Does lifting cause water retention at first?

dramaqueen45

I just started lifting three times per week last week- so I've been a total of four times. I always thought I needed to do a lot of cardio to burn fat, but the more I read about fitness the more I am realizing that building muscle is essential.

In any case, I know that at first you can retain water when you start a high intensity cardio program, but can lifting do the same? I am asking because I put on .8 pounds in the first week - I weigh on Sundays, (although Saturday I kind of had an "off" day where I went over calories by about 400 and ate a lot of sodium- so that could also be causing water retention). In any case I ate below calories Sunday and drank water all day and I'm still up .4 pounds from the previous week. How long does it take to lose water from one off day and/or from lifting if lifting does cause the water retention? I ate well all week and did walking on the days I didn't lift, gave my body a day in between lifting to repair, etc. Just wondering if anyone else had any issues with retaining water after starting lifting.

Also, MFP does not have a calorie count for lifting. I wore a Polar HRM and it gave me 150 for about 25 minutes of lifting- should I use that or no? I also am having trouble getting my Polar H7 to sync lately, but that is another question for another post I suppose. Thanks for responses from all of you more experienced lifters.

NoelFigart1

If you are sore, you are likely retaining fluid, yes.

funchords

dramaqueen45 wrote: »

In any case, I know that at first you can retain water when you start a high intensity cardio program, but can lifting do the same?

100% yes. And, it can last for weeks. I recommend people don't start lifting until after their first month of weight loss and I recommend they never start lifting if they don't intend to do it well after their weight is lost. If weight lifting is not in your long-term future, don't start it.

The purpose of weight lifting during weight loss is to preserve your muscularity. If a 300 pound man starts to lose weight toward 200, he's already got the muscularity of a 300 pound man. So he lifts to maintain as much as he can of those muscles.

This should not be traditional weight lifting -- where you do sets and reps until it gets easy and then you move up in weight. Instead, figure out your correct weights for your lifts and stay at those weights. Do your sets and reps -- they should not be easy nor should they be very difficult. You should be able to complete your sets in good form at a moderately slow and controlled pace. Don't move up in weights and don't increase your reps. This will work to preserve your muscularity during your "cut" (your weight loss phase). But it won't add or tear muscle and it will allow your fat loss to show up on the scale.

Then, once the weight is lost, you "bulk" (eat at a calorie surplus, usually focused with protein) and increase weights to add even more muscularity. Repeat "cut" and "bulk" cycles to meet and maintain your goals.

If and when you stop lifting, you'll lose your superior muscularity and eventually you'll get the normal muscularity for someone of your new weight and activity level.

dramaqueen45 wrote: »

Also, MFP does not have a calorie count for lifting. I wore a Polar HRM and it gave me 150 for about 25 minutes of lifting- should I use that or no?

You need to figure out the NET calories, since MFP already gives you credit for your sedentary calories. Figure out your BMR and multiply it by 1.2, then divide by 24. This is your hourly sedentary burn. Subtract that from any number that your HRM gives you. If your hourly burn is 90, and you did a half-hour of lifting and your HRM says 150, you enter 105 calories (150-45) [the 45 is half of 90 calories hourly burn].

dramaqueen45

Thanks for the info funchords - that type of lifting is exactly what I'm doing- not too easy and not too difficult; I will stay at those reps and sets too until I reach my weight loss goal (I didn't know that I shouldn't move up when my muscles got used to it). I have already been on MFP for about 4 1/2 months and have lost around 23 pounds. I don't really plan to "bulk" - I know it involves eating high calories and high protein, but I just want to gain strength and muscle and also raise my metabolism by having muscle instead of fat.

I definitely plan to make lifting part of my long term regime, even after I reach my goal weight. I haven't ever done it before but like I said, the more I read about lifting the more I'm realizing that it's very essential to keeping strength and bone density, etc (I'm 47). Plus, this will help my leg muscles through the winter. I have discovered cycling, and in the winter time I can't do it (I got a recumbent trike and my husband wants to go on longer and faster rides once the spring hits). I will figure my net calories too and go with that. Thanks again!!

Chieflrg

Water is retained in the repair of muscles.

HRM are not nearly as accurate as people believe, and 90% of them will tell you that not to use for anything but a steady state of cardio(which is not lifting).

Calorie burns for lifting are at MFP are listed in the "cardio" section, although overestimated like everything else. Its pretty safe to say 4-5 calories a minute is burned a minute.

I would suggest that you not worry about what the scale says regardless on a weekly basis...it all averages out.

Bulking and high protein intake is a mistake most noobs make. Protein is important during a bulk, but you really don't need as much as when you are cutting or losing weight. Carbs are far more important to give you energy to lift when bulking.

jmc0806

Starting any new exercise will cause your body to retain water at first. Your muscles are holding it to recover and rebuild.

As others have said, HRM's are basically useless when it comes to lifting, they only work with aerobic and not anaerobic exercises like lifting. There isn't really a set way to count calories burnt from lifting, since you are increasing your metabolism and can continue to burn calories at a higher rate for up to 24 hours or so after lifting.

SueInAz

I don't understand why you wouldn't want to continue to increase weights as you get used to what you're currently lifting. I've never heard that advice before for someone who is lifting. It's the only way to continue to build muscle. Although, I guess if you just want to maintain the same muscle you have, it's fine. I certainly didn't have enough to start with so would never follow that advice. Perhaps once I'm happy with the muscle I have.

A heart rate monitor doesn't accurately measure a calorie burn for a weight lifting session unless it's also a cardio session. They are meant to measure steady state cardio workouts like running, biking or aerobics.

Both a high sodium intake and strength training can cause water retention. I've also heard that drinking a lot of water can actually have the opposite effect after either of those so I'm not surprised that doing so didn't flush the excess from your system. I've never found that it lasts more than a couple of days but since I'm lifting and running on alternating days I'm in a perpetual state of slight water retention anyway.

SingingSingleTracker

dramaqueen45 wrote: »

I just started lifting three times per week last week- so I've been a total of four times. I always thought I needed to do a lot of cardio to burn fat, but the more I read about fitness the more I am realizing that building muscle is essential.

In any case, I know that at first you can retain water when you start a high intensity cardio program, but can lifting do the same? I am asking because I put on .8 pounds in the first week...

Yup. Like clockwork for me. Today is leg day and based on the past 14 Mondays of my routine, I will weigh at least 1 - 2 pounds more tomorrow morning than I did this morning.

amcook4

Yep. When I started adding in strength training, weight loss stalled for a couple of weeks. In the long run, you are doing good, short term, just ignore it! I have noticed that any day I'm feeling particularly "sore" from a workout the day before, I am usually 1-2 pounds heavier and my rings are a bit more snug, it is just water weight and eventually goes away. Just wait it out.

fit_mama30

I do weight more the day after a hard lifting session, especially leg day!

SingingSingleTracker

If you want to really enhance your water retention - take a few of these...



Even following the directions of use, I tried to figure them out the past two racing seasons for race events. Average gain per race was 3-4 pounds of water retention and I was bloated for a couple of days when using these. I have since switched to a different product which mitigates the water retention.

Makes DOMS water retention seem like a piece of cake compared to the salt stick caps...

funchords

Its important for people starting out to see results on the scale. Not increasing weights/reps is intended to meet the goal of preserving muscles but not still seeing weight loss progress. Once the OP is comfortable with the weight loss rate and confident in their program, she can increase weights and she will not get spooked by the pause in the scale.

SnuggleSmacks

Or she could have some common sense with the knowledge that muscle repair = water retention and just not obsess about it.

ForecasterJason

SnuggleSmacks wrote: »

Or she could have some common sense with the knowledge that muscle repair = water retention and just not obsess about it.

While it does makes sense from a scientific standpoint, I wouldn't consider that common sense. When I first began lifting regularly (and I was actually attempting to eat at a slight surplus), I actually lost a little bit of weight 3-5 weeks in. My guess is that lifting jacked up my metabolism more than I thought.

NotGnarly

Yup started lifting about 2 weeks ago and am up 2 pounds. Not freaking out though because I remember in the past that this is what always happens as my body transitions and eventually the scale will go down again.

SnuggleSmacks

ForecasterJason wrote: »

SnuggleSmacks wrote: »

Or she could have some common sense with the knowledge that muscle repair = water retention and just not obsess about it.

While it does makes sense from a scientific standpoint, I wouldn't consider that common sense. When I first began lifting regularly (and I was actually attempting to eat at a slight surplus), I actually lost a little bit of weight 3-5 weeks in. My guess is that lifting jacked up my metabolism more than I thought.

I'm not sure what you mean by "jacked up." If anything, lifting would increase metabolism by increasing lean muscle mass which burns more calories than fat. But that effect is minimal until you build a significant amount of muscle.

gmallan

funchords wrote: »

Its important for people starting out to see results on the scale. Not increasing weights/reps is intended to meet the goal of preserving muscles but not still seeing weight loss progress. Once the OP is comfortable with the weight loss rate and confident in their program, she can increase weights and she will not get spooked by the pause in the scale.

Or you could just keep lifting and incresing weights with the knowledge that there will be some initial water retention but if you keep it up it'll lessen and, if you are in a calorie deficit you'll see a general downwards trend on the scale not to mention the cms lost. Whatever though

1LadyKate

On 6/17 I started this weight loss at 175. I have taken two months off (september and some of nov and dec) and even with that i have lost 20 lbs. My limbs are slimmer, I actually have a waist, and my legs are quite lovely. I still have another 20 lbs to go but I totally credit weight-lifting with getting me here and keeping on it (and my MFP friends).

Oh and the first four weeks I didn't lose any weight. In fact, week 2 I gained a pound. When I did lose weight it was four pounds. There were times when I would retain water and I would drink water tea.
As hard as it is weight-loss is period, you have to keep your eye on the end goal and not be caught up in the short stops in weight loss. Sounds cliche but it is true.

azwen

Yes, it's pretty typical to see some "gain" initially. It will go away! I have also never heard the advice above to just keep weights and reps the same. You're a woman, you're not going to turn into the hulk by accident. Why not keep getting stronger? Getting stronger and getting bigger are not the same thing. If you're eating at a deficit, lift away, get stronger and leaner. Eat plenty of protein (I shoot for 1g per lb. of lean body weight; others eat even more).

dramaqueen45

Thanks for all the helpful advice. I was just asking because I knew that starting an intense cardio program could cause water retention at first and I thought the same might be true for weights. I am lifting hard enough to be challenging but not hard enough to feel like I'm dying or that my arms and legs are rubber the next day.

fooninie

funchords wrote: »

Its important for people starting out to see results on the scale. Not increasing weights/reps is intended to meet the goal of preserving muscles but not still seeing weight loss progress. Once the OP is comfortable with the weight loss rate and confident in their program, she can increase weights and she will not get spooked by the pause in the scale.

Sorry, no. It's important to realize that your body will change before the scale will because building muscle may have the opposite effect on numbers you see. You can lose fat and gain muscle and be smaller in your pant size and heavier on the scale.

1 week is hardly enough time to see any results, save for a little endurance. Lifting is not a "fast-food" type of activity and seeing true results will take time and consistency.

All the best to the OP. To answer your question, don't increase weight too quickly, but make sure you are actually working out with the weight you have and only weigh yourself once per week (if you need to weigh at all).