I am so upset, I want to :cry:

Last weekend I made the committment that I would do some sort of exercise every day, for at least 20 minutes. I followed through and was exercising all week, feeling great, strong, healthy, vibrant...

I was also making a concerted effort to listen to my body as far as eating when I was hungry and stopping when I was full.

This morning I stepped on the scale and I was 1 pound heavier than I was at the beginning of the week.

This is really discouraging. :(

Your doing great!Dont let that 1 pound gain discourage you.It could be a combination of things,but first I have to say,"THROW OUT THAT DAMN SCALE!!"Now then,are you still having your period?It could be that,it could be that you just drank a cup of water.Really,it doesnt matter what the scale says.I always go by how my clothes are fitting and the way my body feels.You could always take measurements and go by inch lost.That is what really counts is the inch lost,not weight.Which would you rather be a size 8 at 135 pounds or a size 12 at 135 pounds?There is a big difference.
Please continue on and dont worry.It takes time for your body to get into shape.
Please keep us posted! :)

VM

Ya know, I've been working out 4-5 hrs a week for 3 months and I've gained like 7 lbs. I don't know what to tell you. I just keep working out hoping it'll do something sometime.

:hug:

I feel your pain.
Just keep being good to your body and throw out your scale. It'll just drive you crazy.....your good health and feeling good is the most important thing anyway.

I agree with what the others have said... the scale sux... once a year at the Dr's office is enough

go by your clothes, they always tell the truth (whether you want to hear it or not...)

also, one week isn't enough time to make any significant change in your body... be patient with yourself

With heavy strength training, and a 15% increase in protein intake, you can build about a pound of muscle per week. I don't know how heavy your training was, but that's something to consider. The scale (unless it has a body fat % reader) doesn't tell you whether you're gaining lean or fatty mass.

I wouldn't be discouraged.

You could have temporary water weight.

You could have have gained some muscle.

Studies have shown that most people underestimate how much they eat.

You may benefit from keeping a food diary for a time, recording all of the calories you take in.

It takes time. If you count your calories and do vigourous exercise 3 times a week for six months and get no results then it is time to get discouraged, but not after one week.

A tape meaure, IMHO, is better for gauging progress then a scale.

If you clothes fit better and you feel firmer I would not worry about the scale......though I would still use it as a tool ( looking at a several weeks at a time ) to see if you are headed in the right direction.

I am so upset, I want to :cry:

Last weekend I made the committment that I would do some sort of exercise every day, for at least 20 minutes. I followed through and was exercising all week, feeling great, strong, healthy, vibrant...

I was also making a concerted effort to listen to my body as far as eating when I was hungry and stopping when I was full.

This morning I stepped on the scale and I was 1 pound heavier than I was at the beginning of the week.

This is really discouraging. :(

Keep in mind that its normal for weight to fluctuate slightly. Just drinking the recommended 64 oz of water per day is four pounds! A pound could reflect anything from being hydrated to having full bowels.

Also keep in mind that burning off a pound is using up an extra 3500 calories. It will take some time. Keep doing what you are doing. With consistancy you will see results.

What Jinga said, plus, muscle ways more than fat. A tape measure is generally a good gauge, at least better than a scale. If you are weight lifting and your upper arms go from 8 to 9 inches around, it's probably muscle (if your diet is reasonably healthy).

I started a workout log in January. I measured and weighed myself every 3-4 weeks, with no change until about June. And it was very small, but progress nonetheless. It's been very frustrating, especially when motivation is an issue for me. I tried to focus on how much better I was feeling, and how if I keep at it, I'd make even more progress (as slow as it is). Just keep at it. All of the rewards are not immediate, or visible. Good luck to you.

I agree with everyone else. It could be muscle, monthly weight fluctuations, what you ate and when, etc. Also, your body might already be at a healthy weight. Sometimes that prevents people from losing more because their body is fine where it is. Hugs!! :hug:

My weight on the scale can shift as much as 1.5 lbs depending on whether I'm thinking nice thoughts or not. (Not to say the other bodily functions such as digestion and elimination.)

So yeah, throw out the scale and pick some other target. Find a charity 5K to do in October. Expand how many laps you do in the pool by 5% a week. (You can get away with increasing 10% a week, but that's pushing it.)

What Jinga said, plus, muscle ways more than fat.

pssst...."weighs" :D

Ditto to what all the others have said about not stressing over what the scale says (unless of course, it actually IS saying something to you, then I'd recommend a psychiatrist).

An oft-cited guideline re: exercising for weight loss is to do 30 mins at least 3 times per week. You might try exercising for a longer period of time, even if it's less often. I'll try an dig up some links, but I remember some info. being posted here about how an hour of moderate exercise was more effective than 2-3 shorter sessions.

And don't forget that weighing yourself at different times of the day can totally screw you over. Weights can fluctuate as much as 5 lbs for some people at different times of the day, depending on whether or not they've shat everything out yet - think of how long food takes to digest. If you absolutely need to (I agree with what the others have said, you can't rely on the scale), the best time to do it is as soon as you wake up in the morning, after you've used the bathroom, before you've consumed a thing (water, food...)... Every 3-4 weeks, maybe.

I was about to say "Neither will mine!!", but considering I live off junkfood (at the moment) and I've only put a un-noticable amount of weight on, I'd say that's pretty good! I go through phases, sometimes I only eat healthy foods, others I only eat a lot of junk food. Hah aww I feel sorry for my body.

I'm going to join a gym or get back into kickboxing, or just something soon anyway, before I get even more unfit. Damn I used to be fit. Gr.
</rant>

ok, muscle doesn't weigh more than fat. a lb of fat is equal in weight to a lb of muscle. a lb is a lb. a lbe of feathers is equal to a lb of lead. they're both a lb.

the difference is that a lb of feathers often takes up more space than a lb of lead. Similarly, a lb of muscle takes up less space than a lb of fat. so there you have it. as you loose fat and gain muscle, you may not change your number of the scale, but you may change the shape of your body.

ok, muscle doesn't weigh more than fat. a lb of fat is equal in weight to a lb of muscle. a lb is a lb. a lbe of feathers is equal to a lb of lead. they're both a lb.

the difference is that a lb of feathers often takes up more space than a lb of lead. Similarly, a lb of muscle takes up less space than a lb of fat. so there you have it. as you loose fat and gain muscle, you may not change your number of the scale, but you may change the shape of your body.

This is a silly disagreement, but muscle does weigh more. If you put an equal volume of muscle on one scale, and fat on another, the muscle will be heavier, since it is more dense, as you noted.

Mass Density Therory

Ditto to what all the others have said about not stressing over what the scale says (unless of course, it actually IS saying something to you, then I'd recommend a psychiatrist).

:lol:

Thanks for the advice everybody. I guess I didn't give you all the full story. I've actually been exercising and working on losing weight for several months now. But this month I had really hit a plateau. I had been exercising 5 days/week so I upped it to every day for the last week, to try to break through the plateau. That's when I discovered I had gained a pound. grrrr...

I do weigh in the morning, naked, after I pee. :) I do it daily so that I can get used to what my patterns are. I actually graph them at the end of the month and put them up on my wall. Hmmmm...maybe I do need to see that psychiatrist! :eek:

I just want to lose this weight so badly! My baby is over a year old and I still have about 10 pounds to go before I reach my pre-baby weight. I just can't seem to get there. Oh, and you are all so lovely to propose that it might be muscle gain, but I know it's not, because my tummy still has quite the pudge. *sigh*

Anyway, thanks for listening, I'm going to keep working at it and I'll let you guys know if it ever comes off!!

ah, weight per volumn--tht's what you people mean when you say that! LOL

because, really, a pound is a pound is a pound. a kilo is a kilo is a kilo. yeah.

it's the volumn (ie, takes up space differently). which is what i said.

see, we're both right. ;)

If you drink only water, cut the sweets, cut the flour products, cut the hydrogenated oils, reduce the processed foods and eat more fresh vegetables you might find more weight coming off.

Was just reading an article today about making sure that you are getting enough fiber in your diet, if you are trying to lose weight. Getting enough fiber's a good idea anyway, but thought I'd throw that in here. :)

If you drink only water, cut the sweets, cut the flour products, cut the hydrogenated oils, reduce the processed foods and eat more fresh vegetables you might find more weight coming off.

Why the assumption that this is not happening?

Just my experience, when I was half-marathon training I plateaued in weight in spite of doing everything right. After a week, I decided that I didn't care.

Try upping your excercise to an hour. When I go to the gym for 2 hours per day, I see results after a couple days. Also...that 1 lb could have just been your newfound lean muscle or water. Don't sweat it! :D

If you didn't have enough advice already, heres some more ;) ...

Vary your workout! Plateaus are normal. Your body eventually gets used to what you are doing and you will cease to see many new results. When I was losing my 'college stress weight', the first 20lbs came off with healthy diet changes and lots of walking. Then I reached a standstill. It wasn't until I really changed my activity to include running and martial arts that the last ten came off. All in all, the process probably took a little over a year.