completely worried

[LilPrincess]

Ok ive been working out with some of the people that i work with. And ive lost the weight that us girls had set for ourselves but the next week i gain it all back plus between 5 and 10 pds. i mean i am still working out. i have stepped up my routine since i gained the weight back. but it leaves and then comes back. what to do.

[OvershareDude]

could it be that its just muscle mass that you're gaining? muscle does weigh more than fat.

how is your diet? is it still high fat/sugar low protein?
do you weigh yourself at the same time of day? Too reguarly?

[kuju]

are you on your period? It's normal to retain a lot of water when you're bloated. Of course, generally NOT 5-10 lbs!

[Carnation]

Unless you have a lot of fat to lose (like 100 lbs) you should never look to body mass. After the initial five to ten pound loss you should be gaining WEIGHT because of muscle mass building.

Also are you keeping yourself well hydrated? If you don't your body goes into emergency mode and stores a bunch of fluid. Make sure you drink plenty of water during the day, esp. during your period. You can shed water weight fast.

I suggest instead of stepping on the scale you invest in cloth measuring tape and learn how to measure yourself correctly. Pay attention to pants/cup size instead.

Good luck!

[rebecca]

May I ask your age and hight and weight and what your goals are? You must have goals and they must be realistic. You must do a MINIMUM of 20 minutes 3 x per week cardio.....that is bare minimum. You also must do core and weight training. Most women have the miss conception if they lift weights, they will get "bulky or big", but this is not the case, unless you take steroids, we don't have the genetics to look like a man. Also, weight training is essential to strong bones and preventing osteo perosis in later years. Secondly, you can't just exercise.....you MUST have a clean well balanced diet. In the beginning, you need to drastically cut your carbs and up your protien and you must drink a gallon of water a day. I know that sounds like a lot, and may be hard in the beginning, but it is essential to keep you hydrated and wash out the toxins, which I am sure you have planty of right now. AND, coffee, tea, etc. do not substitute water. No fruit after 2:00 pm, it converts to suger then fat. Google or go to a book store, there are good carbs and bad carbs, learn how to cycle the good carbs after about 4 weeks of carb restriction. NOTE: while on carb restriction, you will feel tired. That is when you need to cycle in a good carb, that would be like a sweet potatoe, etc. Get some good women's fitness magazines, there are a lot. Check out cook books like Clean Eating by Tosca Reno. Plan out and pack your own lunches. After about 6 weeks, you will see dramatic change. DO NOT rely on the scale, only weigh in about once per month. Start a journal. Day 1, measure and weigh your self then set it aside until the next month. Muscle weighs more than fat, so weighing your self alone will only discourage you. The goal is fat loss and muscle gain. I know this is a lot. Feel free to ask any questions. OH....PS: be open to the thought that once you start to see change, you WILL have friends and family who will try and sabotage you....just keep your head high and keep going. A current fitness icon is Ava Cowan.....keep in mind her photos are only taken when she is pre competition and this is not her every day look.....but go to u tube and she has a lot of training and fitness tips as well. Oh, 1 more thing..there is light....after about 8 weeks, you get to allow your self 1 cheat meal a week. This is a cheat meal, not a cheat day....this will kick your motabolism and you will actually see your weight drop, but you need to get right back on the diet and weights and cardio the next day.