Stopped Workout and LOST Weight?!?!

2

Replies

  • campi_mama
    campi_mama Posts: 350 Member
    Your body may just have needed some rest. Sometimes when it's under too much pressure it hangs on to weight. Also sore muscles hold water. Giving your muscles some time out you may have lost some water... It may return when you workout again... Only way to tell is when you start exercising again.

    Often I'm at a standstill and then I suddenly get a big whoosh... Weight loss is not linear. Don't be disheartened if a bit comes back on after exercising its just water.. Not fat! X
    :smile:
  • Sick_Beard
    Sick_Beard Posts: 407 Member
    Hate to pop ur bubble, but the 1st few lbs lost would definitely be muscle. I usually gain a couple after a good weight lifting session.

    meme-face-2.jpg
  • NCchar130
    NCchar130 Posts: 955 Member
    Personal anecdote: if I am chronically stressed, busy, and sleep-deprived, I see little to no change on the scale. A night or two of good sleep and a few days of low stress, and the scale moves down. This is whether I workout or not. I tend to get anxious and stressed fairly easily and have gone with the assumption that it's a hormonal thing (maybe cortisol?) and has become the first thing I look at if it's been a couple of weeks with little to no change on the scale or measuring tape. It also could all be a coincidence, but it's still interesting.
  • KatieJane83
    KatieJane83 Posts: 2,002 Member
    Hate to pop ur bubble, but the 1st few lbs lost would definitely be muscle. I usually gain a couple after a good weight lifting session.

    The couple pounds you're gaining after a good weight lifting session are not pounds of muscle, it takes a LOT of work plus being in a calorie surplus to actually add significant muscle weight. What you are most likely seeing is water weight as your recently-exercised muscles are retaining water to repair themselves.
  • Sarauk2sf
    Sarauk2sf Posts: 28,072 Member
    Hate to pop ur bubble, but the 1st few lbs lost would definitely be muscle. I usually gain a couple after a good weight lifting session.

    No it isn't - its water weight
  • Sarauk2sf
    Sarauk2sf Posts: 28,072 Member
    There are many possible reasons. One of which is, when you work out, you're muscles retain water to help with recovery. So, it may have been water weight. As far as 'gaining" weight, you're scale may increase, but you're not going to gain 4 lbs of fat in a week.

    Also, weight loss doesn't always happen in a linear fashion. In other words, you may be set to lose a pound or two a week, but you're body doesn't lose weight like that. You'll be the same weight in general for a while than all of the sudden, you'll drop. Many people believe they plateau, when in fact, they haven't given their body time to adjust. From what I understand, a plateau is when you don't lose anything for about 6 weeks to two months.

    Weight loss is achieved by a calorie deficit, working out helps with this deficit. Working out also helps with body composition and building and retaining and maintaining muscle. You will lose weight without doing any working outs..but you'll not be as happy with the end result than you will if you work out as well. Take a break, rest up, sleep....but when you get a chance to get back at it, I would say go for it, and not worry about the scale, but more about the end results.

    ^^this
  • Jerodhold
    Jerodhold Posts: 87
    Hate to pop ur bubble, but the 1st few lbs lost would definitely be muscle. I usually gain a couple after a good weight lifting session.

    Hate when people say stuff like this, your body is not going to start eating away your muscles if you don't workout for a few days or weeks even, if that were true then people you don't exercise at all would have no muscles because their body would've used it all up. and why would your body start using muscle for energy before the carbs you eat of stored fat? It just wouldn't make sense. And to dis-prove this, I work with a pretty big/strong guy who used to workout a lot, but he hasn't worked out for at least 6 months because he had surgery on his shoulder, and guess what after those 6 months he still has all his muscle mass, yeah he gained a little fat from the lack of exercising, but he's still got his muscle.
    Also gaining a couple pounds of muscle after "A good weight lifting session" really? You know it takes a while to gain muscle? For most people it takes about a month with proper training and proper nutrition to gain 1lb of muscle.
  • healthyformeanMona
    healthyformeanMona Posts: 143 Member
    Your body may just have needed some rest. Sometimes when it's under too much pressure it hangs on to weight. Also sore muscles hold water. Giving your muscles some time out you may have lost some water... It may return when you workout again... Only way to tell is when you start exercising again.

    Often I'm at a standstill and then I suddenly get a big whoosh... Weight loss is not linear. Don't be disheartened if a bit comes back on after exercising its just water.. Not fat! X
  • healthyformeanMona
    healthyformeanMona Posts: 143 Member
    I just liked where she said, weight loss is not linear. Has anyone heard of traveler's constipation? I think it's not just when you travel, but when your body feels an anxiety-producing stress, it goes into survival mode of sorts--unfamiliar territory, preparing for survival, or even attack...anyways, holds onto calories, as might have to burn them for fuel later. Just a thought.
  • Sabine_Stroehm
    Sabine_Stroehm Posts: 19,263 Member
    Hate to pop ur bubble, but the 1st few lbs lost would definitely be muscle. I usually gain a couple after a good weight lifting session.
    Lost muscle in a week of no cardio? I doubt it. *perhaps* a little water in the muscles, depending on the kind of work out.
  • letjog
    letjog Posts: 260 Member
    Maybe on workout days you're overestimating your calorie burn and eating back too many calories, thus losing your deficit?
  • MoreBean13
    MoreBean13 Posts: 8,701 Member
    Hate to pop ur bubble, but the 1st few lbs lost would definitely be muscle. I usually gain a couple after a good weight lifting session.

    Erm, no. Probably 2 weeks to see a decline in strength after stopping lifting. For cardio- a good rule of thumb is that you can take 1 day off for each mile after a long run without much loss in endurance...if 5 miles is your long run, you need to lace up in the next 5 days. That's ENDURANCE, not muscle. It takes a long time with a significant deficit to lose several lbs of muscle. Otherwise, sedentary people would be piles of mush. Losing strength =/= losing muscle (necessarily).

    It's loss of muscle entrained water.
  • geekyjock76
    geekyjock76 Posts: 2,720 Member
    I would chalk it to reduction in water retention due to less stress - muscles not storing as much water and cortisol levels dropping to normal parameters.
  • acogg
    acogg Posts: 1,870 Member
    I did some online research about cortisol. It is very important in weight loss and gain, especially for women.

    http://www.todaysdietitian.com/newarchives/111609p38.shtml

    Fascinating new information, at least for me.
  • onyxgirl17
    onyxgirl17 Posts: 1,722 Member
    Pretty sure it's water weight :)
  • Sincere24
    Sincere24 Posts: 126 Member
    i think the jest of the 5lbs was water weight, as your muscles tend to hold on to water when exercising. The body can fluctuate greatly from day to day as a result of water retention. One way of controlling this...( although it maybe one variable among many) is to increase your water intake from here on end. Good luck!
  • Darkskinned88
    Darkskinned88 Posts: 1,177 Member
    probably water weight...but sometimes i will take time off workouts let my body think its safe and BAM kill it again, helps with plateaus and slow losses
  • _SABOTEUR_
    _SABOTEUR_ Posts: 6,833 Member
    SLEEP is definitely a factor to weight loss!! Your body works slower if it doesn't have the energy to do what it needs to do.

    This. :drinker:
  • 5000thAngel
    5000thAngel Posts: 60 Member
    Thanks everyone! I appreciate all of the positive and very helpful feedback!!

    I drink about 80 - 100 oz of water a day (22oz water bottle that I drink throughout the day, 4 - 5 refills) and no other liquids except my 1 morning cup of coffee. I doubt I need to increase my water intake, because at 80 ounces I'm using the bathroom about every 90 minutes. As a teacher, I don't have the ability to leave my classroom except between class periods.


    There is no way my muscles actually started to ATROPHY in the 5 days. I spend all day on my feet anyway, it wasn't as if I was immobilized.


    I appreciate the reminders about weight loss not being linear, and it is probably the water weight my muscles have been storing. Or just my body saying "hey, thanks for finally NOT killing me. . . " :)


    A few people mentioned increasing my calories. My actual daily intake is 1380, is that really that low? That is what MFP told me to use with a setting of 1 lb / week
  • Sarauk2sf
    Sarauk2sf Posts: 28,072 Member
    Thanks everyone! I appreciate all of the positive and very helpful feedback!!

    I drink about 80 - 100 oz of water a day (22oz water bottle that I drink throughout the day, 4 - 5 refills) and no other liquids except my 1 morning cup of coffee. I doubt I need to increase my water intake, because at 80 ounces I'm using the bathroom about every 90 minutes. As a teacher, I don't have the ability to leave my classroom except between class periods.


    There is no way my muscles actually started to ATROPHY in the 5 days. I spend all day on my feet anyway, it wasn't as if I was immobilized.


    I appreciate the reminders about weight loss not being linear, and it is probably the water weight my muscles have been storing. Or just my body saying "hey, thanks for finally NOT killing me. . . " :)


    A few people mentioned increasing my calories. My actual daily intake is 1380, is that really that low? That is what MFP told me to use with a setting of 1 lb / week

    You do not have much to lose so I would suggest dropping that to 1/2lb a week now.

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