Working out weight gain

[Kitty]

Okay -

So, I started working out again and within a week I gain 3 pounds. I know the whole thing about how muscle weighs more than fat - but how much muscle can I acquire in one week's worth of working out??

This happened to me the last time I got into working out and it freaked me out..I just kept gaining weight. I kept waiting for it to peak and then to start losing again..but that never happened. It wasn't until I gave up working out for a few months that I lost all the weight.

[paiger81]

Hmm...maybe it's water weight? Are you drinking more water?

[biodork]

As hard as it is, you should try to base your weight loss on how you look, not how much you weigh. Take some measurements of yourself, maybe once a month or every other week. If you are toning down, you'll notice it in the measurements and your clothes.

[wordsmith]

This happens to me, too...which is why I don't worry at all about weight gain, I only worry about things if my actual size goes up (or fails to come down). I can't reallly get too much insight by going on weight by the numbers.

[bridgetjones]

You can gain about 3 lbs of muscle per month of regular weight workouts for the first 6 months.

What is your regime? Do your clothes fit better or worse? Muscle is more dense and heavy.

Is it possible that you are having normal monthly fluctuations in wieght? I can easily gain 5 lbs in water around certain times of the month. :confused: I just try to drink lots of water to flush it out.

[Kitty]

No, I haven't been drinking more water.... :confused:

[Kitty]

You can gain about 3 lbs of muscle per month of regular weight workouts for the first 6 months.

What is your regime? Do your clothes fit better or worse? Muscle is more dense and heavy.

Is it possible that you are having normal monthly fluctuations in wieght? I can easily gain 5 lbs in water around certain times of the month. :confused: I just try to drink lots of water to flush it out.

Yeah, but I gained 3 lbs after like 3 workouts - is that normal? I'm thinking no...

I would say my clothes fit about the same..maybe a bit tighter, actually.

I monitor my weight obsessively, so this is not within my normal weight fluctuation. This is actually 3 pounds ABOVE the top range of normal fluctuation.

[bridgetjones]

You do not get bloated around that time of the month?! Hey that is also the time I am more likely to get upset about these sort of things too. :p

Oh yeah throw out the scale. You can gain weight eating, drinking water, etc. I need 2L on days with no exercise. If I do not drink an extra 1-2L on days when I do, I get bloated bc of dehydration.

[Kitty]

I know I need to just get rid of the scale..but it feels impossible.

I was thinking of maybe leaving it at my Mom's (she's a 10 minute drive). That way, I'll only weigh myself about once or twice a week when I go to visit her.

[MetFanL]

It's normal for your weight to fluctuate after working out. When are you weighing yourself? You should weigh yourself first thing in the morning after at least 24 hours of no lifting (so, if you lift tonight, take tmw off, you can weight yourself Wednesday morning).

[Kitty]

It's normal for your weight to fluctuate after working out. When are you weighing yourself? You should weigh yourself first thing in the morning after at least 24 hours of no lifting (so, if you lift tonight, take tmw off, you can weight yourself Wednesday morning).

I weigh myself in the mornings and the day after lifting...

[Deadend]

3 lbs is alot of muscle for a week. I seem to bulk up super duper fast when I weight train and I highly doubt I've ever seen 3 lbs in a week, and that's for a guy.

My first guess is that it's water. That you were dyhydrated before, and with more exercise you're listening to your body more and therefore drinking more water, with or without realizing it.

[MetFanL]

Yeah, I don't think it's muscle. I always swell after I lift and it goes down after a day or so. That's why you are supposed to take days off... It's probably just water... or that acid build-up, maybe...

[SunDevil]

It could be food also. At the same time, .5 gallons (64 ounces/1.9 liters)of water weigh about 4.165 lbs.

Don't worry about small fluctuations. If you eat right, keep exercising and drink water, you will reach your goals.

[pisces2473]

Muscle doesn't weigh more than fat. A pound of muscle and a pound of fat is still a pound. Muscle is more dense than fat, so as you build muscle, you should be looking slimmer as you become toned--I don't think you wanted to bulk up.

Good luck, it should even out soon. You could always meet with a trainer for some advice.

[embrassezla]

Muscle doesn't weigh more than fat. A pound of muscle and a pound of fat is still a pound. Muscle is more dense than fat, so as you build muscle, you should be looking slimmer as you become toned--I don't think you wanted to bulk up.

the saying "muscle weighs more than fat" refers to volume and the fact that a certain volume of muscle weighs more than the same volume of fat.

[Kitty]

Glory of glories..I weighed even more today :confused:

I'm throwing out the scale..this is driving me crazy.

[MetFanL]

Yeah, get rid of it. It could just be legitimately not working properly... my scale sometimes gets testy with the calibrating. Have you weighed yourself at the gym on a real scale?

My other advice would be to write down your body measurements and use just that for analyzing your weight loss/muscle gain.

Finally, I can easily bloat 5 lbs. during or around my period. It could be something like that, too. Working out usually helps w/ that, but not always.