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I can't believe that I've been going to the gym to do strength training and cardio for 3 weeks and I've gained 7lbs.. What the hell am I doing wrong????
THis is stressing me out. I'm not eating any more than the usual.
I can't believe that I've been going to the gym to do strength training and cardio for 3 weeks and I've gained 7lbs.. What the hell am I doing wrong????
THis is stressing me out. I'm not eating any more than the usual.
Its nothing to worry about since its only been 3 weeks.
You do want to make sure that you even though you are not "eating any more than the usual", you need to make sure what you eat is GOOD HEALTHY FOODS, and be aware of your calorie intake.
Also be sure that you are NOT doing high rep light weight strength training. If whatever weight you are lifting you are doing more than 12-15 reps then the weight is too light.
Whats your cardio routine? Whats your weight routine? I would not worry much about the weight gain, especially since its so early in your training. Just go by how you feel and how your clothes are fitting on you.
Muscle is more dense than fat. If you're building muscle, you will weigh more. What you should look for is visible fat reduction. Don't watch the scale, it will deceive you
I had the same thing happen, but then realized that I needed to be drinking more water since I was working so much harder. Try adding a few more classes of water each day and see if that helps.
Are you sure it's not muscles? You're probably losing inches in some areas and getting more definition.
Quote:
Originally Posted by leah52
I had the same thing happen, but then realized that I needed to be drinking more water since I was working so much harder. Try adding a few more classes of water each day and see if that helps.
7 pounds of muscle in three weeks is highly unlikely. I suggest the OP write down exactly what she is eating each day, for a week, and then take a good look at that.
It could also be a mixture of water weight and muscle growth. With the uncreased exercise the OP might have upped their water intake. I know when I personally begin working out again after a month or two off I gain between 4 and 8 pounds within the first few weeks of the routine. After that, It begins dropping off.
I actually believe there was a thread that discussed this issue of gaining weight at the beginning of a workout/training routine.
As the others have said, watching the scale can be very deceptive.
A few years ago, I decided to start riding my bike to work. By the end of the summer, I had lost an entire pant size. Yay! However, I had gained 5 pounds. It was weird, but I was still happy.
If you are doing weight training as well as cardio, trust the tape measure and look for your successes there, not the scale...
As far as when the weight will start going down... remember that muscle is more efficient at burning calories than any other form of weight. So the more muscle mass you gain, the faster you will burn fat. Give it a couple more weeks. Building the muscle now will make it easier to drop the weight when it does start coming off. And make it easier to keep it off down the road.
Its also possible that with your increased activity level, you are unconsciously eating more, or snacking in unhealthy ways. I second ChessieMom's advice. Write down every bit you eat over the next couple of weeks (while continuing to work out) and see if you really are eating what you should be. Don't cheat. If you eat 5 cookies, be honest about it and write it down. Don't forget condiments and things like salad dressing. This isn't for anyone to see but you, so be honest with yourself. You don't want to cut calories much while exercising, the body needs fuel to move, but you want to make smart choices.
Finally, were you consistant on your weighing methods? Did you eat, or drink a bunch of water before this weighin? Are you retaining water because of your menstrual cycle? Did you weigh in at the same time of day wearing the same weight clothes? All of those can make a difference.
If you are patient enough, and are looking at long term, I think the best way to track weight is to weigh in once a week on the same day, and time, each week, then throw out the highest and lowest for the month and average the other two. That is your weight for the month. Track month over month that way. You can do the same weighing in daily and tracking week over week too, but you will likely have some fluctuation there for your cycle.
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