positivityn2018
New member
@youngwolf Do you feel better? Do you look better? Also it’s been like three weeks come back in October if you’re not seeing results…
How could I possibly eat less and exercise a sh*t ton more, and actually gain weight??
- Thread starter youngwolf
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dynamitedove
New member
@youngwolf Without knowing a lot more about what you’re doing, you could be undereating and your body storing more fat to not die. Cause the body is a dramatic thing at most times.
Or, it could be that since you’re training a lot, you could be storing more glycogen, and water
Or, it could be that since you’re training a lot, you could be storing more glycogen, and water
@dynamitedove I appreciate some reasonable explanations for weight gain! I know I’m not gaining fat, but it was confusing me how the scale could be going the opposite direction.
dynamitedove
New member
@youngwolf It can be very frustrating when that that happens!
That’s why when I’m dropping weight, I weigh myself every day.
Even if I’m consistently dropping weight over the weeks, the number on the scale fluctuates daily.
A bad nights sleep for instance can throw it off.
I’m 2 lbs over again this morning just because I ate later than intended and it was lasagne. Tomorrow I should be back where I was or less.
That’s why when I’m dropping weight, I weigh myself every day.
Even if I’m consistently dropping weight over the weeks, the number on the scale fluctuates daily.
A bad nights sleep for instance can throw it off.
I’m 2 lbs over again this morning just because I ate later than intended and it was lasagne. Tomorrow I should be back where I was or less.
simplelivingnow
New member
@youngwolf Your expectations aren’t realistic. It takes time.
seowork733
New member
@youngwolf 2lbs could just be a normal fluctuation, likely water retention. I wouldn’t classify that as weight gain
Couple of other points:
1. If you’re eating lots of protein and lifting weights regularly then you’ll gain muscle. Muscle weighs more than fat so that could explain the increase in weight, have you noticed a change in your body composition?
2. Your calorie deficit may be too much. You used “light” activity on LoseIt yet you’re exercising twice a day? Your body can react weirdly if the deficit is too much for a long period
3. You’re staying under your calorie goals but how are your macros? If you’re not eating relatively clean or eating a ton in one sitting then that could explain the changes
TLDR; there are a ton of reasons why. But 2lbs isn’t much to worry about
Couple of other points:
1. If you’re eating lots of protein and lifting weights regularly then you’ll gain muscle. Muscle weighs more than fat so that could explain the increase in weight, have you noticed a change in your body composition?
2. Your calorie deficit may be too much. You used “light” activity on LoseIt yet you’re exercising twice a day? Your body can react weirdly if the deficit is too much for a long period
3. You’re staying under your calorie goals but how are your macros? If you’re not eating relatively clean or eating a ton in one sitting then that could explain the changes
TLDR; there are a ton of reasons why. But 2lbs isn’t much to worry about
livingasgodsgirl
New member
@youngwolf You’re probably gaining weight from swelling from the exercise and muscle growth that’s happening for the rapid increase in exercise and intensity.
I do recommend dialing in your diet, if you haven’t already. You mention it isn’t different from before, but that doesn’t mean it wasn’t causing inflammation (which doesn’t always hurt, you’re just bigger).
I recently had a 5lb gain after two pieces of pizza from specific place. I’ve had pizza from other places or made my own and not had this problem so I’m certain it was their food and probably oils they used for cooking.
I highly recommend doing an elimination diet to rule things out. I’ve done them many times because my body has changed over time and things that didn’t bother me before do now. Like eggs, I love eggs but now they make me very ill. Blood tests for allergies say that shouldn’t be the case, but I can assure you it is!
So yeah, 2lbs is probably a combination of muscle growth, some swelling from the exercise and/or some inflammation.
I do recommend dialing in your diet, if you haven’t already. You mention it isn’t different from before, but that doesn’t mean it wasn’t causing inflammation (which doesn’t always hurt, you’re just bigger).
I recently had a 5lb gain after two pieces of pizza from specific place. I’ve had pizza from other places or made my own and not had this problem so I’m certain it was their food and probably oils they used for cooking.
I highly recommend doing an elimination diet to rule things out. I’ve done them many times because my body has changed over time and things that didn’t bother me before do now. Like eggs, I love eggs but now they make me very ill. Blood tests for allergies say that shouldn’t be the case, but I can assure you it is!
So yeah, 2lbs is probably a combination of muscle growth, some swelling from the exercise and/or some inflammation.
frank23johnson
New member
@youngwolf Muscle weighs more than fat. The best way to track progress is by doing body measurements.
Edit: You also might not be eating enough to fuel your body for the increased workload.
Edit: You also might not be eating enough to fuel your body for the increased workload.
peacemaker90
New member
@frank23johnson Sorry, but muscle doesn't weigh more than fat.
1lb is 1lb is 1lb
Muscle is denser, and 5lbs of muscle takes up less space than 5 lbs of fat. They are both 5lbs though.
OP, it could just be your bodies reaction to the new stress, and you could be under eating. I saw you say that are most likely over estimating on your portion tracking.
Keep doing what you are doing for another week, if you don't see any positive results, look at your food tracking more closely.
1lb is 1lb is 1lb
Muscle is denser, and 5lbs of muscle takes up less space than 5 lbs of fat. They are both 5lbs though.
OP, it could just be your bodies reaction to the new stress, and you could be under eating. I saw you say that are most likely over estimating on your portion tracking.
Keep doing what you are doing for another week, if you don't see any positive results, look at your food tracking more closely.
frank23johnson
New member
@peacemaker90 Sorry, what I was meaning was density.
peacemaker90
New member
@frank23johnson So many people say that, and it is one of those things that so many believe.
It's a soap box of mine. Sorry
It's a soap box of mine. Sorry
@youngwolf Just need more time. That's all. You were not at your SW over 3 weeks. Continue tracking, sleep and keep up the exercise.
justluck1234
New member
@youngwolf
- 1700 is probably just too much. Eat less calories.
- It just takes time.
@youngwolf Two weeks isn't enough time to get rid of statistical noise, so I don't think the problem is your actions, but rather your expectations. If at the start, you had a nice poop just before weighing, that's a pound or two. And during the deficit, if you are changing your salt and carb intake, then that's gonna cause you to hold onto water differently. If you are eating more veggies, that's more fiber in your gut. If you're supplementing with creatine like you hopefully should be, your muscles are holding more water, that's what creatine does. Most people just gain 2-3 pounds of water from that but, like, I'm a hyperresponder to creatine and vary 10-12 pounds of water weight on/off it.
So let's say you had a poop, changed salt, carb, and fiber intake, and have been taking 5mg of creatine per day. You should be up 5 pounds. You're only up 3. Congratulations, you lost 2 pounds of fat. On the other hand, if that was flipped, where you stopped taking creatine, pooped before the later measurements, and adjusted carbs/salt to reduce stored water, then you should have -5 pounds. You're up 3 which means you gained 8 pounds of fat! Neither of those extremes are probably the case, so all we can say is that if you change your diet and lifestyle, your day to day weight will be +/-5 lbs. If you're in a 500 calorie deficit, that's trying to lose 1 pound per week (3500 total deficit per pound), so you won't know for sure that you're out of that +/-5 pound range (17,500 deficit) for either 6 weeks or until you have a measurement 6 pounds lighter than the initial.
The first two weeks of a diet are statistical noise, thats just priming the system. Rather than a specific day's weight, look at something like a 3-day average. Then, the two data points to pay attention to are 1) today, two weeks in after your body has adjusted to everything and 2) two weeks from today, 4 weeks total. It sounds like you're doing things the right way though; your focus is mainly on diet and you're tracking things as well as you can. It sounds like you're used to being in control of things. You're still completely in control but just need to adjust expectations. You're focused on the results after two weeks. Instead, focus on two years.
So let's say you had a poop, changed salt, carb, and fiber intake, and have been taking 5mg of creatine per day. You should be up 5 pounds. You're only up 3. Congratulations, you lost 2 pounds of fat. On the other hand, if that was flipped, where you stopped taking creatine, pooped before the later measurements, and adjusted carbs/salt to reduce stored water, then you should have -5 pounds. You're up 3 which means you gained 8 pounds of fat! Neither of those extremes are probably the case, so all we can say is that if you change your diet and lifestyle, your day to day weight will be +/-5 lbs. If you're in a 500 calorie deficit, that's trying to lose 1 pound per week (3500 total deficit per pound), so you won't know for sure that you're out of that +/-5 pound range (17,500 deficit) for either 6 weeks or until you have a measurement 6 pounds lighter than the initial.
The first two weeks of a diet are statistical noise, thats just priming the system. Rather than a specific day's weight, look at something like a 3-day average. Then, the two data points to pay attention to are 1) today, two weeks in after your body has adjusted to everything and 2) two weeks from today, 4 weeks total. It sounds like you're doing things the right way though; your focus is mainly on diet and you're tracking things as well as you can. It sounds like you're used to being in control of things. You're still completely in control but just need to adjust expectations. You're focused on the results after two weeks. Instead, focus on two years.
peacehopejoylove1987
New member
@youngwolf Because you’re not tracking accurately or you are overestimating your TDEE
bejoyful1980
New member
@youngwolf If anything I would say do actual strength training to build muscle.
The workouts that you do are more cardio based which do burn calories but you have to keep doing them at high intensity for them to be worth while forever.
If you build muscle you’ll naturally raise your base level caloric needs. You’d be burning more calories just from laying down if you put on some muscle.
The workouts that you do are more cardio based which do burn calories but you have to keep doing them at high intensity for them to be worth while forever.
If you build muscle you’ll naturally raise your base level caloric needs. You’d be burning more calories just from laying down if you put on some muscle.
@youngwolf Water, salt, the density of your food (think a pound of soup vs a pound of spaghetti), your menses, all can contribute. Most women I’ve talked to (and myself) all know our periods are coming when our belts stop fitting and the scale jumps 2-5lbs. Eating salty foods will cause you to retain more water. Eating heavier foods will cause you to be heavier the next day.
Drink more water and weigh yourself every day, preferably for a few months so you can see a pattern.
Drink more water and weigh yourself every day, preferably for a few months so you can see a pattern.
nihilsinedeo
New member
@youngwolf Once you start plateauing after big weight loss gains, you’ll actually see yourself gaining a pound or two here and there. For me, when I went from 250 to 190 in the span of about six months, I actually crept up to 195 after a few weeks of maintaining the exact same diet and exercise plan I’d been doing since starting my weight loss journey. However, it certainly didn’t look like my body was any bigger and my clothes were actually fitting better than they had, so I just chalked it up to bloat or water weight (or muscle gains) and didn’t let the psychological trauma of seeing the scale go up affect me as much as it could have.
There comes a point for many people where their body adjusts to all the new eating and moving it’s been doing and, while it doesn’t exactly cancel out your routine, it begins to resume its normal day-to-day fluctuations that can make it seem like you’re not improving. This is when most people throw in the towel and say “why am I starving and torturing myself for nothing?!” instead of pushing through and staying the course. Additionally, weight loss alone isn’t the only metric by which you should measure your overall health. Eating right and exercising regularly provides way more underlying/“hidden” health benefits than simply shedding pounds. Even if you may not be looking your best, you’re still doing great things for your physical health and wellbeing.
There comes a point for many people where their body adjusts to all the new eating and moving it’s been doing and, while it doesn’t exactly cancel out your routine, it begins to resume its normal day-to-day fluctuations that can make it seem like you’re not improving. This is when most people throw in the towel and say “why am I starving and torturing myself for nothing?!” instead of pushing through and staying the course. Additionally, weight loss alone isn’t the only metric by which you should measure your overall health. Eating right and exercising regularly provides way more underlying/“hidden” health benefits than simply shedding pounds. Even if you may not be looking your best, you’re still doing great things for your physical health and wellbeing.
rogelioandres
New member
@youngwolf I would gain ~8lbs in the week leading up to my period and by day 2-3 of bleeding it would just disappear. You haven't been doing this long enough to see how your hormonal cycle affects water retention, so please don't get discouraged!
I would also caution you about weighing yourself every day. Once a month is enough to track bigger changes over time but it's even better to track your progress with measurements. Depending on your past and current workouts you may be putting on a lot of new muscle.
Edit to add... Progress is also about what your body can do vs what it looks like. Improving cardiovascular health, mobility, and functional strength is a huge benefit to your current and future self so also keep track of your PRs to see how far you've come!
I would also caution you about weighing yourself every day. Once a month is enough to track bigger changes over time but it's even better to track your progress with measurements. Depending on your past and current workouts you may be putting on a lot of new muscle.
Edit to add... Progress is also about what your body can do vs what it looks like. Improving cardiovascular health, mobility, and functional strength is a huge benefit to your current and future self so also keep track of your PRs to see how far you've come!
@youngwolf It took me years to learn but if I allow myself a snack that I’m craving (a cookie, chips, ice cream), I’ll eat a lot less of it. If I substitute something healthy, I tend to overeat it because I’m like “oh this doesn’t count” — so maybe something like that is happening with you too?
Although you’re only talking a few pounds which I feel like is pretty normal. I’m also your age and I don’t weigh myself anymore because it was making me crazy. My weight never stays the same, it’s always somewhere within like 115-125lbs. My clothes fit the same and I feel good and strong so I just learned to let it go. Now I just make sure I stay active and eat intuitively and I’ve been able to maintain a healthy weight.
Also you’re exercising, you’re probably getting strong! Strong > skinny all day long for me. Be proud of those gains. Be kind to yourself. Most people don’t do half of the work you’re putting in.
Although you’re only talking a few pounds which I feel like is pretty normal. I’m also your age and I don’t weigh myself anymore because it was making me crazy. My weight never stays the same, it’s always somewhere within like 115-125lbs. My clothes fit the same and I feel good and strong so I just learned to let it go. Now I just make sure I stay active and eat intuitively and I’ve been able to maintain a healthy weight.
Also you’re exercising, you’re probably getting strong! Strong > skinny all day long for me. Be proud of those gains. Be kind to yourself. Most people don’t do half of the work you’re putting in.