Can exercise cause weight GAIN?

rosiecbolton

I have been on MFP for 4 months now and have lost nearly a stone. Recently I have been doing great. I cut my calorie intake but do not do that much exercise.
Over the weekend I did 16 hr 30 minutes doing leaflet distribution for my cleaning biz. 2 shifts Sat and Sun at 8 hour 15 each. I was exhausted when I finished!
I was really excited to get on the scales yesterday morning and this morning but I have put 2 lbs on EACH DAY! I am now 4lb up even though I burned over 2000 cals per day!
Could it be fat turning to muscle or perhaps water going into my muscles as they got inflamed? What is going on?

JenMc14

1. Fat does not turn into muscle. They are two completely different substances.
2. It takes much more than 2 days of exercise to put on any significant muscle, let alone 4 pounds.
3. It is likely water retained in your muscle. You did not gain 4 actual pounds in two days unless you ate 7000 calories more than you burned. Weight fluctuates, this is why I try not to weight myself daily, or "count" the weight if I do weigh outside of my "official" day. You also will not necessarily see a drop in the scale the very next day after working out, even if you burned 2000 calories, it doesn't just drop off because you burned it, it still takes some time.

fishgutzy

More likely water retention.
I can "lose" 2 pounds in 45 minutes. But i know it is just the sweat I lost, not fat.

xiamjackie

More likely water retention.
I can "lose" 2 pounds in 45 minutes. But i know it is just the sweat I lost, not fat.

I agree with both of the above posts. I have weighed myself sometimes before and after a good session at the gym and found that I "lost" 1-2 pounds. Obviously I didn't burn off that fat in those 60 minutes but I just lost some water weight. I tend to weigh more when I exercise and if I took a week off of exercise sometimes I find that I lose 4-5 pounds. I believe it's water retention. When you're exercising, your muscles hold on to water to repair themselves. If you're not, they don't tend to do that.

ktsmom430

Sounds like water retention.
Weight loss comes mainly from calories in calories out.
Did you keep well hydrated during your long hours walking?

timeasterday

Another vote for water. Your muscles will hold some extra water as part of the recovery process.

letjog

did you eat back those 2000 calories because you "earnt" them?
I bet you did not burn that much in addition to your daily requirements.
Most likely you have fluid in your muscles and extra food in your digestive system.