Frustrated and Tempted!!!

BelovedHeather

BelovedHeather

Cathlete
I am battling frustration and temptation tonight. I fell in love with the 4-Day Split. My plan of cardio, cardio, and more cardio was not working for me, so I decided to embrace heavy weight training and give Cathe’s plan a whirl. I was delighted to discover that I enjoy the weight work in this series. I pulled my 15-pound weights out of the closet and bought 20-pound weights and 25-pound weights. I trained hard last week and felt so strong and accomplished. I was doing the happy dance and having so much fun with this series until I stepped on the scale today. I was shocked to discover that I GAINED 10 pounds in 7 days! :eek: Eek! How did that happen?! My body is betraying me! :(

For the record, my eating has been good all month (other than one emotional weekend that did not even result in a gain). I was maintaining my weight naturally until I added heavy weights to the mix a week ago. It is not even close to time for my cycle, so that is not a factor. I am planning a week of menus in advance, packing meals and snacks every night for the next day, eating small meals every few hours with a good balance of fruits/veggies and complex carbs and protein, drinking plenty of water, getting more sleep, and doing everything I know to do. I am not hungrier than usual and NOT eating more than I plan to eat. HELP!!!! My style of eating has been consistent all month. My weight did not go crazy until I added heavy weight training to the mix. The only small change I made to my eating last week was the addition of a hemp protein smoothie after my weight workouts. These were my workouts last week:

10-22-07 a.m. 4-Day Split Higher Intensity Step (chest and back weights first premix)

10-23-07 a.m. 4-Day Split Kickbox (legs and core weights first premix)

10-24-07 a.m. 4-Day Split Lower Intensity Step (shoulders weights first premix + calves and core)

10-25-07 a.m. 4-Day Split Boot Camp (biceps and triceps weights first premix)

10-26-07 a.m. 4-Day Split Higher Intensity Step/Lower Intensity Step (double cardio premix)

10-27-07 a.m. 4-Day Split Kickbox/Boot Camp (cardio power premix)

I am tempted to toss the heavy weights out the window and return to cardio heaven this week, but I am battling an even stronger temptation right now. My friend Rebecca just called and invited me to meet her at Cracker Barrel. :9 I am clinging to this keyboard and trying to keep my butt glued to my computer chair, but I will tell you what is running through my mind right now: “What the hell! I might as well eat what I want because I did everything right last week and GAINED 10 pounds as my reward!” How exactly does one gain 10 pounds in 7 days without overeating or consuming too much sodium?

If any of you who are more experienced with heavy weight training know what is going on with my body, please tell me! I know how my body responds to cardio, circuit training, and total body workouts. This just blows me away! :eek:

As for me, I am going to play with one of Cathe’s cardio workouts tonight and sweat out my frustration to keep from comforting myself with food!

Blessings,
Heather B.

“So whether you eat or drink or whatever you do, do it all for the glory of God” (1 Corinthians 10:31 NIV).
 
Heather,

If you have not been doing much with weights before this past week, it could be water weight. Using heavy weights is breaking down the muscle fibers which will be followed by muscle repair. Your body may be hanging on to water to help with this process. Don't let your frustration derail your plan. Just give it more time and continue to drink plenty of water to flush out your system. If after another week, you are still hanging on to the extra weight, add cardio back in, but don't give up the weights. Maybe just make it more of a mix of cardio and weights.

Jean
 
Heather, I agree with Jean. It's really common when you first start training heavy to see the scale go up with water weight. And muscle weighs more than fat too, so as you lose fat and gain muscle, the scale may not be the best indicator of what is happening to your body. I know for me, I see better changes in the fit of my clothes by working out in the manner of the new series -- shorter intense cardio with super-heavy weights.

You might try the 4DS for a few more weeks and then reassess. Everyone on these forums always says that you need to give your body a few weeks to see whether a particular style of training works. So if you aren't seeing changes on the scale and you are not feeling any changes in how your clothes fit after 2-3 more weeks, then go back to more cardio.

Good luck!

Mel
 
Oh my gosh ! I started more weight training, PLB and PUB a couple weeks ago, no losses.

So started the new 4 day split - just finished telling my DH how working out was making my pants even tighter.

I am taking the 3 month BC pills and this was my week to "gain the proverbial lbs", but how disappointing it is x(

I am right there with you Beloved Heather. But think I will stick it out another week or two before I decide to make any changes. I really do think my middle has whittled a bit and am hoping that the heavier weights is only building the muscle and hasn't gotten to paring down the fatty tissues yet :7

I guess I can always hope, huh?
 
Toss that scale, my friend, and grab a tape measure instead! It's true about water weight and weight training. It takes about two weeks for your body to readjust its balance of fluids when you start seriously using weights. I've been lifting for 6 1/2 years, and each time I change my routine to give my body a little shock I notice some fluid retention for a while. Give it time and it will all even out. Keep those heavy weights for sure.
For some perspective, I have gained 15 lbs in the last 6 years, but I still wear the same size 4 that I did before- that's all beautiful muscle weighing me down! The scale doesn't give me perspective like it did, say, when I was losing pregnancy weight. The tape measure is a much better gauge of how you're doing.
 
Heather, I responded to your other post, but I wanted to add that everytime I do a heavy lifting rotation, my weight goes up--actually let me rephrase that--everytime I have DOMS as well, my weight goes up. I've come to the conclusion that scales are evil and do more to demoralize me than anything else.

Hang in there with the heavy weights. I'll bet you lose inches and that water weight is going to come off too. I mean realistically, there is no way you could have gained 10lbs of fat in 7 days, right?
Over time the numbers on the scale might not look "right" to you, but you'll be gaining muscle and losing fat--good stuff.

Maggie:)
 
Heather, everyone has given you excellent advice. Mine is to not only ditch the scale, but take a sledgehammer to it! Give your body a little bit of time to ajust and realize that what you're gaining is NOT fat, so it's okay! My favorite visualization is this: picture a large, light exercise ball...now picture a much smaller, much heavier medicine ball. That is basically like looking at fat vs. muscle. I am also 15 pounds heavier than I was before I started lifting weights and I am the same size I was back then. I'm just more 'dense' (not in a mental sort of way ;-) ).

Don't give up, you'll see some awesome changes in your physique!
 
Hang in there Heather!:) Why don't you post this in the "Ask Cathe' thread? I would be very interested in her thoughts?
 
Passed a Test!!!

Thanks for all the encouragement. I passed a big test tonight. I rode out the tidal wave of temptation to indulge in Southern comfort food until Cracker Barrel was safely closed then made an emergency trip to the grocery store for sugarless gum. I do not have any junk in my home, but I can overeat boiled eggs and string cheese when I am feeling anxious about something!

I do believe it is possible that my muscles are puffed up for some reason because my jeans (that were comfortable) are super tight in the thighs tonight. My tee shirts are tight in the arms too. My waist and hips are not any bigger than they were a week ago.

Jean and Mel, I hope you are right. I love this series (including the weight segments) and hope this is just water weight.

Jacque, we are in this together! I am looking forward to seeing what Cathe cooks up for her November rotation.

Natalie and Maggie, thanks for encouraging me to hang in there with heavy weights.

Jill, I am a visual learner. Thank you for the word picture. I know about muscle being more dense than fat, but I did not realistically build a significant amount of muscle in one week! If I gained 10 pounds over the course of 7 months, I would not have been upset about it. Gaining that much in 7 days shocked me!

Tneah, I posted a similar thread in Ask Cathe before I posted this one. She is super busy this week, but I hope she has time to share her thoughts on this. I worked with a personal trainer years ago, but we did circuit workouts.

Blessings,
Heather B.

“So whether you eat or drink or whatever you do, do it all for the glory of God” (1 Corinthians 10:31 NIV).
 
RE: Passed a Test!!!

Thanks for the update...I've been here wondering if you went to Cracker Barrel! That chicken fried chicken with okra and cinnamon apples and a biscuit is hard to resist, so GOOD FOR YOU for staying home!
 
But how are your clothes fitting? If they aren't tighter, then i would say your weight gain is muscle. People say "a pound of fat weighs as much as a pound of muscle" which is true, but I think they say that because people have said that "muscle weighs more than fat" which is confusing to some people.

I think where the "weighs more" concept came from is if you took a portion of fat (say the size of a deck of cards) and put it on the scale by the same sized portion of muscle, the muscle WOULD weigh more than the chunk of fat. Muscle is tighter and more compact than fat. So if you had equally weighted portions (say, a pound) of fat and muscle on a scale, the muscle piece would be much smaller than the portion of fat. The reason is, because muscle is more compact, it would take a smaller piece of it to weigh as much as a larger piece of fat.

Clear as mud, huh?

I wouldn't worry about your weight...believe me though, I know how easy it is to get hung up on the scale thing. I posted a question to Cathe a while back during a chat with her; here's what I wrote: Hello Cathe!

Its nice to chat with you! I know you've mentioned this before, but it's something I'm struggling with. I have read you go by body measurements and how your clothes fit to gauge where you are with your weight, but do you EVER weigh yourself? I got into the habit of weighing myself daily, a year or two ago and I have found that my weight fluctuates so much daily that it can really be deflating sometimes. It's tripping me up! I'm considering throwing the darn scale into the treeline behind my house. At least back there it will be more difficult to get to and I'll burn more calories trying to reach it....

And her response was: Hi Reese! That's exactly why I don't like to weigh myself. You can fluctuate a good three pounds within a few hours on a daily basis and 5 to 6 pounds during your cycle. Best of luck to you , and go ahead and toss that scale behind the tree.

:7
 
Yep - sounds like you started lifting heavy after a hiatus for a while. I gained 5 pounds with this new series, like I do within the first few weeks of any heavy weight lifting series - which has led me to stop with weights in the past because my legs, arms, shoulders and chest seem to get really puffy and I've mistakenly thought I was really bulking up - which I wasn't. I was simply storing more water weight in the muscles I was working. I don't know why it happens, but it does big time for me. Just stick with it, it will come off. It may take 2-3 weeks for it to come off completely and for you to see the scale start to drift downwards.

Honestly, I would never toss my scale. I know a lot of people advocate it, but I need those numbers for a dose of reality. Yes, I know it fluctuates and I know I can gain 5 pounds in a day - I understand that and don't let it bother me. If I tossed my scale and went my the way my clothes fit I'd gain weight in a heart beat because I can too easily talk myself into thinking the dryer is responsible...
 
Heather,

Don't give up on weights! Instead, put your scale in the closet for a while...And keep in mind: muscle weights more than fat! Yesterday I was around here and decided to check one of those body mass index calculators (even though I know it can be misleading). Result: I'm overweight and I can fit in a size 1!!!! It made me sad for a while.
So I decided to take a brake from scales and calculators...Just keep your focus on getting stroger, and step on the scale less often.
Keep up the good work girlfriend!!!
;)

Keep us updated!!!

Alini
 
Hang in their Heather!
As others have said, you couldn't possibly have gained 10 pounds of fat in that amount of time (though not muscle either). Most likely, it's fluid retention from the muscles not being used to this type of weight training. Once they do get used to it, your body won't feel the need to retain the fluids as a protective measure. Also, have you been eating more carbs lately? I don't think carbs are bad, but they can lead to more fluid retention, so if you are eating more than usual, the scale will go up.

I'm proud of you for resisting the temptation to just say 'what's the use' and indulge in not-so-good food at Cracker Barrel.

Be consistent in your exercise and food and you'll see the results you want. It's easy to be impatient in a culture that pushes quick fixes and immediate gratification, but a bit of patience, while you're doing the right things, will mean a better result in the end.
 
I do not know about the heavy weight issues, but I can attest to the scale dilemma. I honestly do not know how much I weigh, and have not known for about 20 years. When I go to the doctor I turn around on the scale so I don't see what it says, and I tell the doctor I don't want to know. I can get obsessed with those numbers, and I am not going to let that ruin my life. I did allow that stuff into my head at one point in my life, and almost ruined my health.
 
I agree completely. If I work out and work out and the scale either doesnt budge or it goes UP I get totally discouraged and I'm more likely to eat things I shouldn't eat...it's a terrible cycle. I commend you on not weighing yourself for so long. For a long time it was part of my morning routine...get out of bed, pee, weigh myself...crazy! That had a tendency to set the mood for the day, as I'm sure you can imagine!

:p
 
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