demoralized after gaining 4 lbs in one weekend
cummingscb
Posts: 24
I decided to start upping my exercise regiment last Thursday - and have started doing a combo of cardio/strength training/resistance training-Pilates so that I'm burning between 800-1000 calories per day. I did that Thursday-Sunday. I kept my calories between 1200-1400. Somehow I gained 4 lbs (pounds that I really fought hard for - as they put me under 200 lbs for the first time in a decade). I'm sitting back at 200 again, after being 196 last week. I didn't cheat at all - I stayed right where my "sweet spot" for calories had been (around 1300 calories), kept my sugar nice and low (around 12 grams per day), my protein high (around 90-100 grams per day), and I feel like I've been slapped in the face. It's not my time of the month, so I can't blame that (which has never caused any gain - just a brief pause from weight loss). Could I have gained 4 lbs of muscle in one weekend? Am I exercising so much that I need to increase my caloric intake?
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Replies
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your muscles are just hanging onto water for recovery, because you started doing more exercise, it'll come back off, don't worry
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No, you definitely can not gain 4 pounds of muscle in one weekend. When you begin an exercise program, you are likely to retain water as your muscles repair themselves. It will be gone in a day or two. Weight fluctuates throughout the day anyway.0
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When you up exercise, you're putting additional strain on your body and especially your muscles. To recover from this, your body retains additional water to assist with muscle and tissue repair.
In short, it's water retention. Drink additional water to help flush it through, and it should drop off relatively quickly. Since you're eating in a deficit, more than likely there's little, if any, muscle built, but it's most certainly not fat you've gained.0 -
Holy heck.
No, you don't gain 4 pounds of muscle in a weekend... or a month... or even 2 months.
Did you eat salty foods in particular? Did you rehydrate after you worked out? Are you taking your weight at the same time every time you weigh?0 -
your muscles are just hanging onto water for recovery, because you started doing more exercise, it'll come back off, don't worry
Agreed.
4lbs of actual body mass gain in 1 weekend is all but impossible. It's just water weight, which fluctuates by about 5lbs for most people. Worry about the long term trend of your weight, not the day to day or even week to week changes.
Patience, my grasshopper. Patience.0 -
I've noticed that after I up my workouts drastically, or just start working out again, my weight will go up by about 2-3 pounds. When you start working your muscles harder than they are used to, they get tiny tears (which is why your muscles hurt). When they get tiny tears, your body retains fluid to try and heal them. As you get more used to the intense workouts, your water retention will go down, as will your weight.
Just an fyi, water weight in an average weight person can fluctuate a few pounds in a day. I've weighed in at 4 pounds lighter after a workout than before, no joke, and I'm a relitavely small person, 5'5 and 125-130 lbs.0 -
My advice is only weigh yourself once a week maximum - and at the same time of day. There is a lot of variation throughout the day and throughout the week anyway. It is the long term picture that is important. You sound like you are doing all the right things. Stick with it ...0
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Unless you somehow managed to eat about an extra 14,000 calories this weekend and forget about it, it's water retention. I weight about 138 and have retained enough water to shoot me to the mid 140s when starting new workout programs. It usually passes in a few days. No need for panic 0
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You can not gain 4 pounds in one weekend, you would have to ate many many calories! which I doubt you did. You are just retaining water. Weigh yourself once a week before you eat or drink and that is your real weight.0
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Just by going by your post. I didn't look at your diary. This is just setting yourself up for an epic disaster.
if you burn 1000 calories in a day from working out, and eat 1200 cal. That gives you 200 calories for your body to survive. That's starving.
Try eating maybe oh 2600 calories. I'm just ball parking here. Don't forger rest days too!0 -
You're eating far too little for the amount of exercise you are doing - you are on your wary to having a leptin/thyroid problem if you don't already.
90g of protein is not a lot... you should be eating in the 200g/day range with plenty of carbs... and sugar isn't the monster as people make it out to be.
Also - don't let one weekend discourage you... as an experiment i ate 5000 calories in 12h... i gained 10lbs by the next day...2- 3 days later, I lost 11 lbs.I decided to start upping my exercise regiment last Thursday - and have started doing a combo of cardio/strength training/resistance training-Pilates so that I'm burning between 800-1000 calories per day. I did that Thursday-Sunday. I kept my calories between 1200-1400. Somehow I gained 4 lbs (pounds that I really fought hard for - as they put me under 200 lbs for the first time in a decade). I'm sitting back at 200 again, after being 196 last week. I didn't cheat at all - I stayed right where my "sweet spot" for calories had been (around 1300 calories), kept my sugar nice and low (around 12 grams per day), my protein high (around 90-100 grams per day), and I feel like I've been slapped in the face. It's not my time of the month, so I can't blame that (which has never caused any gain - just a brief pause from weight loss). Could I have gained 4 lbs of muscle in one weekend? Am I exercising so much that I need to increase my caloric intake?0 -
Burn between 800-1000 calories and keep your calories between 1200-1400? How are you calculating that burn and are you eating exercise calories back each day?0
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Just by going by your post. I didn't look at your diary. This is just setting yourself up for an epic disaster.
if you burn 1000 calories in a day from working out, and eat 1200 cal. That gives you 200 calories for your body to survive. That's starving.
^^ This!!
I don't know exactly how much you should eat but I know for sure it's more than 1300 calories a day. If you actually burn about 900 calories by working out you're asking your body to function on 400 calories a day.
Your body does A LOT of things, all day long; you're breathing, walking, thinking, working, your heart is pumping, hair and nails are growing...
On top of that, your body has to heal itself from the workouts. PLEASE GIVE IT SOMETHING TO SURVIVE;
I'm not a doctor but you probably should eat AT LEAST 50% of what you're burning0 -
You're eating far too little for the amount of exercise you are doing - you are on your wary to having a leptin/thyroid problem if you don't already.
90g of protein is not a lot... you should be eating in the 200g/day range with plenty of carbs... and sugar isn't the monster as people make it out to be.
Also - don't let one weekend discourage you... as an experiment i ate 5000 calories in 12h... i gained 10lbs by the next day...2- 3 days later, I lost 11 lbs.
What? 200g/day? Isn't that bad for you? I mean, yeah I guess if you're working out a crap ton, but I know I've read there are upper limits of how much protein you can process per day. I thought I was doing well with eating 80-90g/day even though MFP only puts it at around 56 for me. Also, I thought most of your workout calories that you eat back should be healthy carbs?0 -
absolutely impossible to have actual fat gain over the weekend of 4 pounds. scales are not perfect instruments, for one. secondly, the body can hold on to ten pounds of water for various reasons...could be the increased workouts, for some could be TOM, others it could be types of foods. bottom line....it is water weight and will bet it is gone in a few days.0
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Rest assured it's just water weight...those muscles are recovering. One morning you will wake up and be 5-6 lbs lighter I bet. Hang in there!! 0
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What? 200g/day? Isn't that bad for you? I mean, yeah I guess if you're working out a crap ton, but I know I've read there are upper limits of how much protein you can process per day. I thought I was doing well with eating 80-90g/day even though MFP only puts it at around 56 for me. Also, I thought most of your workout calories that you eat back should be healthy carbs?
Not really bad for you unless you have a kidney issue, but probably unnecessarily high.
MFP puts it at 15%, which is pretty low.0 -
Where are you getting your numbers from for calories burned? I think you may be overestimating.0
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You're eating far too little for the amount of exercise you are doing - you are on your wary to having a leptin/thyroid problem if you don't already.
90g of protein is not a lot... you should be eating in the 200g/day range with plenty of carbs... and sugar isn't the monster as people make it out to be.
Also - don't let one weekend discourage you... as an experiment i ate 5000 calories in 12h... i gained 10lbs by the next day...2- 3 days later, I lost 11 lbs.I decided to start upping my exercise regiment last Thursday - and have started doing a combo of cardio/strength training/resistance training-Pilates so that I'm burning between 800-1000 calories per day. I did that Thursday-Sunday. I kept my calories between 1200-1400. Somehow I gained 4 lbs (pounds that I really fought hard for - as they put me under 200 lbs for the first time in a decade). I'm sitting back at 200 again, after being 196 last week. I didn't cheat at all - I stayed right where my "sweet spot" for calories had been (around 1300 calories), kept my sugar nice and low (around 12 grams per day), my protein high (around 90-100 grams per day), and I feel like I've been slapped in the face. It's not my time of the month, so I can't blame that (which has never caused any gain - just a brief pause from weight loss). Could I have gained 4 lbs of muscle in one weekend? Am I exercising so much that I need to increase my caloric intake?
I don't agree with any of this, at least not without some context around it.0 -
To calculate calorie burn, I'm using whatever machine I'm on - like the stairmaster or the elliptical or the treadmill (after inputting my weight). If I'm taking a class (like Zumba or Boot-camp), I usually subtract at least 100-150 calories off what MFP tells me it is - because I know that it gives me too high of a calorie burn number - for instance, an hour Zumba class as a 200 lb person - even though I'm moving and bouncing constantly - I'm well aware that I have not burned 650 calories like MFP wants to give me). I'm really trying to be honest and transparent on my exercise as well as diet, since it would not benefit me to pad my numbers.
When I go to the gym and log in 800-1000 calories, I've probably spent close to 2 hours on various machines, or combination of a class and some machines, plus weights.0 -
To calculate calorie burn, I'm using whatever machine I'm on - like the stairmaster or the elliptical or the treadmill (after inputting my weight). If I'm taking a class (like Zumba or Boot-camp), I usually subtract at least 100-150 calories off what MFP tells me it is - because I know that it gives me too high of a calorie burn number - for instance, an hour Zumba class as a 200 lb person - even though I'm moving and bouncing constantly - I'm well aware that I have not burned 650 calories like MFP wants to give me). I'm really trying to be honest and transparent on my exercise as well as diet, since it would not benefit me to pad my numbers.
When I go to the gym and log in 800-1000 calories, I've probably spent close to 2 hours on various machines, or combination of a class and some machines, plus weights.
2 hours = 120 minutes. 120 minutes * 10 cals per minute = 1200 cals.
800-1000 cals per workout sounds fairly reasonable.0 -
To calculate calorie burn, I'm using whatever machine I'm on - like the stairmaster or the elliptical or the treadmill (after inputting my weight). If I'm taking a class (like Zumba or Boot-camp), I usually subtract at least 100-150 calories off what MFP tells me it is - because I know that it gives me too high of a calorie burn number - for instance, an hour Zumba class as a 200 lb person - even though I'm moving and bouncing constantly - I'm well aware that I have not burned 650 calories like MFP wants to give me). I'm really trying to be honest and transparent on my exercise as well as diet, since it would not benefit me to pad my numbers.
When I go to the gym and log in 800-1000 calories, I've probably spent close to 2 hours on various machines, or combination of a class and some machines, plus weights.
Like all of the above said, it's completely water weight. It sounds counter-intuitive, but to get rid of it, you need more water. Drink it up In about 2-4 days it should start going away. It sucks, I know
I'd also recommend eating a little more than you are, especially if you're going to be doing these workouts on a regular basis. You really don't want to under-nourish yourself, as that's a quick route to illness and discouragement from being constantly exhausted all the time. If you search "in place of a road map", you'll find a method to calculate appropriate calories for your workout level.0 -
I'm not comfortable going much above 100 grams of protein in one day - my maternal side of the family has polycystic kidneys, and I want to be sure that I'm taking good care of them, just in case.
I've never experimented with eating more than the recommended amount of calories, but now that I'm burning so much more, I guess I need to accomodate my body with more fuel. But I'm just afraid I'll shoot myself in the foot and overeat unintentionally. None of my 39 lbs lost has come off easily - no melting away, like some people have experienced - I've had to fight for each lb, so I'm just very nervous that I'll do something with the best intentions that will upset the apple cart. Thanks for the replies - I'll be taking them into consideration. It may just be my body responding to new demands and holding onto that water (which I drink a ton of).0 -
Just by going by your post. I didn't look at your diary. This is just setting yourself up for an epic disaster.
if you burn 1000 calories in a day from working out, and eat 1200 cal. That gives you 200 calories for your body to survive. That's starving.
Try eating maybe oh 2600 calories. I'm just ball parking here. Don't forger rest days too!
This0 -
When you start working your muscles harder than they are used to, they get tiny tears (which is why your muscles hurt). When they get tiny tears, your body retains fluid to try and heal them. As you get more used to the intense workouts, your water retention will go down, as will your weight.
This is a great way to explain it! I'm going to copy this!0 -
It happens with me all the time... overnight... really frustrating... gladly we know it isn't fat.0
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You're eating far too little for the amount of exercise you are doing - you are on your wary to having a leptin/thyroid problem if you don't already.
90g of protein is not a lot... you should be eating in the 200g/day range with plenty of carbs... and sugar isn't the monster as people make it out to be.
Also - don't let one weekend discourage you... as an experiment i ate 5000 calories in 12h... i gained 10lbs by the next day...2- 3 days later, I lost 11 lbs.This happened to me too- I ate about 3000 calories one day - about twice as many as I should and my scale went up 7 pounds, the next day is was down 5 and I imagine today the other 2 will be gone.
Make sure you are eating enough though- you should not net 200 calories. You need to make sure you feed your body.0 -
I'm not comfortable going much above 100 grams of protein in one day - my maternal side of the family has polycystic kidneys, and I want to be sure that I'm taking good care of them, just in case.
I've never experimented with eating more than the recommended amount of calories, but now that I'm burning so much more, I guess I need to accomodate my body with more fuel. But I'm just afraid I'll shoot myself in the foot and overeat unintentionally. None of my 39 lbs lost has come off easily - no melting away, like some people have experienced - I've had to fight for each lb, so I'm just very nervous that I'll do something with the best intentions that will upset the apple cart. Thanks for the replies - I'll be taking them into consideration. It may just be my body responding to new demands and holding onto that water (which I drink a ton of).
The question I would ask you is what do you plan to do when you reach your goal and transition into maintenance? One of the great advantages to the MFP method of slow and steady weight loss is that it builds healthy habits that you can use when you're trying to maintain your weight after losing. If you can't increase your calories a bit now then how are you going to learn to increase them when you're ready to stop losing?0 -
I will throw my hat into the ring too. You probably had too much salt and it's mostly water. Also, I gain and lose up to 2lbs between AM and PM. Weigh yourself first thing in the AM (after you go to the bathroom). Be consistent as to WHEN you weigh yourself too. I bet by the end of the week you're down to 194 or less!
Try a 3-5 day detox diet. There are plenty of natural detox solutions out there. Just research some, find something at your local health food store, or online. You could be stopped up too!
Good Luck!0 -
I will throw my hat into the ring too. You probably had too much salt and it's mostly water. Also, I gain and lose up to 2lbs between AM and PM. Weigh yourself first thing in the AM (after you go to the bathroom). Be consistent as to WHEN you weigh yourself too. I bet by the end of the week you're down to 194 or less!
Try a 3-5 day detox diet. There are plenty of natural detox solutions out there. Just research some, find something at your local health food store, or online. You could be stopped up too!
Good Luck!
nope. We poop and pee, so no reason to go purchase a detox solution.0
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