Gaining weight after starting new active job

So on Monday I weight 73.8kg. I started an incredibly active job that day which includes basically this list every day

Wake up 4:30am. Eat breakfast porridge with almonds and maple syrup. Hop on a horse at 5:45am and muster cattle at a trot (rising) and canter until 9-9:30am. Break for half an hour. Normally have a piece of toast or two with jam and water. At 10am go down to the cattle yards and draft cattle then preg test and AI approx 100-300head. At 12 feed horses then swim them (this means walking them around a pool a certain amount of times each). Clean out yards and stables. 1pm lunch for an hour. Usually a poached egg with tuna and a green salad and raw nuts. 2pm make chaffand cart hay and other off jobs (rake and shovel seed, sweep and rake yards, clean tractors, shovel drains, clean tack, fencing etc) then back on a horse to run the cattle back to their paddocks. 4pm clean stables feed horses.4:30 day finishes and dinner which is usually black bean pasta or brown rice with a meat and veggies. I don’t really have time to log but I don’t snack ever or drink anything but water and eat the same things all the time (booooring I know). So today is Friday and I currently weight 75.4. How is that much weight gain possible with that level of physical activity?

Replies

  • Hannahwalksfar
    Hannahwalksfar Posts: 572 Member
    Massive jump in physical activity. Couldn’t move for the first two days. Good to hear as I weighed myself this morning and am 76.4kg which makes no sense but my legs are killing me today so maybe that’s why
  • springlering62
    springlering62 Posts: 8,458 Member
    Hope you’re not out on the range when the whoosh hits. And it will..... Yikes!!!
  • quiksylver296
    quiksylver296 Posts: 28,439 Member
    edited July 2019
    Water weight. If your legs are "killing you", then they are retaining water to repair themselves.

    Read this article.

    http://physiqonomics.com/the-weird-and-highly-annoying-world-of-scale-weight-and-fluctuations/
  • PAV8888
    PAV8888 Posts: 14,254 Member
    The water weight for muscle repairs may well stay with you for a while given the increase in intensity and duration of your activity.

    It is not an increase in fat, so it's all good!!!
  • kshama2001
    kshama2001 Posts: 28,052 Member
    Yes, water retention from increased activity. My own scale went up 7 pounds when I started lifting weights again. Took a few weeks to come back off.

    Also, if you are a woman with a menstrual cycle and are near ovulation or menstruation, you could have water retention from that going on as well.
  • bosque1234
    bosque1234 Posts: 60 Member
    All I have to say is this is an awesome job and who hoo, you are really using your body in almost every way! I'm a newbie but I don't see how all of this physical work is possible without more meat protein, or carbs but that's just me.
  • Hannahwalksfar
    Hannahwalksfar Posts: 572 Member
    Thanks all. I rode again this morning and crumpled when I got off, my legs were so heavy so you’re probably right lol
  • Hannahwalksfar
    Hannahwalksfar Posts: 572 Member
    Wtf. 77.4kg this morning! My face looks puffy, my eyes are read and I feel like crap! What is going on?!
  • PAV8888
    PAV8888 Posts: 14,254 Member
    Did you read the article referenced above?

    Also do you have any allergies?
  • Hannahwalksfar
    Hannahwalksfar Posts: 572 Member
    I have food intolerances and ate chicken last night for the first time in ages. I thought because it was organic it would be fine
  • PAV8888
    PAV8888 Posts: 14,254 Member
    Was thinking more along hay, animal dander, not necessarily chicken!
  • Hannahwalksfar
    Hannahwalksfar Posts: 572 Member
    No I’m not allergic to anything like that. I get a bit of hay fever in spring but have worked with animals all my life without I’ll effect
  • corinasue1143
    corinasue1143 Posts: 7,464 Member
    But, depending on where you are, it has been a very wet year so far, so mold counts may be higher, plus different weeds in different places, etc.
    Also it is very hot here, working outside if you have been working inside before. There is another thread going about heat, sweating, causing electrolyte imbalances and water retention.
  • PAV8888
    PAV8888 Posts: 14,254 Member
    edited July 2019
    No I’m not allergic to anything like that. I get a bit of hay fever in spring

    Allergies change over time. Moulds as mentioned by @corinasue1143 ; heat.

    Puffy faces = water retention.
    Water retention = scale weight.

    In general caloric deficits do not cause puffy faces, red eyes, and feeling like crap.

    To be honest I suspect your deficit is way too large currently for the amount of work you're trying to do all of a sudden. But even that does not address the rest.

    Your scale weight increase is because of water retention between your sore muscles and everything else--such as an allergy or heat or whatever else is affecting you.

    When you're not sore you will be able to evaluate better what your actual underlying weight is.

    But again, this doesn't address the part where you're feeling like something the dog dragged in.
  • Hannahwalksfar
    Hannahwalksfar Posts: 572 Member
    The job only lasts another week then back to regular normal hard work so we’ll see if I continue to go up after I leave. Thank you
  • Hannahwalksfar
    Hannahwalksfar Posts: 572 Member
    Today is my last day as I’m very sick and another kg heavier this morning.
  • PAV8888
    PAV8888 Posts: 14,254 Member
    It's traditionally considered a good idea to visit a doctor when people unexpectedly start feeling like *kitten*, especially when they deteriorate rapidly...

    I mean allergies, rhabdo lots of nice stuff.
  • Hannahwalksfar
    Hannahwalksfar Posts: 572 Member
    So I finished the job two days ago. I have dropped 2.5kg since then. Dropping consistently throughout the day. Feeling a lot better. Staying at my friend’s place for a week or two to relax a bit. Fluid build up is a *kitten* but my butt looks great
  • PAV8888
    PAV8888 Posts: 14,254 Member
    So I finished the job two days ago. I have dropped 2.5kg since then. Dropping consistently throughout the day. Feeling a lot better. Staying at my friend’s place for a week or two to relax a bit. Fluid build up is a *kitten* but my butt looks great

    So any idea what happened? Sounds more than just excess exercise?
  • Hannahwalksfar
    Hannahwalksfar Posts: 572 Member
    I think stress didn’t help. I was incredibly physically and emotionally drained
  • Hannahwalksfar
    Hannahwalksfar Posts: 572 Member
    I also have an autoimmune that reared it’s ugly head