Weight gain after running

antihillmoby
antihillmoby Posts: 131 Member
edited December 2024 in Health and Weight Loss
Can anyone tell me why I seem to gain 1 or 2 pounds the day after running about 5K?

Replies

  • LilSomethin
    LilSomethin Posts: 545 Member
    I would guess water weight. Your muscles retain water to repair themselves. It's only temporary so ignore the scale :)
  • angieleighbyrd
    angieleighbyrd Posts: 989 Member
    Water weight to repair your muscles. Take a day off from exorcise and it'll come off
  • jrich1
    jrich1 Posts: 2,408 Member
    ^ What they said
  • antihillmoby
    antihillmoby Posts: 131 Member
    Thanks guys x
  • omma_to_3
    omma_to_3 Posts: 3,265 Member
    I ran on Friday, had a "free" day on Saturday and gained 4 frickin' pounds. Then I ran on Sunday too. Hoping mine is at least partially water weight gain from muscle repair! My muscles are quite sore.
  • myfitnessnmhoy
    myfitnessnmhoy Posts: 2,105 Member
    In addition to the above, be SURE you are drinking extra water to flush lactic acid and allow your muscles to repair themselves more quickly.

    But, yeah, there will usually be some sort of a gain after heavy exercise, and it's mostly water. Same with eating a lot of sodium, or, oddly, not drinking enough water.

    The cure for all of them is the same - drink extra water.
  • beccarockslife
    beccarockslife Posts: 816 Member
    In addition to the above, be SURE you are drinking extra water to flush lactic acid and allow your muscles to repair themselves more quickly.

    But, yeah, there will usually be some sort of a gain after heavy exercise, and it's mostly water. Same with eating a lot of sodium, or, oddly, not drinking enough water.

    The cure for all of them is the same - drink extra water.

    ^ this!

    When you are properly hydrated you will stop seeing such big leaps on the scale.
  • mowu
    mowu Posts: 245 Member
    What all the others said - coincidentally this is also one of the reasons why I never weigh myself the day after a heavy/intense workout session.
  • JeSuisPrest
    JeSuisPrest Posts: 2,005 Member
    In order to properly helped you should open up your diary for viewing, otherwise people are merely guessing.
  • sarahdangar
    sarahdangar Posts: 43 Member
    Thanks so much for asking this question. I've been getting very down about 1lb ish weight gain when I feel like I'm exercising well and eating healthily, but this would explain it. Husband keeps telling me to rest and I keep ignoring him...ooops!!
  • myfitnessnmhoy
    myfitnessnmhoy Posts: 2,105 Member
    When I was training for a winter hike into Baxter State Park, my more-experienced friend gave me some advice. "If you overdo it, which you will because that's what training is about sometimes, be sure to drink water until you are sick of water, then drink some more. Whenever the feeling of being bloated passes, drink some more water. Keep it up for a while. Then eat a solid protein-rich meal and a little liquid bread (beer, wine)."

    I did my first training ride for the Trek Across Maine yesterday - 30+ miles for my first time this year on a bicycle. When I got home, I drank about 4 glasses of water and some fruit juice. Then I drank 3 more glasses of water in the next hour. For supper, I had over a pound of venison as part of a very large meal, and three glasses of wine over the course of the evening. This morning, I woke up a pound and a half lighter than I was yesterday morning, and the only thing that hurts is my butt (saddlesore, which is normal early in the biking season). My legs are a tad achey, but not bad at all. I'm planning at least a half hour on the elliptical today, and I hope to start commuting in on the bicycle tomorrow (30-mile round trip).

    Dehydration is your muscles' natural enemy. It doesn't allow them to build as fast as they otherwise could, and causes lactic acid to build up in them.
  • dixiech1ck
    dixiech1ck Posts: 769 Member
    I ran on Friday, had a "free" day on Saturday and gained 4 frickin' pounds. Then I ran on Sunday too. Hoping mine is at least partially water weight gain from muscle repair! My muscles are quite sore.

    I ran 9 miles on Saturday (plus an hour of zumba) and then yesterday did a hour and a half zumbathon and this morning, had a 5 lbs weight gain so yep, I totally understand!!! =( So not happy.
  • dixiech1ck
    dixiech1ck Posts: 769 Member
    When I was training for a winter hike into Baxter State Park, my more-experienced friend gave me some advice. "If you overdo it, which you will because that's what training is about sometimes, be sure to drink water until you are sick of water, then drink some more. Whenever the feeling of being bloated passes, drink some more water. Keep it up for a while. Then eat a solid protein-rich meal and a little liquid bread (beer, wine)."

    I did my first training ride for the Trek Across Maine yesterday - 30+ miles for my first time this year on a bicycle. When I got home, I drank about 4 glasses of water and some fruit juice. Then I drank 3 more glasses of water in the next hour. For supper, I had over a pound of venison as part of a very large meal, and three glasses of wine over the course of the evening. This morning, I woke up a pound and a half lighter than I was yesterday morning, and the only thing that hurts is my butt (saddlesore, which is normal early in the biking season). My legs are a tad achey, but not bad at all. I'm planning at least a half hour on the elliptical today, and I hope to start commuting in on the bicycle tomorrow (30-mile round trip).

    Dehydration is your muscles' natural enemy. It doesn't allow them to build as fast as they otherwise could, and causes lactic acid to build up in them.

    Huh.. that's a pretty good idea!! I'm liking that (liquid bread idea).
  • myfitnessnmhoy
    myfitnessnmhoy Posts: 2,105 Member
    Muscles cannot build while you're exercising, they do that when you're at rest. If you've worked really hard one day, change out to different muscles the next to allow the ones you worked out to heal/build.

    Working the same muscles hard every day is a bad idea. Rotate your exercise out.
  • teschy123
    teschy123 Posts: 89
    Water weight to repair your muscles. Take a day off from exorcise and it'll come off

    Yes this is true!!!! I always gain weight the day after running but the next day when I don't exercise It comes off Just stay the course
  • myfitnessnmhoy
    myfitnessnmhoy Posts: 2,105 Member
    Huh.. that's a pretty good idea!! I'm liking that (liquid bread idea).

    I think the benefit has to do with the dehydrating effect of alcohol. Caffeine would probably also work. It helps flush the water out of the muscles, taking the lactic acid with it.

    Or it could have no effect except as a mild painkiller and sedative so you actually relax and allow your muscles to heal and rebuild.

    Either way, it works. We always take adult beverages on our hikes, and we always down vast quantities of water and eat heavy meals after hikes along with some adult beverage, and we're always ready to take on another hike the next day.

    Plus, I like beer. And wine. And whiskey. And if I'm going to toast off the better part of 2200 extra calories in a day, a few hundred of them are coming back in something I enjoy. :)
  • cbbn11
    cbbn11 Posts: 121 Member
    I ran on Friday, had a "free" day on Saturday and gained 4 frickin' pounds. Then I ran on Sunday too. Hoping mine is at least partially water weight gain from muscle repair! My muscles are quite sore.

    In order to gain 4 lbs on your "free day" you would have had to eat an extra 14,000 calories on top of your normal maintaining calories. I am sure it is 90% water retention.

    Edit: Now that would be a hell of a "Free Day"...lmao
  • omma_to_3
    omma_to_3 Posts: 3,265 Member
    I ran on Friday, had a "free" day on Saturday and gained 4 frickin' pounds. Then I ran on Sunday too. Hoping mine is at least partially water weight gain from muscle repair! My muscles are quite sore.

    In order to gain 4 lbs on your "free day" you would have had to eat an extra 14,000 calories on top of your normal maintaining calories. I am sure it is 90% water retention.

    Edit: Now that would be a hell of a "Free Day"...lmao

    LOL...it wasnt THAT bad, but probably 2K over my TDEE. A fair amount in the form of alcohol which for some reason ALWAYS makes the weight gain worse!
  • Lance_K
    Lance_K Posts: 104 Member
    bump
  • antihillmoby
    antihillmoby Posts: 131 Member
    Thank you for all your replies it has helped loads.
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