Weight gain ish when you start excercise - how long

stephenmakin1

I've just started a new job which is only 10 miles away, and a very easy cycle ride. So I'm going from running for half an hour or so a day to cycling 20 miles. Last week was my 1st week and I cycled to work 4/5 days. I have discovered I *really* need to some of my exercise calories before I cycle or I just stop - one day I hadn't eaten enough and I had to stop and buy some food.

I've also not lost any weight this week - despite being *way* under my total net goal most days. Not all days thought. I suspect this is that muscle oedmea thingy.

How long does this go on for?

thazin1244

HMM..might be muscle gain..you gain little bit of muscle when you start exercising, but I don't think weight gain can last that long tho. Make changes to your meals and exercise. That way,you will lose weight. If you keep eating like before + exercise, nothing would change. Now, that is not muscle gain anymore but NOTHING gain.

taunto

Its unfortunately not muscle weight. You don't just gain muscle like that...

There are a few things that might be involved in the weight gain. It can simply be water weight. Easy enough to get and as easily to get rid of. Then you can simple be eating more than you think. I have done that more times than I care to admit. Just weight everything and watch your calories in take better. For females (which, I know you aren't but pointing it out in this thread for others), you also have the time of the month gains etc.

To be honest, 1 week gain or loss isn't something to worry about. If the gains are steady or about a month, then lower the calories.

stephenmakin1

I've been sticking to 1200 calories a day plus sometimes eating the 200-300 calories I'd burn off going for a run in the evening if I did and I was doing really well and lost 16kg.

Now I'm loosing 800calories through cycling and I've found I need to eat a bit more through the day just to have the energy to get home. The one day I ran into trouble was a 12 hour shift and I'd only eat 600 calories that day, so I just couldn't ride home.

I've still got 10kg to loose.

Should I be eating 2000calories a day or should I be sticking to 1200 but space them out a bit more?

taunto

For adult males, I personally think 1200 calories is a bit too low and specially if you have only 10 kgs to lose. I suggest you read through this thread to better understand how much you should set your caloric goals to.

http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/819055-setting-your-calorie-and-macro-targets

awinner_au

I've still got 10kg to loose.

Should I be eating 2000calories a day or should I be sticking to 1200 but space them out a bit more?

It all depends on your TDEE (Total Daily Energy Expenditure) everyone is different, 1200cals sounds awfully low. I lost 10kg at 0.5 KG (~1.1Lbs) a week eating 6500 KJ a day (1552 cals), im a lightweight though. IMO its a bit of trial and error, i just kept reducing the amount i ate till i saw the rate of loss that i wanted. You could start with a TDEE calculator and adjust from there.

The main thing though, if you are not losing weight and you calculate that you are eating less than you are expending, then your calculations are incorrect.

Meerataila

If it's just water weight gain from starting a new exercise program, ignore it and start tracking your loss again from wherever you are right now.

One day, maybe a week or a month down the road your scale might surprise you with an out of the blue three or four pound drop (especially likely after two or three rest days in a row) or it might just quietly slip away as you go along. Either way, it's just water for muscle repair, don't fret it.

Liftng4Lis

Retaining water from a new exercise program can last weeks, especially if you're doing it everyday without rest in between. It will all balance out in the end.

AusteenaHayes

Consider this. Do your clothes still fit even though the number just isn't moving? If so then it IS muscle gain. If you find that some of your clothes are getting tighter, then it IS NOT muscle gain but just fat gain.

I run six times a week and the number on the scale is pretty much the same for me. But, my clothes fit PERFECTLY and some even feel looser on me now. So I just gained lean muscle and people would look at me and be like "Damn it you're so skinny are you sure you're not underweight." So I would start to flex the muscles in my arms and be like "Does it look like I'm underweight?" Lol ;-)