Gaining weight after working out.

victorialchoo

It's only been a week since I started working out and cutting calories but I already GAINED 2 pounds. Is that normal? Am I gaining muscle? When will I start burning fat. Feeling a bit down because the more I try the more I feel like in gaining weight. *sob
Any suggestions or reasons on why this is happening or what I can do better?

More info: I'm doing circuit training 30 min a day and hiking an hour 3x/week. Eating 1100 calories a day because I know I burn about 1200 without exercising.

Help!

kellyscomeback

Are you eating back your calories? If not, try that for 2 weeks and you will probably notice a difference. The week I didn't eat back my calories I didn't budge on the scale, but when I did eat them back the scale was going down.

schobert101

Its fluid retention. See this

http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/128737-temporary-weight-gain-explained?hl=weight+gain+with+starting+exercise&page=1#posts-1748079

Arizona_JR

It takes months and months to gain even a pound of muscle. It's more likely just water weight. I know how frustrating it is weighing in after that first tough week only to find little change. Just stick with it, and you will see results in the next couple of weeks. :happy:

Aileen46

Are you drinking lots of water? And are you watching your sodium intake? The water flushes out your system, and the sodium will make you retain water.

sziemba1

I have the opposite affect. AFter exercise I lose 2 pounds but by the end of the day it is back on. When I am dieting to lose weight I do not weigh myself but only oncea week at the same time/day every week. There is just too much variation that can occur within a day to know if you have really lose pounds or not.

annette79h

Drink half your body weight in ounces of water ( I have to drink 80 oz/day), water does amazing things for your body! I've been working out for 7 wks now and I didnt really start to see much loss til about week 3 or 4 then it just started coming off! Dont get discouraged, its a journey and you have to work hard and it takes time but if you keep at it, you will see results! It takes a long time to put on the weight and it'll take a while to get it off (healthily) too!! Just focus on how much better you feel and the strength you're gaining from your workouts.

yieldguru

You've up your exercise. Make sure you are drinking enough water. If not, your body will hold on to what it does get and this can make several pounds difference. I see it all the time when I don't get enough water. ...and it's frustrating. I agree with the other posts that it is likely not additional muscle as you have not been doing it long enough yet. Also, carbs stored as glycogen in your body contain water. So if you are eating lots of carbs then you may also be holding in water due to that. Large fluctuations in how you are eating (protein-carb-fat balance) will affect how your body uses the water. Also, if you are low are water it will slow down how fast you get rid of waste. Be careful how bulky your evening meal is as you may "seem" to be heavier the next day, but once you do your morning constitutional your weight may be down, but you may have already eaten. So it's difficult to get a good morning weigh in when you eat heavy at night. These are things I have noticed affect how much I weigh.

stephanielynn76

Its fluid retention. See this

http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/128737-temporary-weight-gain-explained?hl=weight+gain+with+starting+exercise&page=1#posts-1748079

This. My husband and I have both been training hard and tracking our weight with our workouts for a while now. Both of us notice slight increases on the scale (2-3lbs) following days of intense training, especially "leg days" since these are larger muscles and the exercises done to work them are more strenuous and intense. I can almost bet if I'm having a sore day... my weight will be up a little. I've learned to just ignore this increase or just stay off the scale on these days so that I don't let it get to me. It's weird seeing that bigger number even when my clothes are pretty much falling off. I know I've not "gained" but it still messes with my head!

jamielise2

Yes, it is normal. Water retention, a little muscle weight, and other factors can play in. Try to keep your NET calories around 1150 - 1300, and make sure you are drinking wter because you need water to metabolize fat. Also, what seems to be working for me (because I work out hard 5-6 days a week) is eating extra protein and not eating all my fat and carbs. Chobani greek yogurt has been my friend. TONS of protein, NO fat, and just a few carbs.

rileysowner

Its fluid retention. See this

http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/128737-temporary-weight-gain-explained?hl=weight+gain+with+starting+exercise&page=1#posts-1748079

This. My husband and I have both been training hard and tracking our weight with our workouts for a while now. Both of us notice slight increases on the scale (2-3lbs) following days of intense training, especially "leg days" since these are larger muscles and the exercises done to work them are more strenuous and intense. I can almost bet if I'm having a sore day... my weight will be up a little. I've learned to just ignore this increase or just stay off the scale on these days so that I don't let it get to me. It's weird seeing that bigger number even when my clothes are pretty much falling off. I know I've not "gained" but it still messes with my head!

This is correct. Here is another link to an article about it. http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/200544-why-do-you-sometimes-gain-weight-when-starting-a-new-exercis

Don't worry about it. If you diet remains good within the budget of calories you have from MFP, this weight gain is simply your muscles holding on to water to help them recover from all this new exercise. Even experienced, fit people have this when either changing to a different exercise program or increasing the intensity of their program. It will pass. This is one of the major reasons using only a scale to measure thing is not very good. Get a tape measure and measure yourself as well.

victorialchoo

Thank you this is really encouraging!