Working out, eating better, but gaining weight!

[Angelkc22]

Hello!

I have been working out regularly (45 mins to 2 hours every other day, somtimes daily) for the last 4 weeks. I am female, 5'7", and went from 203 to 208.

I am eating better than I was (still eating stuff that isn't GREAT, but cut out most of the fast food, which was all i ate, and cut my portions down). I have been doing mostly elliptical at an incline and with resistance and some water aerobics. Why am I gaining weight?? Surely I haven't gained 5 pounds of muscle in 4 weeks... I haven't been lifting weights! Is it the resistance on the elliptical?? What do I need to do different???

I have a vacation coming up the last weekend in June (exactly 60 days from today), and I want to be in better shape, but not keep killing myself in the gym and seeing no results.

Someone please help!!

[Dinos7]

In order to lose fat you MUST lift weights. They won't make you muscular and big like a man, but they will tone and shape you. Your diet should have these foods: fish, chicken and turkey breast, steak, green veggies,tomatoes, rice, almonds, peanut butter. Stick to the above and I believe you will see the change!

[Angelkc22]

While that advise is GREAT, and I thank you for it... I just want to be a normal, healthy person. I don't want my diet and my workout to consume my life. The HIIT work out is great, but I don't want to have to put that much thought into workout out. I want to be able to work out in the evening and do x amount of cardio and/or x amount of weight training.

The diet advise is good, but I don't want to spend every second of my day planning out what I can and can't have, nor do I want to kill myself with cravings that I can't satisfy because I am "not allowed" certain foods. If I crave pizza, I want to feel OK with eating A SLICE (not 5 slices)... If I crave chocolate, I want to be able to not feel guilty about eating a "fun size" bar (not a WHOLE regular size bar).

The only way this will work is if I am comfortable doing it... I'm not training for a marathon or a "world's strongest woman" competition. I just want to know what I am doing wrong and how I can make this work in real life.

[dethmetalanimal]

your eating too many calories
/thread


also you do not have to lift weights to lose fat. all you need to do to lose weight is eat below your caloric maintanence level. cardio will help to burn some calories and increase you metabolism a bit, BUT CONTROLLING YOUR DIET IS MORE IMPORTANT.

[taylorguitar13]

Originally Posted by Angelkc22

While that advise is GREAT, and I thank you for it... I just want to be a normal, healthy person. I don't want my diet and my workout to consume my life. The HIIT work out is great, but I don't want to have to put that much thought into workout out. I want to be able to work out in the evening and do x amount of cardio and/or x amount of weight training.

The diet advise is good, but I don't want to spend every second of my day planning out what I can and can't have, nor do I want to kill myself with cravings that I can't satisfy because I am "not allowed" certain foods. If I crave pizza, I want to feel OK with eating A SLICE (not 5 slices)... If I crave chocolate, I want to be able to not feel guilty about eating a "fun size" bar (not a WHOLE regular size bar).

The only way this will work is if I am comfortable doing it... I'm not training for a marathon or a "world's strongest woman" competition. I just want to know what I am doing wrong and how I can make this work in real life.

It's really about consistency. It takes months of being good to yourself to really get results. The better you are, the better your body will look =). You have to be patient for one. Second of all, if you dont want to count your calories, you wont know exactly how much you are eating. You might be eating more than your maintenance level. It's really up to you, how determined you want to be.

There's a thing that is called yo-yo dieting as well. Such as, your body isn't used to the change of diet so suddenly, so it may not know what to do yet. You have no idea if you're burning fat, muscle, or carbs. Your body still may be adjusting.

Weight depends on what time of day you check it. If you check it right after a big dinner, you will weigh more than if you've just waken up in the morning (no food for 7-8 hours)

Splitting up your meals will help A LOT. Eat 5-6 meals as opposed to 3-4. Lower portions of course, and try to count your calories, at least a little bit. Fat doens't turn fat, sugar turns into fat. Keep that in mind.

Do cardio as much as you can. Try to jog/walk 5-7 miles a week. The more the better.

Good luck... I could give more advice but you're just trying to be "normal" which in America is obsese =).... good luck on your health journey.

[Angelkc22]

Thank you Taylor. I guess I just didn't see being "normal" as the reason America is obese. That was kind of an "ah-ha" moment. I just hate the skinny *edit button* GIRLS that can eat Taco Bell everyday and still wear a size 2. But thats not me and will never be me... some people are just lucky.

A normal day for me is a cereal bar in the morning (maybe one in the afternoon), a grilled chicken sandwich and a diet pop for lunch, and a bowl of special k (or a can of soup or spaghetti-o's) for dinner. Usually before dinner I go to the gym and work out for an hour and a half... sometimes more. Again, just elliptical with incline and resistance, or maybe water aerobics (if my back is hurting that day).

It just seems so much better than eating no breakfast, burger fries and a regular bucket of pop for lunch, and the same for dinner like I used to eat... and NOT working out.

I always weight myself first thing in the morning when I arrive at work (no food yet, and usually the same type of clothes everyday). I can yo-yo from 203 one day to 208 the next day, then back down, then back up. I HATE that it fluctuates that much. It's so frustrating.

I really should have stayed at home in bed, hiding under the covers...

[Mwilli01]

Originally Posted by Angelkc22

Thank you Taylor. I guess I just didn't see being "normal" as the reason America is obese. That was kind of an "ah-ha" moment. I just hate the skinny *edit button* GIRLS that can eat Taco Bell everyday and still wear a size 2. But thats not me and will never be me... some people are just lucky.

A normal day for me is a cereal bar in the morning (maybe one in the afternoon), a grilled chicken sandwich and a diet pop for lunch, and a bowl of special k (or a can of soup or spaghetti-o's) for dinner. Usually before dinner I go to the gym and work out for an hour and a half... sometimes more. Again, just elliptical with incline and resistance, or maybe water aerobics (if my back is hurting that day).

It just seems so much better than eating no breakfast, burger fries and a regular bucket of pop for lunch, and the same for dinner like I used to eat... and NOT working out.

I always weight myself first thing in the morning when I arrive at work (no food yet, and usually the same type of clothes everyday). I can yo-yo from 203 one day to 208 the next day, then back down, then back up. I HATE that it fluctuates that much. It's so frustrating.

I really should have stayed at home in bed, hiding under the covers...

Some people just have good genes and never have to worry about what they eat. It's not your fault that you don't have scrawny girl genes, so never blame yourself. The fact that you are making an effort to improve is more than a lot of other people can say, so you should always be proud of yourself and your work towards a healthier lifestyle.

If I could offer some advice, take it for what it's worth

I would quit the soda, diet or not. Personally, I find even diet soda has absolutely no nutritional value at all. Nothing is better for you than a nice cold glass of water. A nice glass of milk at night is perfect as well. Stick with skim (if you can bear the taste) or 1% for the lower calories.

Special K is a decent cereal, but cereal isn't really meant for dinner. If I were you, I would have my grilled chicken sandwich at night for dinner, and maybe the cereal at lunch instead. Soup is good too, depending on what kind it is and how thick/heavy it is. Spaghetti-o's, eh, not so great. Loaded with empty calories. If anything, you should shift your focus to a larger breakfast. It's better to eat more calories in the morning, as just walking around throughout the day will burn calories off. I prefer a big breakfast with oatmeal and some turkey sausage and some egg whites. I typically throw in some fruit as well for good balance

I know you said you didn't like it much, but eating smaller meals throughout the day will definitely help your metabolism skyrocket. If you grab small healthy snacks between meals you'll see a huge difference. A piece of fruit is a great idea for those snacks.

Like mentioned above, it's all what you put into it. Be proud that you're even trying, because a lot of people don't even care. If you don't want to put a lot of effort into it then you won't see a huge difference, but every little bit helps.

[FLYBUCK]

Are you drinking a lot of water... this would explain the weight shifts? My wife lost a lot of weight by just cutting down on portions and eating more often. I always have a large can of unsalted peanuts at my desk and have a handfull ~2 hours before lunch and ~2 hours after lunch. This just keep the metabolism going for the entire day. The only other advice I will give is to mix up your workouts so your body doesn't get used to doing the same thing over and over.

Lastly, the biggest changes happen at the grocery store... if you don't buy junk, you can't eat junk. We started loading up on fruits, vegies, light snacks (a lot of those 100 calorie packs for cravings). We also made little changes like skim milk in place of 2%, spray on butter (0 calories), fat free dressing, etc... Good luck and keep at it, you'll get your results.

[xMichaelx]

Originally Posted by Angelkc22

A normal day for me is a cereal bar in the morning (maybe one in the afternoon), a grilled chicken sandwich and a diet pop for lunch, and a bowl of special k (or a can of soup or spaghetti-o's) for dinner.

Weight loss is all about diet, and yours is terrible.

1) Go to http://www.leehayward.com/calorie_calculator.htm and figure out how many calories you need to maintain your weight (use the Harris-Benedict formula).

2) Subtract 500 calories from your TDEE. This is how many you need to average per day to lose weight in a healthy way.

3) Go to http://www.fitday.com/ and start tracking your calories. Try to get about 40% of your calories from protein. Counting calories sounds like a PITA -- Fitday makes it really easy.

4) Eat 4-6 small meals per day.

Don't go crazy with the calorie restriction. Lots of people when they first start out try to eat like 1300 cals per day, then wonder why they feel and look like crap, and aren't losing weight very fast (they're starving themselves!)

Also, at first you can eat and drink pretty much what you want within the limits set above -- you'll still see good results. As you get healthier, you may want to start eating more natural foods and cut out the crap, like diet soda.

See the nutrition and fat loss forums for more info.
http://forum.bodybuilding.com/forumdisplay.php?f=13
http://forum.bodybuilding.com/forumdisplay.php?f=16

[snoack]

Definitely make sure you're drinking enough water, that's your first step.

After that, make sure that you're eating often enough. You always here that 4-6 small meals a day is best for weight loss...it's true.

Add more fresh fruits and vegetables to your diet, especially fruit before exercise (the energy from a simple carbohydrate will give you a nice burst)

Make sure that you're gradually increasing your intensity. Your body becomes sedentary and gets used to a specific routine. I'm working on making changes in my routine right now for this very reason, it works.

[Angelkc22]

Ok, the diet is better... more salads (lots of lettuce, a little cheese, a little regular dressing, and diced lunch meat), more water, and I've started bringing a container of fruit to work with me so I can munch a little throughout the day to keep my metabolism going. Lots of sugar free foods (left over from the low carb diet i was on a few weeks ago... what a waste that was...)

How long before I get my metabolism back up, and keep it up on a regular basis?

Does anyone have an opinion about THR while working out? I can't seem to keep it in the "fat burning" range... it seems like any activity I do sends me right into the "max heart rate" range. I struggle to even keep it in the "cardio" range...

[mark427]

Based on the diet you've listed, even if you do lose weight, you will be burning muscle with fat, you will be malnourished, you will hit a plateau, and you will totally screw up your metabolism.

In some of the above posts, you'll find links to calculators to determine your daily caloric intake. As mentioned, you should try to stay about 500 calories per day below that. At first, this might actually cause you to gain weight until your metabolism adjusts.

Good luck!

[Angelkc22]

alright... I went from 203 to 208 like I mentioned.... changed the diet and work out and dropped to 198... NOW I'M BACK UP AT 212. Really?! I haven't changed my diet, I've been working out consistently. WTF!? The only thing changing IS MY WEIGHT, and for no apparent reason.

Holy mother of god, this is so frustrating.

[Farley1324]

Originally Posted by Dinos7

In order to lose fat you MUST lift weights.

Bull

Originally Posted by dethmetalanimal

your eating too many calories
/thread


also you do not have to lift weights to lose fat.

x2

Originally Posted by Angelkc22

alright... I went from 203 to 208 like I mentioned.... changed the diet and work out and dropped to 198... NOW I'M BACK UP AT 212. Really?! I haven't changed my diet, I've been working out consistently. WTF!? The only thing changing IS MY WEIGHT, and for no apparent reason.

Holy mother of god, this is so frustrating.

Are you logging everything you eat as accurately as possible every day?

Your calorie intake must not be constant