs. lost in 6 days. You know what they’re guaranteeing? They’re guaranteeing an eventual 6-10, or more, lbs. being put back on.

The “yo-yo” effect, I’m sure a lot of you have heard of it before. The “yo-yo” effect is when your body loses weight, then gains weight, then loses weight, and so on. That’s what these types of guarantees are. Sure, some overly obese individuals can lose more than 2 lbs. of fat in a week, but the majority can’t. Losing 6 lbs. is mostly muscle and water, which is a horrible thing. Muscle is vital to your body, so when it loses it, it wants to get it right back, and a lot of times, it’ll put muscle back on and bring excess fat storage with it. This can leave you having more body fat than when you originally started a “weight” loss program.

Alright, so we’ve established that all weight is not the same. Losing a pound of muscle isn’t good for the body, while losing a pound of fat is (in most cases). Also, hopefully it’s clear why scales aren’t always the best indicator of fat loss. When I evaluate a client’s success, figuring out her body fat percentage is a lot more meaningful to me than seeing the number on the scale. If her body fat stays the same, but she’s smaller on the scale, then that tells me she’s either lost muscle or water. If her body fat is the same, but she’s bigger on the scale, then that tells me that she most likely is retaining water. When both her body fat percentage and weight on the scale drop, then I know that she’s actually losing body fat and achieving success.

For every gram of glycogen stored, approximately 3 grams of water are stored with it. For those of you who can’t seem to shake your scale addiction, here’s why you need to be prepared for what you’ll see at the start of your weight loss program.

Like I said earlier, it can be very discouraging when you step onto the scale and see that you haven’t lost any weight and may have evened gained weight. As long as you don’t give up and are doing the right things with eating right and working out hard enough, your body fat will slowly start to come off. You just need to be patient. Don’t give up.

When you first start an exercise program, your body is basically thrown a curve ball. Your body is used to having to use a certain amount of energy throughout the day, but now that you’re exercising, your body figures out that it needs a greater energy supply. So what happens?

If you remember, your body’s source of energy comes from glucose. Carbohydrates are broken down into glucose, the glucose is used to make energy, and your body performs how it needs to. Well, your body also has a “reserve tank” for excess glucose. Instead of storing all the excess glucose as fat, your body stores some of the excess glucose in an easier form to break down for energy; it’s called glycogen. Glycogen is long chains of glucose molecules that are stored in our muscles and liver.

Working out too intensely can cause muscle tears to become overly inflamed to the point where the mini-tears start to swell with fluid. Your body adapts to how much glycogen it needs to store in order to have enough “energy” on stand-by for when your blood sugar starts to drop because there isn’t enough glucose in the bloodstream from the food you last ate. When we start to exercise, our bodies require more energy and become more efficient at getting that energy, so as a result, our bodies start to store more glycogen. Here’s the kicker. For every gram of glycogen stored, approximately 3 grams of water are stored with it. This means that now your body has a larger amount of water and glycogen stored in the muscles and liver, and as a result, your body weight can go up by a few lbs.

Picture a piece of bread or pasta noodle. What happens when you put them in water? They’re like sponges. They soak up the water and expand. The same can be said with glycogen. Glycogen is a carb, and it sucks up water just like any other carb.

Here’s another culprit. If you go from not working out to working out very hard, your muscles will most likely be sore for the next 2 or 3 days. This is because when you work out, you essentially create mini-tears in your muscles. Working out too intensely can cause these tears to become overly inflamed to the point where the mini-tears start to swell with fluid. This excess fluid in the muscles can cause an initial, excess weight gain. By starting out an exercise program slowly and working your way up, you reduce the likelihood of tearing your muscles too much. To some extent, though, muscle soreness will occur when you first start exercising, but the amount of soreness and inflammation can be controlled by gradually working into a fitness program.

If you continue to stick to your weight loss program and don’t become discouraged by the initial weight gain that may result, you’ll slowly start to see the weight come off for good. Rest assured, even though you may be retaining water during that first month of working out, your body is still burning off fat. After a month’s time, that excess water weight and glycogen will still be there, but your body will have started to burn off enough fat to overcome the water weight gains, and you’ll start to see a difference on the scale.

I’m going to go out on a limb here and say that the individuals who are the most successful with permanent weight loss are those who don’t see results in the first month. One thing I’ve noticed about my most successful clients, the majority of them actually gained a pound or two during the first month of exercising. My clients who weren’t very successful were those that maintained the same weight during the first month, the second month, and so on. Why? I’d have to say it’s because my most successful clients were working so intensely that they experienced extra glycogen and water storage. My clients who wouldn’t put in the effort didn’t need extra glycogen stored, so they didn’t see any initial weight gains.

You see, my successful clients saw an extra pound or two on the scale during the first month, but as the program went on, that extra glycogen storage meant their bodies had the extra fuel to stay revved up and burning off excess calories. It also meant that of the food they ate, less was going into fat storage and more was going into “high-octane” glycogen storage. Less fat storage equals faster weight loss.

So here’s my advice. Don’t be scared of delayed results within the first month. Your body is going through an adaptation process, and it requires some time to prepare itself for its new lifestyle. Keep your exercise intensity up, your eating habits right, and you’ll slowly start to see your fat loss results overcome your new glycogen and water storage results. You’ll slowly start to see that success you set out to achieve.

Dan Falkenberg is the cofounder of Your Live Trainers. He can be reached at DanFalkenberg.com.

Join a community of readers who’ve discovered Dan’s enlightening, monthly newsletter packed full of exercise tips, healthy recipes, and exercise video demonstrations to help improve your fitness! To top it off, it’s free, and you can unsubscribe anytime.

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http://www.columbussports.com/content/writers/dan_falkenberg/ive-started-working-out-why-am-i-still-gaining-weight.shtml

looks like you don't have a lot to lose, so it may be that your intense exercise is causing your muscles to hold onto some water.
I was reading this on another thread, you might find it helpful:
Article taken from:
http://www.columbussports.com/content/writers/dan_falkenberg/ive-started-working-out-why-am-i-still-gaining-weight.shtml


Sorry admins if this is too long but I found the orginal format hard to read.

Thanks for this. I just started back up at mfp, and remembered the weight coming off so easily at first last time! But it didn't, there was a long delay and THEN the pounds dropped. I really needed an article to tell me to be patient!

I am struggling with this as well. I have just started to lose actual weight but I have dropped almost one dress size (and only 3 lbs.) Keep at it!

exercise = inflamed muscles = water retention for repair

it is most likely that your muscles are retaining water and that is the weight gain/lack of weight loss. I doubt you've gained fat or a significant amount of muscle mass.

make sure you give yourself an adequate rest day each week, 1-2 days is ideal so that your muscles can repair.

also make sure that you aren't underestimating your calories. maybe measure/weigh your food for a couple of days to make sure you're estimating correctly.

Also, why not add in some resistance training?

Sounds to me like you're leveling out. Your body is adjusting. It's probably water for one, but more importantly muscle. My suggestion would be to keep doing what you're doing.. maybe switch your macros up (increase protein or something) a bit or something but let your body catch up. Give it another couple weeks and I bet you'll see another loss.

^^^^Golden nugget of info!! Keep your body guessing!! NEVER get into a routine with workouts or food! Always change things up when you level off.

From my personal experience, my weight can fluctuate up to +- 2 pounds in 24 hours, and up to +/-5 pounds in a week. You could just be experiencing one of these blips. If I were you, I wouldn't worry about a one-week trend. If it continues for several weeks, *then* do some adjusting.

Also, find some non-scale metrics to track. They might not be any better than scale weight, but they'll potentially give you something to distract you from the weird scale changes for a while.

Sounds to me like you're leveling out. Your body is adjusting. It's probably water for one, but more importantly muscle. My suggestion would be to keep doing what you're doing.. maybe switch your macros up (increase protein or something) a bit or something but let your body catch up. Give it another couple weeks and I bet you'll see another loss.

^^^^Golden nugget of info!! Keep your body guessing!! NEVER get into a routine with workouts or food! Always change things up when you level off.

<threadjack>
And for the record, I don't believe in this "body guessing" stuff. Yes, I know, most people do, and I'm not saying that I know for a fact that it's wrong...it's just a piece of CW that I don't buy. There are valid reasons to adjust your exercise (different muscles, different stressors) and foods (different macro and micro nutrients), but "body guessing" isn't it.
</threadjack>

I'm stumped.
I have been dieting for a month, exercising (cardio) every day, and losing a steady 2 pounds per week. This week, however, my weight is going UP. I have not changed my diet (same calorie targets) and I have not stopped exercising. In fact, I'm now exercising with more intensity.

A lot of folks have some great suggestions, but one that I haven't seen yet is overtraining. Even though you aren't doing weight training, you are doing cardio 6 days a week. The body needs time to heal in between workouts. Maybe take a week off from doing any exercise than a nice walk. Then pick it back up, but only every other day instead. Keep the intensity up tho!

Are you tracking any measurements other than weight? This might help as well when you aren't seeing the weight coming off.

You should seriously think about taking up weight training as well. This will really help you to get the fat off with a healthy diet.

2 words...water weight.

I'm stumped.
I have been dieting for a month, exercising (cardio) every day, and losing a steady 2 pounds per week. This week, however, my weight is going UP. I have not changed my diet (same calorie targets) and I have not stopped exercising. In fact, I'm now exercising with more intensity.

Have any of you encountered this kind of problem before? How did you deal with it?

Although I am gaining weight, I am not gaining size. I was told muscle weighs more than fat, but the rate at which I'm going up suggests either my scale is broken or my body is out of whack.

Ideas?
Comments?


Thanks in advance.

I personally think 6-7 days of cardio is not right for a man. You are probably so much better from a cardiovascular perspective, but you have to lift weights to change the shape of your body and lose fat. In fact, you probably have lost fat... measure yourself. But if you want to be lean, you have to train with weights. Just my opinion though.