demoralized after gaining 4 lbs in one weekend

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cummingscb
cummingscb Posts: 24
in Health and Weight Loss
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

  • 3laine75
    3laine75 Posts: 3,070 Member
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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 :)
  • beachlover317
    beachlover317 Posts: 2,848 Member
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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.
  • Pearsquared
    Pearsquared Posts: 1,656 Member
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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.
  • LoudmouthLee
    LoudmouthLee Posts: 358
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    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?
  • jacksonpt
    jacksonpt Posts: 10,413 Member
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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 :)

    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.
  • kefryar
    kefryar Posts: 77 Member
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    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.
  • cjtsmith
    cjtsmith Posts: 2 Member
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    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 ...
  • callie006
    callie006 Posts: 151 Member
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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 :)
  • whisperwhitley
    whisperwhitley Posts: 61
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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.
  • billsica
    billsica Posts: 4,741 Member
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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!
  • Vaisaxena
    Vaisaxena Posts: 109 Member
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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?
  • nomeejerome
    nomeejerome Posts: 2,616 Member
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    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?
  • Allterrain_Lady
    Allterrain_Lady Posts: 421 Member
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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 burning
  • firesoul19
    firesoul19 Posts: 37 Member
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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.

    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?
  • rosemary98
    rosemary98 Posts: 632
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    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.
  • RoseTears143
    RoseTears143 Posts: 1,121 Member
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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!!
  • susannamarie
    susannamarie Posts: 2,148 Member
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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.
  • Michelle_dirtracer
    Michelle_dirtracer Posts: 245
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    Where are you getting your numbers from for calories burned? I think you may be overestimating.
  • jacksonpt
    jacksonpt Posts: 10,413 Member
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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.
  • cummingscb
    cummingscb Posts: 24
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    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.

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