Exercise related water weight

etherealanwar
etherealanwar Posts: 465 Member
in Health and Weight Loss
I thought this topic would be interesting to hear from others experience. When I first began a weight lifting routine back in February my weight shot up 3 lbs and took around 2 weeks to come back down. I stopped lifting after 3.5 months and have just recently started back up this week. This time around I am up 2 lbs. What has been your experience regarding water weight gain after starting any sort of exercise routine and how long did it take you to drop that water weight?

Replies

  • sardelsa
    sardelsa Posts: 9,812 Member
    I gain around the same as you, 2-3lbs which is a huge jump for me considering I typically don't bounce around in weight that much even with high calorie/carb days. I am now used to it and expect it so it's fine. For me it sticks around until I stop lifting or drop volume (this takes about a week to show up). The increase becomes my new normal and can take about a month for the scale to start moving again.
  • psuLemon
    psuLemon Posts: 38,427 MFP Moderator
    I maintain 2-3 lbs of water weight. And probably takes 2-3 weeks for fat loss to supersede water retention.
  • etherealanwar
    etherealanwar Posts: 465 Member

    psuLemon wrote: »
    I maintain 2-3 lbs of water weight. And probably takes 2-3 weeks for fat loss to supersede water retention.

    So as long as you remain performing your exercise routine that water weight sticks around?
  • LivingtheLeanDream
    LivingtheLeanDream Posts: 13,342 Member
    Pretty much the same, always see a gain for a few weeks of a few pounds, then it drops back down.
  • psuLemon
    psuLemon Posts: 38,427 MFP Moderator
    etherealanwar wrote: »
    psuLemon wrote: »
    I maintain 2-3 lbs of water weight. And probably takes 2-3 weeks for fat loss to supersede water retention.

    So as long as you remain performing your exercise routine that water weight sticks around?

    If you are exercising, your body will retain fluid. It draws fluid into your muscles to repair them. Its a natural physiological process. The benefits of exercise far out way the little water retention.
  • kshama2001
    kshama2001 Posts: 28,052 Member
    My scale went up 7 pounds when I started lifting. I might have also been premenstrual at that time. And perhaps I had Chinese food too. It all came back off in a few weeks.

    It's the big spike late October:

    mhhb7kqz0hcv.png

    That's the biggest spike on the chart, but as you can see there are lots of other spikes, which is completely normal.
  • vanityy99
    vanityy99 Posts: 2,583 Member
    I just started weight training ( seriously this time). Ate some carbs. I’m up 4lbs.

    I am P!SSED.

    How do we know it’s just water weight? Hmm...
  • sardelsa
    sardelsa Posts: 9,812 Member
    vanityy99 wrote: »
    I just started weight training ( seriously this time). Ate some carbs. I’m up 4lbs.

    I am P!SSED.

    How do we know it’s just water weight? Hmm...

    Water weight is more sudden while fat gain typically happens more gradually over time. For me I will notice my body composition improving and measurements decreasing so I know I am still in a deficit despite my weight staying the same (and I know recomp is not that fast)

    It's funny I get mad when my weight drops too fast especially if my body composition hasn't caught up I feel like I'm losing muscle (when it's usually just water)
  • vanityy99
    vanityy99 Posts: 2,583 Member
    4lbs.
    I’ve never seen this much of a spike.
    👐🏽



  • francesca_grey
    francesca_grey Posts: 96 Member
    In addition to water retention due to muscle swelling, you also have an increase in blood volume when you start exercising. I suspect this increase contributes to weight gain even more but it’s not discussed often.

    I know about the blood volume part because my medical condition requires me to exercise to keep my volume up and if I skip more than a few days I start feeling bad again due to the reduction. The extra fluid not only has cardiovascular benefits but is good for your nervous system as well, i.e., helps to reduce stress.

    I retain around 3 extra pounds from exercise.
  • etherealanwar
    etherealanwar Posts: 465 Member
    psuLemon wrote: »
    etherealanwar wrote: »
    psuLemon wrote: »
    I maintain 2-3 lbs of water weight. And probably takes 2-3 weeks for fat loss to supersede water retention.

    So as long as you remain performing your exercise routine that water weight sticks around?

    If you are exercising, your body will retain fluid. It draws fluid into your muscles to repair them. Its a natural physiological process. The benefits of exercise far out way the little water retention.

    Yeah it is definitely worth it but it is nice to be aware that I will have to be patient until enough weight loss occurs to show progress after the spike.
  • lynn_glenmont
    lynn_glenmont Posts: 10,093 Member
    etherealanwar wrote: »
    psuLemon wrote: »
    I maintain 2-3 lbs of water weight. And probably takes 2-3 weeks for fat loss to supersede water retention.

    So as long as you remain performing your exercise routine that water weight sticks around?

    If your exercise routine is really "routine," no, because eventually you aren't challenging your muscles enough to cause non-routine muscle breakdown and repair (even if you don't exercise, there's "routine" muscle breakdown and repair, but we're talking about the added stress from challenging exercise that elevates that process and requires extra water above the "routine" amount of water).

    If your exercise routine is a well-designed progressive program, then yes, the water weight sticks around, but if you're in a calorie deficit, eventually you'll lose 2 or 3 lbs of fat (or whatever the weight of your added water retention), and you'll start seeing the scale numbers drop again.
  • ElizabethKalmbach
    ElizabethKalmbach Posts: 1,415 Member
    I work out M, W, F with weights. My lowest weight is almost always Monday morning before I work out. After that I gain 2-2.5 lbs that sticks with me all week +/- whatever meal I ate last, until I drop down 2.5-3 pounds over the weekend - finishing up on Monday. My deficit is designed to generate about.5 lbs per week of loss, so that's about right.
  • AnnPT77
    AnnPT77 Posts: 34,222 Member
    edited December 2019
    If I keep weight training progressively, I seem to gain a couple of otherwise unexplained pounds at the start, and lose a couple of otherwise unexplained pounds once I completely stop that training. Since I'm not very good about consistently strength training, and tend to pick it up again in my rowing off-seasons, I get to see this pattern. ;)

    I've read others here say that they fluctuate up and down with training sessions, but I don't personally see that; and I've seen some report bigger numbers.

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