Increased exercise, gained 2lbs

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amberchammock
amberchammock Posts: 10
in Fitness and Exercise
So much like anytime I've tried to lose weight, I started walking with friends and paying attention to what I eat and I lost about 10 lbs, overe the last 2 weeks I've started logging my food and trying to increase my daily steps and elevation (according to my fitbit). But this week I've been kind of on my own as the friends I usually walk with we're unavailable and have ended up logging way more steps and running a good bit of my workouts....but I've GAINED two pounds this week!?!? And this is where I always get frustrated and give up my weight loss efforts. Haha But I don't want to give up this time, I just don't understand why this always happens! Granted I am a muscular build for a girl (and I am quite strong without trying) so I try to stay hopeful it it muscle but is 2 lbs of muscle in a week normal?? And how long will I gain until the fat gets taken care of??

HALP!

Replies

  • beachlover317
    beachlover317 Posts: 2,848 Member
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    As a woman, you have to know that your body weight goes up and down every day - ALL DAY. Mine can fluctuate by as much as 5 pounds in a day. The best thing to do is to put the scales away. Keep weighing and measuring your food and exercising. When your clothes begin to feel looser? You will know you're losing.

    The number on the scale is not really evident to friends & family. Your shrinking body will be. If you're already at the point of giving up, re-evaluate your reasons for doing this. Put your HEALTH first and your body will follow. Good luck! :drinker:

    ETA: Nope, 2 lbs of muscle in a week is probably impossible.
  • TavistockToad
    TavistockToad Posts: 35,719 Member
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    its not muscle, its probably your muscles retaining water if you have increased your exercise.

    you need to look at the bigger picture with exercise - not only can it help weight loss but its good for your health. and if you throw in some strength training then you can increase the caloies you burn at rest, meaning you get to eat more, so its win all round once you get past scale weight being the be all and end all!
  • zlauerMom
    zlauerMom Posts: 183 Member
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    When muscles are pushed to do more than they normally do, they often get little tears. The muscle rebuilds itself stronger over the next couple of days. During that process water weight goes up. Once the muscle is done, it lets the water go.

    So that two pounds is a good sign. It is an indicator that you are asking your body to work harder and it is building itself up to meet your demand. Don't let the 2-4 days of water weight gain side track you. If you track your exercise and weight, you will see this whenever you do something new and different for your body. Particularly, anytime you do an activity that leaves muscle soreness (gardening, new workout routine), you could experience temporary water weight gain. It's a good thing.

    Good luck staying on track!
  • RobynLB83
    RobynLB83 Posts: 626 Member
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    When you ramp up training, you damage your muscles (in a good muscle building way). That extra weight is the extra water your muscles have in them while they repair.
  • amberchammock
    amberchammock Posts: 10
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    wow I knew about the tears but not that it caused water retention! Very good info! I have made a conscious decision to stick out this go and not focus so much on the ups and downs of the scale but since this is the reason I have given up so much in the past, I was very curious what you all had to contribute!

    Thank you for the responses! With the muscles needing so much water, should I increase my water goals also? My job is so mentally and physically needing I rely a little too heavily on coffee so I have been trying REALLY hard to get at LEAST 2L a day but with exercise that still doesn't seem like much...
  • Flab2fitfi
    Flab2fitfi Posts: 1,349 Member
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    I started training again a couple of weeks ago and for the first couple of weeks my weight went up by over 5lb. Now all the extra water weight has gone and I'm at my lowest weight. When I start a new routine I ignore the scales for a couple of weeks as otherwise it can be quite depressing.
  • bwogilvie
    bwogilvie Posts: 2,130 Member
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    Thank you for the responses! With the muscles needing so much water, should I increase my water goals also? My job is so mentally and physically needing I rely a little too heavily on coffee so I have been trying REALLY hard to get at LEAST 2L a day but with exercise that still doesn't seem like much...

    For most people, 2 liters per day is more than enough. You can count coffee in that; it's not really a diuretic, though people still think it is. (http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/caffeinated-drinks/AN01661) If you sweat a lot when exercising, then drink more water. If you drink when you're thirsty, you'll get enough water.

    If you've significantly increased the amount of endurance exercise you do, your muscles are probably storing more glycogen as fuel. For each gram of glycogen stored, they also store 4 grams of water. However, unless you're doing serious carbohydrate loading, it's not going to be very much. Tim Noakes's book "The Lore of Running" goes into immense detail on the physiology of carbohydrate storage and exercise, if you're interested in more. Noakes has also written on the dangers of over-hydration and criticized the sports drink industry for encouraging amateur athletes to drink more liquid than they really need.

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