Exercising but gaining weight??? HELP

[Knickey]

Profile: Female
Age - 26
Height - 5ft 5in
Weight low - 152 Weight high - 190 (10 years ago)
Current weight - 164.5
Weight last week - 159

Hello everyone. I am freaking out.

I have decided to get my life in order and reach the potential i know i have within me. I know lbs are generally not an issue to me the inches are but I can't understand why I have gained 5lbs in the last week and a half.

My diet could be better yes. My caloric intake averages 1650 calories a day. (I keep a diary on an app).

I stand all day doing hair 5 days a week.

My old exercise was jogging 3.5 miles a week maybe adding a 8 mile bike ride once a week.

The past week and a half I have biked a total of 20 miles at a 10mph rate, done a 6 mile adventure scavenger run and done a 5 hour hike in the mountains at a quick pace.

I cannot understand why I am gaining weight. I understand I could lower my caloric intake but then I feel weak and cannot stand on my feet all day performing my job properly. And yes I can make better food choices like lower carbs etc. i understand but I thought if I countered that with more exercise that would be fine.

My main goal wasn't to lose weight but to be stronger and have more stamina. Now I have to add the lose weight goal because at this rate I will be 170 lbs in another week and I don't understand why.

Also I just started my monthly. Every other month in the history of my life I have lost weight and "deflated" at this time. I often looked forward to it because clothes fit better. My fat jeans are now my skinny jeans and I just don't think that is right!

Any help or insight would be greatly appreciated. Sorry for the long winded message. I just can't comprehend what the issue is.

Any tips on how to get this weight off? Is it just water weight? What should I do wait out the weight?

Thank you.

 

[fortyfour]

I always put on weight during menstruation. Its about retaining more water. Sometimes i have more appetite then too. I can't explain why anyone would normally be the opposite.

Look don't worry about your weight gain unless you think you are eating more food. Your weight gain is probably a combination of muscle and fluid gain because of the extra exercise you've been doing.

When you exercise more, your muscles grow and they can store more liquid energy in the form of glycogen. This is good because it means that calories stay in this ready to use state longer before being turned into fat. Now i know that is not really clear but you could try doing some research about the role of glycogen in the body and its relation to exercise.

The thing is not to do more exercise to beat this extra weight. Exercise for its own sake and for fitness only. If you want to lose weight, watch what you are eating. Eat less and eat better.

When you say carbs, i don't really know what that means. I know what carbohydrate foods are but not all are bad. Highly refined ones are bad. But if you need to cut food out of your diet, start with sugars, high fats and only after that start cutting down bread, pasta etc. Those foods i actually really value. They are the foods that give you the energy you need to stay on your feet all day and do your exercise. Carbohydrate is the best source of energy.

Use this diary to record what you eat in detail. Well that's what i do and that's my advice.

If you are recording your food and activity, after a week you can assess it and decide on where to cut down.

In addition to recording what you eat, try to think ahead and plan what you are going to eat during the day. Try to make the business of food preparation fit in with your lifestyle. It takes a bit of organisation in my experience and if you are working or have a busy lifestyle it takes more than average.