New to the gym and gaining weight

Dedshot
Dedshot Posts: 145
in Fitness and Exercise
Hi everyone. First time forum poster here.
Upon transferring to my new school last month, I decided to take initiative and begin working out. Now, I am naturally small. I never exercised routinely (though I spend a lot of time walking ad riding my bike when the weather is warm), never did sports, never really dieted. I am 5' 3", and for years now I have been about 102 pounds without doing anything to maintain that. Thanks to my genetics, I have a very petite build.

I wanted to start going to the gym because despite being skinny, I still have some extra fat on my body that I would like to decrease (just excess tummy fat mainly), in addition to strengthening my muscles because of my arthritis, and gaining muscle in other areas.
For about two weeks, give or take a few days, I have been doing about 30 minutes of cardio a day (not on weekends though), and alternating the next half hour of the workout each day with either legs or arms. I am also planning on doing Zumba twice a week. I already have strong abdominal muscles underneath my belly fat from working them out years ago which is why I'm not doing as much with abs as with other areas. I'm just doing cardio and leaving the abs to Zumba. I know that after some time, I will be seeing the results I want.

There's some background, but now for the question. I weighed about 103 before the semester, and since working out these couple weeks, also eating as healthy as I can being college student (I also drink plenty of water) I've gained about 3 or 4 pounds! I'm not sure why this has happened. I have asked my friends who have been working out for several months now, and they told me that this is muscle growth, the fat beginning to be replaced. But in two weeks? That just doesn't sound possible. Although my body is very sensitive.

So what do you all think? I figured my weight would be maintained for at least a couple months until I started to replace the fat with muscle and would start to see my weight be higher due to this, but that doesn't happen in just two weeks, does it?

Thanks!

Replies

  • Dedshot
    Dedshot Posts: 145
    * For the record, I am not paranoid about my weight nor am I trying to lose weight. So, please, no comments about that. I am only asking here to see if this initial weight gain is normal. It honestly is very discouraging when people try to insult me for exercising and being healthier just because of my size. *
  • Nikiki
    Nikiki Posts: 993
    are you consistent in your weigh in times/days? I know it sounds silly but I weigh in on Wednesday morning, before eating and after... well you know... ;) to get a consistent reading. Also what are you eating? if you're eating high sodium foods (especially if you eat packaged or restaurant foods) you may see gains from water retention.

    Its a pretty short period of time to have gained that much muscle, but its also pretty unlikely that you could have gained that much fat too. I'd lean towards water retention as a cause. I also see gains in the day or two after starting more intense weight workouts because the muscles are swelling.
  • sazrina
    sazrina Posts: 99 Member
    If it helps I found that I gained a couple of pounds when I first joined the gym and started going 5 times a week. I didn't exercise at all before this. After a couple of weeks the weight started coming off. People said to me that it was because my muscles were retaining water.
  • MrsRobertson1005
    MrsRobertson1005 Posts: 552 Member
    It could be water weight. You're working muscles that you don't normally work so they are tearing and growing. Part of that is holding water to help them repair and cushion.
  • Ctrum69
    Ctrum69 Posts: 308 Member
    Have you subconciously started eating more "because you are working out"?

    Is the nutrution offered at college better than what you had before?

    Is it the "Freshman 15"?

    Boot camp in the military is not easy.. it's very intensive exercise and training. Yet many "skinny" people gain during it, even while killing themselves at the PT.
  • kckBxer396
    kckBxer396 Posts: 460 Member
    My weight fluctuates within 5 pounds, it seems any given day. That's normal. Are you sure it's not weight fluctuation due to water retention, et cetera? :)
  • Dedshot
    Dedshot Posts: 145
    This was the first time I'd weighed myself in about a month, because the last time I stepped on a scale was the end of first semester. 103 is an estimate, which is why I said "about 103", because that's a higher end of my normal weight fluctuations.

    I'm eating a lot of protein and fiber, veggies, fruit. Probably a little more sodium than I should, but that's something I'm working on cutting back! I think water retention is actually a really probable cause; next week is my "time of the month" and I weighed myself earlier this week. Thursday I think.

    I think I've solved this mystery.. Hahaha.
  • Dedshot
    Dedshot Posts: 145
    No, I'm not eating more. And I'm not gaining fat.
    Water retention is most certainly the answer for a few reasons.
  • MeadowSong
    MeadowSong Posts: 171 Member
    If I work hard enough to get sore, I'll show a gain of a couple of pounds. You may have eaten a bit more as well, but I wouldn't worry a bit, just keep working out and if you see yourself putting on fatness, well then watch what you're eating. You're doing well not to obsess, a big lifestyle change is going to take some getting used to and if you're doing the right thing--well then, keep doing it!

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