HELP! 4lb weight gain that makes no sense!

ddddddddBatman
ddddddddBatman Posts: 12 Member
in Goal: Maintaining Weight
Hi,
I have been maintaining my weight at exactly 155lbs for months by eating the same foods every day and doing no exercise (due to being too busy with work).
Then about 2 weeks ago my job situation changed and I started spending anything up to 3 hours a day on my exercise bike at home every day until Monday when I weighed for the first time since starting the biking. The day before I started biking I was still my usual 155lbs, so I was kind of expecting to have gone down a bit because of all the calories burned and the fact that my eating has NOT changed at all.
To my shock and horror, however, I have gone UP to 158lbs! I haven't been back on the bike since and I weighed again yesterday and today and both times it is still 158lbs.
I always weigh first thing in the morning before eating and after using the loo, etc. So nothing at all has changed except for those 10 days or so of intense biking, but my weight has gone up and I can't believe it's all muscle....
Anyway, I've given up on the biking for now and still sticking to the same diet, in the hope that it will go back down. What do you think is going on and if it is water retention from the exercise how long will it take for that to drop off? A week maybe? I was hoping it would've gone already. Surely it CAN'T be fat... how could it be?
My water intake has been consistent and very high throughout all this time. Like I said, the only thing I changed was introducing the biking and it resulted in 3lbs of weight gain. Madness.... please help.... :(

Replies

  • BodyByBex
    BodyByBex Posts: 3,685 Member
    1. It's only 3 pounds.
    2. It is likely water weight. If your bike has any real resistance at all, you tore up some muscle fibers. They are repairable but that takes water. Your body can hold on to this water weight anywhere from 2 days to up to 4 weeks.
    3. Give it more time.

    You're feelings are real and they are valid but it is only 3 pounds. Weight naturally fluctuates throughout the year, month, week, day, and even within the hour. It is not the only indicator of good health. It is not the only indicator of fat loss. A number on the scale is not everything.
  • Wheelhouse15
    Wheelhouse15 Posts: 5,575 Member
    This is why people shouldn't really put much faith in scales. How do you think you gained 4 pounds in 2 weeks if you are eating the same and started doing a lot more exercise? Water gain and natural fluxations, I'm surprised you haven't seen them before but your weight will go up and down quite a bit without any real change in fat or muscle.

    First thing to do is don't panic and just keep doing what you are doing.
  • Lulufifi1994
    Lulufifi1994 Posts: 51 Member
    As Lila and Wheelhouse have both said, it's ok to be panicked at the thought you have put weight on. However 3lbs really isn't that much. You say your job situation changed, there could be new environmental factors causing you to retain a bit more water than usual.
    I can't tell from your username (or photo- that's not showing for some reason) what gender you are but if you are female it could be your hormonal cycle - I always retain more water in the week/week and a half before my period.

    I say keep cycling, exercising is good and is highly unlikely to be causing you to put fat on, unless you are burning less calories by cycling than you would have done before your job change. In the long term you want to keep your body healthy, not at a predetermined number on the scale.
  • Lulufifi1994
    Lulufifi1994 Posts: 51 Member
    As Lila and Wheelhouse have both said, it's ok to be panicked at the thought you have put weight on. However 3lbs really isn't that much. You say your job situation changed, there could be new environmental factors causing you to retain a bit more water than usual.
    I can't tell from your username (or photo- that's not showing for some reason) what gender you are but if you are female it could be your hormonal cycle - I always retain more water in the week/week and a half before my period.

    I say keep cycling, exercising is good and is highly unlikely to be causing you to put fat on, unless you are burning less calories by cycling than you would have done before your job change. In the long term you want to keep your body healthy, not at a predetermined number on the scale.
  • enterdanger
    enterdanger Posts: 2,447 Member
    Go to the bathroom. Problem solved.
  • somerfeld7535
    somerfeld7535 Posts: 2 Member
    On the food plan that I am on we utilize a steak and organic tomato fast if we gain more than 2 lbs. You might want to try that to recharge the fat burning in your body. It isn't easy but it is an instant reset.
  • dlmciver
    dlmciver Posts: 149 Member
    Do you take body measurements and are you mindful about how your clothes fit. That increase in physical activity most likely has done other WONDERFUL, healthy things for your body. The three pounds is a good trade off if you have firmed up and built more muscle !!!
  • jgnatca
    jgnatca Posts: 14,464 Member
    Four pounds overnight makes perfect sense. People's weight can fluctuate naturally about five pounds in a single day, just from water retention. Added stress and a new workout can do that. But this is not added fat. The weight will slowly go down over the next week or so.
  • wykkedtruth
    wykkedtruth Posts: 47 Member
    hormones, water weight, etc. all good advice here.
  • noon1200
    noon1200 Posts: 35 Member
    In order to gain 3 lbs of body weight, you need to eat 10,500 calories over your daily maintenance. You've been eating the same foods every day, so we know that's not what happened.

    As others have said, when you increase your exercise level, your body holds on to more water to repair the muscles you are training. This is the most likely source of the weight difference.

    For your long term mental health, I recommend not thinking of your weight as a fixed number. Your body will fluctuate from 155-160 because of a number of factors. If you're going to weigh yourself, I wouldn't pay any attention to the number unless it stays above 160 for over a week.
  • 777cbr
    777cbr Posts: 15 Member
    Monday morning I weighed 149 lbs. Monday night I weighed 141. Fluctuations are real!
  • rcktgirl
    rcktgirl Posts: 2 Member
    edited February 2016
    first thing to do....get rid of the scale. There is nothing worse than being a slave to the scale. The weight showing on the scale isn't the best way to see if you are losing weight. I haven't had a scale in my house for 6 months and I love not being a slave to it. I don't even weigh myself in the locker room. How do you know you are losing weight? How do your jeans feel? Are they loose? When I put that shirt on, do I have a muffin top?

    I'm all about losing INCHES and toning up. I could weight 125lbs but if I have flabby arms or a muffin top? no thanks. I would rather weight 140lbs but have definition in my arms. I would rather look lean and cut.
  • enterdanger
    enterdanger Posts: 2,447 Member
    somerfeld7535 wrote: »
    On the food plan that I am on we utilize a steak and organic tomato fast if we gain more than 2 lbs. You might want to try that to recharge the fat burning in your body. It isn't easy but it is an instant reset.

    hahahahahaha. You are joking, right? Your body isn't a duracel. You can't "recharge fat burning."
  • Wheelhouse15
    Wheelhouse15 Posts: 5,575 Member
    edited February 2016
    somerfeld7535 wrote: »
    On the food plan that I am on we utilize a steak and organic tomato fast if we gain more than 2 lbs. You might want to try that to recharge the fat burning in your body. It isn't easy but it is an instant reset.

    I'll take the steak, could careless if the tomato has a an image problem, but I'm not doing it for a recharge or whatever, but just because it sounds like a great meal along with some garlic mash or sweet potato fries and sauteed mushrooms. Now I'm hungry!

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