Gaining weight :(

R

runkel

0
Hi everyone!

I am new to this site and to running. I am the type of person that needs to see results immediately or I get very discouraged. I have been running now for just about a month. I have never been really athletic or exercise oriented. All I did in high school was cheerleading and dance which involved little to no running. I started running b/c I am so tired of being overweight. I am 21 years old, 5ft 6inches, and weight 147lbs. I know I am not really really overweight or fat but I want to lose about 15lbs or so to get down to 130lbs. The perfect weight for my height. In the beginning of the month when I first started running I was doing it every day except for one ( I did that for about 2 weeks). Then I started getting on this forum and saw that I needed to let my body rest especially b/c I was so new to it. So for the past 2 weeks I have been running every other day. I should mention that I run about 2-2.5 miles everytime I run and this is outdoors. Averaging now probably about 8 miles a week. Recently over the past week I have gained weight. I have gone from 147 to 152. My diet has not changed that much at all. I have always been a good eater, not a perfect one, but pretty good. When I didn't run or exercise and just ate normally I never gained nor lost weight. I always stayed the same, but now that I am running I have gained 5lbs. 147-152 gross...I don't understand. I figured if I ate the same and exercised more I would start to lose weight. Unfortunately that is not happening. Does anyone know a reason for this? It is making me very upset and less motivated. I want to continue running b/c I am starting to like it, which is weird for me, but at the same time I feel like I am doing all this work for nothing. I need to see results or try and figure this whole thing out. Any responses would be greatly appreciated. Thanks!!
 
If you have not been physical for a long time you are probably growing muscle. That will increase your wieght but you will look better for it. I have to chuckle a little about how much emphasis you put on numbers. You can gain a few pounds by the end of the day by just eating a big meal. My morning and evening weight is 4 pounds apart but then again I am a heavyweight.

Just stop looking at the scale. If you feel like you are not getting results fast enough try HIIT, or just plain run harder. Aim for a length of time instead of distance and go for about twenty minutes. Weights are good too. Your numbers might not tell a pretty story but you will look more hot and it will be easier to maintain. Just don't do anything crazy like go on a hunger diet. Blech.

Treat workouts like they are fun, enjoy them and if one workout gets old find another one. You are not immune to progress. And unless you take it to massive extremes- Muscle will never look bad.
 
I absolutely agree that you should try to stay away from numbers while you are just getting into the swing of things, particularly activities such as constant weight checks. Your weight is going to fluctuate, especially initially as you build a lot of muscle that your body needs to cope with the additional exercise you are putting it through. Keep in mind that your body is a well designed machine and is adapting itself to rigors (or lack therof) that you expose it to.

Although body shape and overall health is more important, if you are concerned with your weight I suggest weekly weigh-in's only. Pick a time during the week, say Saturday morning when you first get up, and weigh yourself at the SAME time under the SAME conditions each week. In other words, don't wake up and have a huge breakfast before the weigh-in one week and then do it on an empty stomach the next week. Try to keep it as constant as possible. I suggest first thing in the morning Saturday before breakfast. Doing this will give you a fair view of how your weight is progressing over time, without driving yourself insane with daily weight checks.

Good luck, and trust me, if you keep running like that and increasing (or simply changing) your workouts over time (don't let your body get too used to anything for too long) you will notice a physical change and you will look great and feel even better.
 
Thank you both for your help. I kinda figured that you would tell me not to check my weight so often. It is really hard for me, like I said I need to see results immediately or I give up. I also did not know if I was retaining a lot of water or just putting on more muscle. Is there a certain time period in which your body gains muscle but then eventually goes down in weight? If that makes any sense? Also I am new to this whole running thing and I have no idea what HIIT means. Could you break that down for me. Thanks again!
 
HIIT is High Intensity Interval Training, google it and you will find quite a bit of information about it. Basically it involves exercising near your maximum potential in shorter bursts and donig slower exercise inbetween (i.e. sprinting, jogging, sprinting, jogging). This helps your heart rate to rise and fall which will result in a better workout and encourage your body to burn fat.

I would look into your diet and identify anything that may be causing problems there as well. Ideally, you want to be eating 5-6 smaller single portion meals spread evenly throughout the day (a portion is about the size of your fist). If this does not work for you then you should at least be eating sensibly for 3 meals a day. There is plenty of information in these forums regarding proper nutrition.

Be sure you are also drinking enough water. You should be drinking 65-85 fluid ounces of water daily minimally!
 
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