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Old 10-06-2005, 09:26 AM   #1  
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I am so totally depressed. About a week ago, I actually started exercising. Not a lot, true, but it was more than I have ever done before. We bought one of those Gazelle machines. So far, I can only do about ten minutes. But it has been ten minutes EVERY morning. I haven't skipped a day since I started. And I have been eating ok. Not super, true, but still better than I have been. So I get on the scales today and what to I see? A GAIN!! I am now at an all-time high weight.

This just feels like a kick in the teeth. This is the first time I have actually stuck with exercising, instead of giving up after the first or second day.

I actually have a goal to work toward -- we are taking a trip in May, for our 15th anniversary. We are going to Gatlinburg/Pigeon Forge in TN, and are going to Dollywood. I want to be able to ride the roller coasters with my daughter (she'll be 7 then). And I want to go horseback riding, and do the indoor skydiving, and all the fun stuff like that. This is seven months away. I didn't think I'd have lost all of my excess weight by then, but I was hoping to have a good portion of it gone. Enough so that I could do these things without worrying about being too fat. And now when I actually TRY to do something about it, I gain weight instead. Ughh.

Darla
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Old 10-06-2005, 09:39 AM   #2  
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Default Don't Give Up Darla!!!!

You are doing GREAT!!!! When did you start exercising (how long have been doing ten minutes per morning)?

Your weight gain could be water retention due to your menstral cycle getting ready to start.. I know that around that time I can retain up to ten pounds of water...

Teressia


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Old 10-06-2005, 09:46 AM   #3  
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Have you been checking your measurements? It could be that you are losing inches but gaining weight. You might also try to gradually increase your time. Do 10 minutes today but try for 11 minutes tomorrow or 10 1/2. Or do 10 minutes 3x a day.
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Old 10-06-2005, 09:51 AM   #4  
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Smile Don't give up!

In the first few weeks of regular excercise your body's going through a lot of changes! You could be gaining MUSCLE! Always a good thing. I know it sounds stupid, but the more you keep at it, and the more you exercise, the better you will feel! Hang in there! Remember, you're not the only one!
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Old 10-06-2005, 10:02 AM   #5  
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I second (third? fourth?) the others! Don't give up!

It may be helpful NOT to think about the scale right now. Do you feel beter when you're exercising or eating better? Even if you went to Dollywood at the weight you are now but with more energy and stamina, wouldn't that be better? The benefits of the exercise and healthy eating are much larger than a number on a scale. Do it because it feels good and makes you healthier and stronger, not because it results in a different number on a scale, whose number fluctuate at the slightest whim!

In addition to weight loss goals, why not give yourself other goals? When I first starting exercising I couldn't do 30 minutes. Now I can. Now my goal is to walk further in those 30 minutes... So maybe your next mini exercise goal is to get to 15 minutes. Then 20. The nice thing about those goals is you know you can achieve them -- you can work toward them and easily see your progress. The scale, however, is a fickle mistress. You can do it all right and she still won't budge. Don't give her the power!

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Old 10-06-2005, 10:02 AM   #6  
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Please don't be discouraged by the scale...there are LOTS of reasons for weight gain that have no relationship to amount of fat lost. Eventually the scale will come around if you stick to your program (and you have!).

Everybody experiences weeks where you have an excellent week on program yet there is an increase in weight....those are just natural body changes due to muscle gain, glucogen amounts, and water retention. What usually happens is the next week you lose what you "gained" plus more!
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Old 10-06-2005, 10:37 AM   #7  
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I'm with everyone here as well. Stick to it - when I first started to exercise I was noticing the scales weren't really moving that much at all. I think I'd only lost something like 7 pounds, but I went down a size in clothes. Lots of things measure success, not just the number on the scale. Keep at it!

~Dee
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Old 10-06-2005, 10:49 AM   #8  
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I agree with wyllenn... set exercise goals and base your success on meeting those goals and not on the scale. The scale will show a loss eventually, but for now focus on getting healthy not on getting a certain number on the scale.
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Old 10-06-2005, 11:29 AM   #9  
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I quite fancy one of those Gazelle things myself, not that I'm likely to ever do anything about it! Starting at 10 minutes a day is awesome. You should be really proud of yourself.

I'm sorry you're feeling discouraged though. The scale can be the even when you're doing all the right things.

I disagree that the gain could be muscle. It takes a wee bit longer than a week at ten minutes a day to build anything that would make that difference. I reckon it's much more likely to be water. When subjected to exercise, the muscle "drinks" more water than it was, and it hangs on to it. Your body needs lots of water to release fat and build lean tissue so make sure you're getting plenty.

You're doing a great job. Keep it up and you will be rewarded.
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Old 10-06-2005, 12:40 PM   #10  
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First of all, let me say how proud I am of you for doing 10 minutes a day on your new machine -- DAY IN, DAY OUT!!!!! That's AWESOME, Darla!!

Gotta say I'm in agreement with DishyFishy -- it's surely water not muscle at this point as it takes an awful lot of sustained hard work over months for a woman to put on pounds of muscle -- but the real point here is that you're doing an amazingly positive thing for your health over the LONG TERM! And it's quite widely recognized that the folks who successfully keep the weight off after they've worked so hard to lose it are regular exercisers -- nay, FREQUENT exercisers, if not DAILY exercisers.....so you're doing the right thing, girl!! Keep it up!!!

It's really important to remember that you have a journey before you. This is a road you're on, and you'll do yourself a real service if RIGHT NOW you establish a mindset along the lines of, "I have a long road ahead of me, and I absolutely can make it to the end. I know what I need to do to get there, and as long as I stay the course and keep doing what I know is right, I'll make this dream a reality. If I don't see results when or how I want, no matter -- I will. And if I misstep along the way, no matter -- I'll jump right back on course." It's a big picture perspective, a more global way of living your life in response to all the challenges, triggers, and difficult choices you'll encounter along the way. Believe me, I know whereof I speak.

You've got to be all about the long term, Darla. Raise yourself above the momentary frustration, because you know in your heart and mind that you're doing the right thing. Yes, you want to lose weight, and you WILL if you continue to exercise. But don't you also want to improve your cardiovascular health and build the strength that is going to give you sustained energy and power you through your day and the next cardio session? Don't you want to have improved agility and flexibility? That same exercise that is going to get you ALL of these things is the very same exercise that has caused your muscles to retain water in response to your newly introduced routine. Relax! It's all good.

I think you're doing just GREAT, and I'd hate for you to throw in the towel on your daily exercise just because your need for immediate gratification wasn't met. Sorry, don't mean to be harsh, because I know intimately how hard it is to continue to do the right stuff when you're not getting the results you want when you want them. The way I see it, each of us has two choices: Do what we know is right.....or don't. It's pretty simple. Of course, that doesn't make it easy! It's hard as ****, we all know that here.....but you're in the process of breaking old habits and creating new ones.......and that's what's going to get you on that horse in May, girlfriend.
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Old 10-06-2005, 12:54 PM   #11  
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I've been thinking of something to say, and wouldn't you know it, all these fine people come along and say it much better than I ever could.

I don't weigh much anymore That is to say I still weigh a lot, but I don't get on the scales that often . Before I started exercising regularly, my weight was coming off at 3 to 4 pounds a week. Once I started exercising, it slowed way down. Sometimes I can manage 2, occasionally one, and more often 1/2 a pound a week now. I have been exercising since February, I have had my body fat measured at 8 week intervals, and it is going down faster than ever. I started at 54% body fat, and now I'm 41% which is pretty amazing. So I know for a fact that all sorts of things are going on in my body that the scales will never tell.

As everyone has said, this is the long haul. It takes a long time for the good work we are doing to be reflected in the scales. Make sure you take some body measurements so you can see the difference in another way, that really motivates me (but now I am weight training some of my measurements go up as I build muscle faster than I get the fat off!!!)

I wouldn't change the way I am losing my fat. I have no lose skin problems as yet, it has been a slow but rewarding process, and I know that losing it slowly and steadily will make it better for my body in the long term, and will help me to continue to grow and learn the ways I need to live to maintain this body. This weight loss is one time, forever. I am not ever going to need to lose 100lb again, this is my promise to myself.

You're doing a fantastic job, don't do the things that make you feel bad about yourself, ditch the scales not the Gazelle!!!!
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Old 10-06-2005, 01:24 PM   #12  
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I know it is easier said than done but don't let the scale dictate how you see your progress. The 10 minutes you've spent on your Gazelle has made a world of difference that you can't see and the scale isn't going to show you. How good did you feel about yourself once you finished those 10 minutes each day? Awesome, I bet. The scale can't remind you of that. How much stronger is your heart since you've started and how much stronger will it get as you build even more stamina? The scale isn't going to tell you. How much easier will it be to carry the groceries in this week because you have gained endurance. Nope, the scale isn't going to prove that change to you either.

Exercise is good for us regardless of what the scale has to say about it.

As for the reason for the gain it could be any number of things. It may or may not be related to adding exercise to your routine. I do know that after starting a new exercise program our muscles will sometimes retain water so maybe that is the case. The bottom line is that you know whether or not you've been on plan and you know what the long term effects will be if you stick with it so don't let one bad week on the scale get to you. It will all come together!
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Old 10-06-2005, 01:37 PM   #13  
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I want to say a huge THANKS to everyone who's responded. And I am not giving up. I will keep the exercise going. This is my first week of actually doing something. My life is usually VERY sedentary. I work at a computer all day. I come home and sit at the computer. So any movement is a huge step in the right direction. Every time I 've tried in the past, I never made it to day three.

I guess it was just a huge disappointment to see not only no loss, but a gain after my first full week of exercise. I am planning on upping my time on the machine, as well as switching out with my new WATP DVD I got last week. It has a one-mile and a two-mile workout on it. I don't want to do only one type of exercise all the time, as I'm afraid I'll get bored and quit.

Retaining water... Hmm.. I honestly hadn't thought about that. I do believe that's the next thing to start -- drinking water. I literally don't. I drink milk, soda, lemonade, you name it, but not water. My poor body is probably starving for plain ole water. And adding exercise to that is making is just scream for more. I will give that a shot this week and see how it goes. Although drinking water will probably make me retain even more at first, until my body gets used to actually having the water it needs...
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Old 10-06-2005, 02:31 PM   #14  
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Quote:
I've been thinking of something to say, and wouldn't you know it, all these fine people come along and say it much better than I ever could.
Exactly what I was thinking!! Everyone here is so wonderful, what would we ever do without this place??

Really though, we give the scale so much more credit than it deserves. You know you're doing the right thing, so keep it up!! Drink some more water, watch what you eat, and take out your frustrations on that Gazelle until you start to feel and see some real results! Good luck sweetie, you can do this!!

Beverly
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Old 10-06-2005, 02:50 PM   #15  
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What you are describing is the main reason I stopped weighing myself on a regular basis. If I do weigh in it is about every 6 months if even that. I came to the realization that there is no way on earth that I can look at my weight and not have a big emotional connection to it. I have put myself through agony because the numbers were not what I expected after I had worked so hard to eat right and exercise. I would get into a frenzy about how worthless I was and how things would never change. Then it came to me when I thought about how I relate emotionally to other numbers. For example I don't get into a neurotic frenzy about my social security number or my telephone number. Let's face it they are all just numbers. I made a deal with myself that when I can related to the number on the scale the same way I emotionally relate to my social security number it would be the time I could go back to weighing once a week.

My weight has always been an issue so I started with the scale insanity very early. It was by compound the fact I am also very tall. 150 lbs. is very low for me. When I weighed 150 I hated myself because all my girlfriends weighed 110. No matter how hard I tried I could never get those nice, petite, lady like numbers. At 150 I was actually very thin but I could not see that because I thought beautiful women were supposed to be about 30,40,50 or so lbs less. You can see the insanity of that thinking. It is a societal brain washing. It is not unlike women who buy shoes two sizes smaller that they need because they do not what to accept that their foot is a large size. It's all about numbers and nothing about reality.

Our society puts a very big emphasis on what the scale says. If you have a good number you are worthy, lovable, sexy, a winner. If your number is not good you are worthless and deserve to be a social out cast. That may sound like I am overstating the effect but I am not. It has been statically proven in many studies that people with extra weight have a harder time finding work, are paid at a lower rate and tend to get a lesser quality of medical care from their doctors. I won't even go into the subject of romance and the scale number.

I made a decision that I would not weigh myself but measure my progress by how my clothing fit and the progress I was making on my fitness program. For example right now I need to buy a new bra because my old ones are too big. I also find that I can walk 3 miles a day and not get tired. By these measures I know I have made lot of progress and I didn't need a scale to tell me so.

The whole weight loss industry is fueled by this neurotic obsession with the scale. We are encouraged to weigh in once a week if not daily. Because no one can see those numbers and deal with them with any thing like objectivity it is a sure fire way to sell more worthless weight loss products. I don't see much of anyone encouraging people to step back from the scale and trust their own body will do it's job if you eat sensibly and exercise. When people are anorexic and are in treatment one of the first habits they break is the need to weigh themselves. They can see there is a dangerously unhealthy relationship between the numbers and people with that eating disorder. They do not make the same leap in logic when it comes to the overweight. It is just as dangerous and unhealthy. It is not at all unusual for overweight people to weigh themselves, get a high number, become discouraged and give up on their healthy eating program. They in turn gain more weight and it becomes a viscous cycle. Being overweight will kill you just as much as an overly low weight will kill an anorexic. The medical profession knows that but still insist that fat people need to weigh and need to weigh often. I see the game for what it is and have decided to stop playing. I will not even let my doctors office weigh me. I refuse to put myself into that self defeating cycle. I weigh every 6 months to a year and that is it. I refuse to let a number destroy all my hard work. I refuse to let a number determine my worth as a human being.
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