Looking leaner but gained 5 pounds in a week?

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lavender101
lavender101 Posts: 27 Member
in Health and Weight Loss
Okay, quick stats here: I'm 5'6, a female, and as of today, 132lbs. Exactly a week ago, I was 127lbs.

I've been cleaning up my diet (Yes, I am always for the occasional venti skinny peppermint mocha at starbucks, but veggies and fruit are becoming staples!), and adding in cardio/strength training videos form Fitness Blender for about a week now.

I'm coming from a past of restrictive/overeating dieting, but weighed about 127lb while on that cycle.

However, now I'm finally pulling myself together, and becoming healthier. I'm thinking I've gained a little from muscle, and a little from eating more calories (I used to hardcore restrict down to 127, then "feel skinny" an binge like crazy) from GOOD NUTRITIOUS food, and I'm just kinda wondering, what gives?

1. Is my weight actual weight, or simply water weight?
2. Is it actually possible to gain that much muscle in a week?
3. I've heard that when you start upping your calories after a restrictive diet and start working out, that you do gain weight, however it goes away with consistency. Is this true?

I would like to maybe lose back down to 127, but hold onto my muscle. Is that an okay action to take?

I tried on my size 2 shorts today and they fit fine, and I checked my waist measurement, and it was the exact same as 127.

Replies

  • terbusha
    terbusha Posts: 1,483 Member
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    It is HIGHLY unlikely that you put on 5 lbs of actual fat in a week. Some may be due to some muscle gain, but I would suspect that a good portion of it is water. Adding muscle is very tough for a woman. You simply do not have enough testosterone to put on muscle fast. Also, to add that much body fat in a week, you'd need to be eating 2500 calories over your maintenance level every day. I think it's mostly water, possibly from added stress of working out or increased salt in your diet.

    You said that you were on a restrictive diet. How many calories/day were you eating? What did you increase your intake to? I worry that your metabolism may be repressed. If that is the case, you will want to do a reverse diet to SLOWLY increase your caloric intake and build your metabolism back up.

    Check out these videos by Layne Norton. He has a PhD in protein metabolism, is a natural bodybuilder/powerlifter, and is a highly regarded fitness competitor coach.

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QHHzie6XRGk
    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A3gTGLulLnI

    I'd be happy to chat with you more about this.

    Allan
  • lavender101
    lavender101 Posts: 27 Member
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    I'm starting to think it's water too. For the amount of water I drank yesterday, I wasn't using the restroom nearly as much as you'd think I should've been needing to go.

    I'm actually doing that right now! I'd say my restricting was around 1,000 calories a day, and right now I'm eating about 1,250. I know that's not enough, however, I'm trying to let my body get used to it for a few weeks before I up my intake again.
  • terbusha
    terbusha Posts: 1,483 Member
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    good, let me know how that goes for you.

    Always here to help
    Allan
  • Boogage
    Boogage Posts: 739 Member
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    When I increased from 800 I gained a couple of lbs but as soon as I got up around 1400 the weight just fell off plus about another 10lbs.
  • SezxyStef
    SezxyStef Posts: 15,268 Member
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    it's not muscle...you don't gain muscle eating at a deficet and as mentioned it is hard for women to gain muscle...

    If you just started new exercise it's probably water/glycogen stores to help repair the muscle...

    GIve it a couple weeks and it will settle out and be fine.
  • thewhitedragonfly
    thewhitedragonfly Posts: 33
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    If you're female, your weight can trick you A LOT. Hormones react to all kinds of things and it's impossible to know exactly what's going on all the time :tongue: (A nurse once told me that if men would get the same hormonal changes that we have (just like that, with no preparation), they would get really sick. :smokin: )

    Don't care too much about it unless it continues the same way.
  • TonyStark30
    TonyStark30 Posts: 497 Member
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    Muscle stores just filling out. To be honest this is me Most Mondays after a big deficit all week then eating Normally on Sundays, I ALWAYS look better on Monday Morning after working out. In reality you are going to always gain that few pounds when you finish the dieting, and will look more 'toned' with your muscles full compared to when they werent (with the same Body fat) hence a leaner look.

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