What the hell?

[Mortal Coil]

On Monday I started a diet and exercise program. It's a low-carb thing, which means that theoretically I should be losing a lot of weight (not necessarily fat, but water weight.) The exercise I've been doing was cardio and strength, but more cardio than strength.

So... why have I gained several pounds?

[Wayne92]

It could be increased muscle mass, Muscle cells weigh more than fat cells. Also, If your calorie intake is less than what is needed, your body will store everything it has and it's going to be hard to lose the weight that you want.

[Nellerin]

On Monday I started a diet and exercise program. It's a low-carb thing, which means that theoretically I should be losing a lot of weight (not necessarily fat, but water weight.) The exercise I've been doing was cardio and strength, but more cardio than strength.

So... why have I gained several pounds?

Depending on the foods you eat while also exercising, if you do not get enough carbs your body can potentially store the few carbs you take in as fat.

Low-carb diets and exercise do not work well together simply because you NEED carbs to have energy. That is why an athlete always has a lot of carbs in their diet and as much as 50% of their diet is made of carbohydrates.

There are better ways to lose fat and water weight. You can start losing water weight by actually drinking MORE water but decreasing your sodium intake to no more than 1500mg in a day and it is better to stay even slightly lower.

It could be increased muscle mass, Muscle cells weigh more than fat cells. Also, If your calorie intake is less than what is needed, your body will store everything it has and it's going to be hard to lose the weight that you want.

Muscle gains in 5 days will not produce noticeable weight gain. And, only looking at calorie intake and not what those calories are made up of does not really help a whole lot.

[Mortal Coil]

You can start losing water weight by actually drinking MORE water but decreasing your sodium intake to no more than 1500mg in a day and it is better to stay even slightly lower.

I already do that though: I drink, on average, 10 glasses of water a day and always, always have low sodium intake.

Are there any things you guys can think of? My shape is basically what it was when I was 5kgs lighter, but the number on that scale...

[Wayne92]

Maybe the scale needs recalibrating. You did just start this routine on Monday.

[TigerBoy]

Possibly your metabolism hasn't yet adapted to the exercise regime.

Perhaps you aren't exercising frequently enough or for long enough yet: if you are just getting into it your capacity for exercise may well not be high enough to burn very many calories (for eg. I know I'd have to do 30 minutes on the crosstrainer on a highish program to burn off two doughnuts worth of calories). Your exercise capacity will increase over coming weeks, just keep adding and extending sessions if you can.

Don't drop carbs too low as Seth pointed out: you'll probably recognise carb deficiency if you have days where you really struggle to complete your usual routine.

[MangoLoop]

Your body could be going into starvation mode. If you cut your calories too far, your body thinks that you are dying and saves everything you eat. That is a very bad description so you might want to look in to it a little bit more.

[Nellerin]

I already do that though: I drink, on average, 10 glasses of water a day and always, always have low sodium intake.

Are there any things you guys can think of? My shape is basically what it was when I was 5kgs lighter, but the number on that scale...

Don't go by the scale too much right now and just worry about how you are feeling. Changing any diet can have odd early effects but normally will change as you go through the diet.

Give it more time and then you will better know if this is going to work for you.

[TigerBoy]

Don't go by the scale too much right now and just worry about how you are feeling.

If you are looking for motivation, also make a point of measuring your waist and any other problem areas (top of thighs maybe). Chances are you'll see steady reduction in measurements even while the weight fluctuates more.

It is also much harder apparently to judge your own body weight by just looking in a mirror, so measuring it will assure you of progress when you can't see it for yourself.

[Nellerin]

If you are looking for motivation, also make a point of measuring your waist and any other problem areas (top of thighs maybe). Chances are you'll see steady reduction in measurements even while the weight fluctuates more.

It is also much harder apparently to judge your own body weight by just looking in a mirror, so measuring it will assure you of progress when you can't see it for yourself.

True the main reason I say do not look at the scale is because early in a diet, your body will try to rapidly change in order to deal with the lack of/increase of certain things whether it is carbs, fat, protein, whatever.

Therefore if you are "feeling" better in the early stages of a diet then stick with it and track your progress via weight and body fat percentage at increments of every 2-4 weeks and you will see a better picture as to if you are making true progress towards your goal.

[Human]

Depending on the foods you eat while also exercising, if you do not get enough carbs your body can potentially store the few carbs you take in as fat.

Low-carb diets and exercise do not work well together simply because you NEED carbs to have energy. That is why an athlete always has a lot of carbs in their diet and as much as 50% of their diet is made of carbohydrates.

There are better ways to lose fat and water weight. You can start losing water weight by actually drinking MORE water but decreasing your sodium intake to no more than 1500mg in a day and it is better to stay even slightly lower.



Muscle gains in 5 days will not produce noticeable weight gain. And, only looking at calorie intake and not what those calories are made up of does not really help a whole lot.
pretty much this
by cancelling out carbs it's putting your body out of balance in a way. maybe your scales are inaccurate.