Why am i gaining after so much running

aniafried
aniafried Posts: 3 Member
I'm running 12 miles a week on the treadmill. I've done this for 5 weeks. And weight lifting 2X a week. i'm barely having a cheat day and counting my calories and staying on track. I'm 37 yo. i weigh 173. 5'8 I was 168 when I started running.
So, what's the deal with this?

Replies

  • chuckle_bunny
    chuckle_bunny Posts: 496 Member
    edited March 2021
    Since you just started running 5 weeks ago, your body is getting acclimated to the stress. This might result in water retention and muscle growth, which would cause weight gain.
  • ___Soundwave___
    ___Soundwave___ Posts: 1,166 Member
    Your calories estimates may be off.
  • aniafried
    aniafried Posts: 3 Member
    Since you just started running 5 weeks ago, your body is getting acclimated to the stress. This might result in water retention and muscle growth, which would cause weight gain.

    Would drinking more water help me then?
  • aniafried
    aniafried Posts: 3 Member
    Your calories estimates may be off.

    Maybe i could be off, not sure
  • WeatherJane
    WeatherJane Posts: 1,492 Member
    aniafried wrote: »
    Your calories estimates may be off.

    Maybe i could be off, not sure

    How are you counting calories?
  • ninerbuff
    ninerbuff Posts: 48,430 Member
    aniafried wrote: »
    Your calories estimates may be off.

    Maybe i could be off, not sure
    If you're NOT SURE, then you're likely off. So 2 things: Your training regimen could be making you retain water. It's needed in the body for recovery as well as helping to store glycogen in your cells for energy to exrcise.
    If you're not accurately counting and measuring, you could easily be eating way more calories than you think.



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  • Jthanmyfitnesspal
    Jthanmyfitnesspal Posts: 3,513 Member
    Give yourself huge credit for the running and weight lifting. You must be feeling rather unstoppable!

    Weight loss is all in the diet side of things. You must keep a lid on your intake, which can be hard when you increase your activity level. Consider that 12 miles of running burns an extra 1000kcals. Spread over 7 days, this is not much extra food. Lifting weights burns minimal calories (unless its done in an aerobic fashion).

    So, consider your first to weeks a period in which your acclimating to your new activity level. And in the next few weeks, if you so choose, you could lose a bit of weight by improving your logging. You have to dispense with the idea that exercise is a path to eat whatever you want-- that is rarely the case.

    Best of luck!
  • dmkoenig
    dmkoenig Posts: 299 Member
    Are clothes fitting any better? Often times exercise benefits do not immediately accrue to the scale but do show up in other positive ways like re-shaping your body form.