Weight Gain after Running?? Water weight or fat??

sashabee25

I'm 19 y/o and currently 129 pounds. I was 125 before I started running long distance with a goal of losing weight. However, since i've started running about 2 weeks ago, I have only noticed weight gain on the scale. I doubt it's from muscle because I stopped doing muscle building activities such as HIIT and toning when I started running, which means I would have lost muscle if anything. My eating habits are exactly the same as before, and I count calories while eating clean whole foods. I also fast 18 hours a day, every day. Because of this i'm having trouble believing i'm gaining weight from adding all this extra cardio.

I also drink about 72-96 oz of water per day since i've started. If these additional few pounds are from the water weight (i've heard that when starting a new exercise routine it's easy to put on water weight) why are they still there after 2 weeks and how can I get rid of them?

brittlb07

I am in the EXACT situation! Even 129 pounds 😂 I gained 10 pounds since Thanksgiving and want to get to 120. When I lost weight in 2019 I lost a pound a week like clockwork at 1200 calories. Doing everything the same and the scale is hardly budging after three weeks of running and 1200 calories. I did NO work outs in 2019.

sashabee25

I gained the freshman 15 (or 20 with the new addition of running) this past year because of college, and I did no workouts in 2019 but was slender at 110 lbs! But now when i'm working out i get heavier, which is not what i expected haha

spiriteagle99

If you just started running, you probably aren't burning that many calories with your low body weight. You may be eating more because you feel that you earned extra. That is very common when runners increase their mileage You may also be retaining water. I find that after a hard workout my body holds onto more water to repair muscles. After a rest day my weight drops. I hope you are including rest days in your schedule. Try weighing yourself after one. I also sometimes end up eating more salt after I sweat a lot, which can make me retain more water.

natasor1

try to consume less carbs , including bread, fruits, pasta, oatmeal, they gives you water retention, you want to avoid. Even though this is healthy water retention, but you don' t want it

brittlb07

spiriteagle99 wrote: »

If you just started running, you probably aren't burning that many calories with your low body weight. You may be eating more because you feel that you earned extra. That is very common when runners increase their mileage You may also be retaining water. I find that after a hard workout my body holds onto more water to repair muscles. After a rest day my weight drops. I hope you are including rest days in your schedule. Try weighing yourself after one. I also sometimes end up eating more salt after I sweat a lot, which can make me retain more water.

I am only eating back about 1/3 of my workout calories from running (and not considering any of the extra walking I’ve been doing to cool down).

natasor1

Still check your macros. If it 's 50 g of carbs or more, it is exactly the reason why your weight climes up

collectingblues

Water retention from new workouts can take six weeks to come off. Mark your calendar for a month from now, and see where you stand then.

dsg2000

I find running deceptive because it increases my hunger more than the calorie burn “actually” warrants. When I lose weight it’s because I’m strict about counting calories, not just from increased mileage. It’s pretty common for even seasoned runners to gain a bit of weight when in training or increasing mileage in preparation for a race, for example.

I’ll also note that you didn’t say what “long distance” means to you and that if you stopped doing the other fitness activities you were doing before, it might be that you’re not burning as many calories as you think. Why did you stop doing hiit and toning? Strength training is great for increasing your base metabolism, and has other benefits too. I’d suggest opting for a blend of strength and cardio, especially if you’re aiming at a general fitness or weight goal rather than some other goal (like a race). I say this as a long distance runner. 😀

AnnPT77

natasor1 wrote: »

Still check your macros. If it 's 50 g of carbs or more, it is exactly the reason why your weight climes up

No.

If a person is eating the same number of carbs as previously, they're holding onto the same amount of water weight as previously to metabolize the carbs. Carbs don't magically and suddenly cause gain at the same carb intake level for no reason. In a situation like OP reports, eating the same way at the same calorie level, but running instead of other exercise types, the likely explanation for weight gain is not "carbs".

As others have said, the most probably explanation is water weight, but a change in calorie balance also seems possible.

OP, has your life routine changed in any other way at the same time as the running, such as being less active in your daily life (maybe for reasons related to "stay at home" orders, job changes, etc.), or being more fatigued?

MelanieCN77

Perhaps the longer you run the more flies you accidentally inhale. How much do you log a fly at?

sashabee25

No my routine has stayed pretty much the same. The only things that are different is my water intake has heavily increased from before and my sleep has decreased a little because I wake up early to run. I also stopped HIIT and toning because they were making my legs too bulky and I was trying to lean them out through focusing on running.

I really hope it's water weight haha, I have been trying to go from 125 to 115 for the last four months. It's disappointing enough that I didn't lose any weight, but it would be devastating if I actually gained 4 lbs instead

Wendyanneroberts

I suggest you look back over your last few posts, since May 27th. You have asked this question and a couple of others, that are linked.

You've had great advice from some mfp veterans who know what they are talking about. With some linked posts to read, to help you understand.

Yet you continue to rephrase the same question, are you hoping for a different answer?

I hope you look back over your own posts and learn from the great advice. Your overall health is just as important, please listen to the great advice already received.

PAV8888

sashabee25 wrote: »

I'm 19 y/o and currently 129 pounds. I was 125 before I started running long distance with a goal of losing weight. However, since i've started running about 2 weeks ago, I have only noticed weight gain on the scale.

I will once again pose a question about your goals and methods which in general seem to be quite extreme, unhealthy, and stress inducing.

I will also point out that as people grow into their adult bodies their weight increases in a corresponding manner.

Your age being a bit unclear (18/19) and your self identification as a teen in your earlier posts prompts me to bring up this point in case even the initial 18 was a bit forward looking.

LivingtheLeanDream

collectingblues wrote: »

Water retention from new workouts can take six weeks to come off. Mark your calendar for a month from now, and see where you stand then.

^^ agreed

magnusthenerd

natasor1 wrote: »

Still check your macros. If it 's 50 g of carbs or more, it is exactly the reason why your weight climes up

I'm wondering where this is coming from. Glycogen storage runs about 3-4x water to glucose storage, so 50g would be at most 250g stored under that assumption. Being generous with research on athletes and super compensation storage, you could have a 10x parts water to glucose. Even that gives you 550g, which is a little over a pound. OP is talking about holding on to 4 pounds.

natasor1

Magnusthenerd is absolutely correct. 50 g of carbs is so low for body feeding, that almost insignificant for accumulation of water, It actually will be burn as energy quickly in the matter of hour. If you conxume more then that amount , especially for small woman of 129lb, then water retention may happens. Just try even one day and weight yourself next morning, result will be on the scale visible. But two days low carb, will make you loose 2-3 lb instantaneously. My experience was up to 6 lb for two days