Weight Gain!!!! Under cals and Gym...

hjcopeland

I agree with weighing in more frequently (if you choose to weigh in weekly or monthly or whatever, that's fine, no judgment here).

By frequently, I mean daily at most, at the same time of day (usually first thing in the morning, after going to the bathroom and before eating or drinking).

You can learn a lot about your body by weighing in daily.

For example, after a strenuous workout (i.e. running or lifting), it is not uncommon to gain a couple of pounds in retained water. Sore muscles can and do retain water (this is not a myth).

Water weighs over 8 lbs per gallon, so how much you drink can play a huge role as well. Drink two quarts of water, and you just "gained" 4 pounds (temporarily anyway).

You definitely need to stay hydrated, but by better understanding how your body reacts to and retains water, you can relax a little bit about what the scale says and learn to think longer term.

So, ironically, by weighing in daily and better understanding your body's normal weight fluctations, you can learn to stress less about what the scale actually says, and instead think a little more about why it says what it says, and stay focused on your long term fitness goals.

And, like several other posters mentioned, your sodium intake plays a huge role in how much water you retain. I have gained several (3-5) pounds in a single day just by blowing it on sodium intake (pizza, wings, or whatever). You can set sodium as one of the nutrients you track on your home page diary in MFP by clicking on the "Food" tab above, then "Settings".

The good news is the water weight goes away failry quickly.

But only by monitoring your weight relative to your diet can you learn how your body react to these things.

Montarosa456

Ahhhh please don’t get down about your weight, what you are on is a long journey that sometimes speeds up and sometimes get’s stuck in traffic.
When I first changed my lifestyle back in 2008 I did not loose a pound for 3 weeks and then BOOM! (but I was very overweight).
Sometimes it’s hard when your trying not to feel disappointed but don’t do the following:
*Stress – It can cause bloating/comfort eating
*Give up - (So what if it takes time/you cheat)
*Beat yourself up - by reducing calories too low/skipping meals
*Freak out over water retention – It’s normal!

More than anything eat healthy as a way of life and make work outs fun because that way you’ll stick to it and keep weight off which is the hardest part.

Good luck and keep smiling!

Sunnyjb

Stop weighing yourself. Seriously, don't weigh yourself for two weeks. Please? Obsessing over that number is bad for your health!

kalea_kane

You've gotten a lot of great tips here. I am so new too. I just wanted to say that I'm glad you posted, because I am sure that your post will help a lot of others. And for more encouragement. My weight has gone up and down between showering. It is all weirdness. I only weight myself once a week now. I asked my husband to hide the scale so I don't freak out over it. He only takes it out for me once a week.

JoanB5

you have been to the gym 5 days in a row.... you should weigh after your rest day

Hello thank you for the reply.

Sorry to sound stupid- why should you weigh after a rest day? Is it something to do with using muscles at the Gym?

When you workout your muscle retain water to aid in recovery and to protect them from damage caused by exercise. Once you get use to the workouts or take a break your muscles will shed the unneeded water.

^This. Good advice. (And make sure you are eating back at least half of your exercise calories. New muscles need more energy to make more muscle to burn more calories!)

ladymiseryali

It's more than likely water retention due to sodium overconsumption, as well as water retention from your workouts. Give it a couple of days, watch the sodium, up your water intake and then weigh in again.

Sakura_Tree

it's probably just food/water weight