I’m new here!

adysoncooper06

Hi! I’m new here, just trying to get more toned and healthier. I wanted to lose a little weight, but I gained almost 5 pounds in about a week. I’ve been working out a lot, do y’all think I’m gaining weight or is that muscle mass?

AnnPT77

If in roughly the last week you didn't eat 17,500 calories above the number you need to maintain your current weight, you didn't gain 5 pounds of fat.

For sure, you didn't gain 5 pounds of muscle. (Muscle gain is very gradual. Under the best possible conditions, 2 pounds a month of muscle gain would be a great result . . . and it's very likely you're not in ideal conditions, so it would be even slower.)

Highest probability: Water weight fluctuations. Our bodies can be 60%+ water. Retaining and shedding multiple pounds of water from one day to the next, for a variety of reasons, are part of how a healthy body stays healthy. In your case, if you're doing new-to-you exercise, it's probably water retention for muscle repair.

If it's not fat, which it probably isn't, it's not worth stressing about. Hang in there, it'll settle out within days to a few weeks. (Patience is a helpful skill during weight loss.)

While you're waiting, read this, especially the article linked in the first post:

https://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/discussion/10683010/the-weird-and-highly-annoying-world-of-scale-fluctuations/p1

Best wishes!

karenmickle8574

Same thing happens to me: as soon as I start working out, the scale bumps up. Hang in there and let the body do it's thing.