im eating the same amount of cals, less even, and exercising, but i keep gaining weight? why is this?

Question

How can I lose about 5 pounds? All of a sudden i have 5 lbs extra. Help me!!!!

Answer 1

As you exercise fat is burned but muscle mass is gained. As muscle weighs more than fat you will initially gain weight in your exercise program. If you slightly decrease your caloric intake you will eventually begin to lose weight. Go slow and remember to drink plenty of water. Your body actually needs water to flush your system and to burn fat appropriately.

Answer 2

You didn't mention how long you had been exercising. You have to burn 3500 calories to remove one pound. So if you have a calorie deficit of 500 calories a day, you'll lose about a pound in a week. If you expected to drop 5 pounds in a week by walking on a treadmill, you are in for a rude surprise.

I agree with the other posters in the fact that if you are exercising you are likely taking on muscle. Muscle weighs more than fat. I'd worry less about what you weigh and more about what you look like in the mirror.

Your body also changes it's weight +5 / -5 pounds throughout the day. It could be water weight, so try weighing yourself at various points of the day (or at least be consistent when you weight yourself -- perhaps first thing in the morning after elimination).

Also, be sure you are using a site such as www.fitday.com to track your activities / food intake. It's easy to say you are eating less and doing more exercise, but fitday will indicate to you exactly where you are.

Good luck.

Answer 3

Excluding water weight gain brought on by a medical condition, if you are not losing weight you are eating too many calories. It is impossible for any metabolism, for any reason, to keep a person from losing weight if they are bringing in less energy than they expend. It is a basic law of thermodynamics.How do you know you are eating less? What is your calorie intake? How much do you exercise? All of these things and more are important components of a good diet and fitness routine.

I need to add that there seems to be a misconception going on with these answers. Muscle does not weigh more than fat, it is simply more dense. A weight gain is a weight gain either way. If you have gained 5 lbs of muscle that is very good. It's not an easy thing to do. If you gain five pounds of fat you have eaten about 5 x 3600 calories more than you have burned.
If you are interested in a net weight loss regardless of body composition, you won't get it if you eat more calories than you expend. Body composition (lean weight versus fat weight percentage) changes occur depending on whether you gained lean mass or bodyfat.
It is also very important to remember that with "no carb" diets the initial weight loss is brought about by water lost through glycogen loss (carbs in the muscle cell) so be sure to include some carbs to keep your weight loss real.
Finally, and most important, eat plenty of protein to maintain your lean mass (muscle is the largest component of lean tissue) while on a calorie deficit. Your lean tissue is the "engine" of your body and accounts for all calories burned. If you lose weight, but it is muscle weight lost, then your bodyfat percentage actually increases even though your weight goes down and you become a "thin" fat person.
Hope this helps.

Answer 4

even though we all like to pay attention the numbers on the scale they are not always the best assessment of your diet and exercise program. take a look at yourself in the mirror and look for changes in you body or pay attention to how your clothes fit-are the looser in certain areas? when you follow a sound diet and exercise routine it is normal to replace body fat with muscle(they are 2 different substances, fate does not become muscle and vice versa); muscle is more dense so it weighs more but takes up less space. don't be disheartened, it is probably a good 5lbs that you have gained.

Answer 5

Stress can keep you from burning the calories, stress is a major factor in your weight.

Answer 6

maybe your fat turned into mussles and mussles are heavier....does it feel like you have lost weight? did your bodyshape change?

Answer 7

perhaps your thyroid is playing up. go see your doctor.

Answer 8

ITS CALLED MUSCLES.....DRIP DRY, HOLE plunger...