Weight gain

m2c988
m2c988 Posts: 3 Member
in Health and Weight Loss
So I'm not really sure why I would be gaining weight but... I've been really trying to get out there and get some exercise in at least 30 minutes a day. Well, somehow I've managed to gain weight. I think it would be fair to assume that I packed on some muscle. However I don't understand why I would have gained 6 lbs in two weeks. This seems really high, and can't possibly be all muscle. I've been eating my allotted amount of calories per day and more if I burn off too much. What could be causing the gain?

Replies

  • snazzyjazzy21
    snazzyjazzy21 Posts: 1,298 Member
    If you're in a deficit I highly double you've gained any muscle at all, sorry. So your options are either water retention, or you've been eating too many calories/over estimating calorie burn/not logging properly. Can you open your diary? That may help figure out the problem.
  • d3m1urge
    d3m1urge Posts: 38
    If you're not doing resistance/strength training then I don't think that 6lb gain is muscle. Are you weighing and measuring your foods correctly?
  • Quasita
    Quasita Posts: 1,530 Member
    Depends on a number of things.

    As per the previous comments, accurate measuring of both intake and burns is necessary to see progress. What tools are you using?
    Are you starting with a TDEE intake suggestion? If so, you shouldn't be eating back calories from exercise.
    If you are using the MFP format, then you do eat them back, but if you're using the MFP exercise estimates, you're likely getting over-estimates.

    Your ticker says that you've lose a decent amount of weight. Was that recently? Have you made sure to recalculate your calories goals for your new weight? MFP only auto-calculates with every 10lbs you lose, so if you're in between that, you'll need to manually make it recalculate.

    The other thing is, if you are coming from a mostly sedentary life where you did not exercise, and you are now exercising significantly, you could very likely be retaining water. This is because when you activate the muscles, they delete their fluid stores, and if you do not drink enough water to replenish those reserves and filter them, the muscles will strive to take the fluid from anything and will hold onto it. Another way to think about it is, when you work out after being sedentary, your body can essentially swell... Exercise and weight resistance (like walking is a resistance exercise) can cause the muscles you're using to swell in response to the workout-related microtearing and pulling... Like when you hurt yourself in an accident and your ankle swells up.

    If you open your diary, it can help... I'd suggest taking a new eye to look at your water intake as well. The more water you provide, the less likely your body feels compelled to hold on.
    And if your getting a lot of salt (like say, routinely eating microwave dinners and canned soups and veggies), add potassium rich food to your diet, as it will help bind the sodium and wash it out.

    Good luck!
  • Branstin
    Branstin Posts: 2,320 Member
    If you're in a deficit I highly double you've gained any muscle at all, sorry. So your options are either water retention, or you've been eating too many calories/over estimating calorie burn/not logging properly. Can you open your diary? That may help figure out the problem.

    +1
  • m2c988
    m2c988 Posts: 3 Member
    I have been logging my exercise with MFP and no other tools. I will say that it is possible that I've over estimated the calories I've burned as I've been doing odd exercises like shoveling dirt / landscaping / raking leaves. However, when I log calories burned I always replace half of what I've burned, so it sounds like it's water retention. Also I might be in deficit, but my muscles feel much larger, so I have to say I feel I have gained some muscle =\

    Quasita

    Yeah I was sedentary before, to the extreme. Now I exercise every day, As I've said I only eat back half the calories I burned according to MFP just in case. Why would I retain water if I was coming from a sedentary lifestyle? I have made sure to update my calories per day.

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