Nutrition/Appetite help?!

[smitty1038]

32/F - on my fourth week of working out after being sedentary for years. Never honestly been a gym go-er and have really been putting in the work lately. I’ve been maintaining consistency and eating what I call pretty well/only what I can cook. But I’ve gained?? Went from 130ish to 137 this morning? Why? No fast food/only things I cook, one cheat meal (Spanish restaurant), have added much more protein (maybe too much?). I don’t understand how I’m gaining when I’m burning at least an extra 600 cals each time I go/going at least 2-3 x/week. Of course I want to loose weight but I really want to tone. I honestly guess I don’t know what I’m doing. Is this normal?

Needing advice for what to eat & when (can’t eat before workout I get nauseous), how much protein do I need, supplements (??), appetite suppressant recs definitely as well.

TIA if you made it this far!

 

[ericph]

@smitty1038 Just some thoughts:
- track your calories, weigh them all and track them using a tracking app. You need to be in a deficit to lose weight and tracking your nutrition is one of the best ways.
- it's very difficult to estimate how much calories you use during exercises you may as well ignore and just have it as an extra surprise at the end of the week when you weigh in.
- https://thefitness.wiki is highly recommended read. Gives you the no BS of fat loss and all other exercise and fitness related topics.
- keep doing what your doing. When it comes to body composition resistance training is great for that, but one of the most important factors is consistency.
- keep at it early days yet.

To answer some of your questions, your weight increase isn't that much tbh and could be in the realms of increased muscle mass and water.

As for what and when to eat, wouldn't worry about timing to be honest. Just get good food in 3 times a day with some health3snack and drink lots of water.

Hope that helps

 

[dawn16]

@smitty1038 My guess is water weight

 

[letsgohome]

@smitty1038 If you have a menstrual cycle, the weight gain could be from where you're at in your cycle.

Could also be water weight from being new to workingout.

It's also possible that you're eating more than you think. Some people have an increase in appetite when they workout and end up eating more than they usually would without realizing it.

4 weeks isn't much in the grand scheme of things. There's a spreadsheet (I think) on the xxfitness wiki that is pretty good with tracking your weight over time that shows fluctuations and patterns. If not in the wiki, search the sub bc I know it's been posted before.

Lastly, it's very possible your exercise calories are a bit off. How are you getting this number? What's your routine? Some people don't eat back their burned calories, some do. I have confidence that my sports watch is fairly accurate (based off of what I do, how hard I'm going, and testing it etc.), if not possibly slightly under reporting, where I don't mind eating back my calories.

 

[smitty1038]

@letsgohome Burned active calories comes from my Apple Watch. I’ve been paying really close attention to what I eat, only taking in what I can make/cook. I don’t eat fast food (did have chik fil a one time though in a pinch if I’m being honest) and don’t drink sodas.

How long does the water usually hold so hard to your body when you’re newer to working out?

I’m trying not to look too hard at the scale but it’s crazy it literally hasn’t moved.. one day it went down 3lbs then right back to 135. Nuts. My body fits 120lbs SO much better than 130 or higher and I know I might not get back to that number, strength, toning and some definition is what I’m looking for not the numbers just not understanding why after a month the number hasn’t changed even a little

 

[letsgohome]

@smitty1038 So I can't really go any further without knowing your routine, the duration, how many calories you're eating, how many are you eating back from burned, and your height. I'm just aiming in the dark and making assumptions below:

Your TDEE may be off or your tracking is off. Are you weighing ALL of your food? From something as simple as oil to coffee creamer.
If you're just reading labels, those labels can be like 20% off. That's why it's important to weigh food when you're just starting There's a spreadsheet on xxfitness that will help you find your true TDEE. Type in TDEE spreadsheet in the subs search bar.

It's possible you're actually eating at maintenance, eating back burned calories but the burned calories are inflated, putting you at a surplus.

Depending on what your workout actually entails, if 600 calories is being calculated in one session... It seems like a lot. For what it's worth, I'm heavier than you and a little under 5'1. I do a really high intensity kickboxing routine on a heavy bag (resistance about 100#+ heavier than me) with little rest (only to grab a sip of water that's next to me, takes like 10 seconds) for 50 minutes. I burn about 400 in that time. My heart rate is between mid/upper 150s to 170s. When I run, I get about 100cals per mile. Weight lifting, I do moderate weight at a higher rep range with little to no rest. So it's. Basically cardio with resistance for me and my heart rate is still high from kickboxing, I've gotten about 200 cals burned for about a 35ish session. I'm working HARD during this time, despite my weight not being the heaviest.

Lastly. What are you doing on non workout days? Are you eating the same calories? If you're not weighing your food and your tracking is off, without extra calories burned from working out, your slight weight gain (bc some is still likely water weight) makes sense.