Working out and gaining weight

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I see questions on the internet a lot about this -- why some people gain, rather than lose, weight when they exercise -- and I had the same problem myself. (I'm having it again right now, actually.) Finally, I realized I tend to overcompensate in the eating department. Weight gain/loss all comes down to calorie intake versus calorie burning. And if you're not counting your calories, you can't to lose weight -- unless you've either already been losing weight, or you're eating so very little per day that you know it doesn't need to be calculated.

I'm sure I'm getting more fit when I exercise, even when I gain a little weight in the process -- but I'm still 20 pounds overweight right now, so I need to take care of that first, in order to become as fit as I can. The exercise is the fun part, while dieting is the hard part, at least for me. I've gotten very ill when I've dieted too extremely, so it's become quite a balancing act.

There is also a level of what you eat and when you eat it. I lost 10 pounds just by starting to eat breakfast. I'm not hungry in the morning, but when I started trying the "eat every 3 hours" thing, and started with breakfast it really worked, that and drinking only water. You don't have to eat a lot, but if you diet too much then your body goes into starvation mode and burns less calories, so you have to eat regularly in order for your metabolism not to do that. Additional muscle mass also increases your resting metabolism which will help you maintain, this may increase your weight for the short term though. I am the same size as I was before I went on my diet program but weigh 10 pounds heavier...that's from muscle.

If you like veggies, they are a good snack for the in between's, and then you don't eat as much during your meal because you're not starving adn you pretty much can eat as many veggies as you want.

Of course, everyone is different, but I think there is something to this starvation mode thing.

Sometimes you gain muscle during working outs so you gain weight because that is muscle.

This is true. I'd go by your belt adjustments rather than your scale.

Problem solved: I was doing the "calorie estimation" form of controlling what I eat. Didn't exactly work -- I just found out I crept up to 3,000 per day! So, ya, I'm starting to actually count calories again -- yesterday, I only took in 2100. 2500 is where I have found that I break even, neither gaining nor losing. So, ya, at 3,500 calories per pound of body weight (that's the official formula, for those who don't know), and having been eating 500 more calories per day than my break-even amount, you can do the math: I was gaining 1 pound per week. Thankfully, I'm experienced at losing weight at that same rate. I lost 28 pounds in the past year. I just got undisciplined for a while recently, and gained some back.

Last edited by Ragtime on 10 Nov 2011, 3:51 pm, edited 1 time in total.

more often than not, it is cumulative little things that cause both weight gain and weight loss. just 1 sugary candy a day can add up to pounds gained over a year. swearing off of sweets can also cause eventual weight loss, all other things remaining equal. something about the cold weather up north here has caused me to gain 4 pounds in a matter of days, despite the fact that i've made myself go out and exercise in the cold and i've not changed my diet. i guess my body is trying to conserve energy or something like that. i sleep with just one blanket in a 66 degree house at night, i hope this helps me keep the weight off by making me shiver while i sleep.

Luther Vandross lost a ton of weight staying away from anything white. I thought that was a good idea so I tried it, not only did it work (I eliminated sweets too, totally) but I learned to eat better in the process, which I think is why I have been able to maintain. No potatoes, white rice, white pasta, bread (even wheat) or anything with refined sugar.

Dear OP...I'm glad you figured out what wasn't working for you!

Urm. Exercise changes your body in two ways:
fat loss
muscle gain

If you're not LOSING, then...
you get the picture.

You could just say screw losing weight and just eat and lift like crazy and become a power lifter or a strongman. Then who'd be laughing at you then? NOBODY, because you'd be able to defeat all your enemies that talk badly about you. Oh wait, this isn't an anime, my bad.

Glen Ross did that, though, in the 80s he was a bodybuilder who looked like this:


Now he's a strongman who looks like this:



One thing that actually has helped me, being Orthodox Christian, there's tons of various fast days I'm not used to. So on fast days, I'm forced to cook, because on fast days if you're like...really cool Orthodox like, you can do a total strict fast of no food. However, laity usually just does vegan on Wednesdays and Fridays. But, because food generally isn't vegan, I have to cook vegan stuff, and I'm usually pretty creative about it, ie, if I wanted a philly steak or something similar, I'd forgo the cheese and then use more mushrooms to make it meaty, and this time I even tried it with chickpeas. Stuff like that. Mushrooms are especially good for losing weight, imo, if you like them. They got like no calories whatsoever and are a good meat substitute. They lack protein though, so they're not a "real" substitute, but they're not bad. IMO, doing vegan days is a good idea, just I don't think it'd be entirely wise to switch your whole diet to vegan, but a few days here and there are good for you I think. Quality of food is key, though, it's really futile if you're like, working out and eating crappy frozen food, the best thing you can do for your health is cook for yourself, I like the Orthodox fasts, as it forces me to cook and not be lazy and eat the processed food my mom buys for the rest of the family.

For me, I got down to 180 pounds, right, but now I'm up to 185-190, but my pants still fit the same and I see more ab muscles, so yeah. My exercise routine is usually 1 hour of ice skating everyday and then lifting 3 times a week, with 15-20 minutes of cardio slideboard during lifting sessions. A good workout, imo, hiking. A 3 hour hike for calorie count for me is like 1800 calories, and it doesn't "feel" like working out. For me, working out isn't so much about weight loss and all that, it raises my self confidence just that I'm working out and pursuing a sporting goal.

Last edited by 1000Knives on 11 Nov 2011, 1:56 pm, edited 2 times in total.

I laughed at the pic.



Cardio is great for if you don't have time. And then you get tired of the exertion and quit. And join a support group. And then you all do cardio together.

A three hour hike is actually really easy to do as long as you're not just walking up and down the street. Plan a full loop, walk the loop any time you have the time.

Interestingly this really works the quadriceps. The largest muscle in your body. It's fine to have oversized quads.

Pardon me if I'm mistaken, but I don't think most men want to look like Buddha.

There aren't any nutrients found only in animal products-
there are vegan body builders, for instance.

Vegan bodybuilding is one thing, but me being more interested in like, raw strength, rather than how I look (though I do not wish to look like Glenn Ross, and actually would like to be slightly skinnier than what I am now, I'm thinking ideally like 170, to get my bodyfat to like...13-15%?)

The main problem I see with a vegan diet is that, theoretically it'd work, but in actual practice, it's very hard to find the exact right kinds of protein you need. So, it's best to just eat meat and make things easier. Also, anecdotally, meat eaters tend to be stronger than non meat eaters. Like, my friend showed me a video of how there's a parade at the Pakistan/Indian border every night. The Indians tend to be smaller, and weaker looking than the Pakistanis. Matter of fact, the Pakistanis tend to look like sheer monsters compared to the Indians. So, while, in theory, I'd like to be a vegetarian or vegan, I just don't think it'd like, actually work very well for me. But, going meatless at least once a week is a great thing to try if you've never done it, it's nice. Just, time and a place and all that.

Some people will think I'm crazy, but, if done right, spaghetti is a food you can cook and lose weight with. It has negligible fat, and if you use a lean sauce and little of it, and -- of course -- count the total calories in the meal, it's really a pretty healthy thing, I've found. Big meals really aren't a problem as long as the daily calorie count remains low. Many people think one needs to eat only things that are low in calories, but this in untrue as long as you keep that daily total down.

Wow, cranking down the number I eat per day is always so hard to do! I mean hard on my emotions/brain (a little dizziness involved -- not much, just enough to make you hate the process). Once I'm down to the point where I can level off, it's really not bad at all to eat the same low calorie amount each day. But getting to that point -- the whole decreasing process -- is so difficult to endure! I'm taking it slowly, reducing by about 100 per day. That 2100 I mentioned I had the other day, turns out was only possible because of the 3000 the day before. The day after I had the 2100, for instance, 2500 was the lowest I could do. Today, I'm trying for 2300 or 2400. (I'll only do the 2300 if I genuinely feel that I'm not pushing my body too hard. I can feel how much is too much.) I won't ever go lower than 2000 after I level off, because I don't want to get sick with a virus for two months, as happened the last two times I tried extreme dieting at around 1600 per day. (I mean I even stayed sick long after I had abandoned the diet completely in order to eat normally and get well. Dieting too hard devastates my immune system.)

The way I get through these difficult food cravings is distract myself with games, TV, reading -- just as long as I keep my mind busy on something besides food.

It's like Ramen noodles, except almost free.



A full stomach helps too. Bottles of water throughout the day, any time you feel hungry.

I'm shocked -- I must have been too disciplined yesterday with my calories, because at bedtime I was at 1800! But I was physically comfortable at that amount, so I don't foresee danger. I guess I overdid it, because the day before, I tried for 2300 and ended up at 2500. I'll probably have to do 2300 today to make up for it. Indeed, I was awoken with hunger at 6:40am this morning (I'm usually a late sleeper on Saturdays).