Gaining with high cardio calorie burn?

kg6blue

Hi there...
Looking for some opinions/suggestions...

I have started ramping up on bike training for a multi day bike ride at the end of the month. The past 4 days I've up'd my exercise and have "gained" 3.5 lbs in those days.
Sunday - Weight lifting 350 calories burned
Monday - 22 mile bike ride 750 calories burned
Tuesday- 25 mile bike ride 850 calories burned
Wednesday - 44 mile bike ride 1400 calories burned
I have not eaten back my exercise calories just because I wasn't hungry enough for it. The calorie burn is from my hrm so feel it's pretty accurate. Based on the scooby website, my BMR is 1510. My TDEE depending on the week of exercise is 2600... I've been averaging 1500-1800 calories most days (exercise or not)

I know i haven't truly "gained" 3.5 lbs in the last 4 days, but it's very frustrating seeing this regardless.

How does anyone "lose" weight while training for an event? When does water weight go away again??? Eventually it should right? I mean I can't keep "gaining" water weight every time I train hard, can I?

I'm taking the day off... in the past the water weight always comes off slower than it goes on so not expecting it to be gone tommorrow!

Been on a very long plateau... revert back to more exercise to get it moving, but I know that's not worked in the past for me... so I shouldn't expect it to this time...

What have others experienced?
Thanks for the input/ideas...

4theking

Increase in cortisol will increase water retention. They go hand in hand.

goldilocks509

you NEED to eat more! i posted about this yesterday and the last few days have been eating back my burned calories and have started losing again. you have to feed your body.

chosengiver

Jason is right!
I gained 8 lbs of water weight in a month right before my 1/2 Mary.
The eustress made my cortisol level rise.
About a week after the race, I was down 10 lbs! (all water--all in my abs)
I am seeing this with strength training as well.
I'll tell you the remedy:: Get off the scale! It is evil. I have weighed 1 time in a month.
It's freedom when you get off of it & don't weigh every day or every week even.

kg6blue

Thanks guys!
I haven't been back on the scale yet... its just very depressing!

Any other tricks? Does drinking more water help? What would a good recovery be after these really long workouts? I'll try to keep it at a minimum, but I'm doing Ragbrai at the end of the month, and getting talked into a couple 10 milers in the fall... so I see longer runs coming into light too.

Seems wrong that for me to lose weight I should stop exercising? Maybe its just back off on the exercise? If I do a long workout, take the next day off completely?