I keep gaining weight at the gym.

I started fitness training in early June. I then started weight
training in late June.

By now I have gained a total of 13 lbs! I was 171 lbs (77.9 kg) and
now I am 184.5 lbs.

I am really sick of this. I can't even fit into my old clothes.

My instructor keeps telling me to be patient.

I can't. It's been two months at the gym and I am getting fatter!

My eating is in check. I moderate. I'm not under or over-eating.

What is wrong?

I can't possibly have put on 13 lbs of muscle or it's not really
possible it's just water retention?

Help me please.

I've gone through a similar situation. It may not be enough to ask a
google expert for a brief answer. You didn't mention whether or not
you have been working with:

* A doctor. Have you had a complete check up, ruling out any thyroid
problems or other underlying physical causes?

* A personal trainer. Not just the gym personnel and pilates
instructors, but a one-on-one professional trainer? I found a trainer
who also has a degree in nursing and could tailor my exercise program
specifically to my needs/abilities.

* A nutritionist or dietician. You may think you are eating properly,
but you might be missing some critical nutrients, consuming more
calories than you realize, eating at the wrong times of day, etc.
There are lots of little things - such as eating several small meals,
cutting down on carbs, drinking more water - that might be affecting
you during this transition period while you change your
activity/eating habits.

And sometimes it does just take awhile to see results. Don't give up!
Remember, no matter what you weigh, you are going to be healthier if
you exercise and eat right! Good luck!

Thanks for your input!

I do have a personal trainer who is a great coach and also very
experienced. He tells me it's possible to put on this much weight but
there is a point one starts losing weight. He says how much weight
gained is related to a person's size and individual's situation.
Sometimes clients start losing in the first month while it takes
longer for others.

I have a doc's check-up and I am healthy. I do have a weakness for
desserts but I do control their intake.

I have a 4 year history of yo-yo-dieting which has damaged my
metabolism, and this diet mainly involved under-eating and counting
calories. As soon as I started eating normally I gained the weight
back eventually. But it did give me a perspective on how I eat. The
bad thing is when I eat normally I still psychologically feel it's
contributing to my weight.

I'll keep going with the program.

Dear friend,
Here is a book I found helpful when I was on a Diet and Working Out:
  THE US ARMY TOTAL FITNESS PROGRAM
  by Dianne Hales, and Lt. Col Robert E. Hales, M.D.
  ISBN 0-517-55550-6
It features quite a bit of good, boiled-down, basic, no-nonsense
information as to the Army's approach to fitness training around 1985.
It has a life-style diet plan for safe, controlled weightloss. I
successfully used it to lose over thirty pounds a couple years ago.
Their approach is simple: they limit you to a fixed number of calories
a day, they let you eat 3 well balanced meals a day, they specify the
number of portions you can have, and they specify the size of each
portion for different types of foods. The whole time I was on their
diet plan, I felt fine, looked fine, performed my job fine, others
also commented I looked healthy. They also have an 8 week shape up
plan, sort of a Boot Camp for civilians.
 You can obtain this book really cheap through Amazon.Com , or through
www.abebooks.com  ...  its out of print now. but book resellers around
the country have copies.  This book and this plan worked for me,
except on the days I cheated, then my weight loss jus heald steady...

hope this helps

Hello there,

I know how frustrating it is.  a 13 pound gain is quite a bit to say
that it's water weight or muscle gain.  I would definitely be
concerned if I were you.

That being said, the scale is not (by far) the best measure of
improvement.  Are you sure you are getting fatter?  You should be
asking yourself - How do I look in the mirror?  How do my clothes fit?
 How do I feel?

The most accurate way to see if you're gaining muscle is to measure
your body fat (if you did in June, then measure it again). and
compare.  if the % has increased, then you're losing muscle (not good)
and gaining fat.  if the % has decreased, good sign, keep working, you
are losing fat and gaining muscle.  Another thing you can do is take
measurements of your waist, thighs, etc and compare.

if you are taking in less calories than you need, you should NOT be
getting bigger.  gaining that much muscle is difficult to do, you must
be eating a lot.

As far as nutrition, eating in moderation is great.  you sound like
you're eating healthy, but that's not the only factor.  one of the
best tips for increasing your metabolism is eating 6 small meals a
day.  it prevents you from overeating b/c you're hungry.  but a bag of
doritos doesn't count as a meal.  it should contain a good balance of
protein/carbs/fat (I like it about 40/40/20, but it depends on you).

as far as training - if you have been doing the same thing for awhile,
it is an excellent idea to change things up.  when I reach a plateau
this is what I always do.  if you've been running, try cycling, try
taking a class at the gym.  change the order of your workout, change
reps/sets/workouts.

and finally some websites to help you:
http://www.fitday.com - I'm not a fan of counting calories, but you
MAY be eating more than you think.  I would try this out for a few
weeks.  to lose weight you should eat 500 calories less than you are
needed to maintain.

http://www.caloriecontrol.org/calcalcs.html - a calculator to figure
out the # of calories needed to maintain your weight.

http://www.stumptuous.com/weights.html - not sure if you're a man or
woman, but regardless, this has a TON of great information for anyone.
 also check out the nutrition section.

http://www.bodyforlife.com - I didn't follow this exactly, but it also
has some excellent information.

can one gain weight without increasing calorie intake??
Okay, some water retention, but 13 lbs of water?  That is over two
gallons.  Where is it on you?  Where can't you fit into your clothes? 
How tall are you? (You don't have to answer these questions here, just
for yourself.)
Gym training instructors are not dieticians; they are interested in
keeping customers.

First things first, get your metabolism checked, maybe you are having
issues with your thyroid gland, because it can stimulate your
metabolism. Second, exactly how much of protein, fat, and carbs are
you getting every day should be monitored. You should eat things with
alot of protein and less Saturated Fats. Third when you work out make
sure you are not over training, because when you over train you don't
gain any muslce at all, well a little but not alot. If you want to put
on muscle really quickly, first do weight in which you can only do
8-10 reps and do sets of 4-5 with them. You should also drink alot of
milk, because it has glutamine, and glutamine ensures that protein is
being delivered to your muscles. You should also take L-Arginine
tablets with, some NO tablets. This will give you enormous muscle
gains. You will definetly notice alot of improvments. Try protein
shakes they will help you alot too. You need want 80-100 grams of
protein in your diet everyday, or 1 gram of protein per 1 pound of
muscle. You should also find out your muscle to fat ratio.