working out and weight gain - been bugging me

 Ok, I've been trying super duper hard to not let this bug me.  I weighed in on saturday like I do every saturday, and I was up 5 pounds.  FIVE pounds.  FIVE.

ok, so I stayed annoyed for awhile and then went to the gym to work out.  I've been going to the gym for awhile, but have recently started with a personal trainer and in the last week or so prior, my routine has been kicked up a notch.  I love strength training and that has been the major focus.

My eating is great, under control, and on plan.  I stay hydrated and do what i'm supposed to do, and just last week I had to go buy another size in clothes because my other ones were falling off.  

I know if I stay the course, the weight will come off, but 5 pounds in one week was a lot to me.  I have made an effort to not let it stop me from working out, and have been doing my routines like I am supposed to.  I'm not going to let that scale number deter me from what needs to get done.

Muscle weighs more than fat... I would go by my clothes or measurements and not the scale... That is just my opinion though.

 it does, you're right.  it just seems like it should take more then a few weeks for that to be an issue.  i know a large part is the muscles holding water as well.  

I know it is frustrating, but look at your ticker. You have done incredibly well!!! Keep up the good work!!

As for the other poster's comment about muscle weighing more than fat...that's a bit of a misnomer. Muscle is more DENSE than fat, so the same volume will weigh more, but as far as weight goes--which weighs more, a pound of feathers or a pound of iron? A pound is a pound, whether it's fat or muscle. To gain 5 lbs of muscle in a week is fairly impossible.

However, it is very possible, and very probable, to gain 5lbs of fluid in a week, especially doing strength training. To build muscle, you have to first break down muscle tissue, which causes inflammation, which is why you hurt after a heavy workout. With inflammation comes a rush of fluids to the "injury" site to help repair it. A gallon of water weighs 8 pounds. And blood is even heavier, at almost 9 lbs per gallon.

So 5 pounds is roughly 2.2 quarts of water. If you're doing full body workouts, it is entirely possible for that much water, lymph, and extra blood to collect in those tissues to help them repair themselves and build new tissue.

Don't sweat it. Don't make yourself nuts with something that is likely going to happen after any major increase in muscle usage. Just be proud that you're pushing yourself, the inches are coming off, and you feel great. :)

Hey Wendy,

I have been following your journey since we had surgery around the same time. And you have made marvelous progress. In fact I admire your diligence.  You are so dedicated to the new lifestyle change.   I wonder if you  are eating enough food now.  Maybe you body is saying "whoa hold on girl" because you are soooo active now and not getting enough calories.  The scale hasn't moved for me in about a month and I know why.  I am eating like crap.  I am not eating the volume that I used to eat but I am eating all the wrong foods so I know why I'm not losing.  Also I've gotten bogged down at work with 12 hour days so I've let working out go as well.  But you have stayed the course!  If the scale doesn't start moving think about adding in a 100 or 200 more calories a day.  Just a suggestion. 

I will consider that.  I have been upping my protein to try and get my protein numbers to rebound.  

12 hour days are awful.  It makes planning ahead difficult.  do you have a place where you can store food at work?  i find that if i don't have my food there and planned out, it isn't so good.

I'm a good girl at work since I bring a whole day's worth of food with me.  Good choices too!  It's when I get home from work and the weekend.  I am on vacation today and plan to get back in control. I now have time to plan dinner. I've also eaten up most of the junk in the house.  This month I want to lose 10lbs. If I don't lose them it's ok.  It's my goal though.  One year ago I lost 10lbs just changing what I ate prior to my surgery. 

 Ok first OFF! 

Muscle does not weigh more than fat! A pound of fat weighs the exact same amount as a Pound of muscle.  Muscle is MORE DENSE than fat, this means that the same pound of muscle requires less space to occupy.

So when you start working out you will initially see some quick gains becuase you muscles are dying to be used, but to undersand what is happening when you work your muscles it helps explain things like this.

When you exercise, things that will build muscle, you are causing micro tears in the muscle tissue, this is the soreness you feel.  Your body then repairs these micro tears with new muscle tissue causing the gain muscle mass.  Now like everything that happens to your body these tears are deemed a trauma by your body, and to facilitate the repairs and such your body will retain fluids.  Depending on your exercise you will also sometimes notice a quick drop in weight if you are eating High Protein and Ultra Low Carb, this isn't the loss of all fat this loss is a reduction in your glycogen stores and the water required to maintain these stores.

1 rule people preach when you start heavily on the fitness aspect is to ditch the scale and go by measurements.  you gained 5 pounds but your pants still fit the same and such.  It is possible for someone who is 240 to wear the same sizes as someone who is 210 or 215 because of the muscle density.

Looking at and using exercise as a means to burn calories can get you to a pretty dangerous place as you may have a bad food weekend and then push to burn all the extra calories in the gym the following monday and ooops ya just hurt yourself because you pushed to far!  BEEN THERE DONE THAT!  Look at exercise as being part of your lifestyle, with a well rounded exercise plan do you get to consume more calories well probably depending on the duration and intensity of your workout.  Is it a license to eat?  yeah if you are doin endurance stuff but eating is simply fuel.

Remember you aren't on a DIET! any longer you Have you Diet and that is a healthy thing to have your Diet pits your bodies needs against your Bodies expinditures.  In my Diet I eat higher carb than the perscribed POST OP DIET because my activities require it.

So have fun with you new physical abilities and keep on the straight path and in the end the numbers will workout to what is healthy for your body.

 Thank you for making that first point. I was starting to make it.