Why do I put on lbs after exercising?

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hannahlily84
hannahlily84 Posts: 2 Member
in Fitness and Exercise
Hi everyone!

Coming to you today from a very snowy and cold UK! I'm new to posting on here, so any help and advice will be very well received!

I joined MFP a while ago to try and lose my last stone or so, I've lost a total of 50lbs so far, but lately I just keep yo-yoing up and down the same 5lbs! Very frustrating!

My question is, why do I put on 1 - 2 lbs on the scales if I have done a big work out?! I usually find it if I've done a kettle bells class (after not having done one for a while), and yesterday I did an Insanity work out followed by 30 minute ab work out and some wii dancing! I do the insanity programme and maybe a couple of other bits here and there if I find the time, but other than that I have a desk job so don't move about all that much!

I am totally stuck at my weight and would love to lose the last 14 lbs, and seeing that I've gone up a pound since yesterday is very dishartening!

Help please! :)

Replies

  • NyimaR
    NyimaR Posts: 108 Member
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    your muscles are probably storing more water.
  • dhakiyya
    dhakiyya Posts: 481 Member
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    water retention. don't worry about it, it's not fat. It means you worked your muscles hard.

    Don't focus on the scale so much, focus on inches and how your clothes fit and what you look like in the mirror. Most weight gain you see on a day to day basis is water weight fluctuations. Look for a trend over time. You lose and gain fat slowly, a big drop or jump in scale weight over the course of a day or two is definitely not fat. Healthy fat loss you're looking about 1-2lb of fat a week being lost, maybe a little more if you have loads to lose, and less than that for the last few lbs.
  • bearwith
    bearwith Posts: 525 Member
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    Make sure that your calories intake is not too high. Maybe re-enter your values and see how many cals you should be eating.

    Start measuring your portions and log them religiously.

    Cut back on carbs - try and get most of your cals from the fibrous veggies and fruits. Do not chop them up too much as then you can burn more cals digesting them.

    Do not go for long exercise sessions at the same level, do interval training. This means let your heart rate go from resting through to absolute panting breathing 6-7 times every 30 minutes.
  • kathy41017
    kathy41017 Posts: 6
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    It's normal to have daily fluctuations in your weight. Certain foods cause water retention, hormones affect it, both up and down, water consumption varies day to day, exercise affects it, etc.

    Don't get on the scale every day because it will make you nuts as your weight bounces around 1-3 lbs every day. Weigh your self maybe once a week at, same time of day. If you dwell on the day to day changes you will get frustrated.
  • Yasminusherwood
    Yasminusherwood Posts: 2 Member
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    Because you are building muscle, always weigh yourself before you work out and measure your waist and hips to get a true indication of weight loss.
  • AnvilHead
    AnvilHead Posts: 18,344 Member
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    Good explanation of it here:

    http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/595473-why-the-scale-goes-up-with-a-new-workout-program-must-read
  • MoreBean13
    MoreBean13 Posts: 8,701 Member
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    Make sure that your calories intake is not too high. Maybe re-enter your values and see how many cals you should be eating.

    Start measuring your portions and log them religiously.

    Cut back on carbs - try and get most of your cals from the fibrous veggies and fruits. Do not chop them up too much as then you can burn more cals digesting them.

    Do not go for long exercise sessions at the same level, do interval training. This means let your heart rate go from resting through to absolute panting breathing 6-7 times every 30 minutes.

    Immediate weight gain after exercise has nothing to do with diet.
    OP- it's water weight. It's a protective reaction for your muscles to hold intramuscular fluid to aid in the repair process.
  • CyberEd312
    CyberEd312 Posts: 3,536 Member
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    Make sure that your calories intake is not too high. Maybe re-enter your values and see how many cals you should be eating.

    Start measuring your portions and log them religiously.

    Cut back on carbs - try and get most of your cals from the fibrous veggies and fruits. Do not chop them up too much as then you can burn more cals digesting them.

    Do not go for long exercise sessions at the same level, do interval training. This means let your heart rate go from resting through to absolute panting breathing 6-7 times every 30 minutes.

    Immediate weight gain after exercise has nothing to do with diet.
    OP- it's water weight. It's a protective reaction for your muscles to hold intramuscular fluid to aid in the repair process.

    This!!
  • DavPul
    DavPul Posts: 61,406 Member
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    Why are you weighing yourself before and after exercising?
  • hannahlily84
    hannahlily84 Posts: 2 Member
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    I don't weigh myself straight after exercising, I happened to weigh myself the day after a big work out!

    Just hope the lbs will start to fall off soon!

    Thanks for all of your info guys! :smile:
  • mmtiernan
    mmtiernan Posts: 702 Member
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    Don't be a slave to the scale - it's not your friend! A more reliable method of measuring your progress is to take your measurements and track those changes instead. How are your clothes fitting? If they are fitting better or getting loose, you are on the right track!

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