help, could too much exercise cause weight GAIN?

hi all,I'm realitively new here and have a fitness question.i have had trouble in the past losing weight and staying consistant.  i find it hard to get motivated to work out, but once i get back into it and into the 'zone', i can't stop! i feel like if i'm not doing 1.5 hours a day, i'm not doing enough.with that said, i started 2 weeks ago today getting back into the groove and have been exercising 6 days a week.the problem is that i stepped on the scale this morning to see a whopping 4.6 GAIN from last week.  
I do need to be more diligent with my diet... i kind-of had the mentality to take on one thing at a time and if i was exercising, it must be helping.  i guess some of the weight could be water weight, but i'm just curious if i am exercising too much and could that actually cause a gain?I work out at home and am a fitness DVD junkie.A typical day for me would be 20 minutes of pilates, 45 minutes of Shape Bikini Body (aerobics) and  2 or 3 mile walk.
i bought a heart rate monitor and can tell you that i'm typically burning 500-700 calories per workout.  (and I realized that I'm actually working out much harder than i thought i was!)
i could use some advice.  i don't know if i should stick with my routine (which i actually really enjoy) or cut back.
thanks in advance!!

Diet is key - what are you eating?

Exercise alone will not necessarily result in any weight loss; calories in still matter.  So what's a normal day like for you, food wise?

well, i'm pretty sure you're on to something.

i'm not a total disaster, but i am so picky that all of the good things are so hard for me to get down.

a typical day for me would be:

breakfast: slimfast drink

lunch: subway (6" turkey with baked chips and diet coke) or a lean cuisine

afternoon snack: usually baked chips

dinner: homemade tacos (usually have 2, made with lean ground beef, cheese, sour cream, tomatoes, etc) 

and i almost always have something sweet after dinner (couple of cookies, etc)

 

my worst time of day is in the afternoon, before dinner.  i find that i do tend to 'graze'.  overall, i know that i eat too much sodium and simple carbs.  the problem is that i literally gag at so many 'good for you' foods.  i am allergic to eggs, so i can't do those.

any suggestions? 

I know how this is. I like to think I am working out to loose the pounds and I am. BUT , the weight doesn't come off, so what 's the problem?, I LOOK really trim , but not when I weigh in. It tells a different story, possibly muscle mass REALLY does outweigh fat and the actual fat cells will be the last thing you see  the out the door. Very ,very stubborn.  And also there are stints in weight loss. Like this can some time.  But as long as I stay with it daily,my intention of weight loss ,willl eventually come. Plus,I don't have a choice but to be patient .This way it works.So ,after making a strict effort for 24 straight days what's the difference?A noticeable one,but the bls. are still not coming off, then go another 24 days,any improvements on  the same regime? A total of 48 days of discipline. Where's the pay off? There'd better be because I am doing this solely for  selfish reasons and enjoying looking at my new self in the mirror long languid periods of time...No one cares what your accomplishments are but you do. I probably  will see a hypnotist soon to reinforce the latter...

This might sound strange, but are you sure you are eating enough?

Use the tools at this sight.  Keep track of what you are eating.  Honestly you may not be eating enough, it could slow your metabolism down. 

If you are eating enough try eating like 4-6 mini meals instead of 3 bigger ones.

For example if your calorie intake should be 1800 then eat 4-450cal meals or 6-300cal

Take care

Original Post by mandispring:

well, i'm pretty sure you're on to something.

i'm not a total disaster, but i am so picky that all of the good things are so hard for me to get down.

a typical day for me would be:

breakfast: slimfast drink

lunch: subway (6" turkey with baked chips and diet coke) or a lean cuisine

afternoon snack: usually baked chips

dinner: homemade tacos (usually have 2, made with lean ground beef, cheese, sour cream, tomatoes, etc) 

and i almost always have something sweet after dinner (couple of cookies, etc)

 

my worst time of day is in the afternoon, before dinner.  i find that i do tend to 'graze'.  overall, i know that i eat too much sodium and simple carbs.  the problem is that i literally gag at so many 'good for you' foods.  i am allergic to eggs, so i can't do those.

any suggestions? 

Slim fast 190

Subway - Turkey 6 inch 280  Baked chips 110

Snack baked chips 110

Homemade tacos (hard to tell maybe about 250 each?

Cookie about 100 cal (depends what kind

sub total of 1180 minus 600 calories burned working out = only 580 total

You should eat back some of your calories that sounds too low I believe females need about 1200 cal for your body/organs to run correctly.

Perhaps a trainer/doc/ health expert give some insight?

Take care.

 

With regards to the machine you're using to measure how many calories you're burning- this article maybe of interest to you: http://www.nytimes.com/2007/12/20/health/nutr ition/20BEST.html

 

Could it be possible you're eating more than you normally are because of the calories you think you're burning? 

Hello!!!   I think you may be gaining muscle mass,and that is why the gain in weight.   After a certain point , this can happen and is normal,  but I would continue to make sure you adjust your calorie intake to make sure there is enough fuel to burn all those calories!!       ;   Good Luck!!    Lynn.

Heart rate monitors are more accurate than the machines in the NYTimes article. So you can assume that when you enter your workouts into CC you're seeing a reasonably accurate estimate of your burn.

 You're undereating for your activity level, especially protein; you need roughly 1.2-1.4g/kg divided equally throughout the day to sustain what I'd describe as a vigorous cardio schedule. While the bare minimum intake for a 5"0' sedentary woman is 1200 calories that's just enough to sustain life, never mind a schedule as active as that :)

 Use the HRM, plus the CC tools to figure out your calorie needs - you should not go over a 1000-calorie deficit and below a net 1200 calories intake. So if you burn off 500 calories exercisisng, you need a minimum of 1700(1200+500) calories.

 That said - yes, initially you will notice weight gain while working out. Protein metabolism requires extra water to repair the "damage" inflicted by working out, which means your muscles retains water for at least a few days after you strain them with activity.

And your muscles will store more glycogen to fuel your activities, since storing 1 gram of glycogen requires 3 grams of water and your muscles can store a few pounds of glycogen gaining some weight when you start working out isn't exactly unusual.

 It'll be mostly water and glycogen initially, and over time you'll also add muscle weight if you're working out in a calorie surplus.

 That shouldn't concern you much though - gaining muscle weight will still mean losing inches; this picture shows why: 5 Lb. Fat vs. 5 Lb. Muscle

 Just find an exercise schedule you can stick to and you'll trade one for the other; the scale might not be budging but that shouldn't concern you.

 

Did you just build muscle?

Thanks for your posts!That makes sense.
I am an athletic build and i do tend to build muscle fast (faster than i'd like as I'd always wanted one of those lean, thin bodies, but if i can just drop a few pant sizes, i'll be happy!).i have just never (that i can remember) gained that much in one week.  
i do have a tendency to not drink enough water... i do great at work, but at home, i have a hard time.  
i appreciate all of your input.  it helps!!  i'm going to take a different approach over the next few weeks and add a little more protien and see if that makes a difference.

Getting more protein is okay as a start, but bear in mind that your body needs way more than just some extra protein on top of your skimpy diet.  Carbohydrates (as much of an undeservedly bad reputation as they have these days) should be your main source of fuel by a long shot, athlete or not.  Don't forget that your body also needs the vitamins and minerals that can most easily be found in plant food as well.  Focus on getting enough leafy green veggies (and by enough I mean as much as you probably think you need plus lots more), non-leafy greens, other veggies, starchy veggies, fruits, nuts, and seeds.

If you're putting 90mins of strenuous exercise in 6 days a week, you're going to need a lot of fuel and a lot of nutrients.