[Satine]

Okay, so I have been taking zumba classes for the last two weeks…in those two weeks I haven’t changed my diet ( still sticking between 1400-1500 calories per day ) but I have gained two lbs…and I am not happy about it …at first I thought it would just come off but it has been two weeks and it is still there and not budging…could it be from the new bit of exercise? It is a lot more cardio than I am used to.

I also notice that they day after the zumba class I am always up a pound as well …not sure what causes that.

Any thoughts? I am getting really discouraged…

Thanks

[drixnot]

Well two things spring to mind... muscle gain and inflamation. Try taking an aspirin and maybe use an ice pack on sore muscles.

[Jonsgurl0531]

First you need to make sure you are drinking plenty of water. Do you drink water while doing zumba? That can easily add a fake pound right after class.

Are you stretching before hand? Make sure you give your muscles a good warm up before heavy cardio.

Are your muscles sore? Your body retains water in order to repair your muscles after a work out.

I would keep at it. I've had weeks of no loss followed by a few weeks of huge losses. Your body needs to adjust itself to your new work out routine.

[Satine]

Thanks .... I am pretty sore after, and I do try and drink some water during it, too much makes me a little sick to my stomach for some reason...I know my body is not used to such a high intensity carbo workout, so that is probably it too

I will do what people are saying and just give it more time and stay off the scale for a while.

I know I need to exercise so I am gonna keep up with it.

[SoMuchFattitude]

You may not be "netting" enough calories. I wear a heart rate monitor when I work out to see how many calories I burn. I've heard of some people burning near 800 calories in Zumba. If you're burning 800 and only taking in 1400 calories that means you're netting 600 calories a day. Your body may be in starvation mode.

When this happens to me I bump up my calories for the day (Add a sweet potato, more salad, more veg, extra fruit, etc.) and that seems to help.

Your body is probably just in shock.

[Satine]

Lol SoMuch - I did think of that ...from hardly doing any exercise to doing MAJOR exercise my body is probably in shock and trying to store it's fat reserves...I am going to up my calories on the day I do it, and I do need to invest in a heart rate monitor ...thanks for the advice.

[Ksquared]

Originally Posted by Satine

Thanks .... I am pretty sore after, and I do try and drink some water during it, too much makes me a little sick to my stomach for some reason...I know my body is not used to such a high intensity carbo workout, so that is probably it too

I will do what people are saying and just give it more time and stay off the scale for a while.

I know I need to exercise so I am gonna keep up with it.

I want to address the issue of your water making you sick to your stomach! (I haven't read any further, so maybe someone suggested this already)

I too was getting sick to my stomach while drinking water while I was in Zumba class. Then I realized, it was because I was drinking COLD water. I have a horse and I have been with horses since I was born and I was always told, never give a hot horse cold water, they will colic.

Well this goes for you as well, don't drink cold water while you are sweating your rear end off in zumba, your muscles will cramp and you will feel like **** and can't continue the work out or your suffering through it.

So.. the moral of this is drink your water at room temperature! As soon as I switched from ice cold water, to water I let sit in my bottle all day I no longer got those cramps and I was able to get through the work out without cramping up!

[shanhat81]

Originally Posted by Ksquared

I want to address the issue of your water making you sick to your stomach! (I haven't read any further, so maybe someone suggested this already)

I too was getting sick to my stomach while drinking water while I was in Zumba class. Then I realized, it was because I was drinking COLD water. I have a horse and I have been with horses since I was born and I was always told, never give a hot horse cold water, they will colic.

Well this goes for you as well, don't drink cold water while you are sweating your rear end off in zumba, your muscles will cramp and you will feel like **** and can't continue the work out or your suffering through it.

So.. the moral of this is drink your water at room temperature! As soon as I switched from ice cold water, to water I let sit in my bottle all day I no longer got those cramps and I was able to get through the work out without cramping up!

Oh wow. I never thought of this and I get sick to my stomach, too. Thanks.

I jumped in to say: I started going to the gym more hardcore (5-6 times a week) around Memorial Day -- including Zumba! -- and it took me about a month to start seeing the results on the scale.

I think it took me a long time to adjust my diet to fit my new needs. It wasn't just the calories -- it was upping my protein, finding a good balance between fruit and veggies, and making sure I was eating enough -- but not too much -- to replenish my body.

[Ksquared]

I also want to say that I am not seeing the scale move either as far as Zumba and my weight.

I think I am eating too much though. So far everyday this week I have eaten 400 calories OVER the limit I have myself on. UGH I need to stop eating dinner I think!

[zoezilla]

I wouldn't be too worried. I've been doing zumba for ages and since doing it regurlarly each week I've lost about 5kg (11 pounds) in 3 months or so and I don't count calories. I also saw quite a difference in my waist, legs and butt.
It will get better, and you will notice results soon enough.
If you can't alwas make it to a class, then there are plenty of videos on youtube to do at home. A few good channels to try are ReFitRev, NikaZumba & Vicious Vanilla Spice.
Good luck!