Do you weigh more or less after a workout?

Chika_2015
Chika_2015 Posts: 357 Member
edited October 6 in Fitness and Exercise
Okay MFP Pals,
I need some help on this one. I am getting mixed answers on whether a person weighs more or less after a workout, which consists of weight lifting and cardio. I want to hear what you guys/gals think. I even googled the topic and still getting mixed answers. Can anyone help me out with this, and i need facts, not just opinions.
Thanks again,
Chika
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Replies

  • jhardenbergh
    jhardenbergh Posts: 1,035 Member
    I find that after a straight up cardio workout, I weigh less. I sweat a lot and usually it's all water weight. After I workout where I sweat less and do more weight training I usually weight more, I think it's something about your muscles retaining water to help heal them.
  • aamon17
    aamon17 Posts: 54 Member
    I have a 5-6 pound drop after cardio when i burn 800+ calories. Water weight no doubt.
  • more.. I drink lots of water when i work out :)..... try measuring and not weighing... The scale is a lie ;D
  • ops ....
  • sm_4ever17
    sm_4ever17 Posts: 128 Member
    MORE OFF COURSE BUT U CAN WEIGH LESS AS WELL BT PROB IS THAT WHEN I EXERCISE ALL MY BODY SORES AND ALSO I DRINK AT LEAST 2 BOTTLES DURING MY WORKOUT
  • tangal88
    tangal88 Posts: 689
    Me personally, I weight usually one - two pounds less after working out. I workout for 45-60 min, sweat heavily, drink lots of water. Cardio or weights (which are a fast rate circuit for me)

    For my most accurate measurements, I always weigh myself first thing in the morning after voiding body wastes, unclothed.

    Keep in mind the many many things that can make one appear to weight heavy, just a few are :
    -water retention related to hormones,
    -fluid retention in sore muscles when you have increased or changed exercises,
    -water sodium related retention due to diet excess the day before (fast food, Chinese food, Free day meals that are carb or sodium heavy)
    -PMS or menstruation
    -Additives in some supplements (fillers in many products such as createn, drink mixes, pre workout drinks)
    -certain medications that effect fluid balances
    -food or liquid in your system from recent meals, drinks


    So when gauging weight loss, use size of clothing or fit changes, tape measure readings, and overall weight trends over a few weeks. Not changes from one week to the next, which can be less accurate.
  • This is the deal, it's just fluid. If you could measure the amount you sweat and add that back in and then measure the amount of water you drank and subtract it out, your weight really wouldn't have changed. Make sense?
    People who don't really sweat during a workout and drink a lot of water will appear to weigh more.
    People who sweat a ton and don't drink a lot will appear to weigh less.
    If you take in exactly what you put out, water-wise, you will weigh the same.
  • Articeluvsmemphis
    Articeluvsmemphis Posts: 1,987 Member
    doesn't necessarily matter cause it's water and the scale will go back up again within that same day, but for me w/ cardio I weigh less
  • Qarol
    Qarol Posts: 6,171 Member
    Haven't got a clue...I only weigh first thing in the morning.
  • chevy88grl
    chevy88grl Posts: 3,937 Member
    Immediately following a work-out, I weigh less (I'm assuming it is from water weight I'm losing due to sweating). However, my weight tends to go up a few pounds the following day and for up to 4 days after a heavy workout.
  • galegetsthin
    galegetsthin Posts: 1,340 Member
    I dont sweat much. No matter how hard I push myself, I just get really red faced and sweat VERY little. Like my shirt will be bone dry, but my face and neck will bead up, thats it. and I drink a lot of water. So, I tend to weigh a pound or two more. The nest day i will be down, but the initial weight is a bit higher.
  • rocketpants
    rocketpants Posts: 419 Member
    Haven't got a clue...I only weigh first thing in the morning.

    Exactly!!

    Also even day to day fluctuations should be ignored you should be concerned with trends over weeks and months. If you are worried about you weight fluctuation during the day you may need to rethink your relationship with the scale
  • Thena81
    Thena81 Posts: 1,265 Member
    mre cause of the water i drink
  • Elzecat
    Elzecat Posts: 2,916 Member
    This is the deal, it's just fluid. If you could measure the amount you sweat and add that back in and then measure the amount of water you drank and subtract it out, your weight really wouldn't have changed. Make sense?
    People who don't really sweat during a workout and drink a lot of water will appear to weigh more.
    People who sweat a ton and don't drink a lot will appear to weigh less.
    If you take in exactly what you put out, water-wise, you will weigh the same.

    Very well said. A running coach I work with recommended that when I'm training and doing long runs, I occasionally weigh myself before and after workouts to ensure proper hydration--weighing significantly less after a workout might indicate that I'm not drinking enough water.
  • Marig0ld
    Marig0ld Posts: 671 Member
    I weight more, doesn't matter if it's strength or cardio. I only weight first thing in the morning after a rest day.
  • NoAdditives
    NoAdditives Posts: 4,251 Member
    I've never bothered to check. I only weigh myself once or twice a week, first thing in the morning. I know fat isn't burned or gained instantly so what I weigh after a single workout or meal isn't important. Weight fluctuates so much throughout the day there's really no point in focusing that closely on it.
  • wellbert
    wellbert Posts: 3,924 Member
    How can there be mixed answers? You weigh the same or less (unless you eat/drink) because your body can't spontaneously create mass.
  • firedragon064
    firedragon064 Posts: 1,082 Member
    More. I drank lots of water during the work out.
  • alyssamiller77
    alyssamiller77 Posts: 891 Member
    This is the deal, it's just fluid. If you could measure the amount you sweat and add that back in and then measure the amount of water you drank and subtract it out, your weight really wouldn't have changed. Make sense?
    People who don't really sweat during a workout and drink a lot of water will appear to weigh more.
    People who sweat a ton and don't drink a lot will appear to weigh less.
    If you take in exactly what you put out, water-wise, you will weigh the same.

    Exactly, and this is why I weigh myself before and after each workout. It helps me make sure I'm drinking enough water while working out. If I don't drink any water I usually sweat off 1 - 1.5 pounds.
  • alyssamiller77
    alyssamiller77 Posts: 891 Member
    This is the deal, it's just fluid. If you could measure the amount you sweat and add that back in and then measure the amount of water you drank and subtract it out, your weight really wouldn't have changed. Make sense?
    People who don't really sweat during a workout and drink a lot of water will appear to weigh more.
    People who sweat a ton and don't drink a lot will appear to weigh less.
    If you take in exactly what you put out, water-wise, you will weigh the same.

    Exactly, and this is why I weigh myself before and after each workout. It helps me make sure I'm drinking enough water while working out. If I don't drink any water I usually sweat off 1 - 1.5 pounds.
  • instructor03
    instructor03 Posts: 56 Member
    We have had this conversation before and so I purposely weighed myself before my step class. I went high impact the whole class drank maybe 8 ounces during the class and weighed as much as 1.5-2 pounds less. I have also done my step class and drank 24 ounces of water during and after and weighed either the same or maybe .5 less.

    You know my motto..... drink your water!!
  • jamesrivas39
    jamesrivas39 Posts: 2 Member
    Okay, if anything you would always weigh less after any type of training. For one, assuming you drink no water, you wouldn't weigh more due to water retention. You'd end the workout with the same amount of water, if not LESS, than you began. Assuming you drink water during training, you would for one sweat and two surely not drink so much water it would become measurable on the scale. So, if anything you'd weigh less after training, for a short period.
  • singingflutelady
    singingflutelady Posts: 8,736 Member
    less
  • Jazmine49
    Jazmine49 Posts: 11 Member
    cant honestly answer I only weigh myself once a week
  • 3dogsrunning
    3dogsrunning Posts: 27,167 Member
    Okay, if anything you would always weigh less after any type of training. For one, assuming you drink no water, you wouldn't weigh more due to water retention. You'd end the workout with the same amount of water, if not LESS, than you began. Assuming you drink water during training, you would for one sweat and two surely not drink so much water it would become measurable on the scale. So, if anything you'd weigh less after training, for a short period.

    I don't always weigh less. After a run, I tend to weigh less. But after a weight workout, I have weighed more. I don't sweat nearly as much during strength training.

    I don't think there is anything wrong with weighing yourself frequently. I'm curious. I like to see what affects my weight. But I do agree if the changing numbers freak you out, you probably shouldn't do it.

    ETA - I don't drink a lot while strength training either.
  • AlwaysBigSteve
    AlwaysBigSteve Posts: 82 Member
    I weigh more. I drink a lot of water, even up to a gallon. No amount of sweating is going to undo that.
  • ROBOTFOOD
    ROBOTFOOD Posts: 5,527 Member
    Usually sweatin bullets, so less.
    It's only water though. I just drink back what I lost.
  • AlwaysBigSteve
    AlwaysBigSteve Posts: 82 Member
    Usually sweatin bullets, so less.
    It's only water though. I just drink back what I lost.

    Just like ROBO and others have said. It's just water. I gain, but lose later when I go to bathroom. Others will lose, but gain when they drink.
  • lport1234
    lport1234 Posts: 1
    If you look at the physiology of exercise, you cannot "weigh more" after a workout than before the workout. You will burn calories in either type of workout. One pound = 3500 calories. The scale may tell you that you weigh more, because of water retention, etc., but since a calorie is a measure of heat, heat that you created during your workout, you lost weight that will not return until you consume replacement calories.
  • 3dogsrunning
    3dogsrunning Posts: 27,167 Member
    If you look at the physiology of exercise, you cannot "weigh more" after a workout than before the workout. You will burn calories in either type of workout. One pound = 3500 calories. The scale may tell you that you weigh more, because of water retention, etc., but since a calorie is a measure of heat, heat that you created during your workout, you lost weight that will not return until you consume replacement calories.

    Huh-sheldon.gif
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