weight training and unwanted weight gain!

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  • DawnEH612
    DawnEH612 Posts: 574 Member
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    I would suggest that you start taking measurements so you can see losses that aren't scale related. Log every single bite you take. Watch your sodium. Drink plenty of water and eat some bananas or other potassium rich foods. And then just apply some time and patience. The scale will go back down. You just need to wait a little bit.

    Genuine question- why the potassium? Does it help stop your muscles retaining water and glycogen?
    Potassium helps the body balance out sodium in the body and ultimately rids the body of water retention due to excess sodium. (Sodium-potassium pump) But i dont suspect this is water retention due to sodium, but more due to glycogen stores.
  • Sarauk2sf
    Sarauk2sf Posts: 28,072 Member
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    I would suggest that you start taking measurements so you can see losses that aren't scale related. Log every single bite you take. Watch your sodium. Drink plenty of water and eat some bananas or other potassium rich foods. And then just apply some time and patience. The scale will go back down. You just need to wait a little bit.

    Genuine question- why the potassium? Does it help stop your muscles retaining water and glycogen?
    Potassium helps the body balance out sodium in the body and ultimately rids the body of water retention due to excess sodium. (Sodium-potassium pump) But i dont suspect this is water retention due to sodium, but more due to glycogen stores.

    Correct. It will not 'help' with fluid in muscles, just possibly with normal bloat type water retention if sodium levels are high.
  • mousepaws22
    mousepaws22 Posts: 380 Member
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    Thanks!
  • MissInce26
    MissInce26 Posts: 31 Member
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    I would suggest that you start taking measurements so you can see losses that aren't scale related. Log every single bite you take. Watch your sodium. Drink plenty of water and eat some bananas or other potassium rich foods. And then just apply some time and patience. The scale will go back down. You just need to wait a little bit.

    Genuine question- why the potassium? Does it help stop your muscles retaining water and glycogen?
    Potassium helps the body balance out sodium in the body and ultimately rids the body of water retention due to excess sodium. (Sodium-potassium pump) But i dont suspect this is water retention due to sodium, but more due to glycogen stores.
    oh iv been taking I-glutamine supplements for musle recovery should I stop?
  • brower47
    brower47 Posts: 16,356 Member
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    Ok thanks thats made me feel a bit better hopefully it is just water weight I'll take some measurements and see how it goes I'm really enjoying the weights and kinda like the pain in my muscles a day later just want to look slim and toned and not like a female bodybuilder. The weight gain was a shock though when iv been sweating all week.

    Female bodybuilders don't happen by accident--you would either have to take steroids or work specifically to attain that kind of look, or both.

    This. It takes loads of HIGHLY specialized training and eating in order to attain the female body builder look. Casual weight lifting will NEVER achieve that look.
  • kcritter77
    kcritter77 Posts: 162 Member
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    Ok thanks thats made me feel a bit better hopefully it is just water weight I'll take some measurements and see how it goes I'm really enjoying the weights and kinda like the pain in my muscles a day later just want to look slim and toned and not like a female bodybuilder. The weight gain was a shock though when iv been sweating all week.

    Female bodybuilders don't happen by accident--you would either have to take steroids or work specifically to attain that kind of look, or both.
    I bust my rear every week to put on muscle and lose body fat... After 19 months i am still at 20% body fat.


    <~~~~~Just decided 20% is my goal :) You look fab!!
  • Sarauk2sf
    Sarauk2sf Posts: 28,072 Member
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    I would suggest that you start taking measurements so you can see losses that aren't scale related. Log every single bite you take. Watch your sodium. Drink plenty of water and eat some bananas or other potassium rich foods. And then just apply some time and patience. The scale will go back down. You just need to wait a little bit.

    Genuine question- why the potassium? Does it help stop your muscles retaining water and glycogen?
    Potassium helps the body balance out sodium in the body and ultimately rids the body of water retention due to excess sodium. (Sodium-potassium pump) But i dont suspect this is water retention due to sodium, but more due to glycogen stores.
    oh iv been taking I-glutamine supplements for musle recovery should I stop?

    There are no adverse side effects as far as I am aware, even at pretty high doses.

    Why are you asking whether you should stop? However, I am not aware of anything that shows it 'works' so I would not bother taking it myself.
  • grimendale
    grimendale Posts: 2,153 Member
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    This is water retention. It should recede soon. When you first start working out, or significantly increase intensity, you generate a lot of microtears in your muscle fibers. Your body sees this as an injury and responds by inflaming the tissue around the tears and retaining water to kill any possible infection (part of the inflammation response). Thus, for about 2-3 week, you will see anywhere from a 5 to 10 lbs gain on the scale due to water retention (water is surprisingly dense). Once you acclimate to the workout (which should be soon), the water weight will drop off and you'll start seeing losses again, provided your diet is right. Don't sweat it and stick with it. The water weight will go away soon.
  • MissInce26
    MissInce26 Posts: 31 Member
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    This is water retention. It should recede soon. When you first start working out, or significantly increase intensity, you generate a lot of microtears in your muscle fibers. Your body sees this as an injury and responds by inflaming the tissue around the tears and retaining water to kill any possible infection (part of the inflammation response). Thus, for about 2-3 week, you will see anywhere from a 5 to 10 lbs gain on the scale due to water retention (water is surprisingly dense). Once you acclimate to the workout (which should be soon), the water weight will drop off and you'll start seeing losses again, provided your diet is right. Don't sweat it and stick with it. The water weight will go away soon.
    thank you for the good info and thought I would update this post Im already finding it easier to lift the weights and back to my normal weight so the 5lb did come back off quickly have taken body measurements and will judge by that in a month x
  • LeanneGoingThin
    LeanneGoingThin Posts: 215 Member
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    It's possible the 5lbs is just your muscles filling with water to repair themselves.

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