I'm so frustrated.



I started out good. Lost 2 pounds last week. (just started diet and excercise last week) I have gained 8 lbs!



I'm eating right (sticking to weight watchers points system)

I'm exercising 2 hours a day every other day, cardio and weights.



Is this normal? Why in the he## am I going up instead of down?



Is all this hard work for nothing? So frustrated!

this is not a syllogism. point a: sticking to weight watchers points system, does not lead to point b: eating right.



if you described your diet a bit better, we might be able to help. but you can gain or lose about eight pounds of water in just twenty-four hours. watch the salt.

How has your sodium intake been? It's possible its water weight. I would actually bet its water weight. Are you bloated? are you about to have your monthly visitor that all us women aer lucky enough to have? There are a few different things that could cause it. Also, if you are weight lifting you might be starting to gain muscle too! I would make sure to measure yourself and monitor the measurements as well. You will be glad you did. Sometimes you might not show any difference on the scale but will have a great difference in how your clothes fit or you measurements.



Keep up all the hard work. I promise you should start to show more results soon!

weight fluctuations are pretty normal... wait at least a month to see if what you're doing is working.

Good point about the weight watchers points. I have been drinking slim fast shakes for lunch and a peice of fruit or cream of wheat for breakfast and then some type of chicken for dinner.



Could also be soduim as I am a major salt aholic! So it very well could be the water weight. ICK...sounds so gross!



Oh and I just looked at my canned slim fast shake and the sodium is 210g I'm sure that's not helping either.



My measurements were taken last week (Tuesday) when I had my appointment with my trainer. Supposed to meet with him again tomorrow. Not sure if he will re-measure or not.



Thanks for making me feel a bit better about it. I'm still frustrated. Guess I expect immediate results and I know that's not realistic.



Thanks.

also remember the weight lifting SHOULD be adding weight, as muscle weighs more than fat. Relax, you're definately doing well. Don't let the numbers run your life, focus on how you look and feel

Have this chat with you trainer as well. It could be any number of things (water retention due to increase sodium intake, water retention due to hormonal fluctations, constipation, muscle gain/fat loss) or a combination of all of those things.



The main thing is not to lose focus...this may just be a bump in the road and by Friday you may be back down eight pounds and more besides. I never weight myself on Monday. From experience I find the difference in my weekend schedule and my workday schedule generally end in weight loss at the end of the week that won't show for me on Monday. Especially when camping season starts!

Good point Kathy!



I've been weighing myself every day. I know, not the right thing to do but I can't help myself. We have this gigantic scale in our wharehouse at work and it calls my name. But I have to quit doing that. Maybe I can gradually work my way down from every day to once a week then every 2 weeks or something. My fear is if I don't do it every day I will loose that motivation.



Thanks for your input!

1) Eat enough protein (if you're working out as hard as you say, try 1 g per lb of body weight-body fat (LBM) )

2) MEASURE, MEASURE, MEASURE!!! The scale is never as good an indicator of fat loss as tape measurements are. Start keeping track of them and measure once a week. (At max, once every 3-4 days).



So, have you measured yourself? You don't have to wait for a trainer to do it! You can do it yourself in the privacy of your own home.

My weight also fluctuates from morning to night...so I consistently weigh myself on the same scale with the same thing on (nothing) at the same time of the day (right after I get out of bed in the morning). If you are weighing at different times of the day that may be having an impact on you as well.



Some people need to be accountable by weighing everyday...other don't want to see the ups and downs that can happen from day to day. Only you can decide what works for you. For me I usually weigh a couple times a week and that is it!

Keep with it! Starting is always one of the hardest things to do, and sticking with it for the first few months is the next hardest.



This may sound stupid, but I've had people use different scales and wonder why they varied so widely -- not all scales are calibrated correctly, so stick with one and only one.



Also, start using a tape measure and progress photos. If you can, start taking body fat measurements and pay less attention to the scale.



I can fluctuate 5 lbs on water retention and daily diet easily, and I'm a guy. I'm told women can fluctuate as high as 10 lbs, due to hormonal factors added in.



You need to measure progress over time -- I'd say a minimum of 4 weeks. I would say that if after 8 weeks you don't see progress, then you definitely must re-evaluate your diet and exercise program.



When asking for advice, it helps if you post details like dietary intake (via TheDailyPlate.com or similar sites) and details on your exercises.



For example, here's my food diary. (Not updated since February, sorry!)



And here is how I would describe my fitness routine:

Cardio: I'm doing Week 6 of the C25K running program this week (3x a week). I run at 6mph with a max heart rate of 180bpm, and walk at 4 mph with a HR of 130bpm.



Weights: I'm following the Stronglifts.com 5x5 for beginners. My lifting stats are 190lbs for the squat, 205lbs for the deadlift, etc.



In general, if you're following a set program you can link to it -- otherwise tell people what you're doing, for how many minutes, and how intense it is (in terms of heart rate, speed, weight being lifted, or whatever is a good measure of intensity). You'll get much more specific advice and quickly this way.

If you are a salt aholic, you can help (a little) with the sodium intake by switching to Sea Salt instead of table salt. Various sea salts are considered "Low Sodium" and some claim to be over 50% less sodium than regular table salt. So if you are retaining water, and you are a salt lover, this may help things some.