The more I try to lose, the more I gain

I' ve been trying to lose about 5 lbs. I reallydon't have any weight to lose (5"4', 124lbs). But I used to weigh 117 in 2006, 120 lbs tihs past January and now 124lbs! I eat well and exercise a lot. Could this weight gain be muscle? I mean my clothes still fit, but they are getting tight around the butt, thighs and hips. How can I go back to the way I was before. If I stop working out, then won't I gain weight? Or get flabby? What should I do?

    I really don't understand.  You say in consecutive sentences

1) I want to lose 5Lbs.
2) I dont have any weight to lose.

So why are you worried?   You eat well,  you exercise,  so are you just responding to a number on a scale you dont like,  rather than a real weight issue. 

Are you happy with how your body looks (to you) and feels,  because it seems to me that othr than a number everything else seems fine and you are stressing yourself needlessly.

Be kinder to yourself mate  ;-

I am not very happy with my body. My pants are tight and my shirts are a little snug too. I don't want to buy larger clothes.

Are you still working out?  Have you increased your caloric intake?
I know the feeling of not being happy, but I've still got 57 lbs to lose before I hit my first goal. (currently at 232lbs)

Muscle weighs more than fat so you may have developed more muscle if you're still working out regularly. How old are you?  If you're a teen you could be hitting a small growth spurt so that could explain why your clothes are more snug lately. 

:)

I used to run alot and then stopped and starting powerwalking instead.  I lost about 7 pounds and kept them off .   my body changed and looked leaner as well.  Just my exerience

hey avl im 5'4 and have the EXACT problem. since ive gotten to 124 last wk the scale woudnt budge, and then for the past two days it finally started moving...but UPWARDS. which is insane considering this wk ive been getting all my cals AND adding atleast 40 min cardio each day. yet im at 127??? this is NOT muscle also, plus you cant gain muscle that fast. i havent even been strength training. my pants and shirts are snug too and i NEED to lose 10 more. i'd like to atleast be 114, and maintain in between 110-114. yes my body might be comfortable here but i say fock my bodies comforts, because it was also comfortable when it was borderline 150, which classifies as overweight. so right now i'm trying to do anything to lose these ten, now 13 actually, pounds. ughhh.

I'm not a teenager. I'm 27 years old, and I haven't increaed my caloric intake. I might actually have decreased it by a couple hundred calories. I still eat between 1800-2000 calories a day. I have tried to eat less but I feel deprived and hungry when I do.

ok so you say you are trying to lose but can't...but you are eating 2000cals a day...what are you doing to try and lose? Are you working out? If so, how much?

They say exercise is only 10% of weight loss--the rest is eating better (including cutting calories). So even if you are running like a beast, if you arent cutting your cals you probably won't see much of a change when you are so close to your goal weight.

You say you feel hungry and deprived at less cals...what are you eating when oyu eat less? Try eating more fiber...it fills you up and keeps you feeling full longer. Grape-nuts cereal, oatmeal, etc in the morning or as a snack always kicks the hunger for me.

This what my typical diet looks like:

7:30am Tortilla wrap with 3 egg whites with 1 whole egg Fruit (orange or grapefruit)

10:30am 2 egg whites Apple

12:45pm 3/4 cup rice 3.5oz of grilled chicken, fish or tofu Steamed vegetables

4:00pm 4oz potato 2oz tofu or chicken Vegetables

7:30pm 1/2 cup rice or pasta 3.5oz of grilled chicken, fish or tofu Salad with vinegar and 1 tsp olive oil

9:00pm (if I am still hungry) 1 slice of bread with 1 T sp jam

I don't think that I am overweating. I burn about 700 calories through cardio 5 times a week and do light weights 3 times a week.

avl,

I had the same thing happen.  I started at 230 and lifted weights 5 days per week for 2 months.  The only thing that happened was I gained 15 pounds.  I clearly built muscle but did not lose much of my fat.  I then started doing cardio for atleast 30 minutes 5 days per week and cut my calories to 1200 - 1500 per day (except on weekends).  Easy if you eat smart.  It is amazing how much you can eat if you eat the right things and also how little if you eat the wrong.  I then began to lose 1-2 pounds per day for a couple of weeks and then about a pound per day.  I was amazed at how simple this was.  No fads.  Just cardio, weights and calory counting and you really can lose the weight.  Do not give up.  You are on the right track.

Hi avl,

I am experiencing the same problem.  5'3 and 122.  The last 5 lbs have been killer. Before Christmas I was going through the same thing - going to the gym lots and just gaining weight, but after about 3 weeks of gymming and not much changing, I dropped 10lbs.  So stick with it.  These plateaus are tough.  I added you as a friend, hope this is ok!

Thanks for all the suport. I finally don't feel so alone.

mickchap, I'll definetly accept a new friend!