Increased Mileage but Gaining Weight?

kjo1713

Hello

I am wondering why I seem to be gaining weight now that I am increasing my mileage/speed for running each week. I’m on a progressive plan that focuses on slowly increasing mileage but also faster pace week over week.

The problem is I am slowly increasing weight- only up about 5 lbs but I don’t understand why. I’m keeping my calorie intake at 1500 daily and logging everything but I feel like my body composition looks “puffier” and I’ve gained a few. Does anyone else know why this would happen? Hormonal? I’m not sure how to combat it.

Thank you in advance!

deannalfisher

Water weight from increasing exercise most likely

NorthCascades

If you're gaining weight, it's either because you're holding on to more water, or you're eating more calories than you burn. At 1,500 kCal of food (assuming you use a food scale?) that's not likely it. But those are the two possibilities.

How long has it been going on?

kjo1713

It’s been going on about a month now. I have been pretty meticulous about food logging. Is water retention a normal reaction to an increase in training? Anything you would recommend to help alleviate?

errollmaclean

kjo1713 wrote: »

It’s been going on about a month now. I have been pretty meticulous about food logging. Is water retention a normal reaction to an increase in training? Anything you would recommend to help alleviate?

Do you use a digital food scale?

kjo1713

No it’s mechanical, not digital

AnnPT77

Have you decreased your daily life activity (non exercise) because of shelter in place/lockdown in your area, or changes in work/commute related to coronavirus situation?

Do you eat back your exercise calories, so eating back more calories with the mileage increase? If so, how do you estimate those calories?

Yes, increased exercise increases water retention for a while, and 5 pounds doesn't seem impossible (a little high), but the amount shouldn't keep growing and growing indefinitely. If that's what it is, though, you don't want to defeat it, because it's just part of how healthy bodies function (your body needs water for increased muscle repair with added exercise, simplistically). Just stay normally hydrated (light yellow urine) and let your body do what it needs to do.

If you happened to gain exercise water weight at just the right point in your menstrual cycle (assuming you have one), those two things could be adding up to a bit more of an increase than you'd usually see. If so, it should drop eventually (not months from now, days to couple weeks or so). Stress is another thing that can increase water weight, BTW.

A digital scale would probably be more precise, and they're only around $20.

dmkoenig

How do your clothes fit? It's possible that your body composition is changing for the better but it's not showing up on the scale in a positive way. If your pants are less snug then that's a good sign; if they are getting tighter with the weight gain it's probably a food intake issue.

heybales

kjo1713 wrote: »

It’s been going on about a month now. I have been pretty meticulous about food logging. Is water retention a normal reaction to an increase in training? Anything you would recommend to help alleviate?

Yes.

Increased blood volume for cooling needs.

Increased glycogen storage in muscles for more endurance needs - those store with attached water.

Increased inflammation perhaps in joints is more water.

janejellyroll

kjo1713 wrote: »

It’s been going on about a month now. I have been pretty meticulous about food logging. Is water retention a normal reaction to an increase in training? Anything you would recommend to help alleviate?

You don't want to alleviate it, it's how your body is adjusting to the increased miles. You're repairing yourself and building what you need in order to run farther.

BrianSharpe

kjo1713 wrote: »

It’s been going on about a month now. I have been pretty meticulous about food logging. Is water retention a normal reaction to an increase in training? Anything you would recommend to help alleviate?

Some of it may also relate to increased glycogen stores (1 g of glycogen bonds with 3 g of water) also a normal adaptation as your runs get longer.