Gained 5lbs after Running a 5K. What Happened?

starrsearching711

Hi Everyone,

Yesterday, I ran a 5k, played volleyball for 1 hour and walked an additional 2 miles. I also monitor what I eat, and only consumer 1,200 calories a day, 120 carbs and 40 grams of fat. Anyway, yesterday was the most active I have been for awhile, so when I stepped on the scale this morning, I was shocked that I had gained 5, YES 5! pounds in one day.

Does anyone have any idea what could cause this? I am NOT starving myself, before anyone mentions that. I eat when I'm hungry, I'm just not hungry much because when I do eat, I eat the right food that fills me up.

So, does anyone have any ideas?
Thanks!

djs2303

Muscle....quite simply you've most likely increased your muscle mass, as muscle is denser then fat

ThickMcRunFast

Your muscles are retaining water for repair.

Though I would suggest 1200 is too low for that much activity.

eta: you most certainly did not gain 5lbs of muscle in one day. As women, it would be hard for us to gain 5lbs of muscle in 6 months without a serious hypertrophy routine.

starrsearching711

I know I couldn't have gained 5lbs of muscle, I was just shocked that I gained 5lbs! I stepped on and off several times, and even walked around for a bit before getting on again. And, sure enough, the scale stayed the same. I'm still in shock.

So do you guys think I'm just retaining water? And well, lots of water?

djs2303

Sorry ive not read it thoroughly, didn't realise you meant in one day o.O

RGv2

Muscle....quite simply you've most likely increased your muscle mass, as muscle is denser then fat

I really, really, really hope my sarcasm detector is broken.



It's probably water...

RGv2

Sorry ive not read it thoroughly, didn't realise you meant in one day o.O

Even if it was 1 year it would be impossible.

OP has an extremely low calorie intake for the activity they are performing, and from how the post reads, is doing zero strength training.

OP, why do you eat so little while being so active, especially at your age?

ineedscissor

Questions:
-Did you use the same scale both times?
-How long between the weighing?
-Did you poop/eat before or after weighing?

I just ask because I thought that a couple of pound shift from day to day is fairly normal, especially with the pooping and eating that occurs sporadically during the day. And I know that the scale at home is lighter then the scale at work, but heavier then the one at my parents house. If I had to guess, I would say check again in a week, and If the weight is still a concern, then wonder.

katylil

Muscle....quite simply you've most likely increased your muscle mass, as muscle is denser then fat

You cannot gain muscle doing cardio on a deficit. Physically impossible.

Most likely it's water retention. Your muscles are fatigued and are holding onto as much water as they can to recover.

Give it a couple of days, drink lots of water, eat some protein, you'll be fine.

PS also I just re-read: that much exercise on only 1200??!! Try upping to 1400-1500.

p4ulmiller

Your muscles are retaining water for repair.

Though I would suggest 1200 is too low for that much activity.

eta: you most certainly did not gain 5lbs of muscle in one day. As women, it would be hard for us to gain 5lbs of muscle in 6 months without a serious hypertrophy routine.

This.

How much water did you drink on the run? How much did you eat?

Your weight is made up of a lot of things including the things in your stomach and digestive tract.

Don't panic. You're doing all the right things and I expect you'll drop it all again by tomorrow.

fleetzz

Questions:
-Did you use the same scale both times?
-How long between the weighing?
-Did you poop/eat before or after weighing?

I just ask because I thought that a couple of pound shift from day to day is fairly normal, especially with the pooping and eating that occurs sporadically during the day. And I know that the scale at home is lighter then the scale at work, but heavier then the one at my parents house. If I had to guess, I would say check again in a week, and If the weight is still a concern, then wonder.

My weight varies more than 5 lbs during the day. This morning I weighed in at 123.6. Yesterday I was 129.2 mid day. It happens.

CheerfulMom4

My weight fluctuates like that too.

wilsoje74

Muscle....quite simply you've most likely increased your muscle mass, as muscle is denser then fat

in one day?

xiamjackie

I would suggest not weighing yourself on consecutive days. Once a week would suffice. Weight can fluctuate greatly from day to day.

dixiewhiskey

Water weight for muscle repair! Relax.. you just ran a 5K!!

starrsearching711

Although the calorie intake may be low, I feel like I'm always eating. I'm always munching on something, usually freeze dried apple chips or something similar. After my runs, I usually have a caramel rice cake, with lowfat peanut butter and a banana, which fills me up really quickly. And then I have dinner within the hour. I'm most active at night, so during the day when I'm not active, I'm just not hungry. I have a small breakfast and lunch and fruits throughout the day.

starrsearching711

I probably drink 1.5 gallons of water per day. It varies.

RGv2

Although the calorie intake may be low, I feel like I'm always eating. I'm always munching on something, usually freeze dried apple chips or something similar. After my runs, I usually have a caramel rice cake, with lowfat peanut butter and a banana, which fills me up really quickly. And then I have dinner within the hour. I'm most active at night, so during the day when I'm not active, I'm just not hungry. I have a small breakfast and lunch and fruits throughout the day.

That still doesn't mean you're properly fueling yourself......

I would say if you run 3-4 times a week your BMR alone is closer to 1600 calories....

dixiewhiskey

Although the calorie intake may be low, I feel like I'm always eating. I'm always munching on something, usually freeze dried apple chips or something similar. After my runs, I usually have a caramel rice cake, with lowfat peanut butter and a banana, which fills me up really quickly. And then I have dinner within the hour. I'm most active at night, so during the day when I'm not active, I'm just not hungry. I have a small breakfast and lunch and fruits throughout the day.

That still doesn't mean you're properly fueling yourself......

+1

_Zardoz_

Muscle....quite simply you've most likely increased your muscle mass, as muscle is denser then fat

No you don't gain muscle in a deficit. It's water

starrsearching711

I talked about this concern with my PCP, and he said that as long as I don't feel hungry, I shouldn't eat. Thoughts?

dixiewhiskey

Yes

Doctors aren't exactly nutritionists or dieticians. They are taught that 1200 is the minimum for women (1500 for men) and a lot of other nonsense when it comes to food intake that doesn't help anyone.

There is a difference between someone who is inactive, not eating when they don't feel hungry and someone who runs 5K or does any cardio/lifting activity! You need to refuel. I personally do not know how you run 5Ks on such a low intake. I couldn't work out doing anything at all if I ate that little on a regular basis.

RGv2

Yes

Doctors aren't exactly nutritionists or dieticians. They are taught that 1200 is the minimum for women (1500 for men) and a lot of other nonsense when it comes to food intake that doesn't help anyone.

There is a difference between someone who is inactive, not eating when they don't feel hungry and someone who runs 5K or does any cardio/lifting activity! You need to refuel. I personally do not know how you run 5Ks on such a low intake. I couldn't work out doing anything at all if I ate that little on a regular basis.

This^^^^

What is your ht, wt, and how many times a week do you run and for how long?

Stripeness

Yes

Doctors aren't exactly nutritionists or dieticians. They are taught that 1200 is the minimum for women (1500 for men) and a lot of other nonsense when it comes to food intake that doesn't help anyone.

There is a difference between someone who is inactive, not eating when they don't feel hungry and someone who runs 5K or does any cardio/lifting activity! You need to refuel. I personally do not know how you run 5Ks on such a low intake. I couldn't work out doing anything at all if I ate that little on a regular basis.

This^^^^

What is your ht, wt, and how many times a week do you run and for how long?

+2

And if you want peer-reviewed backup, the biological mechanisms described in this article are not restricted to anorexics. Sometimes it's better to eat "by the book" and trust that over time your body's signals will become more reliable.

www.cell.com/trends/neurosciences//retrieve/pii/S0166223613000064?cc=y#MainText

starrsearching711

I'm 5'4 and 170lbs.
For the past 4 weeks I've been jogging for about an hour. Originally, I could barely do a mile. But now I'm jogging just over 3 miles 6 days a week, and my pace is about 11:30/mile. Then, I do sprints/high intensity cardio with a friend going to school to be a personal trainer 3 nights a week for 30 minutes. And then 6 nights a week I do core/leg/butt workouts for 30 minutes.

qaysara123

:huh: I'm sure you will see a significant weight lost next week. Keep up the good work.

katylil

You're definitely not eating enough.

I just put in your details in the IIFYM calculator (http://iifym.com/iifym-calculator/) and it's calculating that with your age, height, weight and working out 6x a week (even with a "reckless" fat loss percentage goal of 25%!) you should be on 1726 calories a day.

And the actual recommended number is coming up as 1841.

If you want some help, try reading this. It's one of the most informative posts I've come across on MFP good luck!

http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/1080242-a-guide-to-get-you-started-on-your-path-to-sexypants

starrsearching711

Hey everyone!
Thank you all so much for your help. I talked with my PCP about this, and he said that if I'm burning more calories than I'm eating (which, I totally am, since apparently I'm under eating anyways) I should be dropping weight. Not only have I gained weight, but I've been doing this diet/exercise routine now for 4 weeks, and have barely lost 5 lbs. I'm very interested in understanding how this is possible, especially since my PCP seems to be clueless.

I want to be healthier, not just more skinny (although a lower BMI is associated with health). So, could someone please just explain all of this so I can understand?

Thank you!

RGv2

I'm 5'4 and 170lbs.
For the past 4 weeks I've been jogging for about an hour. Originally, I could barely do a mile. But now I'm jogging just over 3 miles 6 days a week, and my pace is about 11:30/mile. Then, I do sprints/high intensity cardio with a friend going to school to be a personal trainer 3 nights a week for 30 minutes. And then 6 nights a week I do core/leg/butt workouts for 30 minutes.

At your Ht, Wt, Age and your activity level of 3-5 hrs a week (It may be more by this post, but I'm sticking with it).

Your TDEE is = 2470 (maintains your weight)

BMR = 1593 (keeps you going in a coma)

TDEE -20% = 1976 (Your goal in order to safely lose and sustain weight loss).

If you're really only taking in 1100 calories and not hungry, there's something else going on. You're either not calculating correctly, or there's something else going on.

I believe if you keep up this level of exercise at such a low calorie intake....you'll burn yourself out. My .02

tserine

I run about 5 miles plus followed by weights or pillates on my regular gym days, and i have not seemed to loose weight. It fluctuates a lot and yes I have been consuming the suggested 1200 calories as well. From my experience, when I was less active but was following strict diet i was loosing weight with no problem, but being very active with little calories resulted in either weight gain or no weight loss. I have yet to figure out what my body is trying to tell me. But it is frustrating seeing the numbers go up in the scale.
good luck

RGv2

Hey everyone!
Thank you all so much for your help. I talked with my PCP about this, and he said that if I'm burning more calories than I'm eating (which, I totally am, since apparently I'm under eating anyways) I should be dropping weight. Not only have I gained weight, but I've been doing this diet/exercise routine now for 4 weeks, and have barely lost 5 lbs. I'm very interested in understanding how this is possible, especially since my PCP seems to be clueless.

I want to be healthier, not just more skinny (although a lower BMI is associated with health). So, could someone please just explain all of this so I can understand?

Thank you!

Um..... you've been at this 4 weeks and lost 5 lbs. That's over a pound a week.

Either way, now would be a good time to open your diary to receive more help.