losing more weight after taking a break from excercise

Mcarls1968

I have been been getting back into shape for about 3 weeks now it's been so long since I worked out I'm only able to do 20 min of excercise a day for 5 days . I hope to increase it to 25 min next week . I have 65 pounds to lose . I have been noticing after a day or two of not exercising I loose another pound or two . Is that because the muscles swell and when I take my two day break the swelling goes down ?

jstout365

That swelling is water/glycogen retention and yes, after a few days of rest, the water retention will lessen and you will see it reflected on the scale. Water weight is a big factor in normal weight fluctuations and can be +- 5 lbs in a single day. Track your weight loss over a few weeks to observe a trend. If you do weigh yourself every day, take into account that big swings up or down are most likely due to shifts in water weight since it is unlikely for a person to create a large enough single day deficit to lose a full pound of fat/lean mass.

KarenJanine

Yep, just water weight fluctuations.

ffbobbob

I've notice this as well. I always find it funny that when I work out hard for a few days the weight stays the same or even gets higher. Then when I have a skip / cheat day and feel bad about myself for blowing the diet that day I end up losing weight.