Quit the booze, joined the gym, put on 0.5 pounds in a month!

[baxterboi]

My body is being unreasonable I think!

I was a HEAVY drinker since my late teens. At it's worst I was on two bottles of wine per night. About 6 weeks ago, I quit. Something clicked, I hated myself, my life, I felt sick and tired all the time. I weighed myself the day I quit.

At the beginning of May I joined a gym. I have been going 4 times per week for about 45 minutes of working out (mainly cardio and some lightish weights).

I got the My Fitness Pal app and it said for steady weight loss for my height I should eat 1390 calories a day.

I've stuck to the diet, no booze and gym rigidly.

I didn't weigh myself for the first few weeks because I get so disheartened if the results don't show. I weighed myself this morning for the first time since starting.

I've gained 0.5 pounds. I cried in the bathroom and for the first time in about 4 weeks I thought "I'm drinking tonight".

I'm at a loss. I know 6 weeks isn't long but I have felt hungry, I've drunk lots of water and I've been more active than I have since I was a kid.

AIBU to have expected some results?

The wine alone was costing me between 500 and 1000 calories a day depending on how heavy a night it was. I don't understand it.

New exercise can make your muscles hang on to a lot of water, so you might find that you let go of a lot of that at once and have a whoosh of weight loss. I would also weigh everything you eat, if you’re doing MFP, including oils and butter (weigh container and take out what you need, weigh again and work out difference). Once youve got portion control sorted you should be well on Your way to weight loss.

It's likely water weight. But it is possible to have muscle weight develop quickly and subtly depending on the individual and their build/genetics/diet/exercise etc. You'd likely notice this with increased definition and muscle strength.
Your body is adapting to the lack of alcohol and adjusted food intake. This will take a several months.
Ignore the scales (for weighing yourself)
Go by how you feel.

Could it be that you aren’t eating enough?

Because people in 3rd world countries are always overweight?

Thanks both

I was actually measured by a seamstress on 18th April so I am going to email her now for my "start measurements" maybe i've lost an inch somewhere!

Don't worry about the slow weight loss - you have made great changes already. Maybe a more substantial breakfast? And you are right - 2 weeks won't be muscle gain, but keep it up and soon enough you will see some results 👍

OP I'm 5'8 so a couple of inches taller than you, was about 16 and a half stone when I started trying to lose weight. If you search for a BMR calculator online, you'll probably find you burn 1390 just by sitting around doing nothing all day, just by being alive. My basal metabolic rate is 1600 calories, but I never burn less than 2600 and that's on a day where I just shower and do a bit of light housework, 2000 steps at most. Most days I hit 3000 calories burned and I bet you're the same, if not more. Carrying more weight means we burn more.

If I were you I would try to eat fattier foods e.g. eggs cheese olives nuts full fat Greek yog to fill you up rather than things like low fat yogurts and bananas which will spike blood sugar and then make you hungry again and hour later. Still good foods just (for me at least) not as long lasting and filling.

I would up your calories to 1800 and see how you get on.

Also congrats on giving up the wine! That must have been an incredibly hard habit to break, go you

Thanks @RedpandaMama

I got on a "boditrax" machine at the gym and my BMR is 1906, I usually burn (acording to technology) about 2700-3000 per day depending on how active I am. I do miss cheese so I'm am very up for adding a tiny bit back in to my diet!

It's a bloody minefield.

Have we mentioned starvation mode yet? Cos you don't want to end up obese like all those starving Africans.

Remember alcohol causes dehydration so now that you've stopped drinking, you'll be temporarily retaining water - new exercise also causes retention so you're probably a big pissy catheter bag waiting to pop and when you do, the piss will hit the fan and you'll see the weight coming off. Keep on as you are, you're doing great.

Half a pound is nothing. You’d lose that just by going for a piss! Keep going, taking on board portion weighing, and you’ll see results soon.

half a pound? That could be a cup of water you had before you weighed yourself.

half a pound? That could be a cup of water you had before you weighed yourself.

I weighed myself after my morning wee and before eating / drinking anything.

Congrats op on kicking the booze !
Agree with others, your body will be holding fluid (from dehydration)

Weight everything !!!! Follow Robbie Thompson on instagram, he gives an interesting insight into portion control, we often make mistakes and don't realise it!

You could do lots of things ..... drop proceeded food, drop wheat, stop sugar, caffeine etc. But the bones of it are, put in less, burn more. Don't use calories from exercise as extra ..... it's like using a credit card, false economy. Stick to 1200 per day, move daily, the results will come.

Keep going OP, you've done the hard bit!

I've stuck to a low carb 'diet' although I hate calling it that for a few weeks now and it's working really well for me, I've lost 10lbs already and I've never eaten less than 1400 calories, other days up to 2400. You eat when you're hungry, and basically cut out sugar and starch. The low carb bootcamp thread (have a look in low carb diets section) by @BIWI is fantastic, really supportive. I'm never hungry, ever. On Monday I ate:
Massive bowl of coconut greek yogurt with seeds and strawberries for breakfast
Chicken and bacon salad with olive oil and loads of real mayonnaise for lunch
Chicken goujons with mayo, steak with bernaise sauce and salad with dressing for dinner
Cheese board for dessert

Still half a pound lighter the next day.
I don't know how it works but it really does. Its amazing.

@Onthewrongsideof30 advising someone who says she burns 3000 calories a day to only eat 1200 calories is dangerous. This was my cousin's way of thinking and it lead to her kidneys functioning at 30% and heart problems. Just because she's read in all the diet magazines that 1200 calories was a 'good' amount for dieting at. Everyone is different and it really messed her body up.

1200 calories is enough for a 5'2, 140lbs woman but not a 5'6, 17 stone woman.

@RedPandaMama

I did try low carb about a decade ago and the results were very good, I didn't sustain it though.

I think generally trying to lower my carb intake is a good idea though and add a little bit more "healthy fat".

Definitely eat more for breakfast the advice from redpanda is excellent. Don’t bother with low fat or sugar free stuff that’s just trying trick your body and when it realised it’s been tricked it just craves the real stuff even more. Have a look at Louise Parker meal ideas. They fill you up, use the good stuff and don’t leave you craving sugar and carbs. Also make sure you’re lifting plenty of weights to burn more calories. Too much cardio has an effect on your weight. You get cravings and the body holds on to more as fuel.