Rather peculiar...weight gain after deficit

andyluvv

I have had my fitbit for ages now and I love it.
However I'm on a bulk/cut cycle and it seems like fitbit is not working as well anymore?

I weigh myself every week and I usually have calories left by the end of the day which would surely mean I should be losing weight? Except my weigh in today....a whole kg gained!

Not quite sure how or why (maybe sodium and water retention? Creatine? Not sure!). I'm just wondering if somehow I messed up my metabolism and if I did how do I get it back up and running? lol

Thanks guys!

Kimsied

Which were you doing recently bulk or cut? I really don't know much about this process. My regular process is switching between maintain and cut. It is commonly believed by people who know way more than I do that cutting can slow your metabolism. But one of the common fixes is to maintain or even bulk to counteract that. I would be surprised if bulking would slow your metabolism, it seems it should do quite the opposite. ??? But from what you say, creatine does commonly cause fluid weight gain. I tried it for a while (even though I was cutting) because I was doing a progressive strength training program and it was commonly suggested to use creatine and to have a protein drink after. I noticed a 3 -4 pound weight gain shortly after starting the creatine even though I was eating at a deficit. I don't really use either anymore, no particular reason just that I didn't notice it making much difference for me--other than the immediate weight gain from the creatine (it wasn't a continuous gain though, I think just once that I noticed and it was lost after I stopped using it). I get that to some extent with strength training anyway--creatine just seemed to make the usual strength training fluid gain a little more. So if you just started using or increased your dose--maybe that is why?

heybales

I have had my fitbit for ages now and I love it.
However I'm on a bulk/cut cycle and it seems like fitbit is not working as well anymore?

I weigh myself every week and I usually have calories left by the end of the day which would surely mean I should be losing weight? Except my weigh in today....a whole kg gained!

Not quite sure how or why (maybe sodium and water retention? Creatine? Not sure!). I'm just wondering if somehow I messed up my metabolism and if I did how do I get it back up and running? lol

Thanks guys!

So 2.2 lbs gained in one week if you thought it was anything but water weight, would imply your average eating level was daily about 1000 over your maintenance level, or TDEE.

I'm betting you know very easily your eating level was not 1000 calories over true maintenance.

Water weight.

Were you still sore at weigh-in? You retained water in muscles for repair.
Did you eating higher sodium day before? You had increased body water.
Has workouts included more cardio of some form? More stored carbs with attached water and increased blood volume.

Sure you are fine, as long as cut is reasonable for amount to lose, or if extreme at least very short, like a week.

andyluvv

Thanks guys!
I bulked for a bit and went on a high fat diet to cut. It just seems like my body has stopped its ability to lose weight completely. I mean, I've been eating way over maintenance sometimes and I still don't lose anything. Frustrating to say the least.

Then I have one bad day like today (couldn't resist a cupcake!) and I go OMG I'M GOING TO BALLOON lol
I walked for four hours on saturday, had a 1000 calories deficit and boom - weight gain.

So would bulking speed up my metabolism? I haven't done cardio in ages (my gym is a good half an hour walk and back, so I tend to get my daily 10.000 steps that way and count it as cardio).

Thanks again

heybales

If you went on high fat diet when you cut, I'm guessing that means lowish carbs.
So deficit in itself would causes slightly depleted muscle glycogen stores with water. That type of diet would deplete even more.
Which means any time you happen to eat more carbs - straight to muscles with water.
So depending on weigh-ins, total water fluctuations.

That huge deficit and perhaps not intense exercise but lengthy and new sounds like a big stress. Elevated cortisol, retained water, just for that.

Bulking would speed up metabolism slightly, as more muscle burns more calories even at rest, only about 6 per lb per day, but still, something.

What bulking does better is allow a much harder workout because of better recovery, if allowed. Harder workout means more recovery needed.
Recovery from lifting, building back up and stronger, burns more for 36-48 hrs. So kind of metabolism, but for sure a higher daily burn rate compared to lifting in a deficit, where you just can't do as much damage with tired muscles.

That kind of walking is good cardio, blood flow going, aids repair, and warmup and cooldown from lifting.

So depending on other stresses in life, may not be able to do steep deficit. Or would be better to back off same type of lifting in a deficit compared to in surplus.

http://www.bodyrecomposition.com/training/weight-training-for-fat-loss-part-1.html

andyluvv

Yeah I'm trying to lose a bit before going back on the bulk, but doing it less gradually now.
Also not so much through the high fat diet atm since boy - that diet REALLY makes you struggle with going to the loo!

Trying to lose just a bit more (a couple of kg / half a stone) before going again on a bulk.
Then gaining the weight aagin and starting over.

That'd work, yes?

And thank you so much for the feedback/input!
I love this community

heybales

That is the more effective for time method.

How much you gain or lose is up to you.

Guys with a good lifting program eating in surplus (forgot how much, thought about 500 daily) can gain 1 lb muscle mass in a month.

So you could go a month, assume 1 lb muscle gain and whatever extra was fat. Which might be about 3 lbs.

Then cut until the fat weight is gone. Carefully watching if you get weaker on the bar near the end of the cut, indicating you might have gone too far.

If 500 deficit, then 3 wks to lose the fat.

7 weeks now, time for deload week for great recovery eating at maintenance, then week after come back to surplus totally recovered and rested and really pound out the improvements.