Crossfit weight gain
Howbouto
Posts: 2,121 Member
Everyone said don't be surprised if the scale goes up when starting crossfit. Well I'm 6 weeks in and up 9 pounds. I'm getting a little discouraged. How much did you gain? Does it ever start going the other direction? I'm feeling quite pissy right now about it.
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Forget about the number, does your body look bigger?0
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Eating clean is what makes the number go down, crossfit just makes you healthy , strong, and fit, which should be way more important to you than a number.0
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I have not retaken my measurements, but my clothes are not fitting looser. My legs and butt show a noticable difference since I started and I can see small changes in my arms and stomach. I eat primal and typically allow one cheat meal a week. I was not following it that closely over the holidays (which I accept is part of the problem.) I was just hoping some of the 9 pounds was water weight and I guess it isn't. I know in the long run, I'm doing what is right but when you have 50 pounds to drop it is discouraging!0
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^^^THIS^^^Eating clean is what makes the number go down, crossfit just makes you healthy , strong, and fit, which should be way more important to you than a number.
**and add in some extra cardio (running, cycling/spin, swimming, etc) to help w/ the fat burn. You may see the change in weight you're looking for, but your clothes will show the real change :-)
Happy New Year !!!0 -
Are you eating your exercise calories? You might be over estimating your calorie burn doing Crossfit. I never give it more than 200. When I did Insanity, I used a HRM and the most I ever burned was 450. I don't have a HRM anymore but I feel like Crossfit doesn't give me the calorie burn that Insanity did, which is why I always give it a low estimate.
You might have gained a little muscle, but not nine pounds of it. My guess would be that you are eating too many calories.0 -
Are you eating your exercise calories? You might be over estimating your calorie burn doing Crossfit. I never give it more than 200. When I did Insanity, I used a HRM and the most I ever burned was 450. I don't have a HRM anymore but I feel like Crossfit doesn't give me the calorie burn that Insanity did, which is why I always give it a low estimate.
You might have gained a little muscle, but not nine pounds of it. My guess would be that you are eating too many calories.
^ Agreed. You might be overestimating your calories burned during your workout and eating more than you ought to for weight loss as a result. It's a super easy thing to do; I've definitely been guilty of that, too.
If you've been consuming an adequate amount of protein (~1 gram per pound of lean body mass or more) and you've been eating at a surplus, then it's possible you've put on some muscle and fat. Try reducing your intake by a couple hundred calories for a few weeks and see if that slows/stops the gain. If it just slows the gain, reduce further. If it stops the gain, consider it maintenance.0 -
Everyone said don't be surprised if the scale goes up when starting crossfit. Well I'm 6 weeks in and up 9 pounds. I'm getting a little discouraged. How much did you gain? Does it ever start going the other direction? I'm feeling quite pissy right now about it.
So, I did some math based on the above info you gave us. To have actually gained 9 pounds of body mass (fat or lean body mass), you would have needed to eat an extra 750 calories consistently each day. (3500 calories in a pound * 9 Pounds) / (6 weeks * 7 days per week) = 750
However, you did just start doing CrossFit. When most people start a new routine, they experience this type of phenomenon due to increased water retention and a couple other more complex factors that (since I don't fully understand) I won't get into here. Further, speaking of complicated body-mechanics, weight fluctuates a great deal from individual to individual from day to day. Everything from differing sodium levels to hormones play a factor in this type of fluctuation, so it's either advised that you 1) weigh frequently to become more familiar with what's "normal", or 2) you weigh less frequently and only during similar circumstances to attain comparable results.
It's possible that the 9 pounds you've "gained" is a combination of starting a new routine, regular weight fluctuation, and eating at a surplus.0 -
Eating clean is what makes the number go down, crossfit just makes you healthy , strong, and fit, which should be way more important to you than a number.
This. I did CF for 3 months. Noticably stronger but only lost about 5 lbs. Did a Paleo challenge in October. Lost 18 lbs. Have gained some back but am doing strict Paleo this week to prepare for our Paleo challenge (40 days) starting Monday.
If I can get a similar weight loss as last time (and believe me I have the fat to lose) I'll be at my lowest weight in 12 years or so.0 -
^^I'll add that when I get away from Paleo a good chunk of the weight drops off in a few days when I get back to it. Cutting down carbs will force your body to shed water.
You might want to find a site (google will help) to calculate your total daily energy expenditure (TDEE.) Be brutally honest when they are asking you the questions (for example I work in an office 9-5, I put 'sedentary" as my base.)
Once you have that number cut it 20% and make that your calorie target. If you are still full eating that much, cut back a little more until you find the right place for you.
Diet is about 80% of the battle.0 -
Thanks everyone! I'm feeling a bit better today. My diet was at least 80% primal, maybe more, that's why it hit me so hard. I had a bad eating night yesterday and woke up with more determination today. So today is day 1 Whole 30 (it will be my third).0
