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Why am I gaining weight?

Hi All,



I've recently started full on training for this session (albeit my 1st). I used to play Rugby and am quite big (6'1 and 14.5 stone /184 and 93kg) and was relatively unfit. I've started training quite hard for the past 2 and a half weeks and have gained 4Kg's! I'm am carrying some extra weight around, but the past 2 weeks I've gain almost 5% of my previous weight. What is going on?



I have been taking protein before my weight session, but not before my Cardio sessions. I train 6 days a week, mostly in the Gym, and spin sessions (can't wait for it to warm up). I just don't understand. I'm 5 1/2 weeks out from my first event and feeling relatively confident, but not if this weight gain continues.



Please can someone offer me an explanation. I appreciate that muscle weighs more than fat, but I'm doing so much cardio, that this should be a factor (I believe).



Thanks in advance.

Comments

  • Kenjo,



    Weight is one of the worst measurements there is for fitness/health, only slightly better than BMI!



    Whats much more important is to get your body fat measured, as well as relatively fitness and key measurements (waist etc). Also when you are a large size (I am about 14st as well (which is 90kg by the way not 65!) you will find that your body can vary by about 5kg overnight.



    This is really quite common and is entirely dependent on when you weigh yourself, what your water level is like and what you have eaten recently.



    I'm no food expert, but for instance if you eat a complex red meat like Steak/Lamb/Pork etc it can take almost a week to fully digest - hence extra weight. However if you just eat Mars Bars, your weight will plummet but your fat will go up (Rowers commonly do this to get down to lightweight before an event!)



    So overall, don't lose faith, I know its hard to resist getting on the scales to see the results - but the actual weight really doesn't matter as long as your fat is going down and fitness/muscle mass is going up.



  • SamutriSamutri Posts: 143
    Have to agree with armstrong_jack. Don't be overly concerned about your weight, get a body fat monitor and use that.

    I am the heaviest I have ever been in my life just now but have 'only' 14% body fat.

    In fact, I had to go for a medical last year (for offshore working) and the young doctor (a very pretty but inexperienced lassie) said I was border line obese based on my BMI !! After I pointed out my low body fat and I stripped down to my shreddies to show her how flamin gorgeous I looked half naked, she withdrew her comment.



    Not sure you needed to know that bit....
  • Thats brilliant - i'm going to remember that one.



    Next time an attractive doctor tells me my BMI is showing me as overweight - i'll just take my top off an flex a bit.



    Just need to make sure its a female doctor first or I could be in even more trouble!
  • Don't be overly concerned about your weight, get a body fat monitor and use that.


    Do you have any recommendations?
  • I was a pro footballer until my early 20's which was when i was my lightest @ 63kg, coaches want players like wippets!!!

    When i quite football i started weight training and my weight got up to a 79kg, i was a meathead with only a thought for my next protein hit!



    and here's my point.....



    Since i started tri I've only dropped to 75kg and i look more like i did as a footballer than i did weight training, just with more muscle!



    So.... If you look good naked and your getting results then who cares? My mrs loves the way i look now but its a shame i didn't take up tri when i was single!!![:(]

  • treefrogtreefrog Posts: 1,242
    I did a bit of lightweight rowing in a past life and basically was given a target weight to be by a certain time. This inevitably meant getting down to weight - which meant using the formula : Energy In < Energy Out = Weight Loss (or is it the > sign!?). This means eat less and exercise more. I'll not bore you with the details of significant weight loss save to say that none would be endorsed by the medical profession, but I survived it and did alright competitively. Anyway yhr point which I'm eventually getting to is that even in the midst of my most radical methods I found that I first piled on a bit then stabilised at the higher weight and then it fell off me to the point that I had to actually eat up. I think that it is the body re-adjusting to new exercise demands & nutritional conditions, and along with trying to store up food for impending starvation (the initial gain) it also has to produce the biochemical apparatus to deal with the new diet (stabilisation) and then the new metabolism kicks in (weight loss). So stick at it and as long as you REALLYare eating less and REALLY exercising more the fat will go.
  • TommiTriTommiTri Posts: 879
    This may be irrelevant to your situation but if you want to burn fat the best way I found was tea! and lots of it! it stops me eating crap, and in the case of green tea especially it actively burns fat! as does caffiene, so i have a few coffees before my training sessions. only a suggestion.
  • toadtoad Posts: 104
    Assuming the training you are doing is for triathlon, I would have to say that treefrogs put his finger on it. Unfortunately the human body does not regulate energy balance on a daily basis, so it will take some time before you notice the changes you would expect from going from a sport that requires short bursts of high intensity exercise to a sport that is prolonged at submaximal intensities.

    If you do take the advice of others re measuring fat percentage and you feel it is too high, prolonged low-moderate intensity exercise (exercise at an intensity where your breathing does not feel laboured and amount of breaths per minute stays constant or less than 55% of maximum heart rate) will help burn off fat.

    Stick with it and you will soon reap the benefits, however if weight gain continues to be a problem it may be worthwhile seeing a doctor and getting some tests done (eg thyroid ) or consulting with a nutrion expert.
  • SamutriSamutri Posts: 143
    A couple of points from the above replies - I tend to use my body fat monitor to keep an eye on the TREND rather than the absolute value. As long as its steady or falling then I'm happy. The one I use is a combined scales and monitor. Apparently, a more accurate result for men is achieved by these hand held monitors because men ten to lay down fat in their upper body. Women get a more accurate result by the stand on scales because they tend to lay fat down on their legs and thighs. As I say, this is only important if you are concerned about the absolute value rather than the trend.

    It is important to remember that your body fat will move around a lot so it is critical to measure it at the same time of day (I would suggest the same morning each week - after you have a wee!) Hydration plays a huge factor so make sure you're hydrated! If you get really bored, measure your body fat every hour through the day and see what happens to it (yes, I was bored at work one day!)



    My final, far more serious point,[;)] follows on from Bristol Newbie - I am single again after 12 years of marriage. Trust me folks, the ladies really do appreciate the time and effort invested in looking this gorgeous!!



    (is being cocky and arrogant a common side affect of triathlons??)
  • Not as much as they appreciate the hours you spend explaining to them the details of your training, your heart rate bands and how exactly you can achieve perfect aerodynamics on your bike...



    Yes we make a fascinating bunch!
  • I draw the line at shaving body hair, a club level triathlete should never do this!!!
  • SamutriSamutri Posts: 143
    You're certainly earning the 'newbie' tag in your name !! [;)]

    Removing body hair is a critical part of the sport - see the thread on shaving and my comments on the merits of waxing!! Even non-club duffers like me need to have all the hair removed from our bodies, pretty sure its the law!



    Strangely, some females see this as strange, those ones are best avoided in the race season.



    ..and armstrong_jack - I have dated a couple of runners who refuse to train with me - think the continual talk about IM, training schedules, nutritional diaries and so forth put them off. Still, its nice to be appreciated for a while!

  • Samutri,



    I had to get rid of one girlfriend as she was a faster runner than me! I beat her in a 10k race by sheer blood & guts as there was no way she was going to beat me. Then when she targetted a 3:30 Paris Marathon time I thought it was definitely time to get rid of her!



    In fact she ended up with a 3:34 which is a different league to the sub 4h i'm aiming for. The fact that she is 6 stone lighter than me definitely plays a part mind.



  • Samutri wrote:


    You're certainly earning the 'newbie' tag in your name !! [;)]

    Removing body hair is a critical part of the sport - see the thread on shaving and my comments on the merits of waxing!! Even non-club duffers like me need to have all the hair removed from our bodies, pretty sure its the law!



    Strangely, some females see this as strange, those ones are best avoided in the race season.



    ..and armstrong_jack - I have dated a couple of runners who refuse to train with me - think the continual talk about IM, training schedules, nutritional diaries and so forth put them off. Still, its nice to be appreciated for a while!





    'Newbie' is referring to being new to the forum I've got a few seasons behind me, but anyway......

    I'm taking a vow never to shave my body hair, the benefit cannot nearly be big enough to warrant walking round with less body hair than the missus!!!



    I'm off to a wedding now and I'll be drinking man drinks out of a pint glass!!!![8D]

  • Thanks for all the replies. It seems, I was just being impatient... I've dropped 2.5Kg's since the original post. Nothing dramatic, controlling those calories and making sure that my body is left looking for more energy.



    Thanks and enjoy the upcoming season
  • SamutriSamutri Posts: 143
    Glad its all turned out well!



    Bristol Newbie - don't brag about drinking pints, I'm still on halves - a whole pint would see me dancing naked on a table singing Tom Jones songs!!

    [;)]
  • bennybenny Posts: 1,314
    Well Samutri, that would make some great pictures in the 'shaving' thread [:D][:D][:D]
  • Samutri wrote:


    Glad its all turned out well!



    Bristol Newbie - don't brag about drinking pints, I'm still on halves - a whole pint would see me dancing naked on a table singing Tom Jones songs!!

    [;)]



    Nothing wrong with tom jones except the leather trousers he gyrates in!!![&:]



  • SamutriSamutri Posts: 143
    If any of you guys are at IM Austria, it could be an interesting post race party!

    No cameras though - I'll be wearing my kilt!
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