Will exercise help elimination or worsen water retention?

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Isabelle_1929
Isabelle_1929 Posts: 233 Member
in Health and Weight Loss
Is there a way to exercise without gaining weight ? ( I am not talking of fat gain)

I am trying to lose weight right now, but the scale has been going up (despite being right on calorie goal), and the last thing I want is to make the situation worse ...

I tried to exercise in the past couple of weeks, but I felt like in inflated balloon afterward. :-(

So I stopped. But now I have zero bowel movement (sorry for this TMI bit), and I think that may be the cause of the weight gain. I am pretty sure exercise would help, but then, I would retain water ...

What would you suggest? I exercise, or not?


NB if you look at my diary you'll see that I do eat a lot of sodium, I know. But I have always had. I am not saying that it is good, but I mention this to explain that this retention problem is very new.

Replies

  • TheSatinPumpkin
    TheSatinPumpkin Posts: 948 Member
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    if its the high sodium content then counter it with some high potassium foods but eventually the retention will flush anyway.
  • jgnatca
    jgnatca Posts: 14,464 Member
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    I experienced slight gain when I started exercise too and I had a deep think about it. The whole reason I went on this enterprise in the first place was to gain my mobility back. So I kept moving and eventually everything normalised. As a bonus, when I regularly exercise it is easier to lose weight.
  • Isabelle_1929
    Isabelle_1929 Posts: 233 Member
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    TheSatinPumpkin wrote: »
    if its the high sodium content then counter it with some high potassium foods but eventually the retention will flush anyway.

    Thanks, I will look into that. I see that I am supposed to have 3500 mg of potassium daily. I can't see how it is possible to do that within my calories, so I think taking supplements (which I generally don't like) is an option here.
  • Isabelle_1929
    Isabelle_1929 Posts: 233 Member
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    jgnatca wrote: »
    I experienced slight gain when I started exercise too and I had a deep think about it. The whole reason I went on this enterprise in the first place was to gain my mobility back. So I kept moving and eventually everything normalised. As a bonus, when I regularly exercise it is easier to lose weight.

    Eventually? How long did it take?
  • Zx14chick
    Zx14chick Posts: 255 Member
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    I often look really bloated directly after running 3+ miles. I still don't exactly why that is, but I am losing weight so I try not to let it bother me.
  • Isabelle_1929
    Isabelle_1929 Posts: 233 Member
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    Zx14chick wrote: »
    I often look really bloated directly after running 3+ miles. I still don't exactly why that is, but I am losing weight so I try not to let it bother me.

    Indeed, if I was losing weight, I would not be bothered either!
  • futuremanda
    futuremanda Posts: 816 Member
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    Making the situation worse would only be temporary. If it were me, I'd just do it. Sooner you start, sooner you start adjusting, sooner it comes back off and the sooner you have a great exercise routine going.

    The only other idea I have is to ramp up your exercise efforts very slowly, so you don't trigger DOMS. Not sure if this would prevent it 100% or not.
  • Alatariel75
    Alatariel75 Posts: 17,959 Member
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    I think avoiding exercise to avoid water weight is a little counterintuative. Water weight is just water weight. The number on the scales isn't the be all and end all, and you're doing yourself a disservice by putting that number first.

    Know that it's water weight, do the exercise and in the long term you'll be doing yourself a favour, far more than staying sedentary in order to see a drop in the number in the short term.
  • Liftng4Lis
    Liftng4Lis Posts: 15,150 Member
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    Exercise is for your health. This alone, makes any temporary water retention worth it.
  • MoiAussi93
    MoiAussi93 Posts: 1,948 Member
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    When I added in weight training (just body weight exercises...not even weights) I gained about four pounds very quickly...measurements in the areas I had worked a lot also went up slightly. But it was all gone after about two weeks....the measurements went down in a week, the weight hung around a week longer. In the meantime, just make sure you are staying well hydrated to help flush out the excess sodium. Exercise is good for you, any water retention issues will be very short term and are worth all the other benefits.
  • Isabelle_1929
    Isabelle_1929 Posts: 233 Member
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    MoiAussi93 wrote: »
    When I added in weight training (just body weight exercises...not even weights) I gained about four pounds very quickly...measurements in the areas I had worked a lot also went up slightly. But it was all gone after about two weeks....the measurements went down in a week, the weight hung around a week longer. In the meantime, just make sure you are staying well hydrated to help flush out the excess sodium. Exercise is good for you, any water retention issues will be very short term and are worth all the other benefits.

    I hope you are right! I don't mind the number of the scale, in fact I am actually bigger and tighter in my clothes. It's disheartening.

    I just did some exercises. We'll see. I'll stop of my weight increases again.
  • MoiAussi93
    MoiAussi93 Posts: 1,948 Member
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    Isabelle_1929 wrote: »
    MoiAussi93 wrote: »
    When I added in weight training (just body weight exercises...not even weights) I gained about four pounds very quickly...measurements in the areas I had worked a lot also went up slightly. But it was all gone after about two weeks....the measurements went down in a week, the weight hung around a week longer. In the meantime, just make sure you are staying well hydrated to help flush out the excess sodium. Exercise is good for you, any water retention issues will be very short term and are worth all the other benefits.

    I hope you are right! I don't mind the number of the scale, in fact I am actually bigger and tighter in my clothes. It's disheartening.

    I just did some exercises. We'll see. I'll stop of my weight increases again.
    My thighs and waist increased half an inch overnight when I started doing squats and ab exercises. But it went away pretty quickly. For some people it might be one or two weeks...for someone else maybe it might take an extra week or so. But it won't hang around long.

    Something else you should consider. Even when you aren't exercising, and even if you don't eat a lot of sodium, there are still A LOT of water fluctuations.

    I sometimes lose nothing at all for 3 or 4 weeks...or maybe keep gaining and losing the same pound. Then all of a sudden I can lose 5-7 pounds in one week...or even a couple of days. And I am eating about the same amount every week. Obviously, most of that 7 pounds is water. The fat had already been lost gradually over the past few weeks, and it just didn't show up because my body decided to hold extra water. I don't know why it happens, but it does for many people. So don't let what happens over just 2 or 3 weeks worry you. This stuff is normal.

    Exercise can only help with weight loss...and general health.

  • kellicci
    kellicci Posts: 409 Member
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    Don't give up just because you're not seeing the results fast enough. Keep it up and it'll normalize. For now try to watch the sodium, if that's not an option drink twice as much water. Be careful with supplements there are some that you can take too much of so do some research first but if it's safe magnesium can also help with retention I think. Also a nice hot bath with Epsom salt will help if your muscles are sore and retaining too much water. You sweat in the bath and after and I think the minerals in the Epsom salts help even things out....plus who doesn't like a nice bath when their muscles ache?
  • monikker
    monikker Posts: 322 Member
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    Just so you know you're not alone, I've been cutting my calories for at least the last 3 weeks, ramped up the cardio including fasted cardio, and I'm not sure that I've lost any weight yet. Not surprised if it's gotta do with water retention or fluctuations...give it some time, if you don't see results after awhile you may need to adjust what you're doing or your goals
  • laurab384
    laurab384 Posts: 75 Member
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    Make sure you're drinking lots of water it will help both water retention and the bm issue. Jogging also helps "move things along" so to speak. :)
  • bonamer26
    bonamer26 Posts: 1
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    Hey everybody!
    I figured I may be able to shed some light on the situation at hand.
    I believe some of the issues you all have been experiencing is from water retention due to extra glycogen storage.
    Glycogen is a good thing! It is stored in our muscles and liver to keep blood glucose levels constant during exercise and any excess activity we do above baseline. Most individuals have a 'normal' level stored in their muscles and liver but, when we start exercising from a sedentary lifestyle or start exercising harder than usual our bodies compensate by storing more glycogen.
    Glycogen itself does not weigh very much, but every extra molecule of glycogen gained is stored with 3 molecules of water which is what causes the extra weight gain.
    Going from untrained to trained can cause extra storage of up to about 300mg-600mg extra storage units of glycogen. Which means .9-1.8kg of water storage (2-4lbs of water!)
    This weight gain is to be expected though and by NO means should be thought of as fat weight. Typically these levels will stay about the same as you continue to be active but glycogen storage is a good thing, as it can help you maintain longer more vigorous activity in the future! Having more glycogen means better more intense workouts which means more fat loss!
    'Hitting the wall' as most marathoners or long distance swimmers/bikers call it is actually glycogen depletion - a point where the body has used all of its glycogen and needs to rely on other stores to keep moving. Since glycogen is the most readily available source for exercise, when we run out it becomes exponentially harder to continue.
    Also just for fun: most individuals store 1200-1600 calories of glycogen in muscle and about 400 calories of glycogen in the liver! So most individuals have 1600-2000 calories of glycogen to burn before 'hitting the wall'!
  • 3dogsrunning
    3dogsrunning Posts: 27,167 Member
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    The weight gain associated with "water retention" due to exercise is not the same thing as water retention due to bloating etc. It is due to the glycogen stores in your muscle.
  • Isabelle_1929
    Isabelle_1929 Posts: 233 Member
    edited February 2015
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    Thank you all for the replies.
    laurab384 wrote: »
    Make sure you're drinking lots of water it will help both water retention and the bm issue. Jogging also helps "move things along" so to speak. :)

    Well, yeah, I am in Montréal. The sidewalks are totally icy, and the temperature are still in the -20. I think I'll pass on the jogging ! ;-) But seriously, I can't wait for this cold to go away - the coldest month in the history of Quebec (ie since they record temperature). It's brutal. I use to walk A LOT- I don't own a car - but now it's difficult. In a few weeks it will be back to normal and I'll resume my daily 30 - 60 minutes of walking.
    monikker wrote: »
    Just so you know you're not alone, I've been cutting my calories for at least the last 3 weeks, ramped up the cardio including fasted cardio, and I'm not sure that I've lost any weight yet. Not surprised if it's gotta do with water retention or fluctuations...give it some time, if you don't see results after awhile you may need to adjust what you're doing or your goals

    The thing is ... it's the very first time it happens to me. I know weight loss is not linear, but no result in the first two weeks? That's totally new. It's maybe the fourth time of my life that I am trying to lose weight, more or less 10 pounds. Also ... I cannot really adjust my goals. There is really no margin ... I mean, no reasonable margin for calorie decrease.
    3dogsrunning wrote: »
    The weight gain associated with "water retention" due to exercise is not the same thing as water retention due to bloating etc. It is due to the glycogen stores in your muscle.

    I am starting to wonder if I really exercise enough for stocking glycogen as you and bonamer26 explained it.

    But anyway, personally, I just want to be smaller - whether I am large because I am full of fat, water, or marshmallow, I don't care at this point. I don't care for the "number on the scale. My weight is in the healthy range.

    I just hate what I see in the mirror, I hate feeling heavy, I hate to have to avoid meeting friends and family because all meetings are about food and drinks. I am afraid to come to the conclusion that I will not be able to lose unless I decrease my calorie intake below 1000. I know I cannot do it for more than a week, it's way too low.

    And right now, I need to fit back in my work clothes ASAP.

    Yes I am pathetic. I am so mad at myself for having pigged out and gained 10 pounds since november, but I won't start on that, it's not helpful.
  • MysticRealm
    MysticRealm Posts: 1,264 Member
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    Since starting to exercise (most of my exercise has some cardio in it) I have had very little to no water weight gain. High sodium food doesn't seem to send my water weight skyrocketing like it used to.

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