Working Out and Gaining Weight?!?

jzammetti

Thanks for posting that article - I was dealing with a new running routine and weigh gain that was driving me insane because I was 10 pounds from my goal and gained a pound and a half. Phew - I feel better now

Voncreepy2

Be sure and check you food labels. A lot of "diet foods are low in fat but higher in sodium, try taking in a little less. I feel your pain, I can gain 3-4 lbs overnight in water!!! It really is the most frustrating thing!!! Good luck to you.

mmapags

THIS MAKES ME CRAZY WHEN PEOPLE AFTER STARTING TO WORK OUT THEY THINK THEY ARE GAINING MUSCLE..............WRONG WRONG WRONG!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! YOU CAN NOT GAIN MUSCLE IN THAT SHORT TIME AND WITHOUT HARD ASSS WORK AND PROPER CALORIES.

PEOPLE CHECK WHAT YOUR STICKING IN YOUR MOUTHS! THEN RECHECK IT! THAT IS WHY YOUR GAINING WEIGHT OR ITS YOUR BODY ADJUSTING IF YOUR EATING IS PERFECT BUT I HIGHLY DOUT IT!

You must be crazy if you think someone working for two weeks won't gain any muscle at all. She gained some, lost some, just not enough for it to show on the scale between the other stuff we have in our bodies.
Please check what comes out of your mouth ! Then recheck It !

Actually, here are several reason why she did NOT gain muscle.


1. She is on a calorie deficit (quite possibly a large one)
2. Her exercise routine is cardio.
3. She is not doing heavy weight training
4. To create muscle, your body needs to be able to go anaebolic (reference # 1)
5. On a good week, a woman can average 1/2 lb of muscle growth.

Thanks for posting lemon. I was tring to ignore that post because I couldn't come up with a nice way of saying it without saying something like you knucklehead in the middle of it. You did it just fine!!

Sarauk2sf

Sorry to kind of hijack this thread, but I have a similar question to the OP. I'm not new to running or working out, but after completing an IM two years ago I gave myself some time off and then some. So, long story short, I'm here on MFP to lose weight. I'm 6.0 tall and weigh 185. GW is 155-164, somewhere I feel comfy. So, I'm experimenting with eating about 1600 on non-workout days, and about 2100 on the days I work out, give or take depending on the amount of energy I expend. I'm running again, and doing pushups and situps (I need to work on these for the Army PT test) and have been gaining weight. I'd like to believe what everyone says about it being water retention, but at what point should I reexamine my caloric intake? Feel free to take a look at my diary, it's open.

How long have you been eating at that level and how long have you been working out?

Well, I guess I've been eating at this level for about two weeks. I've been consistently working out in terms of running and stuff for about the same amount of time. But I'm usually active with my work, so I've had mixed results with either eating less or working out less.

Seems a little light to me (I am not a fan of big deficits when you do not have much to lose) but not extremely so. You should give any change to your diet/exercise routine at least 4 weeks before you determine whether it is working or not. So, I would suggest giving it a few more weeks. See how your energy levels are and tweak as needed. You probably have quite a bit of room to tweak upwards but I would not go down much lower if I were you, especially if you need to keep your energy up for the PT test. You are pretty tall and so would have a quite high daily calorie burn compared to most.

blytheandbonnie

Yup, muscles retaining water. It's cool. Chill out. Weigh and measure less often. Bodies fluctuate.
And no, muscle doesn't weigh more than fat, we all know that, but we also all know that people mean a pound of muscle has less mass than a pound of fat. It's annoying when people mislabel something, but it's also annoying when we're all pendants.
... so says the pendant. (Me.)

... uh, that would be 'pedant'. Sorry, couldn't help myself.

Sarauk2sf

..

psuLemon

THIS MAKES ME CRAZY WHEN PEOPLE AFTER STARTING TO WORK OUT THEY THINK THEY ARE GAINING MUSCLE..............WRONG WRONG WRONG!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! YOU CAN NOT GAIN MUSCLE IN THAT SHORT TIME AND WITHOUT HARD ASSS WORK AND PROPER CALORIES.

PEOPLE CHECK WHAT YOUR STICKING IN YOUR MOUTHS! THEN RECHECK IT! THAT IS WHY YOUR GAINING WEIGHT OR ITS YOUR BODY ADJUSTING IF YOUR EATING IS PERFECT BUT I HIGHLY DOUT IT!

You must be crazy if you think someone working for two weeks won't gain any muscle at all. She gained some, lost some, just not enough for it to show on the scale between the other stuff we have in our bodies.
Please check what comes out of your mouth ! Then recheck It !

Actually, here are several reason why she did NOT gain muscle.


1. She is on a calorie deficit (quite possibly a large one)
2. Her exercise routine is cardio.
3. She is not doing heavy weight training
4. To create muscle, your body needs to be able to go anaebolic (reference # 1)
5. On a good week, a woman can average 1/2 lb of muscle growth.

Thanks for posting lemon. I was tring to ignore that post because I couldn't come up with a nice way of saying it without saying something like you knucklehead in the middle of it. You did it just fine!!

I post to ensure you don't HULK out on us and take down the forums.

dellashanks

Muscles do not weigh more than fat. A pound is a pound. There could be many reasons why the scale isn't moving. For one, sometimes muscles will retain a lot of water, especially when you first start working out, thus causing the scale to go up. Also, with your increased activity, perhaps you may need to eat a little more? And I've also heard that sometimes it may take a few weeks, or maybe even a month for your loss to actually show up on the scale. In the meantime, a better gauge may be how do you feel. More energy? Clothes getting looser?

Yeah a pound is a pound, but a bowling ball still weighs more than a feather. A pound of fat is bigger than a pound of muscle because muscle is more dense.

Very true! A pound of muscle is smaller than a pound of fat!

mmapags

THIS MAKES ME CRAZY WHEN PEOPLE AFTER STARTING TO WORK OUT THEY THINK THEY ARE GAINING MUSCLE..............WRONG WRONG WRONG!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! YOU CAN NOT GAIN MUSCLE IN THAT SHORT TIME AND WITHOUT HARD ASSS WORK AND PROPER CALORIES.

PEOPLE CHECK WHAT YOUR STICKING IN YOUR MOUTHS! THEN RECHECK IT! THAT IS WHY YOUR GAINING WEIGHT OR ITS YOUR BODY ADJUSTING IF YOUR EATING IS PERFECT BUT I HIGHLY DOUT IT!

You must be crazy if you think someone working for two weeks won't gain any muscle at all. She gained some, lost some, just not enough for it to show on the scale between the other stuff we have in our bodies.
Please check what comes out of your mouth ! Then recheck It !

Actually, here are several reason why she did NOT gain muscle.


1. She is on a calorie deficit (quite possibly a large one)
2. Her exercise routine is cardio.
3. She is not doing heavy weight training
4. To create muscle, your body needs to be able to go anaebolic (reference # 1)
5. On a good week, a woman can average 1/2 lb of muscle growth.

Thanks for posting lemon. I was tring to ignore that post because I couldn't come up with a nice way of saying it without saying something like you knucklehead in the middle of it. You did it just fine!!

I post to ensure you don't HULK out on us and take down the forums.

ROLFL!

BrianSharpe

Sorry to hear about your troubles, I've been there, too. The key is being patient, looking at long-term results, not giving up, and starting a program and sticking with it. I had most of my success with the Diet Solution Program by Isabel Des Los Rios, since it helped me lose most of my fat (and keep it off) in a relatively short amount of time. Highly recommend it for you. Here's a review on it of you want to learn more about it: http://fantasticfitnessreviews.com/the-diet-solution-program-review/

Good luck and hope this helped!

A silly OT question.........of your 12 posts every one refers to the website in bold. Smells a little like spam around here.......

nemiredi3

Thank you All so much for your help and advice! You guys made me feel better about all the various reasons this could be happening and it probably happens to many. I am going to take advice and stay away from the scales and start measuring..I have been slacking on the workouts but I am getting right back into it today and am going to try not to get discouraged. :-) Thanks Again! But if I continuously workout and eat healthy and don't lose inches either I will be coming back ! :-)

ASHLEYINVEGAS

I started working out yesterday. I am a freak about everything I put in my mouth.
I also gained 1 lb in 24 hours. Came home this morning after my second round of working out and Wha-La! There is another 2 lbs on the scale!
As to the water retention, I still don't like gaining an ounce when I have busted myself out at the gym and watched every calorie ( protein and veggies only - low carb, no dairy, no sugar { this would include fruits at the moment }) only to see the pounds on the scale lift off to the moon!
I am considering blowing this off entirely. I was really happy with my current weight. Would like to loose 5 lbs. However I realize I need to get firmed up, and sitting behind a desk sedentary for 10 years is not going to get those glutes into shape, nor get rid of the bat wings from my weight loss campaign over the past 6 months.
So... as to the personal trainer, go blow doors!
I am on this site to find out WHY I have gained weight for NO reason.
Get off the blog if you can't be of any help!
Anyone have any advise ( no advise please from the rude personal trainer ) on when anyone stabilizes out with the water retention or does this scenario perpetuate itself ?
Any advise would be appreciated!

psuLemon

I started working out yesterday. I am a freak about everything I put in my mouth.
I also gained 1 lb in 24 hours. Came home this morning after my second round of working out and Wha-La! There is another 2 lbs on the scale!
As to the water retention, I still don't like gaining an ounce when I have busted myself out at the gym and watched every calorie ( protein and veggies only - low carb, no dairy, no sugar { this would include fruits at the moment }) only to see the pounds on the scale lift off to the moon!
I am considering blowing this off entirely. I was really happy with my current weight. Would like to loose 5 lbs. However I realize I need to get firmed up, and sitting behind a desk sedentary for 10 years is not going to get those glutes into shape, nor get rid of the bat wings from my weight loss campaign over the past 6 months.
So... as to the personal trainer, go blow doors!
I am on this site to find out WHY I have gained weight for NO reason.
Get off the blog if you can't be of any help!
Anyone have any advise ( no advise please from the rude personal trainer ) on when anyone stabilizes out with the water retention or does this scenario perpetuate itself ?
Any advise would be appreciated!

Water retention is normal and even more common in women. You can eat foods high in potassium and magnesium to help offset some of the sodium but inevitably, your body weight fluctuates. The best thing to do is stop worrying about weight and start looking at composition. Lift heavy, have a small calorie deficit (1/2 lb per week based that you are good with your weight) and start looking for composition changes.

rileysowner

I started working out yesterday. I am a freak about everything I put in my mouth.
I also gained 1 lb in 24 hours. Came home this morning after my second round of working out and Wha-La! There is another 2 lbs on the scale!
As to the water retention, I still don't like gaining an ounce when I have busted myself out at the gym and watched every calorie ( protein and veggies only - low carb, no dairy, no sugar { this would include fruits at the moment }) only to see the pounds on the scale lift off to the moon!
I am considering blowing this off entirely. I was really happy with my current weight. Would like to loose 5 lbs. However I realize I need to get firmed up, and sitting behind a desk sedentary for 10 years is not going to get those glutes into shape, nor get rid of the bat wings from my weight loss campaign over the past 6 months.
So... as to the personal trainer, go blow doors!
I am on this site to find out WHY I have gained weight for NO reason.
Get off the blog if you can't be of any help!
Anyone have any advise ( no advise please from the rude personal trainer ) on when anyone stabilizes out with the water retention or does this scenario perpetuate itself ?
Any advise would be appreciated!

You didn't gain weight for no reason, you gained weight because your new exercise stressed your muscles and to repair and become more "toned" they need extra water to hold the nutrients needed for that.

Secondly, stop weighing every day if it freaks you out so much. When it comes down to it weight is one of the least helpful or important measures of progress. A good example of that can be found here http://www.nerdfitness.com/blog/2011/07/21/meet-staci-your-new-powerlifting-super-hero/ Notice by the end of the article Staci weighted more but based on the pictures looks much leaner than at the lower weight. Fat is not as dense as muscle, so at similar amounts of weight a greater percentage of muscle will look a lot better and take up a lot less space.

Third, you didn't gain any fat. That is the important thing. If you are simply looking at weight loss you can easily forget that the goal is the loss of excess fat, not simply weight. In view of that, take measurements (chest, waist, hips at the very least) and do so every couple of weeks. If you have the money getting a good measure of body fat percentage would be even better but really the only accurate measures are a Dexa scan, BodPod or Hydrostatic weighing. Calipers have too much variation unless the one doing the measurements is very skilled and consistent, and the Bio-electrical Impedance (what the scales or hand held units use) can be thrown off simply by drinking several glasses of water.

14111984

I joined my fitnesspal about 2 years ago and I lost all baby weight within 6 months. Now, after two years of that I gained 10 kilos and I desperately want to lose it. I have been working out (treadmill) for one hour 5 days a week and eating only 1200 calories for three weeks but still gaining weight .... I am so disheartened . I have about 10 kilos to lose and I dont know where I am going wrong . please help

psuLemon

I joined my fitnesspal about 2 years ago and I lost all baby weight within 6 months. Now, after two years of that I gained 10 kilos and I desperately want to lose it. I have been working out (treadmill) for one hour 5 days a week and eating only 1200 calories for three weeks but still gaining weight .... I am so disheartened . I have about 10 kilos to lose and I dont know where I am going wrong . please help

As we indicated in the thread its not new fat, its water. Second with 20 lbs to lose you goal should be set at no more than 1 lb a week. Third, make sure you up your protein to hit about 70% of your weight in grams of protein and 4th drop some of the cardio and start weight training ( at least body resistance) until you can get weights. If you go to the gym look at programs like new ruoes of lifting for women or starting strength.

Lk00

I'm having the same problem. In 6 months I lost 30 pounds and now that I'm doing harder workouts I've actually gained 6 pounds which is really depressing me. However, people keep telling me not to worry about it and keep doing what I'm doing and that eventually I'll start seeing a difference on the scale. I sure hope they're right because I've been working hard.

ninerbuff

I'm having the same problem. In 6 months I lost 30 pounds and now that I'm doing harder workouts I've actually gained 6 pounds which is really depressing me. However, people keep telling me not to worry about it and keep doing what I'm doing and that eventually I'll start seeing a difference on the scale. I sure hope they're right because I've been working hard.

As mentioned, higher intensity workouts will likely cause more water retention/glycogen storage due to higher demand and recovery.

Realize that to gain 6lbs of fat, that would be an excess of 21,000 calories over your TDEE and if it was "pure" muscle that would mean 3600 over TDEE. If you're in calorie deficit, it's obviously NOT happening.

A.C.E. Certified Personal and Group Fitness Trainer
IDEA Fitness member
Kickboxing Certified Instructor
Been in fitness industry for 30 years and have studied kinesiology and nutrition

sheila519

Thank you, It is silly when people argue that muscles and fat weigh the same "a pound is a pound" Look people, weight is what we are measuring, so volume would be the constant.
Example: A cubic inch of muscle does in fact weigh more than a cubic inch of fat because it is more dense. Inch per inch, steel weighs more than packing foam.
Keep in mind that water is more dense than fat as well. (this is why oil floats on top of water)
I rode my bike last night for the first time in a very long time, I am swollen, stiff, and my muscles ache. I stepped on the scale and gained 2 lbs. This is neither fat nor muscle weight, but rather water retention.

Snip8241

Thank you for all of the advice. Yes. I started a new routine, I am sore all over....the scale is up four pounds. That being said I am going over my food diaries and being honest about crap food in them. I am buying a better scale so I know exactly what is going in my mouth.
I am scale obsessed. No more. Am putting it away and keeping my tape measure out.
Thanks again everyone.

_KitKat_

Hey All,
I am so frustrated right now. I have been on my fitness pal for about 2 weeks now and I recently started exercising and have been gaining weight! I only lost a 1.2 lbs the first week and got down to 138.8 but after working out for about a week I am up to 142.2 ... that's 3.4lbs. I thought with adding in working out I would actually start dropping weight but it's the opposite.It makes me want to quit working out. I have been eating the same and not going over my calories, been drinking tons of water, and been doing the Jillian Michael's Videos and some other workouts as well. What am I doing wrong? Has this happened to anyone else? I want to lose about 20lbs and I feel like that's not happening. I am pretty short at 5"3 and I am petite my clothes aren't fitting better and I feel heavier. Any advice would be greatly appreciated!

I have not read all of the replies......

First OP calm down, I can gain 4lbs (on scale) throughout the day. It is a normal weight fluctuation due to water weight, digestion ect. When you start a new exercise program, your muscles will retain water to help with repairs....you did NOT gain muscle. Gaining muscle is hard for a guy lifting and eating a surplus, it is damn near impossible for a female eating at a calorie deficient and definitely not in a week?

Here are the basics.....

*Log EVERYTHING

*Weigh Solids

*Measure liquids

*Exercise for fitness
(weight lifting is my recommendation)

*Be Honest with Yourself

*Measure yourself, take silly pictures and then enjoy your progress.

And............

*****MOST IMPORTANTLY******

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READ THIS

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http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/1080242-a-guide-to-get-you-started-on-your-path-to-sexypants
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THEN READ IT AGAIN........ :drinker:


If you have 75+ lbs to lose 2 lbs/week is ideal
If you have 40-75 lbs to lose 1.5 lbs/week is ideal
If you have 25-40 lbs to lose 1 lbs/week is ideal
If you have 15 -25 lbs to lose 0.5 to 1.0 lbs/week is ideal
If you have less than 15 lbs to lose 0.5 lbs/week is ideal


*will come back and read, mostly repeated already sound advice.