How much does two weeks away from the gym impact weight?

BaileyP3

I joined a gym in October and as of January added strength training 3 days per week (cardio 5 days per week). My weight increased by 5 lbs during Jan and Feb and based upon what I've read on MFP that's a natural occurrence when incorporating strength training during the first couple of months.

Two weeks ago sprained my ankle and as a result I've been out of the gym since then. (ready to head back tomorrow!) The good news is that it's given me some time to catch up on my reading and now I realize that I was doing this all wrong. My net calories were crazy low (usually below 1000 but sometimes below 750) so I've taken this last 14 days to correct that (now eating a minimum of 1500 net cals) and I've ended up losing 5 lbs while not exercising.

But here's the question. Should I expect to see an increase in weight when I re-introduce strength training?

psuLemon

It shouldnt pending you are still aiming for the same net. In fact you might lose more weight from storing less water.

CristinaL1983

Yes. Realistically, anytime you are tearing and repairing muscle (anytime you are working to increase strength) there will be some water weight gain (or just water retention). They say that after 4-6 weeks, typically weight loss and water gain are equal and after that, you start to actually see weight loss. If you stop working out for a while your body stores less water (doesn't need it to repair muscles etc...) so weight will drop. When you go back, there will probably be a spike in weight due to water. [This has been my experience but I don't know how reliable any of this info is.]

Sorry about the sprain, hope you feel better.

BaileyP3

Thanks very much for the feedback from both of you :-) I'm hoping that continuing to keep my net calories at appropriate levels will help too. Funny how missing just two weeks at the gym can make me feel out of shape.