Hard workout and weight gain next morning..

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schustc
schustc Posts: 428 Member
in Fitness and Exercise
is there truth in this?

I am up today, about .75 of a pound, was expecting to be down, as a result I officially haven't lost anything this week - a FIRST for me :(

I have been seeing a trainer 3 x a week for 2 months (mostly, some days were missed by he or I due to sickness or other things)...

I'm not sure if this is a plateau, if it's workout related, if it's high sodium (had 3700 yesterday, 2000 of which was dinner alone - had a hot dog craving), or if it's potentially PMS. I'm grasping at straws.

I DID have a particularly hard workout yesterday. Was sore pretty much everywhere when I was done.

Help me not freak out on this too much :(
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Replies

  • spaingirl2011
    spaingirl2011 Posts: 763 Member
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    Oh, yeah.

    Hard workouts tear up your muscles (in a good way) and then cause you to retain water-- which causes you to gain weight.

    DO NOT freak out.
    DO NOT over eat!

    Drink plenty of water, make sure you're getting an adequate amount of protein to help repair and build muscles. That "weight gain" is temporary.
  • TammyW18
    TammyW18 Posts: 244 Member
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    Oh, yeah.

    Hard workouts tear up your muscles (in a good way) and then cause you to retain water-- which causes you to gain weight.

    DO NOT freak out.
    DO NOT over eat!

    Drink plenty of water, make sure you're getting an adequate amount of protein to help repair and build muscles. That "weight gain" is temporary.

    ^
    This
  • pollard775
    pollard775 Posts: 38 Member
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    Thanks for posting this, I had NO idea hard workouts may trigger a water weight increase. :smile:
  • spaingirl2011
    spaingirl2011 Posts: 763 Member
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    Thanks for posting this, I had NO idea hard workouts may trigger a water weight increase. :smile:

    Yeah, don't worry about it-- it goes away in a couple of days and bears no relation to "real" (aka--food-related) weight gain. Just part and parcel of pushing your body a bit!
  • Jo2926
    Jo2926 Posts: 489 Member
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    Yes don't worry! This happens to me all the time. As someone else said drink lots of water and eat lots of protein and you'll be fine in a day or so. And you'll do all the better long term because of the hard workouts!
  • CyberEd312
    CyberEd312 Posts: 3,536 Member
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    Good old water retention in the Muscle fibers to help repair them after weight training.... Had a Killer Back and Shoulder routine yesterday which left me unable to raise my hands above my head this morning... lol and just hop on the scale and am up a couple pounds... It will equal out tomorrow or the next day, just get your water in.... This happens to me all the time.....
  • schustc
    schustc Posts: 428 Member
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    Thank you everyone for your replies! it's just a bit frustrating having this be my first week with 0 lost. :( even half a pound I'd have taken, and yesterday i was down 3/4 of a pound, hoping to hit the 1 or 1.25 by today at least. The backslide really is disheartening.

    I know i didn't eat enough to really gain 3/4 pound (my calories were around 1780 or something) and that was after the hard workout, so I KNOW I had a deficit of at least 800 or so. so it's not logical to think I really put on that weight, but it just plays with your head.

    Thanks again..

    Today is my cheat day (once a week), so will try to keep it in check and not go nuts.

    Have good day all - and thank you again!

    Tina
  • waldenlev
    waldenlev Posts: 102 Member
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    ... Today is my cheat day (once a week), so will try to keep it in check and not go nuts. ...

    I'd be very careful with that. A "cheat" every once in a while isn't a cheat, it's a natural, healthy enjoyment of food. But once you setup a "cheat day" it's something you do each week whether you want to or not. Be careful of not falling into the "it's my cheat day, so I'll cheat" trap.

    Keep up the great work!
  • chantels1
    chantels1 Posts: 391 Member
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    It's hard not concentrating on the number on the scale when you are just starting out. Even I am addicted to the scale. I look forward to stepping on it every morning!!! But if you are building muscle, the scale is not going to reflect your success. You have to be patient and wait 1 month, and then measure. There you will see your true success. By then your clothes should be fitting a bit different as well! Good luck from another scale junkie!!! :-)
  • neddoh
    neddoh Posts: 116 Member
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    Why are you focused so much on the scale? Looking every day is not the best habit. Weight fluctuates every day, it'll take a bit to see results from your workouts.
  • Karmarie24
    Karmarie24 Posts: 48 Member
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    My trainer has me chart my heart rate and weight every morning. If my heart rate and weight are up higher than normal I have to have either a easy workout day, or a rest day depending on how high they are.

    He feels it's a signal that your body needs a little more rest!
  • schustc
    schustc Posts: 428 Member
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    ... Today is my cheat day (once a week), so will try to keep it in check and not go nuts. ...

    I'd be very careful with that. A "cheat" every once in a while isn't a cheat, it's a natural, healthy enjoyment of food. But once you setup a "cheat day" it's something you do each week whether you want to or not. Be careful of not falling into the "it's my cheat day, so I'll cheat" trap.

    Keep up the great work!

    Thank you - I'm actually re-thinking this. not necessarily because it's really hurt me - i'm still losing 1-2 per week, on AVERAGE - not including the flub this morning :( but the reality is, I end up eating some things that I could live without, and do it to up the calories.

    Kind of a discovery thing. after eating really well for over a month, I allowed the cheat days. I still was losing ( a little slower though not sure if that was just the normal progression of slowing down)... but as a rule, I don't 'need' the extra calories. I mean, one meal, totally have what I want, sure. Maybe a little more lenient the rest of the day, but I had 900 calories for breakfast (400 of which were milk and protein powder) and I didn't really need it. I could have done with half the bagel with some PB on it for example and been fine.

    I don't know. I'm half tempted to cycle the cheat day thing, and do one month with, one month without, to keep from slowing the metabolism, and also giving me something to look forward to. That way I'd have a higher weight loss one month, lower the next.

    I have about a year of this to go, so changing it around now and then might keep it interesting.

    Thank you!!

    TIna
  • schustc
    schustc Posts: 428 Member
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    Why are you focused so much on the scale? Looking every day is not the best habit. Weight fluctuates every day, it'll take a bit to see results from your workouts.

    well, I weigh primarily to see how I am doing through the week, but, only really log my Saturday morning weight. in this case, I was disapointed because I lost zero for the week. I had higher hopes since i was 'down' yesterday, so it kind of deflated my expectations.
  • Perfectdiamonds1
    Perfectdiamonds1 Posts: 347 Member
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    It happened to me. I freaked. Was really in tears. It goes away in a few days. Keep doing what you are doing.
  • Zarebeth
    Zarebeth Posts: 136 Member
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    Sodium that high will also make you retain water... so keep that in mind. If you have a day with sodium in the 3000s, you are almost guaranteed to put on some water weight, at least temporarily. I think that is much more likely than the workout.
  • whatnoduff
    whatnoduff Posts: 5
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    Interesting replies which are very helpful to me as well. I've tried almost every diet in the book over many years (and have been a yo yo dieter as a result) but have never counted calories until now. The greatest benefit of counting calories is that you don't need a 'cheat day'. I allow for the things I like, including chocolate (mini milky way bar 99 cals) and so far don't feel like I have denied myself anything. Thinking you have to 'cheat' is kidding yourself and setting you up for failure in the future. I eat out twice a week and even have the occasional chinese meal (but all within my calorie count). Good luck
  • aproc
    aproc Posts: 1,033 Member
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    .75 is nothing to start freaking out over. There are way to many variables that it can be from. Like you said, you worked hard yesterday and feel sore. Thats indication your doing something right. My weight can fluctuate up and down 2 pounds any given day. I certainly don't think anything of a 1 pound gain. Just keep being consistent and weigh yourself next week or in two weeks and go from there.
  • EBFNP
    EBFNP Posts: 529 Member
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    I think its just water weight. There has been times when I would do a hard workout for a week, gain weight, then the next week I am down 2 lbs from the previous weight. You probably won't know your true weight unless you don't workout for 2-3 days then weigh yourself. However, that weight can stay with you for about a week or so.
  • airlily
    airlily Posts: 212 Member
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    Oh, yeah.

    Hard workouts tear up your muscles (in a good way) and then cause you to retain water-- which causes you to gain weight.

    DO NOT freak out.
    DO NOT over eat!

    Drink plenty of water, make sure you're getting an adequate amount of protein to help repair and build muscles. That "weight gain" is temporary.

    Yup! Sometimes, the water weight will stick with you for a few days if you keep pushing yourself hard everyday! Don't panic! A member once said "If it isn't TDEE+3500, it's just water, bro!"
  • Pomoch325
    Pomoch325 Posts: 63 Member
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    Thank you so much for posting this. Some good information, that I did not realize. Will make seeing a small increase not quite so scary.

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