Is bloating from weight lifting really a thing?

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SayLiLIG
SayLiLIG Posts: 197 Member
in Health and Weight Loss
I've been working out consistently since 12/10/16 (almost a month!) I mean, 4 to 5 days a week. I've watched what I'm eating but if I have a craving I let myself have a little bit. But I'm always within my calorie goals and macros.

Initially I lost about 17 pounds. Right now, I'm back to about only 13 because I have been bloated! I know the scale isn't what I need to depend on. My clothes fit better, hell I fit into a 1x workout tank now instead of a 3x!

But at my weight, I would think I would still be losing weight. I'm at 302 currently down from 316. The scale hasn't budged in two flippin weeks and I'm kinda discouraged. I'm doing everything right and making better choices. Sure, I could eat cleaner but I'm trying to change my diet slowly.

Could this "bloat" thing really be it?

Replies

  • cwolfman13
    cwolfman13 Posts: 41,874 Member
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    I've never heard it referred to it as "bloat"...but yes, your muscles will hold onto fluids to aid in repair...this is also the "pump" you see in the mirror after a workout and what a lot of people mistake for actual muscle growth.

    Is this your actual issue? I have no idea. Even with fluid retention, the scale ultimately goes down...generally you just have a new starting point when you start to train.
  • nutmegoreo
    nutmegoreo Posts: 15,532 Member
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    My weight loss stalled for about a month, maybe a little longer, when I started lifting. Then one day, whoosh. Big drop that stayed off. If you are certain about your logging (which is the most common cause of stalls), then hold on a bit longer and keep doing what you are doing. It's never a bad idea to revisit your logging though, just because there are different areas where that can go wrong.
  • kshama2001
    kshama2001 Posts: 27,952 Member
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    I feel bloated right before my period. That's entirely different feeling from retaining water due to a new exercise program - in that case I don't feel heavier but the scale goes up. Went up 7 pounds when I started weight lifting again fall 2015. Took a few weeks to come back off.
  • Orphia
    Orphia Posts: 7,097 Member
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    One day a girl at work did 10 arm dips at every park bench on our walking track (about 15 benches) and the next day her arms were enormous! Very swollen. They went down in a few days.

    Having said that, being female, your "bloat" could be due to female hormones. Lots of women find that their weight goes up at the same time every month, and goes down again a week or two later.
  • crackpotbaby
    crackpotbaby Posts: 1,297 Member
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    Orphia wrote: »
    One day a girl at work did 10 arm dips at every park bench on our walking track (about 15 benches) and the next day her arms were enormous! Very swollen. They went down in a few days.

    Yeah - that sounds like rhabdomyolysis. Good thing her kidneys didn't fail.

  • SayLiLIG
    SayLiLIG Posts: 197 Member
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    thanks for yalls response! I've been putting everything in my logs for sure. I had 2 pounds come off this morning! So, it's a start. That's with eating chinese last night too. (I know, terrible sodium, but dangit I wanted some!)

    I'm hanging on. I'll be hitting a month of consistent working out and tracking on the 10th. Maybe I'll get a nice drop?!

    As far as the hormone thing goes, I knew when I had my period I was bloated cause I did go up a few pounds, but they came off once that went away.
  • akamran1
    akamran1 Posts: 78 Member
    edited January 2017
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    lizery wrote: »
    Orphia wrote: »
    One day a girl at work did 10 arm dips at every park bench on our walking track (about 15 benches) and the next day her arms were enormous! Very swollen. They went down in a few days.

    Yeah - that sounds like rhabdomyolysis. Good thing her kidneys didn't fail.

    Yikes! I just looked "rhabdomyolysis" up :#

    On a lighter note, I've noticed this as well. Glad to hear back from OP that it's going away as expected.
  • SayLiLIG
    SayLiLIG Posts: 197 Member
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    It was pretty discouraging. Maybe I should limit my scale use to once every two weeks for now. :-D
  • jemhh
    jemhh Posts: 14,261 Member
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    Or continue to weigh frequently so that you better understand your body's natural weight fluctuations as well as how various factors affect your weight.

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