Help! Exercising and gaining weight!

L

lizab837

New member
Hi, I'm new here and hoping someone will have some advice!

I'm a 23-year-old female 5'6 180 lbs. I've struggled with my weight for the last 5 years- nothing's the same after high school I guess lol! I've tried to lose what I've gained several times. It usually involves me working out a lot and increasing my physical endurance... but not actually losing weight.
I was told the problem was that I needed to add more weight training in to build muscle and then I'll be able to lose weight.

I've been working out regularly at least 3X/week for the last 2 months.
So far on this adventure I have been lifting & building muscle in my legs, arms, butt, abs... and I'm noticing muscle growth for sure! I can also tell that I'm getting stronger because I have been able to increase the weight/reps quite a bit.
HOWEVER - I've gained 5lbs in all of this. I'm following a healthy diet & running 2 miles 3X a week as well. I understand muscle weighs more than fat... but shouldn't I be losing some weight after 2 months of this?

I'm really not looking for a quick fix but rather trying to change my relationship with my body & health for good... I know fitness is a lifestyle and I'm willing to put in hard work for it- but I am a little frustrated right now :( I feel healthier overall but just don't understand why I'm not losing weight...

If anyone has any advice or tips I'd GREATLY appreciate it!
Thanks,
Liz
 
Hi, sorry it's not working for you at the moment, must be really frustrating with all the effort that you are putting in.
My advice is that for a few days write down everything that you eat, weigh it and work out the calories as you may find that even though you think it is a healthy diet you may be eating way too many calories to lose weight (or possibly not enough)
Good luck
Val
 
Welcome to the forum, Lizab. I agree with eyckmans - you should start counting your calories. It is very possible to eat enough healthy food to gain weight, and it is easy to eat enough calories in a very short time to cancel out a long gym workout. If you really are building muscle, it's highly unlikely that you are in a calorie deficit. It usually requires a calorie surplus to do that.
 
The only way to know for sure if you are building muscle and losing fat (not weight) is to do a body fat percentage measurement. If you fall within the healthy range, don't worry too much about your weight.
 
The key to weight loss is managing your food. You can exercise until you fall over, but if you're eating more than you're burning, then you're going to gain weight.

It's common for most people who start exercising to start eating more - sometimes consciously (I worked out today, so I can have this [whatever]) and sometimes unconsciously by just eating more because they're hungrier.

You have to get control of your eating first. Then the weight will come off.
 
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