Running and weight GAIN? :(

DaniJeanine

I am truly at a loss and I could use a little encouragement. Possibly a little commiseration if someone else has experienced the same thing.

For about 3 months now I have been running and training for a 5K. I just completed my first race and my average run is at least 30-35 minutes and 2.8-3 miles. I eat well, not perfect, but VERY well. I count most days--my biggest problem is on the weekends if there is a party of dinner.
I do 20 mins of kettlebell training 2-3 times per week. So HOW is it possible that I've gained 3 pounds?! My boyfriend keeps telling me that it's muscle gain & my body adjusting, but I'm having a hard time buying into that theory Any thoughts?

jeffd247

I was training for a 5k and doing a lot of lifting last fall, and noticed that I started to gain a little weight and then my weight just stood still for a while.

I bought a tape measure and some calipers and found that I was losing inches in all the places I wanted to. I changed my goal from "losing weight" to "getting fit". I figured as long as I was losing fat, I didn't care what the scale said.

Sometimes the scale is a big jerkface liar.

053069

You can check on your fat percentage to see if you have gained muscle weight. Are you on any meds? If yes, see if there are any secondary effects. You said you eat "very well", perhaps you have to watch the quantity as this transforms in calories :-).
I had the same issue this year in February, I was spinning every day for 45 minutes, been on a diet with no sugars at all and no carbs at all (Montignac Diet) where how much you eat did not matter, and as a result did not loose one pound for a month.
I have switched to counting calories, signed up on this terrific site, continue spinning every day, I eat a bit of each and I am on the right track. My husband told me the perfect recipe for the people hitting the gym big time is chicken and rice (protein and carbs).
Very important is not to eyeball food on your plate at least at the beginning, I was surprised to see how wrong was I on some food items. Good luck

DaniJeanine

I definitely count during the week (1300 net). The weekend is my downfall--I don't go nuts by any means, but it's hard to avoid slacking at dinners out or with red wine. BUT! Since I've noticed this little gain I've been MUCH better on the weekend. I got through this past weekend without going over (NSV!) but still, I would hope my metabolism could handle a little slack! Sigh. Maybe calipers are a good idea...

SeattleJill

I definitely count during the week (1300 net). The weekend is my downfall--I don't go nuts by any means, but it's hard to avoid slacking at dinners out or with red wine. BUT! Since I've noticed this little gain I've been MUCH better on the weekend. I got through this past weekend without going over (NSV!) but still, I would hope my metabolism could handle a little slack! Sigh. Maybe calipers are a good idea...

Did you check your sodium level? I realized that I'm ultra sensitive to sodium. Going above 1800 or so mg's for me means 3-4 lbs of water weight that I spend the next week pee-ing out. I get more sensitive to it when I do extensive cardio. I have no idea why. My entire family has high blood pressure regardless of what size they are. I'm the only one not on medication for it and i still test in the per-hypertensive levels after losing 50lbs, eating healthy and watching my sodium intake . I imagine it's a genetic thing for me. At least that's the pattern I noticed when i gained 3 lbs but didn't eat 3lbs worth of calories. Also, it truly could be muscle. Have you tried measuring?

blobby10

I have had the same issue for a year - and have come to the conclusion that the alcohol and more 'relaxed' approach to eating at the weekend is far outweighing the good I'm doing on the other 5 days. Despite the fact that at weekends Im constantly on the move and rarely sit down (sit down all week in my job).

Try tracking really seriously one weekend and see how much you actually go over by

asciiqwerty

exercise will only contribute to your calories deficit - weight loss = calorie deficit

you say the weekends are your downfall - i had a lot of weekend issues to start with, but my biggest problem wasn't what I ate at weekends, it was that I didn't log weekends

1. become accountable to yourself
2. take it one weekend at a time: log this weekend and celebrate, next try two in a row
3. get more accurate with your logging (we *all* underestimate our consumption - just not everyone is aware or willing to admit it)


if you are not losing then you are eating more than you burn BUT there are many ways to measure loss - not just the scale, go for a spread and track weight, also inches (waist hips, bust, neck), and take piccies, and keep a log of good and bad days, some weeks i don't lose weight but i do lose inches -> this is still a win for me
track each measure under constant conditions and no more than once a week if possible

MeanderingMammal

Sounds like you recognise the issue yourself, you're eating more than you need to for weight loss.

It's unlikely that you're seeing any sigificant muscle gains as the length of the sessions that you mention isn't really long enough to be stimulating muscle development.

mrdyll

Let the mirror be the judge, not the scales. We all notice the slightest change in our appearances. If you are noticing a growing amount of fatty tissue really control those weekends. Since I've been at college my abs have been starting to disappear, I've been at the gym 6 days a week for 3 months and eating better than I ever did. I shouldn't be gaining fat right? It's just all the drinking, it's a fat magnet. I'm trying to cut it down to only one day a week, but even that's hard. Cutting alcohol out of your diet will drastically change your weight loss.