Weight Gain

I can understand why you would be so frustrated!!! I can perhaps shed some light and hope on what MAY be going on. Fist make note that you have not made other changes in your diet and routine (which you already stated as being around the same as before)
Second…. you’ve shared you are exercising more than you ever really have and the hot room CAN be very challenging to new comers. When your body is under too much stress for what ever reason and in what ever form (physical or mental) our bodies tend to pack on the pound 🙁 this is due to the hormones that stress releases. Here is my advice (keeping in mind my thoughts are only mer guessing at ONE poss. reason)
1 look at your nutrition and make sure it is balanced and enough
2 BREATHE in through the nose and out through the nose in class to keep your system calm in the heat and poses.
3 don’t over push yourself!!!!
4 go to class w/ the mind set of relaxing in YOGA class (not going to pound out a workout!)
5. KEEP going !!! Your body WILL catch on and the extra (+) lbs will melt off !!
good luck and keep us posted !

You do sound unhappy, and I can understand why if you wanted to shed some weight…

However 137 lbs is healthy! How tall are you?

If you are between 5″3 and 6″1 you are spot on:

http://www.bmc.org/medicine/medicine/nutrition/images/BMI-Chart.png

Perhaps ask yourself WHY you want to loose weight, and if pushing yourself further, or abandoning yoga all together (nooooooooooooo!), to take up another kind of excercise just for appearances sakes is truly nurturing.

Hot Yoga is an excellent weight REGULATOR– this means when practiced 3+ times a week in conjunction with a healthy diet, Hot Yoga will help your body maintain its optimum weight. Some may gain some pounds. Some may loose some pounds. It all depends where you’re at at that particular point in your life.

It’s also worth noting that MUSCLE weighs substantially more than fat. So initial weight gain might be a good thing!

higher muscle mass= higher metabolism= more efficient calorie burning

Your body also changes shape as your muscles change. That might explain different fitting clothes? Something to think about anyway.

My advice is to give it some time. Let go of judgements. Stay with your practice and accept yourself no matter what comes up. It may not be easy but that’s part of the fun. Right?!

Good luck!

Hi Angela

Welcome to the forum!

I was wondering if any of the responses to your question resonated for you? Many people have struggled with weight at some time in their lives (me too!).

As I like to encourage everyone, unless you are weighing your luggage to check you don’t pay excess baggage then there is little or no need to have a set of scales at home.

That number you see on that dial is taunting you and seems to be upsetting you more and may be even cementing some very UN-USEFUL (is that a word?) beliefs about your weight and shape that could be either creating a self-fulfilling prophecy or sabotaging your great efforts to be happy in your own skin.

Please throw your scales away.

Go back to the enjoyment you derive from your exercise. Start to look at yourself in the mirror in class and maybe even say stuff like: “everyday I feel better and better in my own skin, everyday I look more healthy, each moment is bringing me closer to everything I want for myself”. Make up your own of course 😉

Namaste
Gabrielle 🙂

Hello ladykale

I have been thinking about your questions. I have one of my own:

I would love to know if you are willing to let me know what frequency of practice you have. How many times per week you go to yoga, how often in the past and now? You have been practicing 2 years so your practice habits may have changed over time. Please let me know.

On a different level, perhaps your mind and body are caught in the ‘wanting’ of your goal and not the accomplishment of it. Maybe you just want to lose the shape. Your mind has created the wanting of it and not the activity or physical outcome of the shape change itself. Are you in a constant state of wanting as opposed to creating the conditions in your mind (with your beliefs and intentions) to allow you to lose it. You may want to lose the shape but maybe you have a deep expectation that you won’t be able to do it. Is there anything you need to let go of to let what you want to happen, happen?

Looking forward to hearing your thoughts

Namaste
Gabrielle 🙂

Thanks for your post. I recently began Bikram (about three weeks ago).
I went 19 of the past 21 days.

This past weekend i just crashed. I have been absolutely exhausted. I can barely convince myself to go tonight. Also i got on the scale and have gained 7 pounds!!!! I was an avid runner and have not ran at all the past 3 weeks. My clothes are definitely tighter in my thighs but my waist is smaller. Im trying to focus on all the positive benefits but i really need to loose weight not gain. Im wondering if i made a rash decision to quit the gym and sign up for one year of Bikram.

I keep reading how my metabolism and food cravings can change with Bikram. I dont want to give up but i am discouraged. I think i should give it at least 30 days to have a chance to make a difference. Perhaps i should just do hot yoga 3 times a week and run the rest; however, i was told by the instructors that to get the real benefits it would be best to go as much as I can. How quickly does it usually take a person body to really start changing?

I gained 8 lbs in 5 months of practicing Bikram 4 – 6 x week. Oddly enough, I cut down to 3-4 x week 3 months ago due to a new schedule and the weight has come off and then some. And my posture is great and my newly sculpted shoulders and mid-section look awesome- i can finally see the benefits now that the fat is gone! Nothing else (diet, sleep) changed except the temperature outside (getting colder). Weird!?

Hi,

I am in the process of reading Bikram’s book. He actually mentions this and says you will gain weight but your body shape will change.

I have to say for me, being an overweight woman who has dieted all her life and failed, it is so nice to finally have something to focus on and be able to get rid of the scale. I don’t have all that negative stuff in my head and instead I like myself because I see growth in my postures. I don’t even go for weight loss even though that is one of the reasons I started. I go because I want to see how much better I can do and because it relaxes me and gives me happiness and energy.

I guess I like myself better with yoga, and even if I don’t get down to regular size I am okay with that. I am doing something that I can be proud of.

I just started doing Bikram four weeks ago and I have been going 4-5 times a week. I have also been going to the gym 2-3 times a week. I have not been dieting, but I’m pretty sure I’m eating less and I know I’m eating better. I am very overweight – in the obese BMI range.

During this four weeks I have noticed that I am smaller. My clothes are fitting better (or in some cases worse…bit too big) and I have noticed a change in shape. I have put on quite a bit of muscle – which I do fairly easily. My abs are rock hard.

But when I checked the scales this morning – I had gained 10 pounds during this period!! TEN POUNDS. That’s A LOT. Not too worried but I really do need to lose. And I do find it disheartening.

I won’t be quitting Bikram as I also have major flexibility problems and it’s helping me a lot. But I must drop some pounds. I’m just plain old too heavy.

Thanks… I don’t think I totally want to ditch the scales, but have to recognise they may not mean much except over the long term. I weighed myself again on Monday morning and had lost six pounds from Friday to Monday (different scales, but still!) So clearly there’s some water retention going on as 6 pounds over three days isn’t a ‘real’ weight loss.

A friend of mine ‘made’ me sign up for the Bikram and promised me I’d lose a dress size in a month if I did. I think I might have lost a dress size (depending on the dress) but not trouser size. I note in hindsight she never promised I’d ‘lose weight’

My fitness goal is greater flexibility and strength – as I really want to play women’s rugby this autumn. (Not sure why, but I do) So although I need to lose some weight to do that, major weight loss before season is definitely not a priority.

As I come to the end of my 30 day intro offer at my local Bikram studio I know I want to continue with it and will be purchasing a 3 month unltd membership. I’m currently unemployed and will never have another opportunity like this to spend time to enhance my practice. After I go back to work I won’t be able to practice so often.

Yesterday the yoga teacher that I took my first ever class from complemented me on how much I’d come along and my ‘incredible’ weight loss. As I was going into standing separate leg stretching pose, she couldn’t see the huge smile on my face and I couldn’t tell her that I am 2lbs up in weight from my first class 5 weeks ago.

I have begun my rugby training now as well…running, aqua aerobics and weight lifting for now, will drop the aqua and start interval training in a couple of months. I plan to do as much yoga as I can (4-5 times a week) for the next three months, but will cut back to 2x a week as I need to up interval training and rugby specific training.

I also have the same problem. I’ve been practising bikram yoga for one and half year 3-4 times a week. I feel great and fit and friends tell me that I look like loosing weight but actually I gained 5kgs and I can feel it cause my clothes feel tighter. I always eat healthy food and keep practising bijram yoga but tighter clothes is like a constant 4eminder that I’m gaining weight

Hello

May I ask you what your electrolyte ‘habit’ comprises? In other words, do you always take electrolytes during hot yoga, or do you take them all the time (even when you’re not doing yoga)? How much are you taking? When are you taking them?

Namaste
Gabrielle 🙂

• This reply was modified 8 years, 11 months ago by Gabrielle (The Hot Yoga Doctor).