Quick question on about post-workout weight gain

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I think I read that when you start working out your muscles retain water and can up your weight for a couple days until they are accustomed to the activity. Is this a thing or am I just hoping because I added in working out this week. Nothing heavy or lifting or intense, just 20 minutes or so of low-impact aerobics and Pilates. Is this where my increase in weight is coming from or from me up'ing my water or both? THANKS!!

Replies

  • M0nay07
    M0nay07 Posts: 30 Member
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    Great question
  • erickirb
    erickirb Posts: 12,293 Member
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    It is a thing. Your muscles store water as exercise damages them and the water helps protect them as the repair. Once your body gets used to the new workouts you will shed most of the excess water.
  • AnnPT77
    AnnPT77 Posts: 32,930 Member
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    If you're weighing food on a scale, and logging/tracking meticulously, you should have a pretty clear idea whether you've eaten enough calories above your maintenance calories to gain X pounds (estimating that 3500 calories over maintenance will approximate 1 pound gained). One can gain a little water weight from a new workout, temporarily; whether one will & how much seems to be based on how big a change it is (I believe muscle repair activity is what's holding onto the water), and some variation in individual bodies.

    But, water weight can occur for a lot of reasons: Time of month; higher level of carbs or calories on a particular day compared to usual (even if not over maintenance calories sometimes); extra sodium eaten.

    Usually just drinking more water won't increase water weight, if you're weighing at a time of day that's allowed enough time for surplus water to be eliminated by sweating/urination. Extra water even can potentially reduce the possibility of sodium-related water weight.

    Furthermore, you can have non-fat gain that isn't water, for example, if you've got a substantially greater weight of food/liquids still somewhere in the digestive process at the time you weigh in.

    If you weigh yourself frequently, but tend to worry about daily ups & downs, it can be helpful to use a weight-trending app like Happy Scale, Trendweight, Libra, etc., to track a longer-term trend line. Over time, if you weigh daily at the same time & keep a record, you'll get a feel for what circumstances give you a higher scale reading absent actual fat gain, and how long it'll take to drop off.
  • wombleval
    wombleval Posts: 36 Member
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    I weight lifted. Broke arm so had to stop before Christmas. Lost 3 lbs water weight . Exactly what I gained when started lifting