When I exercise consistently my weight raises by approximately 3 lbs. I do a mix of strength and cardio. Honestly it doesn't bother me but I am at maintenance so I'm not actively seeking weight loss. I have RA so I'm probably not typical in how my body responds but provided I'm not having a flare I don't need any extra rest time. I take about 2 rest days a week.

I always found I held more water when I did something new and was actually sore from the gym. I've been going pretty consistently for the last 2.5 years so I never really did get to see how much the initial weight gain was from it and how long it took to go down (if it did at all). I did notice on LCHF that my strength and subsequent strength gains went wayyyyy down from when I ate moderate carb. I didn't notice the need for more rest days though, I was always 3-4 days a week whether low or moderate carb.

The scale is a cruel mistress, especially with strength training. Don't let it irritate you. You could try an app such as happy scale that trends your weight to help minimize the effect of inflammation and TOM.

ccrdragon wrote: »

The water weight and it's dispersal will vary from person to person and on the amount/intensity of the workouts that are being added. The usual rule is 3-5 days tho.

Personally, I have not noticed any drop in gains, strength or need for increased rest days on this WOE - but I was lifting several days a week before I chose LCHF.

We can also see if we can get @Gallowmere1984 to put his 2 cents in - he is currntly doing a keto-bulk and has lots of information on this subject.

Thanks for the mention, but I abanoned keto bulking after last summer. However, I can still relay my experience, as it was a good bout for learning.

1: if you are untrained, expect the weight to stay indefinitely. Now, I don't mean that you won't lose fat, but the scale is a new lifter's worst enemy, if loss is what you are looking for. This os especially true for keto dieters, as we don't have the luxury of cutting carbs to shed some water ever so often if the scale is messing with our heads; we're already there. The only exception is CKDers who do carb refeeds on a regular basis (1-2x/week usually).

I'll spare the details for why I abandoned it, because I firmly believe that every person responds to diet and training a little differently, and I don't want to seem discouraging.

Just know, if you're new, you're gonna see pretty amazing, physics defying stuff for a while, unless you are on the obese side of things. The more fat you carry, the more likely it is that you will keep shedding weight while building muscle at a lower intake, so long as protein needs are met. The "skinnyfat" beginners will often see continued scale climbs, even with a moderate deficit as their muscle protein synthesis and adaptations will be off the charts for a while.