Very confused. Started working out and gained weight

Hi. I haven't been here for a while. I am trying to get healthier. I weigh 219 right now. And I have NEVER weighed this in my life. I started walking 2 days ago.  The first day walked one block. Yesterday I walked for 25 minutes and my feet were burning with pain and my back was killing me. I have a protruding disc in my back so no jumping or jarring. She told me to walk. Well, I weighed my self today and it showed 219! I weighed myself sunday and it was 218! What is going on??  Mind you, I have not really exercised for 5 years. I was sick for quite a while. I have noticed since I started walking, and doing therapy exercises some of my symptoms are going away. Also, I am noticing feeling better in my abs. But I want to lose pounds! I started eating weight watchers and drink nothing but water. So whats up with this????

I have the same experience and I asked my trainer about it an hour ago.  He said that even though I don't feel that I am making a lot of progress I am gaining muscle and muscle weighs more than fat. 

On the other hand, I am losing inches on my waist and the muscle burns more calories than fat so I will eventually gain both a lower weight and a trimmer figure in the mirror.  (he also suggested ibuprophin LOL)

I have so been there!

I would like to stress that weight is just a number. especially if you are just starting exercise after not for a few years, your weight may flop up and down for at least a month as your body GAINS muscle weight (which is heavier) and BURNS fat weight. However your size and shape will begin to change even if it isn't represented on the scale. My suggestion is to take your measurements, because that way if you gain five pounds but lose two inches, you still feel like you have accomplished something.

The next thing, don't weigh yourself every day, silly! Thats horrible to do to yourself emotionally. I wouldn't be concerned over fluctuating around a 1lb margin, your body can fluctuate upwards of five pounds just throughout the course of the day. take your measurements and weigh yourself once a week, same day, same time. (and i know thats hard, so at least do it only once every three days if you're impatient).

The thing about weight watchers, and really any frozen meal is that they are full of sodium, which will <b>make you retain water</b>.  Really if you can avoid them, do so. or at leat limit them to only a couple of meals a week. Try instead to fill up on vegetables, grilled chicken..etc. you can eat a lot of vegetables without consuming a lot of calories, and feel fuller that way.

Keep at it! i suffer from chronic pain and i can't stress how much exercising helps make my life more manageable. once you get into it and start feeling better you will notice the difference in how you feel if you slack off for even a little bit :)

i totally agree with the ibuprofen. it helps prevent the inflammation, and when you're heavier you have more inflammation in your feet and lower joints because of the weight. take some about thirty minutes before your walk...

1 LB? Don't worry about that. It is normal to fluctuate up to 5 LB. Many things factor in. What time of day you weigh yourself, what clothes you are wearing, what  you have eaten or drank, if you have gone to the bathroom and so on. 1 LB is nothing. It is not weight gain. The best practice is to weigh yourself once a week. First thing in the morning before you have eaten anything and after you have gone to the bathroom.

Using mucles which weren't getting used often means they start holding on to water. Keep at it and you'll see the change you want.

Thanks everyone for the advice. And thanks terrabella for adding me as a friend.  I thought weight watchers would be a good idea to lose weight. I can't eat most veggies cause I have a stomach condition that won't tolorate them. I can eat carrots though if they are really cooked soft. I also have ibs so that dosent help either. Having these conditions, I can't eat much at all. So I will try what I can. I haven't walked today or yesterday. I wanted to give my muscles a break cause I am so sore. Is that a good idea?  Thanks again

I would say give yourself a one-day break once every three days, maybe once every two days when you are first starting out, then bulid yourself up to walking 5-6 days a week. I always think its a good idea to give yourself one free day a week :) It will actually help with the soreness to take  a walk, but its hard to get motivated to do it...

Your IBS might improve with exercise too, it will get your metabolism up and helps break foods down. If you don't mind me asking, what is your other stomach condition? The weight watchers may be a good idea if all else fails, but really read the nutrition label beyond calories/fat. Sodium is really hard on you if you are already in pain because water retention means everything swells. can you eat yogurt? I'm can't drink milk but i can eat yogurt, it might help with the IBS... just make sure its cultured yogurt. the only bran i can stand is mountain high, and I like to add fruit.

feel free to send me a messge if you want/need to! im addicted to CC :)

Hi Terrabella,

I also have Gastroparesis (paralysis of the stomach or very slow moving stomach) So veggetables have a hard time digesting. Alot of people don't understand the condition, so if you want to know more just google it and you will get lots of info on it. I can not eat much at all because of this. Usually just a palm size really fills me up. If I eat to much, I get extremely bloated.

Thanks for telling me about the sodium. I didn't know that. Maybe I shouldn't eat the weight watchers. I am just so desperate to get this weight off. My doctor sent me a letter and wants me to get tested for diabetes. She stated that my glucose was high. This scares me. I don't want this.  My dad passed away from diabetes in 2005.  Even though I am adopted, it still scares me. But I know I can get rid of it by losing weight even if I do have it.

I really don't know where the weight came from. Maybe medicine. Since I can't eat much. I get so full so fast. On anything. I bought V8 to drink since I am missing all my veggies. Is that I good think to do?  But I can't drink it all at once since I get so full fast. But just like on Biggest Loser, I am NOT giving up. I WILL lose this weight. Even if it takes years.   I think I can eat yogurt. I know there is milk in it right? I ate some tomato soup one night and it didn't feel good inside of my stomach. So maybe I can't have milk?  But I eat cheeses just fine. So that dosent make sense.

Thanks for writing back

I totally understand about the diabetes, my mother is type II and my grandmother is type I! i know its hard enough for you to maintain a healthy caloric intake, but watching the carbs will help you battle the "prediabetic" stage. you should NOT cut out carbohydrates completely though. they help us process foods.

I think V8 juice is a really great idea! This should help balance out any nutritional deficiencies you might aquire. The tomato soup you ate might be high in fat, from what little bit i read about gastroparesis high fat and high fiber are a no-no. Yogurt will probably be really good for you so long as you choose a low-fat probiotic variety.

I found this website that might be helpful to you in maintaining creativity while trying to eat around your disorder

http://www.gicare.com/diets/Gastroparesis.asp x

I think since obviously you have managed this condition on your own it would not be necessary nor recommended to stage one or two of this diet.  it just looked like it had a nice variety of healthy foods to try.

Remember not to starve your body of calories, because you will not maintain weight loss that way. You may have gained weight by not supporting your body with the right kinds of foods, and a lot of it could be medication. you can googly any prescription that they give you and look at the side effects to see if that might be contributing or not. it may even be helpful to keep this in mind when you are bummed out about not losing weight fast enough. this will be more of a fight for you than others, but i think you can do it!

so for you, not only do you need to look at the calories, but also at the fat, carbohydrate and sodium contents of your foods :)

Try colonic irrigation...it's fabulous for IBS. I have it done and I don't have IBS but it makes you feel good and cleans you internally. Also you get a nice flat stomach afterwards.

If you have joint pain try swimming or aqua aerobics as an excercise. The water will support you as will the other members of the class. If you can afford to, join a gym and use the non weight bearing machines too. Ibuprofen is great short term but can cause gut problems which is the last thing you need. (I'm a nurse by the way).

If you can see a nutritionist try to do that. Can your doctor refer you? If you are in the UK it will be free of charge but I think you are in the US. Have you tried soya or rice milk products and gluten free products. There is so much availible but you need to get the right information. Don't be scared about diabetes...if you have it you need to know so it can be managed correctly. If you treat it correctly you won't have the associated problems but if you ignore it, then they could develop.

Terrabella is right about the ready meals....ditch them NOW. Go for home made soups, wheat free pasta, rice dishes etc in the foods that do not irritate you. White fish is SO good for you and tends not to irritate. I believe many health problems are caused by preservatives and flavour enhancers. Previous generations didn't have the health problems we have now as they cooked their food from fresh and it was all completely natural.  The weight will drop off if you eat better quality food.

Reading between the lines you sound as if you have got yourself into a viscious cycle and don't know where to turn. Start small and go from there....

Thinking of you and good luck.  :) x

Hi Terrabella,

The thing is, I don't think I weigh that much to get diabetes. My doctor thinks it is high cause of my smoking. Ive tried to quit so many times but just cant. And I dont want to till I lose weight. But I will watch the carbs. How much carbs should I eat a day? I will tell you what I eat everyday and please tell me if it is good. I drink the v8 in the morning, then I eat a sandwich (bread from bakery that has no fructose in it) with lunch meat either turkey or chicken on it with a slice of provolone cheese. I also eat brownies . I know it isn't good but I cant help it! I only eat two a day and they are baked from a mix so they don't have fructose in it. They are only 120 calories so it really isn't that much. Then for supper last night I had gordons fish .. the one with out the coating. Garlic and butter. And baked frozen fries. Then sometimes I have pasta (I am Italian!) but a very small amount. And that is what I have in a day. Its really not that much. Tell me what you think. Thanks for the website but I beat you to it. I already have been there. It has helped alittle. Looking at all that will be hard, but I will do it. There just isn't alot of choice of food for me with these 3 conditions.  I have been so sore this week after the walking, and the exercises at therapy. I guess when you don't use your muscles for so many years it takes time. I h ave noticed though that my bloating from the ibs is getting better!

Thanks again

well first things first, type two diabetes is not necessarily caused by being overweight. Diabetes is a condition where cells do not react appropriately to insulin, or not enough insulin is secreted into the blood stream.  However, being overweight does make you at a higher risk for it. interestingly enough, the GI condition that you have is also often times caused by diabetes. It sounds like you might have some genetic risk factors as well. (I know I do. My mom is type II and my grandmother is type I, so I need to be really careful!) I've neer heard of a correlation between smoking and diabetes, but I am not a doctor. Smoking does affect your metabolism, so I logically see a link between the two.  (P.S. I quit three weeks ago it was hard for about the first two week, and it seems like this last week it has finally gotten better!)

My first question in relation to your diet is how many calories are you consuming a day? you need to meet or be just under your recommended calorie alotment for the day. too little and your body starts to go into "starvation mode" and hang onto calories. too much and your body doesnt use all the calories and it stores them as fat. if you are over you can start cutting things out that you don't need, but if you are under you need to add in some more healthy foods.

as far is your diet. V8 juice is great! the sandwichs sounds like it is great too, but watch what toppings you put on it. mayo has a lot of calories and fat (esp bad for the GP), if you can cut back on the mayo with more mustard that will cut some calories. Even though the brownies are only 120 calories and there is no fructose in it, it is all carbohydrates and carbohydrates are just large chains of sugar. you should let this be your treat once or twice a week, not everday. same thing with the french fries. you do need some carbohyrdates but starches are the worst kind of prediabetics. the fish sounds healthy but look at anything frozen for the amount of sodium in it! but fish is usally pretty good for you. I like to buy frozen salmon filets and cook them myself on my george foreman grill. I swear that thing is a life saver for someone that doesnt cook or doesn't want to cook. its really fast, cooks out a lot of fat, and really easy. it might be a good investment for you if you don't already have one.

good luck with the walking. its hard at first but your sore muscles will start to feel better! and walking while you're stiff will help you not be so stiff!

exercise and temporary weight gain article that boosted my spirits today after I ended up back at square 1 even with 3 weeks of calorie counting and exercising:

(lost 3lbs at week 1 and gained them all back this weekend after 6 mile hike)

http://chalenejohnson.blogspot.com/2009/01/wh y-do-you-sometimes-gain-weight-when.html

Hi Terrabella,

It is difficult to write this today as I am very weak and dizzy. The doctor informed me yesterday that I tested positive for diabetes, type 2. I had a good cry yesterday for quite a while. Then I just slept.  I am seeing the nutritionist tomorrow for diabetes education.  I don't know what it is, but things keep happening to me. Bad things. The past 6 years I feel like I have been in hell. I was actually starting to feel a little better walking.  Now Ive taken a huge step backwards. I haven't done any walking or exercising. I am to weak to.  I don't even know what to eat now.  I guess I will find out tomorrow. When I do eat my sandwich, it only has one slice of cheese and a couple of meat. That is it.  No mayo or anything.  Well, I am not feeling to good right now. So I will go. Thanks for caring.

Well good luck, I think seeing the nutritionist be so helpful for you, she can help you manage both conditions.

TypeII diabetes isn't the end of the world. this is your wake-up call, and its time to get serious. Use this as your motivation. losing weight isn't about tempory fixes, it needs to be about long term life changes with both your eating and your exercise

good luck chicki!