Help! Have any of you gained weight when you started to exercise then lost it?

[CrzyforPiglet]

Howdy gang! I am a new mom to a 5 month old son and just in the past week really started to focus my efforts on losing weight and feeling better about myself. I've reduced my food intake and have been making better choices although I haven't been doing as much as I could but I have been working out every day doing at least 3 miles of WATP tapes plus ab work for over a week now. I wasn't expecting a big weight loss (okay maybe secretly I was ) but I at least thought I'd lose a pound especially going from pretty much no exercise (other than picking up my son) to 3 miles a day would have some affect on my weight but I got zip, zilch, nada! I actually think I've gained a half a pound so all of this leads into my question.

Have any of you started an exercise program and gained weight at first but then lost it later on?

I'm just looking for some motivation here. It is so easy to give up when you don't see any results and I don't want to do that but I really have to work to find time to exercise each day and it is so frustrating not to see any results! I think that some of my clothes are fitting a little bit better so I'm hoping that I'm gaining muscle and losing fat and that is why the scale doesn't show it. Anyone else have this happen to them - I don't want to lose hope!

Laurie

 

[Cruise04]

I gained in the first two weeks that I started working out and I did get frustrated and almost quit. Almost 9 months later I'm 52 pounds lighter, fit into 2-3 sizes smaller, am healthier and feel better than I have in years!!!!!

Don't give up - remember that fat turns to muscle and muscle weighs more than fat but burns much better than fat!!!!

Good luck!
Chris

 

[saturday97]

I personally haven't had this experience, but my WW meeting leader did. She talked about hiring a personal trainer and not seeing a loss for 6 weeks (even went up a lb). After that, she lost 3 in one week and had losses steadily since then. If you know you are doing the right stuff, stick with it and eventually it will show up on the scale!

 

[goldcupmom]

I haven't gained, but I'm doing WW and exercising an hour or more usually at least 5 days a week and I'm not really losing. It's coming off VERY SLOWLY!!!!

 

[DisneyGirl]

For those of you that are working out A LOT (I'm thinking 1 hour or more a day, 5 days or more a week), consider increasing your food intake some. Especially with weight watchers, it's designed for people who do very little exercise. The points values you get for the day are to maintain your basil (sp?) metabolic rate. So, if you were to lay in bed all day and do nothing, and eat the required points, you would stay an equal weight.

When you exercise a lot more, you are not eating enough for your body to maintain that level of activity. Some people call it "starvation mode," where your body hangs on to everything its got. I'm not sure that is really what is happening, because if you stick with the very low calorie intake/ high exercise, you WILL start to lose weight quickly again after a few weeks. The problem is that you will be very tired all the time and not be able to maintain it for long.

I know that when I increased what I ate, the weight started to come off faster. I don't know if it works for everyone. Also, it is very difficult psychologically to eat more, but you have to . Try it for a week, and see if it works...

 

[RSoxFan]

I started working out at the gym about two months ago. I go four days a week and do one hour of cardio. Two of those days I also lift weights. I'm also following the LA Weightloss program (which I love and highly recommend!)

I was expecting a huge weight drop, I'll admit. I actually gained about 3 pounds in the first month, even though my eating stayed the same. Since then, I've lost the three I gained but not anymore. BUT, all of my clothes are too big, and everyone is telling me how good I look. I may not be losing pounds, but I can see and feel a difference in my body. I keep telling myself that muscle weighs more than fat.

Hope this helps.