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Pics: what's causing my weight gain?

jellebeandesigns
jellebeandesigns Posts: 347 Member
edited November 2024 in Fitness and Exercise
lifting and Marathon Training...weight gain from muscle or fat?
My work outs right now
M- 40 min lift heavy 25 min cycle
T- 40 min lift heavy 3 mile run
W- 40 min lift heavy 25 min cycle
T- 40 min lift heavy 3 mile run
F- rest
S- 40 min lift heavy 4 mile run
S- rest
932EFF56-7F8C-43E9-8C7D-43312D8F59B9.jpg

Replies

  • jacksonpt
    jacksonpt Posts: 10,413 Member
    Weight loss/gain is usually a function of diet, not exercise.

    But short term fluctuations on the scale can certainly be caused by exercise. When you talk about you weight gain... how much weight are we talking, and over what period of time? Based on the pictures, I'm seeing 2lb change over 1 week's time. That's certainly within the realm of normal scale weight fluctuations, and doesn't automatically suggest actual weight gain.
  • jemhh
    jemhh Posts: 14,261 Member
    jellebeandesigns wrote: »
    lifting and Marathon Training...weight gain from muscle or fat?
    My work outs right now
    M- 40 min lift heavy 25 min cycle
    T- 40 min lift heavy 3 mile run
    W- 40 min lift heavy 25 min cycle
    T- 40 min lift heavy 3 mile run
    F- rest
    S- 40 min lift heavy 4 mile run
    S- rest
    932EFF56-7F8C-43E9-8C7D-43312D8F59B9.jpg

    I'm not entirely sure what I'm looking at in the pictures. #1 is the first week #2 is the second week. Is #3 the beginning of the third week?

    Possible causes of weight gain:
    a) eating more calories than you are burning
    b) water weight due to beginning lifting weights
    c) water weight due to an increase in activity
    d) water weight due to hormonal fluctuations
    e) water weight due to the food you've eaten (e.g., higher sodium than normal, more carbs than normal)
    f) weighing yourself at different times of the day
    g) weighing yourself under different conditions (e.g., before/after going to the bathroom or eating)
  • singingflutelady
    singingflutelady Posts: 8,736 Member
    What lifting program are you doing and you don't gain muscle that fast so probably water but I haven't looked at your diary. What you eat is way more important in weight loss than exercise.
  • 3dogsrunning
    3dogsrunning Posts: 27,167 Member
    edited December 2015
    To be clear - are we talking a 2lb gain over the course of a week?

    That is not enough time to determine anything. It could very easily be water retention due to increase in activity. It is not muscle increase and 2lbs of fat in a week would be some serious overeating.

    Check your logging to make sure you aren't making errors and keep going.
  • Clarewho
    Clarewho Posts: 494 Member
    Yeah they're all right. And also I wouldn't take progress pics every week. Every month or so is more than often enough. Otherwise you'll be discouraged by what might look like a lack of progress. Don't get me wrong the pics are great but only over a longer timescale. Its early days - if you're eating less than you're burning, you will lose weight over time.
  • jellebeandesigns
    jellebeandesigns Posts: 347 Member
    jacksonpt wrote: »
    Weight loss/gain is usually a function of diet, not exercise.

    But short term fluctuations on the scale can certainly be caused by exercise. When you talk about you weight gain... how much weight are we talking, and over what period of time? Based on the pictures, I'm seeing 2lb change over 1 week's time. That's certainly within the realm of normal scale weight fluctuations, and doesn't automatically suggest actual weight gain.

    4 lbs up in the last 3 weeks- I started tracking regularly and working to reduce calories and my weight went up, I also started running more and lifting heavier...
  • jellebeandesigns
    jellebeandesigns Posts: 347 Member
    jemhh wrote: »
    jellebeandesigns wrote: »
    lifting and Marathon Training...weight gain from muscle or fat?
    My work outs right now
    M- 40 min lift heavy 25 min cycle
    T- 40 min lift heavy 3 mile run
    W- 40 min lift heavy 25 min cycle
    T- 40 min lift heavy 3 mile run
    F- rest
    S- 40 min lift heavy 4 mile run
    S- rest
    932EFF56-7F8C-43E9-8C7D-43312D8F59B9.jpg

    I'm not entirely sure what I'm looking at in the pictures. #1 is the first week #2 is the second week. Is #3 the beginning of the third week?

    Possible causes of weight gain:
    a) eating more calories than you are burning

    Started reducing calories
    b) water weight due to beginning lifting weights
    Possible
    c) water weight due to an increase in activity
    I changed what I was doing not how long I was doing it for
    d) water weight due to hormonal fluctuations
    Possible
    e) water weight due to the food you've eaten (e.g., higher sodium than normal, more carbs than normal)
    I doubt it...
    f) weighing yourself at different times of the day
    Same time of day/week
    g) weighing yourself under different conditions (e.g., before/after going to the bathroom or eating)


  • jellebeandesigns
    jellebeandesigns Posts: 347 Member
    The exercise is more prep for a marathon than weightloss. I'm hoping that's a bi-product
  • rybo
    rybo Posts: 5,424 Member
    I hope your marathon is a long way off. You aren't running very much.
    What kind of lifting split are you following?
  • rileyes
    rileyes Posts: 1,406 Member
    That happens in the beginning (what @Jemhh said).

    Be consistent with your training. It may be easier for you to concentrate on the exercise part first--Get. It. Down.

    Then, next month, start weighing your food portions.
  • Aed0416
    Aed0416 Posts: 101 Member
    I'm not sure what your weight gain is due to. It could also be hormonal.


    But, I can't help but question your training plan. You are lifting a lot to be training for a marathon at the same time. You might get better results in general if you focus more on building running endurance and limit lifting to a couple of days a week as a cross training activity.
  • LKArgh
    LKArgh Posts: 5,178 Member
    I must say that I have never been interested into races, and have never trained for a marathon, but still as a longtime amateur runner, your training plan seems a bit weird. Or is it just a generic training plan, with a marathon somewhere in the not so near future?
  • Sam_I_Am77
    Sam_I_Am77 Posts: 2,093 Member
    jellebeandesigns wrote: »
    jacksonpt wrote: »
    Weight loss/gain is usually a function of diet, not exercise.

    But short term fluctuations on the scale can certainly be caused by exercise. When you talk about you weight gain... how much weight are we talking, and over what period of time? Based on the pictures, I'm seeing 2lb change over 1 week's time. That's certainly within the realm of normal scale weight fluctuations, and doesn't automatically suggest actual weight gain.

    4 lbs up in the last 3 weeks- I started tracking regularly and working to reduce calories and my weight went up, I also started running more and lifting heavier...

    4lbs in 3 weeks... probably nothing to get excited about not even sure how you can tell from the pictures. You haven't mentioned anything about your diet? Calories, food selection, etc; and that is a common reason for one's struggle with weight management.
  • queenliz99
    queenliz99 Posts: 15,317 Member
    Your intake is suspect. One of your entries has you down for 0.13 of a grilled cheese sandwich. Is this a bite?
  • Sam_I_Am77
    Sam_I_Am77 Posts: 2,093 Member
    queenliz99 wrote: »
    Your intake is suspect. One of your entries has you down for 0.13 of a grilled cheese sandwich. Is this a bite?

    Didn't think to check the Diary.

    @jellebeandesigns I looked back through your log for the last few weeks and your nutrition is kind of a mess. You range from 860 calories to a little over 2k calories and it looks like there's quite a bit of take-out in there. I've always found it hard to quantify what exactly is in carryout so I'm not sure how accurate some of those calorie measurements are. Either way, you need to get into a more consistent nutrition plan that supports your goals. I can't really say what's healthy for you without knowing your height and current weight though.
  • jellebeandesigns
    jellebeandesigns Posts: 347 Member
    rybo wrote: »
    I hope your marathon is a long way off. You aren't running very much.
    What kind of lifting split are you following?
    Because most marathons are held in December? I run a half in March and full in May- not my first rodeo
  • blankiefinder
    blankiefinder Posts: 3,599 Member
    If you use a food scale, and truly log accurately, then you can ride out the bumps knowing that you will have an over-all downward trend. For me personally, I only ever see maybe a 2 pound jump from a sudden increase in training. Other things that can cause temporary increases are water retention from high sodium meals, time of month (female), food in digestive tract.
  • Cortneyrenee04
    Cortneyrenee04 Posts: 1,117 Member
    When you start exercising, you'll hold on to some water weight. It'll taper off after a while. At three weeks in, you're in a different place in your menstrual cycle, too. Just be patient. (My lowest weight is the week after my period. You'll get to know your personal fluctuations.)

  • jellebeandesigns
    jellebeandesigns Posts: 347 Member
    Aed0416 wrote: »
    I'm not sure what your weight gain is due to. It could also be hormonal.


    But, I can't help but question your training plan. You are lifting a lot to be training for a marathon at the same time. You might get better results in general if you focus more on building running endurance and limit lifting to a couple of days a week as a cross training activity.

    I will when I hit 20 ish miles a week
  • jellebeandesigns
    jellebeandesigns Posts: 347 Member
    queenliz99 wrote: »
    Your intake is suspect. One of your entries has you down for 0.13 of a grilled cheese sandwich. Is this a bite?

    It was a bite my son shoved in my mouth
  • jellebeandesigns
    jellebeandesigns Posts: 347 Member
    Sam_I_Am77 wrote: »
    queenliz99 wrote: »
    Your intake is suspect. One of your entries has you down for 0.13 of a grilled cheese sandwich. Is this a bite?

    Didn't think to check the Diary.

    @jellebeandesigns I looked back through your log for the last few weeks and your nutrition is kind of a mess. You range from 860 calories to a little over 2k calories and it looks like there's quite a bit of take-out in there. I've always found it hard to quantify what exactly is in carryout so I'm not sure how accurate some of those calorie measurements are. Either way, you need to get into a more consistent nutrition plan that supports your goals. I can't really say what's healthy for you without knowing your height and current weight though.
    My calories are all over the place. I'm working on a more consistent diet (I asked in food)


  • Sam_I_Am77
    Sam_I_Am77 Posts: 2,093 Member
    jellebeandesigns wrote: »
    Sam_I_Am77 wrote: »
    queenliz99 wrote: »
    Your intake is suspect. One of your entries has you down for 0.13 of a grilled cheese sandwich. Is this a bite?

    Didn't think to check the Diary.

    @jellebeandesigns I looked back through your log for the last few weeks and your nutrition is kind of a mess. You range from 860 calories to a little over 2k calories and it looks like there's quite a bit of take-out in there. I've always found it hard to quantify what exactly is in carryout so I'm not sure how accurate some of those calorie measurements are. Either way, you need to get into a more consistent nutrition plan that supports your goals. I can't really say what's healthy for you without knowing your height and current weight though.
    My calories are all over the place. I'm working on a more consistent diet (I asked in food)


    Checkout "Renaissance Periodization" online. Their programs are like $70 but they super-simplify your plan and you don't have to worry about tracking calories, eaten-back exercise calories, or any of that nonsense. They're use to training athletes as well, so since you like to run in 5K's and such, it might not be a bad idea for you.
  • blankiefinder
    blankiefinder Posts: 3,599 Member
    Sam_I_Am77 wrote: »
    jellebeandesigns wrote: »
    Sam_I_Am77 wrote: »
    queenliz99 wrote: »
    Your intake is suspect. One of your entries has you down for 0.13 of a grilled cheese sandwich. Is this a bite?

    Didn't think to check the Diary.

    @jellebeandesigns I looked back through your log for the last few weeks and your nutrition is kind of a mess. You range from 860 calories to a little over 2k calories and it looks like there's quite a bit of take-out in there. I've always found it hard to quantify what exactly is in carryout so I'm not sure how accurate some of those calorie measurements are. Either way, you need to get into a more consistent nutrition plan that supports your goals. I can't really say what's healthy for you without knowing your height and current weight though.
    My calories are all over the place. I'm working on a more consistent diet (I asked in food)


    Checkout "Renaissance Periodization" online. Their programs are like $70 but they super-simplify your plan and you don't have to worry about tracking calories, eaten-back exercise calories, or any of that nonsense. They're use to training athletes as well, so since you like to run in 5K's and such, it might not be a bad idea for you.

    Programs like that are only good for the time you're on it. That's why they make so much money on the same customers, over and over and over... lose, gain, lose, gain...
  • jessef593
    jessef593 Posts: 2,272 Member
    Also, you should expect a fairly large weight fluctuation across 3 weeks. It won't be instant, I've gained weight do to increased water intake during my cut even though I appear leaner.
    Are you basing your weight gain purely by physical appearance or actually via scale?
    Whenever weighing yourself in order to achieve the most accurate results, it should be first thing in the morning, prior to eating and after using the washroom.
    And obviously as few clothes as possible.
  • jellebeandesigns
    jellebeandesigns Posts: 347 Member
    It's based on the scale :)
  • Sam_I_Am77
    Sam_I_Am77 Posts: 2,093 Member
    edited December 2015
    blankiefinder wrote: »
    Sam_I_Am77 wrote: »
    jellebeandesigns wrote: »
    Sam_I_Am77 wrote: »
    queenliz99 wrote: »
    Your intake is suspect. One of your entries has you down for 0.13 of a grilled cheese sandwich. Is this a bite?

    Didn't think to check the Diary.

    @jellebeandesigns I looked back through your log for the last few weeks and your nutrition is kind of a mess. You range from 860 calories to a little over 2k calories and it looks like there's quite a bit of take-out in there. I've always found it hard to quantify what exactly is in carryout so I'm not sure how accurate some of those calorie measurements are. Either way, you need to get into a more consistent nutrition plan that supports your goals. I can't really say what's healthy for you without knowing your height and current weight though.
    My calories are all over the place. I'm working on a more consistent diet (I asked in food)


    Checkout "Renaissance Periodization" online. Their programs are like $70 but they super-simplify your plan and you don't have to worry about tracking calories, eaten-back exercise calories, or any of that nonsense. They're use to training athletes as well, so since you like to run in 5K's and such, it might not be a bad idea for you.

    Programs like that are only good for the time you're on it. That's why they make so much money on the same customers, over and over and over... lose, gain, lose, gain...

    Have you actually checked it out? Do you know the group and what they're about? It's not a short-term program or gimmick. I would never ever ever ever propose a marketing scheme or anything extremely restrictive. If it's not something that can't become a lifetime means of eating I would not recommend it. This is a group of nutrition experts that put together custom plans for individuals to help them manage their weight in a healthy manner while being able to manage their exercise, sport, whatever. I've been doing it myself for quite a while now.
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