Increased protein/water and putting on weight:(

rahmv
rahmv Posts: 4
in Health and Weight Loss
Hi, I'm a 178cm tall 47 year old male. Managed to bring my weight down from 78kgs to 68.7kgs through exercise (HIIT sprints x 3 times per week for 20min, weights 3 times per week 45 min sessions) and diet - initially 1570 calories per day, then 1510 for the last month. Originally I wasn't working tp specific Carb/Fat/Protein targets. I lost a steady 0.5kgs/week even though the proportion was 55% Carbs, 25-30% Fat and 15%-20% Protein.

This week I have doubled the amount of water I'm drinking (4 litres per day), and have been working towards a 45% Carb, 20% Fat, 35% Protein split. I have a minimum of 150g of protein per day. I was a bit dismayed to find I have actually put on 400gm of weight.

Any suggestions would be much appreciated. I am right now trying to burn fat while preserving muscle and once I get the BF down to about 11-12% i plan to steadily start gaining muscle while minimising fat gain.

Replies

  • I_mustacheU4pancakes
    I_mustacheU4pancakes Posts: 41
    Not enough waffles.
    Eat more waffles, and track variety;chocolate chip,Belgium with banana,
    Strawberry whip cream drizzled,and blueberry pancakes for kicks.
  • treetoptrevor
    treetoptrevor Posts: 10
    It s very possible that your body is holding a little extra water now, but it is not a bad thing. you may have been slightly dehydrated before, and now that you are fully hydrated, your body weighs a little more. I would not worry about it.
  • mgobluetx12
    mgobluetx12 Posts: 1,326 Member
    400 grams is not even 1lb. Am I missing something?
  • rahmv
    rahmv Posts: 4
    The sudden movement in the other direction (albeit small) has kinda thrown me. Let me reduce a further 100 calories per day and see how I go next week.
  • Lleldiranne
    Lleldiranne Posts: 5,516 Member
    Sorry, had to convert to empirical … but it sounds like you're about 5'8" and 151 pounds. And you gained approximately 1 pound over the week. Am I close?

    So that means you're falling nicely in the middle of healthy BMI.

    My point is, relax :smile: A pound lost or gained is pretty meaningless in the long run (even for a shorty like my, 5' tall … so `152 cm I think). You probably didn't gain a pound of fat, and I'm almost positive you didn't gain a pound of muscle in one week. It's probably water weight, which is generally temporary.

    Perhaps you were a tad dehydrated, and your body is now well hydrated. In that case, it's a good thing and you want to keep it that way. Or perhaps something else about your diet changed as you upped your protein (sodium, for example) and caused you to hold a bit more water. Or maybe, your body is just adjusting.

    1 L of water weighs 1 kg, if I'm remembering my basic science right. So your retaining less than 1 L of water.

    As you work on decreasing body fat, make sure you are lifting -- I see you're doing that 3 times a week.

    And don't be afraid of increasing your calories a little bit. I eat more than you, and like I said, I'm quite a bit shorter, I weight less, and I'm female (I'm also almost 36, so not a young thing with a kid's metabolism anymore either). Your weight may come off more slowly, but that you are more likely to preserve LBM. You may also want to start bulking/cutting cycles before you get down to 12%. I don't know where you are now, but it could be very hard to get that low without building some more muscle (I'm just looking again at that BMI). Just my thoughts...
  • rahmv
    rahmv Posts: 4
    Thanks all for the encouraging responses. Yes, my sodium intake has gone up with the extra protein so possibly water retention is the culprit as a couple of you have suggested. Also btw, 178cm is 5' 11.
  • miqisha
    miqisha Posts: 1,534 Member
    I do weight training as well and I eat 1700 calories a day and I also drink 7 litres of water a day and I am loosing. My point is decreasing your calories may not be the right direction to go, maybe it could be you need to try increasing your calories. Give it another week before going in any direction. One week with a pound gain could be anything, especially since you are lifting weights as well

    I hope it comes together for you soon enough, I know it can be frustrating seeing the scale go in the opposite direction

    Good luck!!!!!!
  • rahmv
    rahmv Posts: 4
    Ok, things are back on track :smile: . Brought my sodium back down to 2000mg or so, didn't reduce calories but reduced carbs on non-workout days by 50gm and moved them on workout days to only breakfast and pre/post workout times.

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