Gained 5lbs after Running a 5K. What Happened?

starrsearching711
starrsearching711 Posts: 15
in Fitness and Exercise
Hi Everyone,

Yesterday, I ran a 5k, played volleyball for 1 hour and walked an additional 2 miles. I also monitor what I eat, and only consumer 1,200 calories a day, 120 carbs and 40 grams of fat. Anyway, yesterday was the most active I have been for awhile, so when I stepped on the scale this morning, I was shocked that I had gained 5, YES 5! pounds in one day.

Does anyone have any idea what could cause this? I am NOT starving myself, before anyone mentions that. I eat when I'm hungry, I'm just not hungry much because when I do eat, I eat the right food that fills me up.

So, does anyone have any ideas?
Thanks!
«1

Replies

  • djs2303
    djs2303 Posts: 93 Member
    Muscle....quite simply you've most likely increased your muscle mass, as muscle is denser then fat
  • ThickMcRunFast
    ThickMcRunFast Posts: 22,511 Member
    Your muscles are retaining water for repair.

    Though I would suggest 1200 is too low for that much activity.

    eta: you most certainly did not gain 5lbs of muscle in one day. As women, it would be hard for us to gain 5lbs of muscle in 6 months without a serious hypertrophy routine.
  • starrsearching711
    starrsearching711 Posts: 15
    I know I couldn't have gained 5lbs of muscle, I was just shocked that I gained 5lbs! I stepped on and off several times, and even walked around for a bit before getting on again. And, sure enough, the scale stayed the same. I'm still in shock.

    So do you guys think I'm just retaining water? And well, lots of water?
  • djs2303
    djs2303 Posts: 93 Member
    Sorry ive not read it thoroughly, didn't realise you meant in one day o.O
  • RGv2
    RGv2 Posts: 5,789 Member
    Muscle....quite simply you've most likely increased your muscle mass, as muscle is denser then fat

    I really, really, really hope my sarcasm detector is broken.

    computer-facepalm.gif

    It's probably water...
  • RGv2
    RGv2 Posts: 5,789 Member
    Sorry ive not read it thoroughly, didn't realise you meant in one day o.O

    Even if it was 1 year it would be impossible.

    OP has an extremely low calorie intake for the activity they are performing, and from how the post reads, is doing zero strength training.

    OP, why do you eat so little while being so active, especially at your age?
  • ineedscissor
    ineedscissor Posts: 7 Member
    Questions:
    -Did you use the same scale both times?
    -How long between the weighing?
    -Did you poop/eat before or after weighing?

    I just ask because I thought that a couple of pound shift from day to day is fairly normal, especially with the pooping and eating that occurs sporadically during the day. And I know that the scale at home is lighter then the scale at work, but heavier then the one at my parents house. If I had to guess, I would say check again in a week, and If the weight is still a concern, then wonder.
  • katylil
    katylil Posts: 223 Member
    Muscle....quite simply you've most likely increased your muscle mass, as muscle is denser then fat

    You cannot gain muscle doing cardio on a deficit. Physically impossible.

    Most likely it's water retention. Your muscles are fatigued and are holding onto as much water as they can to recover.

    Give it a couple of days, drink lots of water, eat some protein, you'll be fine.

    PS also I just re-read: that much exercise on only 1200??!! Try upping to 1400-1500.
  • p4ulmiller
    p4ulmiller Posts: 588 Member
    Your muscles are retaining water for repair.

    Though I would suggest 1200 is too low for that much activity.

    eta: you most certainly did not gain 5lbs of muscle in one day. As women, it would be hard for us to gain 5lbs of muscle in 6 months without a serious hypertrophy routine.

    This.

    How much water did you drink on the run? How much did you eat?

    Your weight is made up of a lot of things including the things in your stomach and digestive tract.

    Don't panic. You're doing all the right things and I expect you'll drop it all again by tomorrow.
  • fleetzz
    fleetzz Posts: 962 Member
    Questions:
    -Did you use the same scale both times?
    -How long between the weighing?
    -Did you poop/eat before or after weighing?

    I just ask because I thought that a couple of pound shift from day to day is fairly normal, especially with the pooping and eating that occurs sporadically during the day. And I know that the scale at home is lighter then the scale at work, but heavier then the one at my parents house. If I had to guess, I would say check again in a week, and If the weight is still a concern, then wonder.

    My weight varies more than 5 lbs during the day. This morning I weighed in at 123.6. Yesterday I was 129.2 mid day. It happens.
  • CheerfulMom4
    CheerfulMom4 Posts: 9 Member
    My weight fluctuates like that too.
  • wilsoje74
    wilsoje74 Posts: 1,720 Member
    Muscle....quite simply you've most likely increased your muscle mass, as muscle is denser then fat
    in one day?
  • xiamjackie
    xiamjackie Posts: 611 Member
    I would suggest not weighing yourself on consecutive days. Once a week would suffice. Weight can fluctuate greatly from day to day.
  • dixiewhiskey
    dixiewhiskey Posts: 3,333 Member
    Water weight for muscle repair! Relax.. you just ran a 5K!!
  • starrsearching711
    starrsearching711 Posts: 15
    Although the calorie intake may be low, I feel like I'm always eating. I'm always munching on something, usually freeze dried apple chips or something similar. After my runs, I usually have a caramel rice cake, with lowfat peanut butter and a banana, which fills me up really quickly. And then I have dinner within the hour. I'm most active at night, so during the day when I'm not active, I'm just not hungry. I have a small breakfast and lunch and fruits throughout the day.
  • starrsearching711
    starrsearching711 Posts: 15
    I probably drink 1.5 gallons of water per day. It varies.
  • RGv2
    RGv2 Posts: 5,789 Member
    Although the calorie intake may be low, I feel like I'm always eating. I'm always munching on something, usually freeze dried apple chips or something similar. After my runs, I usually have a caramel rice cake, with lowfat peanut butter and a banana, which fills me up really quickly. And then I have dinner within the hour. I'm most active at night, so during the day when I'm not active, I'm just not hungry. I have a small breakfast and lunch and fruits throughout the day.

    That still doesn't mean you're properly fueling yourself......

    I would say if you run 3-4 times a week your BMR alone is closer to 1600 calories....
  • dixiewhiskey
    dixiewhiskey Posts: 3,333 Member
    Although the calorie intake may be low, I feel like I'm always eating. I'm always munching on something, usually freeze dried apple chips or something similar. After my runs, I usually have a caramel rice cake, with lowfat peanut butter and a banana, which fills me up really quickly. And then I have dinner within the hour. I'm most active at night, so during the day when I'm not active, I'm just not hungry. I have a small breakfast and lunch and fruits throughout the day.

    That still doesn't mean you're properly fueling yourself......

    +1
  • _Zardoz_
    _Zardoz_ Posts: 3,987 Member
    Muscle....quite simply you've most likely increased your muscle mass, as muscle is denser then fat
    No you don't gain muscle in a deficit. It's water
  • starrsearching711
    starrsearching711 Posts: 15
    I talked about this concern with my PCP, and he said that as long as I don't feel hungry, I shouldn't eat. Thoughts?
  • dixiewhiskey
    dixiewhiskey Posts: 3,333 Member
    Yes

    Doctors aren't exactly nutritionists or dieticians. They are taught that 1200 is the minimum for women (1500 for men) and a lot of other nonsense when it comes to food intake that doesn't help anyone.

    There is a difference between someone who is inactive, not eating when they don't feel hungry and someone who runs 5K or does any cardio/lifting activity! You need to refuel. I personally do not know how you run 5Ks on such a low intake. I couldn't work out doing anything at all if I ate that little on a regular basis.
  • RGv2
    RGv2 Posts: 5,789 Member
    Yes

    Doctors aren't exactly nutritionists or dieticians. They are taught that 1200 is the minimum for women (1500 for men) and a lot of other nonsense when it comes to food intake that doesn't help anyone.

    There is a difference between someone who is inactive, not eating when they don't feel hungry and someone who runs 5K or does any cardio/lifting activity! You need to refuel. I personally do not know how you run 5Ks on such a low intake. I couldn't work out doing anything at all if I ate that little on a regular basis.

    This^^^^

    What is your ht, wt, and how many times a week do you run and for how long?
  • Stripeness
    Stripeness Posts: 511 Member
    Yes

    Doctors aren't exactly nutritionists or dieticians. They are taught that 1200 is the minimum for women (1500 for men) and a lot of other nonsense when it comes to food intake that doesn't help anyone.

    There is a difference between someone who is inactive, not eating when they don't feel hungry and someone who runs 5K or does any cardio/lifting activity! You need to refuel. I personally do not know how you run 5Ks on such a low intake. I couldn't work out doing anything at all if I ate that little on a regular basis.

    This^^^^

    What is your ht, wt, and how many times a week do you run and for how long?

    +2

    And if you want peer-reviewed backup, the biological mechanisms described in this article are not restricted to anorexics. Sometimes it's better to eat "by the book" and trust that over time your body's signals will become more reliable.

    www.cell.com/trends/neurosciences//retrieve/pii/S0166223613000064?cc=y#MainText
  • starrsearching711
    starrsearching711 Posts: 15
    I'm 5'4 and 170lbs.
    For the past 4 weeks I've been jogging for about an hour. Originally, I could barely do a mile. But now I'm jogging just over 3 miles 6 days a week, and my pace is about 11:30/mile. Then, I do sprints/high intensity cardio with a friend going to school to be a personal trainer 3 nights a week for 30 minutes. And then 6 nights a week I do core/leg/butt workouts for 30 minutes.
  • qaysara123
    qaysara123 Posts: 1 Member
    :huh: I'm sure you will see a significant weight lost next week. Keep up the good work.
  • katylil
    katylil Posts: 223 Member
    You're definitely not eating enough.

    I just put in your details in the IIFYM calculator (http://iifym.com/iifym-calculator/) and it's calculating that with your age, height, weight and working out 6x a week (even with a "reckless" fat loss percentage goal of 25%!) you should be on 1726 calories a day.

    And the actual recommended number is coming up as 1841.

    If you want some help, try reading this. It's one of the most informative posts I've come across on MFP :) good luck!

    http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/1080242-a-guide-to-get-you-started-on-your-path-to-sexypants
  • starrsearching711
    starrsearching711 Posts: 15
    Hey everyone!
    Thank you all so much for your help. I talked with my PCP about this, and he said that if I'm burning more calories than I'm eating (which, I totally am, since apparently I'm under eating anyways) I should be dropping weight. Not only have I gained weight, but I've been doing this diet/exercise routine now for 4 weeks, and have barely lost 5 lbs. I'm very interested in understanding how this is possible, especially since my PCP seems to be clueless.

    I want to be healthier, not just more skinny (although a lower BMI is associated with health). So, could someone please just explain all of this so I can understand?

    Thank you!
  • RGv2
    RGv2 Posts: 5,789 Member
    I'm 5'4 and 170lbs.
    For the past 4 weeks I've been jogging for about an hour. Originally, I could barely do a mile. But now I'm jogging just over 3 miles 6 days a week, and my pace is about 11:30/mile. Then, I do sprints/high intensity cardio with a friend going to school to be a personal trainer 3 nights a week for 30 minutes. And then 6 nights a week I do core/leg/butt workouts for 30 minutes.

    At your Ht, Wt, Age and your activity level of 3-5 hrs a week (It may be more by this post, but I'm sticking with it).

    Your TDEE is = 2470 (maintains your weight)

    BMR = 1593 (keeps you going in a coma)

    TDEE -20% = 1976 (Your goal in order to safely lose and sustain weight loss).

    If you're really only taking in 1100 calories and not hungry, there's something else going on. You're either not calculating correctly, or there's something else going on.

    I believe if you keep up this level of exercise at such a low calorie intake....you'll burn yourself out. My .02
  • tserine
    tserine Posts: 12 Member
    I run about 5 miles plus followed by weights or pillates on my regular gym days, and i have not seemed to loose weight. It fluctuates a lot and yes I have been consuming the suggested 1200 calories as well. From my experience, when I was less active but was following strict diet i was loosing weight with no problem, but being very active with little calories resulted in either weight gain or no weight loss. I have yet to figure out what my body is trying to tell me. But it is frustrating seeing the numbers go up in the scale.
    good luck
  • RGv2
    RGv2 Posts: 5,789 Member
    Hey everyone!
    Thank you all so much for your help. I talked with my PCP about this, and he said that if I'm burning more calories than I'm eating (which, I totally am, since apparently I'm under eating anyways) I should be dropping weight. Not only have I gained weight, but I've been doing this diet/exercise routine now for 4 weeks, and have barely lost 5 lbs. I'm very interested in understanding how this is possible, especially since my PCP seems to be clueless.

    I want to be healthier, not just more skinny (although a lower BMI is associated with health). So, could someone please just explain all of this so I can understand?

    Thank you!

    Um..... you've been at this 4 weeks and lost 5 lbs. That's over a pound a week.

    Either way, now would be a good time to open your diary to receive more help.

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