Why Have I Gained Weight? Help!

How are your clothes fitting? That's probably a better measure than the scale. If they are looser, you're losing fat and that's far more important than just losing "weight."

If you find that your clothes are not fitting better, or you do not look any better, then it's time to be more methodical about what you eat. While you may be eating less sweets and things in general, there are several scenarios under which you could still gain fat. How many calories are you eating under maintenance? How many grams of sugar do you eat in a day? Are you getting enough protein? These are questions you should know the answer to if you really want to drop some fat.

You must remember that muscle weighs more than fat. I myself have had the same dilemma. I keep gaining weight, but my clothing size hasn't changed. After gaining 20 pounds like this and still wearing the same clothes I gave up on the worry. Weight is just a number. Muscle will make you gain more weight and then the fat will go away.

Okay truth is if you JUST started working out, you have not gained muscle mass yet. So despite what people will tell you about muscle weighing more than fat(Yes its true) that probably is not accounting for your 3 pound gain. However when you first start exercising you do tend to retain some water in your muscles and what not so it could be that. Also be careful not to eat more just because your exercising, that can happen sometimes.

Thanks Everyone for the feedback. I felt horrible when I realized I had GAINED more weight, but my clothes ARE looser now. When I worked out at CURVES today, it's been a month so we did monthly measuring and I've lost 2.5 inches from waist, .75 from hips, .5 from arms, thighs, and body fat decreased.

I do have to increase water intake, I know I don't drink enough, but I'm working on getting into the habit.

Now that I started exercising, I want to start really watching what I eat, my next project.

Has anyone read any of Tom Venuto's books? He is a bodybuilder who believes in gradual fat loss by building muscle through weight training and cardio work, but does not recommend pills, supplements, or crazy diets, etc. I'm curious to hear if anyone has heard of him. His approach seems pretty straightforward and geared toward the lay person.

Thanks again Everyone!

diana16

Hmmm...maybe the weight is actually muscle? The thing that has really helped me this past year has been a lifestyle change for our whole family. We no longer purchase very many processed food items. Instead, our diet consists mostly of fresh fruits and veggies! You can look up your local CSA Farmer's Market and buy lots of fresh and chemical free food at reasonable rates. We have eliminated white sugar, hydrogenated oils etc and our whole family takes Vidazorb probiotics on a daily basis. Even our kids do all this too and we love it! We do not miss the junk at all. A good probiotic is one that really has lots of live bugs in it- Vidazorb has proven to me how potent and great they are when they helped our son with his allergies and Eczema and nothing else could. It has been amazing...I would definitely look into this as probiotics have been shown to help with weight. Good Luck!

I have been going to the gym for about 4 years, I was a size 14 and 16, weighted 160. Up to date I weight 140 and I'm a size 4-6. I have not lost allot of weight, but I have drop allot in close size.
Don't give up, the close will get loser, and you will feel much better.

Wow! You lost over 4" that first month! That's really great. Now add some healthy diet practices and the inches will keep coming off. Don't eat less just because you are exercising more. Eat 3 meals and some small snacks in between. By snacks I mean like a piece of fruit, an ounch of nuts - almonds are good, How about celery with peanut butter? Then you are getting protein, carbs and fiber all rolled up in a few bites.
Keep up the good work and keep going to Curves. It works! I know 'cuz it works for me, too.

Hi Diana,

Everybody has offered some great suggestions/possibilities thus far. I would like to begin by encouraging you to keep at it! It can be very discouraging to see the scale weight climb, but there could be any number of reasons for this - most of which have been mentioned.

I would start a food log if you haven't already. Perhaps even post it if you want and we can try and offer some suggestions.

Another couple of additional things come to mind;

How much less are you eating and how many workouts are you doing per week? Too much exercise combined with too little calories can sometimes have negative metabolic effects through disruption of hormones. This one may be a stretch though.

Also noteworthy (and sorry ladies) the fairer sex can have blunted fat loss in the first several weeks and can gain up to 10 lbs. during a menstrual cycle. Something to consider anyway.

Keep us posted!

No one can give you advice on this without first seeing how much exercise you are doing and what kind, what you are or not eating and lastly when you are eating.

I lost a lot of weight by understanding how my body works for me and realizing that I needed to stay committed even when I did gain a few pounds even I was not suppose to. The alternative will be to go backwards so stay determined, fight the battle and do not give up even when that frustration happens.

debra mazda

For me it ALWAYS comes down to keeping a food journal. There are several places online where you can track your food for free and see things like macronutrient percentages, whether you are within recommended ranges for sodium, etc. It was so eye-opening for me when I started, and it is still vital for me now that I've been tracking my food for 2.5 years!

I have worked for Curves for quite some time now and see this often. Have you been weighed and measured, including checking your Body Fat % and BMI? This will show you if you are losing fat. If the percentage of fat is down, you have started to build muscle which will show an increase on the scale.

In response to Kira who said you probably have not gained muscle, the fact is, you have. Many people just don't know what Curves can do because they have never been to a Curves. Curves is proven to increase muscle mass and help you to lose fat. It CAN happen in 1 month. That is why Curves is so successful and is the number one fitness franchise in the world. They have been researched by Baylor University for years and have now moved their research to Texas A&M.

If you are not on CurvesSmart, I would highly recommend it! You will see more results much faster! Good luck on your weight loss journey!