What am I doing wrong?

Question

I've been dieting for 1 month now. Watching what I eat and working out 5 times a week. I weighed myself this morning and I've gained 5 pounds. My cloths feel tighter and I don't feel any change. I'm getting discouraged because I wasnt to loose 20-25 pounds before my October wedding. What am I doing wrong? Am I gaining muscle? HELP!

Answer 1

Muscle weighs more than fat. Keep up the good work!

Answer 2

1. You may be WATCHING what you eat, but apparently not stopping any of it from going in your mouth. Ok, that was cheap.

2. Its only been a month. Regardless of what your workouts are, that's not enough time to put on significant muscle.

3. Given that you're female, its entirely possible that the 5 lbs is mostly water retention that will go away again.

You have plenty of time to lose weight for October. Be patient and keep at it. Restrict calories, plenty of aerobic (elevated heartrate) exercise. Swimming, biking, running, etc. Try for at least an hour a day.

Answer 3

What exactly have you been doing? My guess is that you're dieting the wrong way. Our bodies are geared towards survival, so if you suddenly stop eating and begin exercising a lot, your body thinks hard times are coming and slows your metabolism so that fat is preserved for the future. The South Beach diet worked well for me, but it might not work for you.

A few tips:
- Eat at least a small snack every 3-4 hours (so your body knows food is coming)
- Eat breakfast, especially something with protein and fiber
- You should never feel hungry- if you feel hungry, drink some water or eat a small, healthy snack
- Cut down on processed foods and foods with a lot of carbs
- Vary your exercise, including the intensity. They are now saying interval training is better for weight loss than extended strenuous workouts (again, as the workout goes on, your body gets nervous and stops burning calories so quickly). In fact, moderate exercise is better for weight loss than really intense workouts.
- Lift weights to build muscle

Answer 4

Depending on what you are doing for exercise, you are probably gaining muscle, ONLY IF you are being honest with yourself since you would know if you are eating enough junk to make 5 pounds (I cant remember exactly but it takes a lot of calories for just a single pound).

Remember muscle weighs more than fat, so you could very well be toning your body, building muscle, and still be in great shape for your wedding.

Answer 5

Hey, I don't mean to bust your bubble or anything but i think you are doing something wrong. My wife says simillar things, however from what i observe i see why she is not losing and i am. I've lost nearly 10 lbs this month. And if you have 20-25 lbs to lose, i'm sure your not ripped to the point where you would be seeing a 5 lb weight increase due to muscle and that you don't feel better. Because if you were gaining muscle instead of fat you would feel better although the scale says you have gained!
You have to be 100% honest with yourself. If you want to lose weight you have to do more than watch what you eat, but change your eating habits.

First you have to make sure you eat 5 times a day. 3 meals and 2 snacks, Breakfast is a must, it starts your metabolism, Try special K cereal, a fresh fruit, and slice of whole wheat toast. For a snack try fresh fruits, pretzels, or vegies, for lunch and dinner try some sort of grilled or baked protien, Chicken, fish, lean meat. and a salad with fat free dressing and fresh veggie, for dessert if you must have one try stawberrys & whipcream, or sherbet. But you must change what you eat. If you feel your eating less, but the same crap, your don't gonna do to well. No more fried Food, no more, junk snacks(chips) no more desserts, no more candy, no more soda, no more fake fruit juices, no more fat sauces, butters, fat toppings and dipping sauces. Drink tons of water. Don't eat late at night, Don't eat out of boredom, avoid bad carbs like white bread and bagles, stick with 100% whole wheat. Cut your portion size down. Stop cheating. Also set better goals. Losing 20-25 lbs by october is to far away. You will be thinking, well thats a long ways away, these french fries wont hurt. Set a monthly goal of 5 lbs.
All in All be true. write down everything you eat. EVERYTHING! and cut out the bad crap. try not to eat 4 hrs befor you go to sleep. cut portions down, cut out all bad foods. eats lots of veggies and fresh fruits.
Its gonna be hard. but after a month of "real"dieting you will see real results and become addicted. Increase your cardio.
When you work out what are you doing? Make sure you are doing cardio, and that you are pushing yourself. Don't increase the time, increase your intensity.

go to www.fitday.com its free and its a calorie journal. if you burn more than you take in you will lose the weight.

Answer 6

Probably not muscle as that it over exaggerated for women. More likely water gain depending on when you weigh. Cut back on more food and don't concentrate so much on working out.

As bad as the fitness experts hate it, the most recent study shows that exercise increases your food cravings at first. IOW, it's easier to go on a diet, then start exercising later. New study just released last month... and not a fly-by-night one either.

Answer 7

It's actually easier for men to lose weight than it is for women, primarily because women need the extra body fat for functions such as childbirth, and biologically, it's harder to lose due to necessity.

If you're marrying, then your husband probably won't care how you look, as long as you're you. But October is a long time from now. If you're really committed to losing some weight, I'd recommend seeing a nutritionist, a physician, or someone else who can help you better than we can.

Answer 8

you are not doing anything wrong because some people try to do diets and it just doesn;t work all you have to do is to try to work out a little more and try to eat really healthy foods and if that dosen't work than you can go on the internet and look up anything about diets on your computer. GOOD LUCK
Titanicloveland

Answer 9

when you begin a weight loss program that involves working out, you will gain muscle, fat turns into muscle, you have probably lost some inches though right?
this is perfectly normal

Answer 10

Try this one:

Try this one. It is really effective and I've proven this!

Weight Loss Diet Program:

This program is designed for a target weight loss of 10-17 lb per week. It will also improve your attitudes and emotions because of its cleansing systematic effects.

The effectiveness of this seven day plan is that the foods eaten burn more calories than they give to the body in caloric value.

This plan can be used as often as you like without any fear of complications. It is designed to flush your system of impurities and give you feeling of well being. After seven days you will begin to feel lighter because you will be lighter by at least 10 lb. You will have an abundance of energy and an improved disposition.

During the first seven days you must abstain from all alcohol.
You must drink 10 glasses of water each day.

Day One: All fruits except bananas. Your first day will consist of all the fruits you want. It strongly suggested that you consume lots of melons the first day. Especially water melon and loupe. If you limit your fruit consumption to melons, your chances of losing 3 lb on first day are very good.

Day Two: All vegetables. You are encouraged to eat until you are stuffed with all the raw or cooked vegetables of your choice. There is no limit on the amount or type. For your complex carbohydrate, you will start day two with a large baked potato for breakfast. You may top the potato with one pat of butter.

Day Three: A mixture of fruits and vegetables of your choice. Any amount, any quantity. No bananas yet. No potatoes today.

Day Four: Bananas and milk. Today you will eat as many as eight bananas and drink three glasses of milk. This will be combined with the special soup which may be eaten in limited quantities.

Day Five: Today is feast day. You will eat beef and tomatoes. Eat two 10oz portions of lean beef. Hamburger is ok. Combine with six whole tomatoes. On day five you must increase your water intake by one quart. This is to cleanse your system of the uric acid you will be producing.

Day Six: Beef and vegetables. Today you may eat an unlimited amount of beef and vegetables. Eat to your heart content.

Day Seven: Today your food intake will consist of brown rice, fruit juices and all the vegetables you care to consume.

Tomorrow morning you will be 10-17 lb lighter than one week ago. If you desire further weight loss, repeat the program again. You may repeat this program as often as you like. However, after the first week it will help your digestion and settle your stomach.

Beverages you may consume while on the program:
1.Water (flavored with lemon/lime if desired)
2.Club Soda is ok
3.Black coffee. No cream or cream substitute. No sugar
or sweetness
4.Black Tea = Herb or Leaf
5.Absolutely nothing else except the fruit juices which
are part of day seven. No fruit juices before day seven.