Water retention from strength training at the gym?

Ashlove5

So I started a new calorie deficit and the first week I noticed a few pounds difference but now I am not seeing my scale change at all and I have been at the gym going hard with my cardio and strength training and working out my muscles and glutes? Could that add a few pounds in my scale which is causing me to not see the weight I am losing from my workouts and calorie deficit. Not seeing a change in the scale can be very upsetting.

carolinepowell885

I feel your pain! Your body is holding on to water as you work out those muscles. You will see results just keep on doing what you are doing, stay hydrated, and try not to eat back the calories 👍

tomcustombuilder

You lose water initially when going into a deficit and then that water loss stops. You're at the "water loss stops" phase of dieting. You'll experience a lot of non linear weight loss\gain over the course of your mission

westrich20940

Short answer - yes.

Long answer - while I know it can feel frustrating to not lose weight every week - even if you are NOT retaining water, and are doing everything right - you still won't lose weight every week. The sooner you realize that and accept it, the less bad it'll feel.

I'd also suggest not weighing yourself every week if not losing weight every week will make you feel discouraged. Move to every other week. You'll be more likely to see a change that way.

cwolfman13

Don't make the scale the be all and end all of everything. The short answer, is yes, you retain water when you're training because that is the way your body repairs itself...congratulations...everything is working how it should be. Beyond that, you don't lose weight in a linear fashion regardless...the scale isn't always going to be moving.

Rather than putting all of your focus on this one particular target, put your focus on process and systems you can implement that ultimately lead to a desired effect and make these habits your identity. When you habitually and consistently do the things that healthy, lean, and fit people do, guess what happens over time? When you're solely focused on an objective goal (ie losing weight, running a marathon, squatting 2.5x your bodyweight, etc) you tend to get mired in the plateau of latent potential because you lose site of the actual process.

roxieillustration

I went through this !!! Started hitting the gym hard staying in my calorie deficit and my weight was either staying the same or going up a little bit. But honestly after being consistent my body is changing and the weight is melting off .. stick at it @! You can do it

springlering62

New exercise causes sore muscles. Your body retains and then directs water to those sore places to heal. You’ll release the extra water soon after the soreness goes away. I been sore enough at times to pick up several pounds

Other things that can make you retain water are periods (duh!), travel, illness (surgery in particular), new foods, allergy attacks, salty foods, and airplane cabin pressure.

I flew back from the west coast last night. I was up six pounds at bedtime, then down a pound and a half from that immediately upon getting up. (I utterly enjoy the weirdness of post-flight weight and weigh myself several times in the days following, out of curiosity.)

“Weight loss is not linear” is the mantra around here, and it is very, very true.

Keep on keepin’ on and the weight will drop, I promise, not like a lead ballon, but in fits and starts.

Ashlove5

roxieillustration wrote: »

I went through this !!! Started hitting the gym hard staying in my calorie deficit and my weight was either staying the same or going up a little bit. But honestly after being consistent my body is changing and the weight is melting off .. stick at it @! You can do it

When did you start noticing your were losing weight or seeing the results on your scale!?

springlering62

I know you didn’t address this to me, but I’ve got coffee to finish……

It took me about six weeks of adjusting diet and beginning basic walking and bumping up my yoga schedule, learning to weigh food and log it all properly, and to get over the initial soreness of new exercise, then the scale responded like a giant attagirl.

I would often go a couple of weeks or more at same weight or even a pound or two up, and would them experience large “whooshes”- those joyful mornings when you weigh in and can’t believe your eyes: two three or four pounds, overnight.

The first time that happened was when the lightbulb clicked. If I keep diligently sticking to this format, the weight will come off.

Some people take longer, some less. It’s very individual.

The key thing is, don’t under eat. I heeded the horror stories here of hair loss, heart issues, exhaustion etc. I like to eat, so instead of under eating, I hoisted myself off the couch and exercised to “buy back” calories. I discovered the more I exercised, the better I felt, which was a bonus, but it’s possible to over exercise as much as it is to under-eat.

It’s nuts, but you don’t speed things up by drastically cutting calories. Your body responds best to TLC, and will reward you in kind.

It’s the folks who burn the candle at both the calorie cutting and over exercising ends that fail, or soon rebound with more weight. Learn habits that will take you into maintenance. Losing is the easy part. Maintenance is something you have to constantly stay on top of, but 95% of people reach goal, throw up their hands, and think “I’m done”. They’re not.

Ashlove5

springlering62 wrote: »

I know you didn’t address this to me, but I’ve got coffee to finish……

It took me about six weeks of adjusting diet and beginning basic walking and bumping up my yoga schedule, learning to weigh food and log it all properly, and to get over the initial soreness of new exercise, then the scale responded like a giant attagirl.

I would often go a couple of weeks or more at same weight or even a pound or two up, and would them experience large “whooshes”- those joyful mornings when you weigh in and can’t believe your eyes: two three or four pounds, overnight.

The first time that happened was when the lightbulb clicked. If I keep diligently sticking to this format, the weight will come off.

Some people take longer, some less. It’s very individual.

The key thing is, don’t under eat. I heeded the horror stories here of hair loss, heart issues, exhaustion etc. I like to eat, so instead of under eating, I hoisted myself off the couch and exercised to “buy back” calories. I discovered the more I exercised, the better I felt, which was a bonus, but it’s possible to over exercise as much as it is to under-eat.

It’s nuts, but you don’t speed things up by drastically cutting calories. Your body responds best to TLC, and will reward you in kind.

It’s the folks who burn the candle at both the calorie cutting and over exercising ends that fail, or soon rebound with more weight. Learn habits that will take you into maintenance. Losing is the easy part. Maintenance is something you have to constantly stay on top of, but 95% of people reach goal, throw up their hands, and think “I’m done”. They’re not.

Wow I love that mindset, usually i heard people say when they don’t lose weight and they are doing everything right their body is unable to lose weight easily or they hit a plateau. During those 6 weeks when you adjusted all those modifications to your routine you did not not see any changes on the scale? And also do you think you started losing weight because of those life style changes or because you were over your workout soreness.

springlering62

Both helped but in different ways. “Weight loss is made in the kitchen”, and so it is. I set a calorie goal and met it.

But I wanted more food so I began exercising. But, as I exercised, it was like, whoaaaaa, I’m shaping up, too? 😱 That egged me on to try new and more activities.

I ultimately ended up averaging ten pounds a month for the first five or six months- but I had a hundred to lose. It’s deceptively easy to lose large at first. Plus I am in motion most of the day.

Research NEAT techniques here on the boards. Stupidly simple things like fidgeting, parking far from the door, pacing, etc burn calories. A calorie is a calorie regardless of how it’s burnt. During the pandemic, I was cleaning house two or three times a week just to keep moving.

Get a fitness tracker. Maybe not your cup of tea, I can’t even rave about how motivating closing rings, “awards” and achievement displays are to me. At the very least, having something reliably track and record calorie burn helps with the daily diary, and some are very inexpensive now.

Not being able to lose easily is a myth for most people. It’s really lack of patience and lack of application. New people here hammer it with low cal and high exercise and quit after a couple of days because they’ve “stalled”. You have to give it a chance. When you started a new job, were you an expert in two weeks? Naw. Same with weight loss. Treat it like a job.

It very literally may take you a month or two or even three to kick it in gear. But my bet is, if you’re still hovering at the same weight after two months, you either need to lower calories, or- more likely- are being sloppy about recording calories and eating more than you think.

AnnPT77

springlering62 wrote: »

(snippity)

Research NEAT techniques here on the boards. Stupidly simple things like fidgeting, parking far from the door, pacing, etc burn calories. A calorie is a calorie regardless of how it’s burnt. During the pandemic, I was cleaning house two or three times a week just to keep moving.
(snip)

Many MFP-ers shared their strategies for that on this thread:

http://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/discussion/10610953/neat-improvement-strategies-to-improve-weight-loss/p1

IMU, there's research suggesting that obese people are more . . . physically quiet? . . . in their daily life movement habits than thin ones. I suspect it's not cause => effect, but circular: People who move more burn more calories, but also being lighter makes movement easier: One of those vicious cycle/virtual cycle things. We can try to harness that.

When we try to lose weight, in a way we're trying to figure out the life habits of thinner people, then be deliberate about working to make those habits our habits permanently. Moving more in daily life is one of those useful habits.