Aa
about to throw in the towel!
I am a 23 year old female and I am 5'7" and weigh 156 lbs. I eat very healthy (1200-1500 calories/day) run/exercise 4-5 days a week. right now I have a 5 mile day, two 4 mile days, a 3 mile day, and a day of 45 minutes on the elliptical. I sprinkle ab and arm workouts in there as well. on September 28th I weighed 153.4 lbs and a month later (today) I weighed 156.4 lbs. How is it that I have gained 3 lbs in one month with the eating and fitness schedule I am on?? Please help :(
Janice, I think you've simply gained muscle mass. Obviously your exercise routine is paying off, especially in the cardio department, right? Youre feeling well, joints are good, and your getting through your routine and not completely washed out afterwards? And of course, eating healthy is a good thing right?
Have you considered changing your eating times perhaps? Your caloric intake is probably good, but athletes actually have to eat more to get better gains. Instead of eating 3 meals and a couple of snacks a day, eat a bunch of smaller snacks throughout your day and mix the exercise routine up. (About 1 year ago, I weighed 310lbs....now 260lbs with more to go) I stayed on the same routine and started gaining weight too. My muscle mass was obviously changing. A buddy of mine who is a world class skier and bike racer told me to check my diet and gave me the suggestions I just gave you..... it helped. I hit a plateau, couldnt lose more weight and was becoming frustrated.
Here's another key point. With the exercise I was doing, I was still becoming healthier but wasnt achieveing what I wanted. I was packing on some muscle, and looking smaller (since muscle is smaller than fat) but gaining weight. I started to eat smaller and more frequently (I am also diabetic, type 2) loaded up on protein and comsumed my alloted carbs in far smaller doses right before and right after my routine and mixed it with some protein.
Looks as if I am starting to lose again, but have not hopped on the scales because my doctor told me my weight wanst an issue unless I made it one. If you know youre becoming healthier and you can see it in the mirror , you are on the right track!!!
Obviously things to consider are your over all health, your age, etc. But it sounds like youre in fantastic health. Consult your physician or talk with a reputable dietician and tell them your goals. A dietician can tweak your diet, and perhaps consult with a physical trainer. They can tweak your routine, and a lot of the time just that alone will spur new gains.
(I weighed 156lbs when I was like 10....am 43 now and had essentially doubled my weight before I got started) At the end of the day, our health is all we have. Without it, we cant enjoy the smallest of things. Stay motivated, talk with your doc, a dietician and a trained and they will get you jump started.
Have you considered changing your eating times perhaps? Your caloric intake is probably good, but athletes actually have to eat more to get better gains. Instead of eating 3 meals and a couple of snacks a day, eat a bunch of smaller snacks throughout your day and mix the exercise routine up. (About 1 year ago, I weighed 310lbs....now 260lbs with more to go) I stayed on the same routine and started gaining weight too. My muscle mass was obviously changing. A buddy of mine who is a world class skier and bike racer told me to check my diet and gave me the suggestions I just gave you..... it helped. I hit a plateau, couldnt lose more weight and was becoming frustrated.
Here's another key point. With the exercise I was doing, I was still becoming healthier but wasnt achieveing what I wanted. I was packing on some muscle, and looking smaller (since muscle is smaller than fat) but gaining weight. I started to eat smaller and more frequently (I am also diabetic, type 2) loaded up on protein and comsumed my alloted carbs in far smaller doses right before and right after my routine and mixed it with some protein.
Looks as if I am starting to lose again, but have not hopped on the scales because my doctor told me my weight wanst an issue unless I made it one. If you know youre becoming healthier and you can see it in the mirror , you are on the right track!!!
Obviously things to consider are your over all health, your age, etc. But it sounds like youre in fantastic health. Consult your physician or talk with a reputable dietician and tell them your goals. A dietician can tweak your diet, and perhaps consult with a physical trainer. They can tweak your routine, and a lot of the time just that alone will spur new gains.
(I weighed 156lbs when I was like 10....am 43 now and had essentially doubled my weight before I got started) At the end of the day, our health is all we have. Without it, we cant enjoy the smallest of things. Stay motivated, talk with your doc, a dietician and a trained and they will get you jump started.
Thanks for the responses. definitely helpful.
I agree that you've probably increased your lean muscle mass. Also, your body may be getting used to the cardio that you are doing. Have you tried doing circuits or cross training? Like doing mod pace on elliptical for 3 minutes then jumping off and doing jumping jacks for a minute, or running full out for two minutes then jogging at your usual pace for two minutes? In my reading I have learned that the human body is an expert at adapting. A person can't keep doing the same workouts. Also, remember when everyone was saying "slow and steady" long, lower impact aerobic exercise was better? WRONG!! Thats where our adapting abilities come in. We as a species are hunter gatherers, our bodies are made for walking all day, slow and steady will not help you lose weight! That Jillian Michaels has some excellent cross-training/circuit training workouts. I also read that we get used to the # of calories we eat too, that we adapt and go into "starvation mode" if the body notices we are dieting. I think thats why diets like weight watchers have a day where you can eat more. 5'7" and 156 lbs doesn't sound too bad either, your body just might like being at that weight.
You should probably be measuring yourself instead of weighing yourself if you are doing a lot of exercise as muscle weighs more that fat. Go by inches rather than pounds.
It is likely that it is muscle mass. How do you look and feel?
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