Weight gain following intense period of activity

Hi everyone,

My 3-month anniversary was Tuesday, 9/12. On Monday 9/11 at around 9 AM I began a very intense period of genuinely hard physical labor. I had so much to do in such a short amount of time that I kept on working all through the night and into the next day. Though that day was my 3-month surgiversary, I didn't weigh myself as I had been up working and had had my breakfast very early. At noon I took a one-hour nap, then went back to work, staying up clear through Tuesday night until around 3 PM on Wednesday, at which point everything was done. Then I napped!

I did not overeat at all during this work period, I just had what protein forward meals I usually have. My water consumption was low, though, until the last few hours, when I was suddenly extremely thirsty. I was (and still am) incredibly sore, especially my calves and to a lesser degree my back. Ouch! Especially my legs! I did have several doses of liquid Tylenol to help with the pain during the days of physical labor, though not more than the label indicates. I also had, since coffee is still not allowed, two per day of the sugar-free Red Bull drinks, the smallest cans, for a total of 4 cans (40 calories total, 400 grams of sodium total, 4 grams of protein total, and 12 total grams of carbs). I find that stuff utterly disgusting and used it as a last resort to help myself remain awake. If things hadn't been so high pressure. I would never have had that. It is mildly carbonated, something I didn't realize when I bought it, so I poured it out into glasses and let it go flat before drinking.

Anyway, I slept through the night into yesterday (Thursday) morning, woke up stiff and sore, and weighed myself. I was up 1.2 pounds over what I'd weighed first thing Monday! And today I weighed myself again, first thing, and found myself up another full pound! I am sure this will all adjust downwards because other than that Red Bull and not having quite enough water, my intake was what it should have been, and I am certain I burned mega-calories.

But it is strange, as I would have expected to have seen a nice drop on the scale.

Edited to add that I also neglected to take my daily thyroid pill both days. I'm glad my schedule is back to normal!

Not sure if you've had surgery or not, but Red Bull is a HUGE no-no, especially 4 small cans. It's just as bad as coffee, if not worse. You are probably just retaining water.

1. I had my 3-month surgiversary on Sept. 12. I was pretty sure that Red Bull wouldn't be particularly advisable, but nor had I ever heard or read of any specific restrictions against it's use by our population. Perhaps that's because most people are simply too smart to consider it, but it certainly was never mentioned to me. All I really needed was a few doses of caffeine, but black tea was too mild, and coffee specifically and firmly restricted due to it's acid content. At any rate, it was disgusting, but did caffeinate me thoroughly. The event I prepared for is a once every 10-15 year thing, so no further tinkering with my sleep cycle will be necessary, hallelujah! It had to be, and it is no more.

It's pretty normal for the body to retain fluid whenever you stress it out. I'm sure it will level off in a few days.

Keep on plan, and keep your fluids high.

I have to say I am curious about this special project though haha

Thank you, I'm sure it's temporary! I haven't weighed yet today, perhaps I'm already down! The best thing is that my legs are back to normal so I'm no longer gimping around!

Hard exercise is notorious for causing short term weight gain. If you need the scale to move, shirt term, it's best to be a couch potato. Less healthy, but better for the scale number.

Thanks Grim! It isn't a big deal, and was only slightly disappointing because I was looking forward to a drop at the 3-month mark. But good to know! Perhaps I'll veg out for a couple of days before 10/12 just to give myself a little extra win on the scale!

Heavy "exercise" causes breaking down some of the muscle fibers. The soreness indicates that. Also - when we work really hard- body generates lactic acid in the muscles. The soreness and stiffness indicates inflammation. Inflammation = swelling= water retention. Water retention= weigh gain.

Your thirst at the end of the day indicated your body needed that. Try drinking more water, liquids today, plus try to move around more, gentle exercise, to move the liquids indeed you body. I read that rebounding (trampoline) is great for that.

When I travel - and I am stuck in a plane for 2-4 hours or more, I often feel my legs and my feet get swollen. Walking around increases the circulation, so I make sure I walk as much as I can either during the trip, and at least the day after. Massage will also help...

Of course that all makes sense! I actually feel much better today, after taking it very easy yesterday and catching up on my sleep. Yay! Isn't it a joy to feel well again after feeling awful? Thank you for your response!

When I workout HARD I expect to be up in weight for a few days. That sore feeling is your body experiencing inflammation from all that work. Inflammation requires water to move the healing/rebuilding ingredients into your muscles, ligaments, tensions etc to repair and rebuild them stronger. After your body does these repairs, you will have slightly heavier muscles which will in term burn more calories which will reduce your fat stores at as slightly increased rate.

I believe that there are 2 main reasons my weight loss has been below average:

1. I'm working out pretty hard since the first month post op so I've been gaining (heavy) muscle mass throughout this process
2. I'm taking in more calories than the vets recommend (700-900/day)

I think that these are valad reasons to lose at a slower rate, and I hope that by including a wider range of foods in my diet I'll be able to sustain this new lifestyle. I'm also a "lightweight" as I started this journey at aI of 35, which means that I have less to lose than most and th so that even at a slower rate of loss, I can still meet my ultimate goal within the first year.

Drink plenty of fluids! Walk or generally keep moving on the days following an extreme hard workout, up your protein after a hard workout! Your doing great!