Weight gain, Exercise, Reassurance?

labenton419

Hi all. Yesterday marked the beginning of week 4 on keto for me. I have no sugar cravings, feel pretty good, seen some inches down in my thighs and my belly is flatter. But I have GAINED weight in the last two weeks. I reincorporated my bootcamp workouts and soccer in the beginning of week two, and since then have gained 1.5 lbs from where I was at the end of week 1. Studious researcher that I am, I know this could be my muscles growing again and/or them retaining water, but that number increase is so defeating. Over the last two weeks I have averaged a net of 1131 calories a day (according to MFP), which works out to an average deficit of about 600 calories a day (according to Fitbit) because of all the workouts (I'm trying to eat 1650 calories a day, some days that goes over but usually on the days I've worked out).

I guess I'm just looking for some reassurance that the whoosh will happen at some point, I've ready the body takes time to adjust with exercise but how much?? Or some advice, because short of Easter sunday my macros have been on point, and even then I just had way more protein than fat, still where I wanted for carbs. Do I need to be trying to have the same calorie deficit every day? I also drink tons of water and get my electrolytes in so those aren't the issue. Basically this is my needy plea for some reassurance.

KnitOrMiss

What are your measurements changes? The inches? Generally when the scale stops moving, the inches move, and vice versa.

What about pictures. Can you see the changes?

Working out means that your MUSCLES ARE RETAINING EXTRA WATER TO MAKE REPAIRS. This extra water amount can take between 2-12 weeks to level out, depending on your system. But it will level out... So just keep on working out, and it will balance out.

Rebound gain - sometimes we drop so much water and/or electrolytes in the beginning that once the body starts slipping into gear and realizing this is where you are going to stay - it soaks up water to rebalance everything. This is really normal and will level back out somewhere between 6-12 weeks in...

Low sodium/magnesium, and/or potassium. (I Know you mention that you get in electrolytes - but the amounts are crucial. Most folks never add in enough sodium to replace what is being dumped, and 75% or more of first world national populations are depleted in magnesium for a large number of reasons - most of those folks don't even know they are deficient until they have muscle cramps, problems sleeping, problems going #2, etc. Magnesium is crucial in over 300 bodily processes. That all being said...

Your body keeps a very delicate balance of hydration, sodium, magnesium, potassium, and many other electrolyte components in the blood at all times. If you've too much water, you'll urinate more. Too much sodium, the body will urinate more to get rid of it... and so on. However, if you've too little of sodium, magnesium, and/or potassium, the body will try to hold on to every bit of it. (It will steal these out of you bones and muscles - hence muscle cramps in dehydration, etc., and it can only steal so much before it needs more materials coming in via food/drink intake.) So if you aren't adding enough sodium, especially is the one most folks have been trained that they don't need (but ketogenic diets cause sodium dumping naturally through the ketone process that we must REPLACE 3500 mg - 5000 mg of DUMPED sodium daily, more or less depending on person)...then add in exercise which further depletes these, you could be really low in electrolytes...even when we think we're getting enough. Our electrolyte needs are exponentially increased due to all these issues, as opposed to on a SAD diet...


Above all, if you are feeling good, most medical folks recommend following your program for at least 12 weeks, especially when including exercise, for the body to adjust to everything and such. Additionally, taking multiple body measurements and pictures are critical for keeping sane and realistic while the scale does it's ... dance...


@lashley419 Good luck.

JodehFoster

If you are eating at a deficit, your muscles are not growing, but you can very well be retaining water from heavy exercise.
Consider where you are in your hormonal cycle, I retain water for a solid two weeks of PMS and often cannot lose during that time. The immediate two weeks following, I can drop like mad.
As far as Easter goes, you can easily be retaining from the food depending on what you had. I'm crazy for ham & I'm still feeling the retention in my joints from 3 days of eating it.

...but 1.5# is a mere fluctuation and not really anything to throw the towel in over.

__Roxy__

You're doing great! Keep going, it will pay off. The whoosh will come. It could be hormones, and your muscles are most definitely storing water with all that bootcamp exercise! Keep doing what you're doing, and get lots of sleep. You'll see the rewards of your persistence and hard work soon!!

nvmomketo

It probably is the exercise.
A few years ago I was doing a fairly serious lifting and workout routines but I needed to stop all exercise due to an injury. In less that 2 weeks I lost 10 lbs while eating about the same. Exercise and strength building can really cause you to hold onto water and glycogen.