I have been working out for about a month now and instead of losing weight I have gained 4lbs.?

Question

My workout regimen:
M-W-F: 30mins on elliptical machine
T and Thr:30min aerobics class, 15min strength training and ab workout

Healthy Eating:
-1500 cals. a day.
-Fruits and veggies
-Lots of water
-No food after 9pm

I thought that I was doing all the rigth things, so I was shocked to see that I have gained instead of losing. My body feels great and I do have more enery, but I really want to lose weight. So what should I do differently? Please Help!

Answer 1

DON'T DO ANYTHING DIFFERENT!

You are doing everything right, stick with it and the weightloss will show up. You need to plot your weight over 3 months to see a trend, after one week or one month, there are too many variables. Menstrual cycle, bloating and other things affect weight.

The only advice I can offer is to make sure that your portion sizes haven't crept up - are you weighing and measuring? Are you taking in to account drinks and sugar in tea etc?

If you don't have much to loose, it may be very slow. If you stick with this plan for 3 months and still have no weightloss, see your doctor.

Answer 2

Hi!

Please don't fall into the trap of weight obsession-this is very counter productive.

You are doing the "right things" but probably are focusing too much on the "losing weight" part which is distracting you from your awesome progress. You said you have more energy and feel great, and that indicates health which is the primary goal! Listen to your body-it never lies! Different body frames carry different amounts of weight too, so you just may be at your ideal weight already

Another thing to consider is that muscle tissue is more dense than fat-so you will gain a bit of weight when on a program, due to the formation of muscle but will still modify your body shape or get thinner. This is why weight is not a good indicator of health. You did not say how tall you are or what your frame is. I am 5'2" and weigh 140 lbs-but I feel comfortable and healthy up to 155-its a matter of health-not weight.

How are your clothes fitting you? That will tell you a lot about where you are too.

If you still decide that you are not getting the results you want, try changing your exercise routine. You may be over training and actually placing stress on the body which will cause it to hold excess. make sure you take at least 2-3 days a week to rest the muscles and give them time to rebuild. Maybe take one day a week for "leisure exercise-skating, boarding, bike riding, swimming or walking. The body adapts very quickly to routine and that is when you reach that dreaded "plateau" and no longer see results. Go for variety in activities as well as diet, sleep enough and relax enough and your body will continue to feel and look great!!

I hope this helps!

: )

Answer 3

Hey,
Just remember when trying to loose weight, any strength training build muscle and as a rule of thumb muscle weighs more than fat so although you may be loosing fat your gaining muscle you should see results in your waist line and keep up what you are doing you will continue to trade muscle for fat. Oh you may want to change that last meal to before 7 pm but if you stick to the 9 pm you run the risk of not successfully burning the weight over night. Also if you exercise an hour and a half to 2 hours before bed you will burn calories through the night.
Good luck

Answer 4

Congratulations of taking control and doing it the right way, through diet and exercise (although1500 cal is a little low).

Your success should be measured in more than pounds, though. Muscles weights more than fat, I'm sure you've heard. So while you've been toning up and losing fat, you may have actually gained weight.

I suggest you get your body fat measured and take your measurement to benchmark your future progress. If you are working out at a gym, there should be someone there with a caliper to measure your body fat. It is pretty quick and easy... you don't have to get undressed or anything. They bascially squeeze the fat on the backs of your arms, legs, thighs and maybe a couple of other places to see how much fat is there. Also measure your body in places like you waist, hips and thighs with an ordinary tape measure. You will definitely see a difference in your body fat as you continue with your workouts, and hopefully you will see inches drop off as well.

Best of luck to you!

Answer 5

That calorie level is the very bare minimun I would reccomend and would even as you to increase it to perhaps 1800 considering the exercise. Do not increase the calories in the way of fat though. The increase is most probably due to the increase in muscle mass you've experienced. Muscle is far more dense than fat so even a little more of it adds comsiderably to your weight. This happens most often in the begining of an exercise regimen, and confounds most people as they get smaller, (ie waist size), yet get heavier. But it sounds like you have the right idea, just a bit higher with calories and Id use you as an example for my patients as the RIGHT way to control ones weight!! Be wedll.

Answer 6

Hiya- I have found that the best thing to do when trying to 'lose weight' is to actually measure yourself. Take 'before' measurements of your waist hips bust triceps, calves and thighs. Then measure again after two weeks-one month. As muscle weighs more than fat the scales may be going up but you can see the measurements going down as you are toning. Also, make sure you are doing cardio exercise to avoid adding too much muscle and ending up with body builder arms and muscles. Good Luck!!!

Answer 7

Don't rely on the scales!! Use a measuring tape instead. Consider the fact that water makes up more than half of your body weight. Im not saying you should stop drinking water. Definately drink plenty of water. Try replacing bread with cruskits and replace butter with light margerine. Take into account that although fruit and vegies are good for you, some fruit contains more natural sugars than others. Like banana's for instance. Although banana's increase the body's metabolism, it does contain more calories than most fruit. Try having dinner no later than 7:30pm and try to avoid caffeine. I hope this helps. Take care :)

Answer 8

this is just a stab at your situation. I'm being kind here. you might be putting on muscle weight! I know with myself I gained before I lost. Just keep at it. Your regiment seems really good.

1500 calories? Average body needs 2000 cals. I would ask a nutrienist (sp) if you should be doing that if that is healthy for you.

you could try eating small meals through out the day instead of 3 big meals also.

hope the best for you.

Answer 9

i empathize- went to gym a year and lost only 5 kgs. but the difference in my dress size, the energy and flexibility and the way i carried myself all compensated. remember fat is lighter than muscle therefore you will be fitter but not necessarily lose weight too fast. keep working out you will reach a point where it all falls off. do increasing reps on weight machines and vary your regime. dont know what an elliptical machine is but could you throw in some aerobics m-w-f?

Answer 10

More than likely because your body simply wasn't used to working out and added some muscle as a result of the working out
Alot of people will find that they put on a few pounds when whey first start working out and then get discouraged and quit.....dont let yourself fall into this category
After your body adapts to the workout plan...You will find that its harder to put weight on and start to see the results that you want(assuming of course you're putting effort into the workout and aren't just one of those people you see lifting weights and talking on their cells/reading a book at the same time....they dont see results for a reason)