Noooooooooooooo

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emmab0902
emmab0902 Posts: 2,337 Member
in Health and Weight Loss
every time I get back into exercise I GAIN weight. And it's happened again. Been back into it for about 3 weeks and my weight has gone UP by 2 kg. And I am eating at a modest deficit so its not muscle mass. Makes me want to chuck it in and go back to being a couch potato :-(

Replies

  • bethanyweathers
    bethanyweathers Posts: 296 Member
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    Your muscles are retaining water because they've been worked. Make sure to drink plenty of water after your workouts and weigh on the morning after a rest day, so your muscles have a chance to re-cooperate. Don't give up!
  • LaurenAOK
    LaurenAOK Posts: 2,475 Member
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    That's your body's natural response to exercise at first. You are NOT gaining fat (unless you're overestimating how much you burn, and therefore eating more than you burn off). When your body is under stress like a new or tough exercise regime, it holds on to water for healing purposes. It also retains a certain chemical or hormone, but I can't remember the name of it right now. Anyway, both of those things will cause the scale to go up, but it doesn't mean you're actually gaining weight!
  • cmriverside
    cmriverside Posts: 34,080 Member
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    Then your numbers are off. Either you are under estimating your food intake, over estimating your exercise calories, or your daily calorie goal is off in general. You have to tweak it a bit until it works for you. Use a food scale, etc.
  • todd6977
    todd6977 Posts: 400 Member
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    check your measurments
  • emmab0902
    emmab0902 Posts: 2,337 Member
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    I do use a food scale. I usually err on the side of caution in exercise calories and don't eat them ALL back. I thought water retention only happened when you do heavy lifting - my exercise is mainly swimming, cardio and a gym programme of mainly bodyweight exercises. Plus started Brazil Butt Lift but that isn't heavy lifting either.
  • lisab0864
    lisab0864 Posts: 154
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    That's your body's natural response to exercise at first. You are NOT gaining fat (unless you're overestimating how much you burn, and therefore eating more than you burn off). When your body is under stress like a new or tough exercise regime, it holds on to water for healing purposes. It also retains a certain chemical or hormone, but I can't remember the name of it right now. Anyway, both of those things will cause the scale to go up, but it doesn't mean you're actually gaining weight!


    Well said!!!!
  • emilybeatrice1
    emilybeatrice1 Posts: 163 Member
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    This happens to me and its frustrating
  • wolfchild59
    wolfchild59 Posts: 2,608 Member
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    Honestly, when I am training for a race and doing six days a week, intense, workouts, if I don't eat enough, I gain weight. If I only net around 1400-1500 calories, even though it's a deficit, I gain weight steadily (and not muscle, it's fat, where my pants and shirts get tight). When I do the same workouts and net around 1700-1800 calories, I'll either lose weight or inches, or a combo of the two, through the course of the training.

    Currently, I only do a very, very light workout (compared to when I'm training) five days a week and net around 1300 calories a day and have been losing steadily.

    So it's important to make sure you are eating the right calories to fuel your body. Keeping a deficit, but not too large of a deficit.
  • emmab0902
    emmab0902 Posts: 2,337 Member
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    Also, I usually keep my sodium intake around 1000 but two days ago it was 2600 but wouldnt think ONE off day would cause this. The only change I can think of is that since I last weighed myself at home (over month ago) we have had the bathroom renovated and the floor is now wood instead of tiles. BUT both are hard surfaces so its highly unlikely to be the culprit.
  • mmapags
    mmapags Posts: 8,934 Member
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    Even with sodium low, your body will still store water and glycogen in response to exercise. Not to worry. It is better if the scale is not your primary measure of progress. Steve Troutman has said, and I'm paraphrasing, optimize health, performace and physique and weight will settle where it should. Keep at it!

    PS: If I stop working out for a week or so, I lose about 4 or 5 lbs in waterweight. I'll keep the waterweight and keep on training!
  • JesterMFP
    JesterMFP Posts: 3,596 Member
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    You know logically that at a deficit you're not gaining muscle. The same applies to fat. Assuming you're measuring/logging everything correctly, you're not gaining fat, so don't worry about it.
  • CINDYRN33
    CINDYRN33 Posts: 148 Member
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    to gain 2 kg/ 4.4 lbs you would of had to eat above your bmr by 15,400 calories....you know that you didn't so that so this is more proof that it is just water retention. keep with it. track everything and you will see the changes. make sure you take your measurements so you can see progress in inches instead of just by what the scale says.

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