These past two weeks I have started to exercise as I am just over 200 pounds. I weighed myself today and I see I have gained two more pounds! My clothes are starting to feel tight and I have even changed my diet and nothing is happening.
I feel like I want to give up.
Any idea guys?
Most likely it is muscle, don't be alarmed about it. I did before and at the time, I did not know it was muscle and I stopped going to the gym (I was young and was becoming discouraged.)
Continue with the dieting and the exercise. I did it last year (1/4/14-1/4/15) and lost 72 lbs. and a lost a bit more since then.
The confusing answer is that you've gained weight because you started working out. Yes, that's right, you gained weight because you started working out. You're building muscle and muscle weighs more than, do I dare say it, fluff(fat). But here's the good part. Muscle burns more calories than fluff does. The more muscle you put on the more calories you burn and you will start to burn fluff faster.
The measure of working out should not be your weight. It's the measure that people have used for years and years but it's actually pretty inaccurate. A person that is completely fit with a body fat percent of say 6% will weigh more than a like sized person that has a body fat percent of 30%.
What you should be measuring your progress on is how you look, and how you fit in your clothes. How many push-ups and sit-ups you can do. How tired you are after a 30 minute cardio session.
If you've ever seen those infomercials for workouts like P90X or Insanity, one of the things they have you do is take some pictures of yourself, a front and a side. Then do the workout and the diet for 30 days and take the pictures again and again at 60 days and again at 90 days.
When you go back and compare those pictures you will be amazed.
Now here is the hardest part about the workout, the diet. You cannot be eating things like pizza and nachos and wings and work out expecting to "lose weight".
I'm not pushing any workout but I've done them all. I tend to be very ADHD and normally workout twice a day. I've read the material for workouts like P90X and Insanity, I've done both of them numerous times. The books and manuals that come with those programs do a very good job of explaining why diet is so important. I'm sure you can find them online.
And lastly, two weeks really isn't that long of an amount of time. You're going to need a little longer of a sample time to judge progress. You will start to see progress first in your arms, mainly the biceps and triceps. The thing that sucks about losing fat is it doesn't come off in only one location it comes off very slowly from your entire body.
If you do try either of the programs that I mentioned just start slow. You don't need to go crazy and try to use heavy weights. You don't need to do every exercise the first time or even the second or third. But over time you will build up and then be able to do it. Starting slow also helps avoid injuries. I've don't them so many times that I can't listen to the speakers anymore. I put on music and just know what's coming next. I also mix the two workouts together. There are sessions I like from each and sessions I don't so I mix and match to make the workout that I like.
I've also done CrossFit but tend to shy away from it after about 6 months. It was a little too hard on my joints. It has amazing results and some people love it but I found my shoulders were really sore.
If you have any questions feel free to send me a message,
Michelle
stick with it! it is a long road but you will see great changes over time. the hardest steps are the first ones. Give yourself time.
The practice of sport is not enough to lose weight. You need stick to a diet, because all the fat transforms in the muscles and that's all.
_________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
It's very unlikely to be extra muscle, it's far more likely to be fluid retention
When you exercise (especially if you haven't for a while) the muscles get damaged - that's the soreness you feel. Muscles absorb a lot of fluid when they're repairing themselves causing them to get bigger. (It's also why guys think they can see results after one workout)
This fluid retention is very common among people starting new workouts. It should only be temporary though, so don't lose heart
Warning: The opinions above are those of an anonymous individual on the internet. They are opinions, unless they're facts. They may be ill-informed, out of touch with reality or just plain stupid. They may contain traces of irony. If reading these opinions causes you to be become outraged or you start displaying the symptoms of outrage, stop reading them immediately. If symptoms persist, consult a psychiatrist.
Why not read some stories instead
NEW! Want a quick read for your coffee break? Why not try this... Flash Erotica: Scrubber Like OMKN said it's probably fluid retention. Two weeks is just barely starting. It will take some more time to start building muscle. Muscle does weigh more than fat, but muscle burns calories and tones your physique. You'll need to make sure you are burning more calories than you take in. And make sure that you are consuming quality food. The right diet and exercise and you will lose the weight, feel better and look better – you'll be healthier. It's a process.
How is it going for you now Jaune? I hope the small weight gain didn't put you off continuing with your plan, and I wouldn't feel too bad about weight fluctuations in the first few weeks of getting into your healthier regime. As it's been said previously, weight is just one number in the grand scheme of what's happening in your body. There are a lot of factors that add together to make that number (body fat, muscle, bones, toxic fat, water, etc), and in the first few weeks (and months), I would forget the scale and focus on how your body feels and the changes you can see in the mirror and in your measurements.
I hope you're feeling better now and have continued on your healthy track! Let us know how you're going, and all the best!
Not uncommon also to get more hungry after starting to exercise because of the boost to metabolism. (and to also feel that you've earned some extra treats). I've always found it helpful to write down what I'm eating when I need to trim down a bit. It can be surprising to see how much you're eating. Secondary benefit is that you may stop eating unnecessary things because you won't want to have to write them down.
Dude that's water weight. Back in the day when I worked out almost everyday when I would wake up I would weight around 240. At the end of the day I would weight myself sometime and I would be between 270-280. Fluxuation, that's just normal. Of course I used to drink over 5 gallons of water each day. Now that I think about it most likely was closer to 6-7. I can't eat and drink like I used to when mommy and daddy were paying the bills. I still drink and eat a lot but not nearly as much I simply can't afford it.
What most likely is happening is that you started working out and so you are drinking more water. Don't worry about your weight. Just stay active, be happy and you will become fit.
Back in those days I was in very good shape. My dad and friends used to urge me to try out for the Olympics. Put it this way I was most likely one of the fastest people on the earth ever. I used to be able to run fast. My guess is I used to run a mile under two minutes regularly. I used to run over 30 miles in just over an hour like 1 hour and 10 minutes--and that's was just one way. There were plenty of times where I think I almost killed myself and not for good reasons. I think I had a heartattack and a stroke at the sametime, I'm not sure though. It all happen because I was showing off. I was showing some friends/people that I could beat them to a place. Them using a car and me running. I did 7 miles in 7 minutes. I ended up getting there about the same time as the car. They gave me the win. But I don't know if I won in all truthfulness. Though when I stopped I felt something crazy happen in my chest and at the same time everything went wobbly and for a second or so I couldn't see. I felt like I couldn't stand. I told myself I wouldn't show off like that ever again. To this day I know someone gave me a pass, and I am thankful everyday for that.
Mr_mandingo, when one pushes his or her limits there is a risk involved. I was healthy. My blood pressure was 15/141 or maybe the other way around but those were the numbers--this was after highschool when I started to get into really good condition. People would say that's very unhealthy but could they do what I could? No they couldn't and they won't be able to. Even now my blood pressure is like 40/198--check a few years ago. I've been getting back into it slowly so both numbers are most likely less. Back in the day doctors were baffled lol. They thought I was take something because my testosterone levels were off the charts. That was in high school. I was a little chubby. They were doing all kinds of test on me. One doctor has me hold my breathe for almost three minutes while he had the stethoscope on my back. I watch the second hand go around twice. He was like you are very healthy, you're heartbeat is very slow. Then another doctor told me my cholesterol was extremely high and my mom scolded me about no eat good because I used to eat for my 2nd lunch two superstars. She was able to put me on a diet, but the doctor informed her that it was all good cholesterol. I went for months to the doctors while they did tests on me. They were concerned because they knew how much I ate, at the time, around 20-30k cals but the blood work said I was malnourished. The word they used was anemic--hope I'm spelling that right. Then one day one of the doctors asked me a question that none cared to ask me. Do you work out? Or are you active in any way? I said yes I work out for about a total of 8 hours day everyday--but the weekends when I play video games, and I walk a lot too. He looked at my mom like is this kid for real and she was like yup. After that they just told me when I feel a lack of energy like I was that I should just take a day off.
Mr_mandingo what I am saying is don't feed into the hype. If you do then you'll find yourself a statistics confirming popular believe that people will use to say: look see he fits with in the charts and he's super healthy. Science's definition of peek healthiness is wrong. I know because I lived through it--literally. Was all that pain worth it? I don't know? But I do know when I have a son and he's able to run away from his mom at 8 months and swim I'll know it isn't a coincidence that he is able to do those feats. And he's a teenager and the wife is nagging me to go have a talk with him because we hear the screams of a passion screams of woman coming from his room I'll say: yes dear; and at the same time, think: that's my boy.
My question to you Mr Mandingo is do you want to be a part of a chart? If so then keep limiting yourself. And I give you me word, you'll fit nicely into some chart. Though if you want to go beyond popular believe and contradict popular scientific belief then my friend you have to walk through the fire. There were many times during my workout I was find myself waking up and remembering passing out. What do you think I did? I did I call it a day? No, I picked up from where I remembered where I was last at. I know all those guys you see in popular media are on something because I never looked like that. Yet I was stronger and faster. The male body wasn't meant to look like a raging hulk. Though I will say I did have muscle and people would say I looked good. The bodybuilders guys would tell me that I needed to gain mass. At which point I would get on a scale and watch their eyes pop out, and I would just laugh. I urge you brother don't feed into the hype push as hard as you can you might die but it's happens to all of us might as well die going hard.
It's not about weight it is about health. 5 years ago was diagnosed with Type 2 Diabetes, high cholesterol, and high blood pressure. To that point had never been sick a day in my life except for colds on rare occasions. My weight was 215 lbs. In my youth I had been an Olympic competitor as well as represented my country in several international competitions. I still exercised regularly but sporadically, played golf, swam, dis a bit of sailing.
I was lucky in that I got admitted to an experimental study on the relationship between diabetes and exercise.
With their counselling, I started a low impact routine of daily exercise.
Just basically some kinesthetic and stretching exercises for about 15 to 20 minutes daily. The other part of it was walking a minimum of 10.000 steps a day.
I can not claim a huge weight loss I went down to just under 200 lbs. However, went from a size 40 waist to a size 34. My diabetes is perfectly stable as is my BP and my cholesterol is normal. Went from initially having to take 12 pills a day to mow when I take just 2 a day for the diabetes.
No major change in diet except that I have become more conscious of what I eat.
I have never run a mile in under two minutes and make no claims of 30 miles in just over an hour. That is BS. A simultaneous heart and stroke leaves a person in a state called dead or brain damaged. For you to judge.
Don't blame the exercise - even if is not making you smaller, I'm sure it's making you better.
Exercise, unless extreme, and unlike many believe, will not work wonders regarding mass loss.
The question is - do you like food more, or having a slimmer figure is your priority?... Maybe you can find food that you love and that is lo fat - I could eat bag and bags of apples every single day.
Let me check your muscles in 6 months from now ;)
How much are you drinking? Hove you been drinking more water since you started exercising? Two pounds can be a variation due to a level of hydration. You could see such a day to day variation, which is why most weight loss instructors recommend against daily weighing. Daily weighing could however come in handy if you are doing a greater than average exercise or training regime. In that case, use an excel spreadsheet and use a moving average to track your progress. It will take a few days (maybe 7) to get enough data points. Another thing to keep in mind is don't consider it progress if you drop 5 pounds from one day to the next. That is dehydration. Drink up. If you also feel tired that day, an easy workout is appropriate.
In just over 2 weeks you won't see or feel much difference, if any. And a 2 pound increase is neither here nor there. You could weigh 2 pound difference between your morning weigh in and an evening one.
As far as diet is concerned you need to make sure you reach the right balance and don't believe all you read or hear about fat free and calorie free diets. You need certain amounts of fats in your diet as your body needs it to absorb some minerals and vitamins. You'll also need calories for fuel if your training. It's all a matter of balance and NOT eating processed junk.
As for training, one of the best training methods for fat burning is High Intensity Interval Training (HIIT). Your body can burn fat up to 24 to 48 hours after a 40 to 50 min session.
Give yourself 2 to 3 months and you should start to see some difference. Never try to rush things or push too hard in the beginning. That might lead to an injury. Once you start to feel fitter and stronger and your body becomes accustomed to exercise you can start to push harder.
Never worry about the weight. Judge your progress by how you feel, look and how your clothes fit.
And if you do want to watch your weight, don't weigh yourself every day. Weigh yourself once each week.
Set yourself small achievable goals that will lead to what you want to achieve.
Good luck and stay focused.
Have your hormones checked you could hypothryoid. Weight gain is one many symptoms. If you are exercising and gaining weight it just simply be you are building muscle which weighs more that fat
it is normal if you have workouts without diet to gain weight , but your body configuration is changing . the muscle mass increase and fat percentage is declining