I'M SO FRUSTRATED - i keep GAINING WEIGHT!

I JUST STARTED EXERCISING AGAIN AND TRYING TO LOSE 10 LBS, BUT I ACTUALLY GAINED 1.5 LBS IN A WEEK.......................  I USUALLY BURN 600 CALS AT THE GYM AND DO RESISTANCE TRAINING AND I ALWAYS GO TO SLEEP HUNGRY. IF YOU SLEEP HUNGRY, THEN YOU SHOULD DEFINITELY LOSE WEIGHT, BECAUSE IT MEANS YOUR BODY HAS USED UP ALL STORED ENERGY AND IS RELYING ON FAT!! WHY AM I GAINING WEIGHT I AM SO DEPRESSED

I think the whole "go to bed hungry" idea is a myth.  If you go to bed hungry, you're basically telling your body, "there isn't enough food, so lower your metabolism until there is."  Sure, you might have to burn fat at night, but then your body is going to want to hold on to its fat stores "just in case."

Incidentally, whenever I start a new excercise regimen I gain weight.  It's temporary fluid retention because the muscles are repairing themselves (which is how we build muscle), and they need the fluid for that.  If your muscles are feeling a little sore, you can just about guarantee that's where the weight gain is coming from.

Can you give more of your stats?  How many calories are you eating?  What is your start weight?  How tall are you?

Above all, don't get depressed.  The scale is not the ultimate measure of your progress.  It's actually the least accurate measure.  Muscle weighs more than fat and the scale doesn't know the difference between a pound of food, water, fat, or muscle.  Take your measurements.  In reality, your ultimate goal is to get smaller/thinner, not lighter, right?

'Hungry' isn't a sign that your body has used up all the energy...  Ever been to a chinese restaurant, eaten a large amount of starchy/sugary/fatty foods and then felt starving hungry just a few hours later?   That means your blood-sugars are hitting the deck, not that you're burning body-fat.

Start from first principles.  If you're over 21 use the CC calculator to work out your energy requirements based on your size and activity level (in your case 'moderate')  If you're trying to lose less than 10% of your total body-weight aim for 0.5 - 1lb a week average .... always assuming you need to lose weight, of course. 

Get your daily recommended calories in a series of regular meals with light, healthy snacks in between if you feel hungry.   Base your meals around vegetables and wholegrains, using other foods for flavour.  Try to stay away from sugary/starchy foods, alcohol and anything that is over-processed.  Drink plenty of water.

BTW... if you're under 21, you need to use different calculators because your body has different energy needs.

I started a new workout schedule by upping my days from 1-2 to 3-4 I went up a 1.5 too but I finally lost it over the weekend. Your muscles are probably withholding water. keep going. BTW what are your stats?

Hello!!

This is going to sound cliche but be patient! It seriously takes some time before you see the scale going in the right direction. the first couple of weeks when you start to make an effort to lose weight is the worst because you just wont see the results you want right away! it takes at least a month before you see some results and then later on you may plateau and you'll have to change up your routine and maybe even take a break from dieting. The point is weight loss is not something you can just decide to do and it magically happens...obviously. So take your time, dont be hard on yourself. Portion control is also very important. keep eating regularly to keep your metabolism going but make sure you're watching HOW MUCH  you eat. But definitely do not starve yourself. It will have the opposite effect of what you want. Eat healthy, work out and BE PATIENT. One day you'll get on the scale and be like "Oh dear Lord its working!!!" and you'll be even more motivated. But dont expect too much those first couple of weeks. Chances are that if you drop weight fast and early on you may put it back on again.

Trust me I get what you're dealing with and I was there a few months ago, getting depressed about not losing weight but a couple of months in your hard work starts paying off. Just stick with it. Whatever you do don't let it get you down to the point where you give up because then you're just at square one again. That frustration you feel is unfortunately part of attaining the goal but it gets better for sure if you just wait it out. Give your healthy eating and working out routine one month to 40 days before you freak out that its not working.