Do you gain weight when you start an exercise program?

Jupiter6
on 6/1/09 2:33 am - Near Media, Pa- South of Philly, NJ

(anecdotal--from the webz)

When you initially start an exercise program, you'll usually notice a small weight gain. Muscle weighs more than fat [No, it doesn’t—but it’s denser- Ed.], and before the fat starts to fade the scale will go up some. Take heart! It usually takes about three weeks for me, but the scale will go the other way. The good news is that muscle actually burns calories - so the more muscle you gain, the faster the weight loss will be later.

 "Oh sweet and sour Jesus, that is GOOD!" - Stephen Colbert  Lap RNY 7/07-- Lap Gallbladder 5/08--  
     Emergency Bowel Repair
6/08 -Dr. Meilahn, Temple U.  
 Upper and Lower Bleph/Lower Face Lift 
12/08 
     Fraxel Repair 2/09-- Lower Bleph Re-Do 5/09  -Dr. Pontell, Media PA  Mastopexy/Massive 
     Brachioplasty/ Extended Abdominoplasty 
(plus Mons Lift and Upper Leg lift) / Hernia Repair
      6/24/09 ---Butt Lift and Lateral Thighplasty Scheduled 7/6/10
 - Dr. Ivor Kaplan VA Beach
      
Total Cost: $33,500   Start wt: 368   RNY wt: 300  Goal wt: 150   Current wt: 148.2  BMI: 24.7

Cleopatra_Nik
on 6/1/09 2:37 am - Baltimore, MD

I would add to that question: “does a muscular person maintain a higher weight at the same size as a non-muscular person?" I hope that question makes sense.


I have a friend from support group. She and I have similar builds, look about the same size and wear the same size clothing. I exercise, she does not. She is about 15 lbs. lighter than me. I assume this is because of my working out. I dunno.

 

 

RNY Gastric Bypass 1-8-08 350/327/200 (HW/SW/CW). I spend most of my time playing with my food over at Bariatric Foodie - check me out!

Terri R. R
on 6/1/09 9:12 am - 'bout 45 minutes from San Francisco, CA
Because you are working out, you have more muscle.  It's more dense and you can weigh MUCH more and be the same size/build.  I've gained a lot of muscle since I started working at the gym and got my workouts back on track.  I'm up almost 12 pounds and still fit in my size 10 Levi jeans at a whopping 195 lbs, 5'6" tall.

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Tara K.
on 6/1/09 3:19 am - Kuna, ID
You might remember me bemoaning the fact that I was doing 10,000 steps a day (up from a few thousand) and had lost not a thing.

The past couple of weeks I stopped doing that and I've actually gone up a couple of lbs.

I'm not really sure what the hell to do or how many calories to eat at this point.

As larry the cucumber would say 'I'm confused!'
RNY April 7, 2008 - from size 24/26 to size 6/8Photobucket
Jupiter6
on 6/1/09 7:23 am - Near Media, Pa- South of Philly, NJ
Let me help you , here--

Effective immediately, cease talking to cucumbers. ;)

 "Oh sweet and sour Jesus, that is GOOD!" - Stephen Colbert  Lap RNY 7/07-- Lap Gallbladder 5/08--  
     Emergency Bowel Repair
6/08 -Dr. Meilahn, Temple U.  
 Upper and Lower Bleph/Lower Face Lift 
12/08 
     Fraxel Repair 2/09-- Lower Bleph Re-Do 5/09  -Dr. Pontell, Media PA  Mastopexy/Massive 
     Brachioplasty/ Extended Abdominoplasty 
(plus Mons Lift and Upper Leg lift) / Hernia Repair
      6/24/09 ---Butt Lift and Lateral Thighplasty Scheduled 7/6/10
 - Dr. Ivor Kaplan VA Beach
      
Total Cost: $33,500   Start wt: 368   RNY wt: 300  Goal wt: 150   Current wt: 148.2  BMI: 24.7

BoxofRain
on 6/1/09 8:32 am
LMAO!
"A box of rain will ease the pain
and love will see you through."   R. Hunter
Terri R. R
on 6/1/09 9:09 am - 'bout 45 minutes from San Francisco, CA
Actually, depending on how you look at it, muscle does weigh more than fat.  Take a 1" square of fat and compare it to a 1" square of muscle and the muscle will weigh more than fat ... cause like you said it is denser.

There's a really good article I got from sparkpeople.com that I printed out and share with my clients at the gym.  It explains weight gain when you start exercising or mix up your routine.

From sparkpeople.com:

Q: I just started exercising to lose weight, but I've gained weight. Why did this happen?

A: It's true that many people either gain a little weight or don't see any change on the scale for as long as 4-6 weeks after making a significant change in their level of exercise. This is often explained as "gaining muscle while losing fat" but that isn't quite accurate. This extra weight is usually water.

When you start doing more exercise, your body begins storing more fuel in your muscle cells, where it can be used easily and quickly to fuel your workouts. The process of converting glucose (carbohydrates) into fuel that your muscles actually store and use (glycogen) requires three molecules of water for every molecule of glucose. As your muscles are building up glycogen stores, your body has to retain extra water for this purpose. That's what causes most of the initial weight gain or lack of weight loss. This is a good thing—not something to worry about.

However, despite what the scale says, you are actually losing fat during this time. The extra water retention will stop once your body has adjusted to its new activity level. At that point, the scale should start moving down. You'll end up with less fat, and muscles that can handle a larger amount of work.


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Jupiter6
on 6/1/09 9:14 am - Near Media, Pa- South of Philly, NJ
Thanks for that! I've been looking for that article forever-- will add it to my profile!

Sorry to be nitpicky about the density/weight thing-- I'm a dork. ;) 

 "Oh sweet and sour Jesus, that is GOOD!" - Stephen Colbert  Lap RNY 7/07-- Lap Gallbladder 5/08--  
     Emergency Bowel Repair
6/08 -Dr. Meilahn, Temple U.  
 Upper and Lower Bleph/Lower Face Lift 
12/08 
     Fraxel Repair 2/09-- Lower Bleph Re-Do 5/09  -Dr. Pontell, Media PA  Mastopexy/Massive 
     Brachioplasty/ Extended Abdominoplasty 
(plus Mons Lift and Upper Leg lift) / Hernia Repair
      6/24/09 ---Butt Lift and Lateral Thighplasty Scheduled 7/6/10
 - Dr. Ivor Kaplan VA Beach
      
Total Cost: $33,500   Start wt: 368   RNY wt: 300  Goal wt: 150   Current wt: 148.2  BMI: 24.7

Terri R. R
on 6/1/09 9:18 am, edited 6/1/09 9:18 am - 'bout 45 minutes from San Francisco, CA
Glad I could help!  I got a really good article about how it's darn near impossible for women to bulk up too.  If I hear one more time "I won't strength train because I don't want to look like Arnold Schwarzenegger.", I'm gonna SCREAM!

eta:  I like dorks.  I married one.  hehehe

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Certified Personal Trainer

Jupiter6
on 6/1/09 9:49 am - Near Media, Pa- South of Philly, NJ
I bulk up pretty nicely, m'self. Don't know why but man, I can pack on muscle fast-- I'll blame the hyper-protein.

 "Oh sweet and sour Jesus, that is GOOD!" - Stephen Colbert  Lap RNY 7/07-- Lap Gallbladder 5/08--  
     Emergency Bowel Repair
6/08 -Dr. Meilahn, Temple U.  
 Upper and Lower Bleph/Lower Face Lift 
12/08 
     Fraxel Repair 2/09-- Lower Bleph Re-Do 5/09  -Dr. Pontell, Media PA  Mastopexy/Massive 
     Brachioplasty/ Extended Abdominoplasty 
(plus Mons Lift and Upper Leg lift) / Hernia Repair
      6/24/09 ---Butt Lift and Lateral Thighplasty Scheduled 7/6/10
 - Dr. Ivor Kaplan VA Beach
      
Total Cost: $33,500   Start wt: 368   RNY wt: 300  Goal wt: 150   Current wt: 148.2  BMI: 24.7

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