Not losing when working out

beth0277

I've been logging consistently for 30 days now and have had great losses. One thing I've noticed though is that on the days that I work out and the following few days, I don't lose anything. I seem to lose most days that I only count calories and don't exercise. What is the science behind this? Is it water weight?

cityruss

Your body has a natural protective mechanism where by it retains fluid to assist in muscle recovery.

This is completely unrelated to and can mask fat loss on a scale.

If you're going to weigh daily you should look at long term trends, not isolated daily weights.

beth0277

That makes sense. I'm not overly concerned about it but sometimes it is discouraging to have a few days where I have a net deficit of 1,000 calories and the scale doesn't move at all and then I have a few where I have a deficit of only maybe 300-400 and it drops quickly. I'm sure it's just retention but it's annoying - lol.

TimothyFish

When you work out you create micro-tears in muscle. Body fluids go into those areas while the muscles are being repaired. On days when you aren't exercising, the body begins to catch up on removing this fluid, so you see weight loss. If you limit yourself to weighing once a week then you won't notice this happening.

king_laceyii

cityruss wrote: »

Your body has a natural protective mechanism where by it retains fluid to assist in muscle recovery.

This is completely unrelated to and can mask fat loss on a scale.

If you're going to weigh daily you should look at long term trends, not isolated daily weights.

Cityruss is right. When your muscles are recovering they hold on to water which may mask any potential weight loss. This happens to me all the time so don't worry about it too much. Just keep up the good work and the pounds will come off.

beth0277

You guys are awesome.

futuresize8

TimothyFish wrote: »

When you work out you create micro-tears in muscle. Body fluids go into those areas while the muscles are being repaired. On days when you aren't exercising, the body begins to catch up on removing this fluid, so you see weight loss. If you limit yourself to weighing once a week then you won't notice this happening.

I read this as "micro-tears" as in my muscles are crying (not ripping) and I LOLed at my desk at work. Thanks!

TxTiffani

I've noticed it with any strength training but not with cardio exercise...you would still trend downward in your weight loss despite the muscle repair retention. It's good that you've noticed this trend though so you know what to expect on the scale;)