Clydesdales/Athenas (200+ lb / 91+ kg) - weight gain after cycling?

Last weekend I really pushed myself hard to try get myself off a weight loss plateau that I've been on for months. The strangest thing happened. Monday morning I weighed myself after using the bathroom (get rid of every bit of weight possible!) and I had gained 2 kgs i.e over 4 lbs! Same thing happened previous weekend. I do generally lose the gain over the next week before the next ride but that means I don't lose weight over time.

Saturday I did 80 miles (my longest distance yet due to getting lost on a planned 50 mile ride) solo - 5 hours
Sunday 45 miles group ride

Both were over hilly terrain where I pushed really hard uphill and there were a lot of hills. On the solo ride I specifically went to the steepest hills in the area. The group ride was especially hard becasue I was riding with people who were faster and much stronger climbers than me. Both rides exhausted me making me fall asleep after I got home. I did eat a lot post ride, but healthily - turkey, lettuce, cucumber, pasta, celery, eggs, peas

Some background: I was 210 lbs before the weekend. Height 5'10. Been cycling both days on weekends for about 10 months. I eat very healthily (no junk no added salt, very low fat, moderate carbs, lots of fruit and veg) - so healthy I get bored with the food I eat. Good cardio fitness. I don't get out of breath on solo rides though I do push hard (I always chase other faster riders whenever I see them and especially when they overtake me).

What's going on? Why do I keep gaining weight after rides? Why can't I lose weight over time? Anyone else see weight gain after rides?

Thanks

I don't weigh myself, but every two weeks, because day to day weight gain/loss is just normal, because of fluid loss and gain. I can't say that I gain or lose by riding, because weight loss is basically a burn more calories than you take in for an overall weight loss. But, just the intake of more water per day, can and will change the scales.

I did do something many years ago, and just to prove a point. I got up and weighed myself (fully clothed) at 5:00 in the morning and went to work. Drank nothing but water the entire morning, and went home at lunch and weighed again, and I was 2 pounds heavier. Then, after eating a salad for lunch with some water, I weighed an extra pound. I went back to work and drank more water and weighed when I came back home and was at a total of 5 pounds heavier than the morning when I woke up. I ate a small supper and drank some water and had gained another pound. Before I went to bed, I decided to weigh myself again. I was back down to 5 pounds of weight gain for the day. Then I weighed my self the next morning and I weighed 3 pounds more than the day before.

That was a 24 hour period and look how much my weight had changed.

I had been slowly losing weight since Jan this year, then when my riding ramped up in April I noticed I was gaining weight, the trend continued in May. The more miles I rode the more weight I gained. For example I would leave my house at 284 in the morning, ride 40 miles, and then before bed weigh myself and find it at 288, the next morning it might be 286. I was really getting frustrated.

My problem was that when I didn't ride I kept my eating in check but when I did ride I would use it as an excuse to eat whatever I wanted. I'd tell myself, "I just rode for 3 hours, I need to replenish, go ahead and drink that coke and eat a pizza."

What it sounds like is a short term gain that is normal after intense physical exercise. When you stress your muscles, they start to break down proteins and this raises the particulate in the cytoplasm, which causes the fluid volume to raise inside the muscle cells as a result of osmosis.

It's part of the mechanism to flush out the partial protein compounds and lactic and uric acid from the muscles. You will be at a somewhat higher weight for about 72 hrs after the event, so don't be to worried yet.

I lost 30 lbs, and rewarded myself with a new bike, since cycling seemed to be doing the trick. That was a month ago, and I've gained 2* lbs! I was depressed until I went through my clothes and realized I had gone down almost a full size.

My exact problem to a T. It is really depressing but my shorts are falling off now.

This really seems to fit what is happening to you. I have no medical training so take this for what it's worth but my wife is an RN and she said it makes sense to her.

I normally drink about 100 ounces of water a day. That is just a normal day, maybe an easy 10 mile ride or something like that. If I do a harder ride or I'm out in the heat more I will weigh 2 or 3 lbs more the next morning. I have come to the conclusion that mild dehydration will make you weigh more. It seems that the body sees a potential for not getting enough fluid due to the increased activity or heat. You will then begin to retain water which will increase your weight. After activity returns to normal you will drop the weight if you keep drinking like you should.

What casued me to figure this out was my pee. During a normal day I will be in the restroom every 90 minutes or so and my urine will be clear. During a longer, hot ride, I increased my water intake but made the entire ride and at least an hour after without having to pee. When I did the urine was darker yellow showing that I was a bit dehydrated. That stayed the same the entire day and I was 3 lbs heavier the next morning. I went back to my usual 100 ounces the next day and my frequency of urination was higher, probably every hour for most of the day. I believe that was my body realizing it was going to get enough fluid so it was getting rid of the retained water. I was down 2 lbs the next morning and things were back to normal the following day. I've always heard that the more water you drink the less you retain and I really believe that to be true.

Joe

If you're doing a lot of riding and eating right, you probably will GAIN weight. That's because you'll be putting on enormous amounts of muscles in your core and legs. And those muscles are many times larger than arm muscles. You may not notice all that much muscle growth, but it's happening. And muscles is much heavier than fat. Just keep eating right and don't worry about it. After you're fit the weight will come off fast.

Just remember that health isn't just a number on a scale.

Muscle weighs more than fat, so you might be gaining one as you lose the other. For me, in the short term, I think the reason for post-ride weight gain is hydration: I drink a LOT more water when I'm very activein hot weather, a gallon a day easily. If some of that hangs around, or if I was slightly dehydrated at the previous weigh-in, a pint's a pound.

My exact problem to a T. It is really depressing but my shorts are falling off now.
If your shorts are falling off, why is it depressing? Heaven's sake...

I know your pain!

For the past two weeks I've been good, very good, eating well and doing the Slim-Fast thing for breakfast/lunch during the week. I haven't cycled much due to physical injury and, well, laziness. But I've probably not gone over 2000 calories each day, keeping it around 1500. I told myself I'd wait a month before I weighed myself again.

I broke down today and... +4lbs. Two weeks, and I somehow gained 4 lbs?

I think they heard my scream of anger on BOTH coasts.

I'm sure there's about 100 reasons for it, from the oversalted "plain" movie theater popcorn yesterday evening to the lack of water all weekend (I "forgot" my bottle at work, and "had" to drink Diet A&W). Or I could have just gained 4lbs. But I know in the mirror I look (literally) like I'm shrinking, and a pair of pants that I could wear without a belt two weeks ago now REQUIRE a belt.

It could be a bunch of things, or it could just be God's way of telling me to stop focusing on the number on the @#!@#@ scale, but to rather focus on weight loss/health.

Of course that won't stop me from weighing in again tonight after the sweaty ride home, but whaddya get :).

I weigh myself every morning, but that's just because I like making graphs and such and my weight fluctuates like crazy. I do notice a weight drop when I have been doing the same distance rides for a while after the initial weight gain. My best guess as to what is happening is first my body is building lots of musle (my thigh muscles look HOT now, btw), and then as the muscle growth slows, the fat weight loss becomes apparent.

I know this should probably be in its own thread in the nutrition section.

but my problem falls into the whole GOSH DARN complex carbs, fatty acids, processed foods, saturated fat, polyskldlkje lkjsdlfj , kejlrjkwoij , eljlwjlekjr, lwjlrjek blah blah blah blah, all that junk of the foods that I am not supposed to eat I can never figure that crap out. I wish someone can give me a good diet with planned out meals with a shopping list to shop for :). I can never figure out nutritional stuff I get chicken breasts only to find out that the teriaki flavored ones are bad for me and they are processed with corn syurp or some crap like that.

I know im ranting and will stop now, I did just get done with a 20 mile trip with the wife and kids took 3.5 hours with 1.5 hours of stopping time (We jumped in the lake literally).

Weight lifters and boxers see this all the time. The day after a big weight workout, your muscles are repairing the damage you did to them, and are holding lots and lots of extra water and fluids. Water weighs 7 lbs per gallon, so it is very easy to have a 2-3 day gain of water weight following a significant workout that really tears down your big muscle groups. That is why they don't want boxers or wrestlers to lift any weights or work out too hard in general a couple of days before a weigh-in for an event.

Also, the more you weigh, the more your water-weight will naturally fluctuate. No way around it. If you looked at it as a percentage of your overall body weight, you would find that you don't fluctuate any more than a smaller person. They just weigh less, and they have less body to "fluctuate" to begin with.

Take care.

Thanks everyone for all the information and personal experiences. It sounds like my experience is not uncommon and is most likely a water retention issue and muscle building.

I actually don't want to build muscle...if anything I have excess leg muscles from dragging my weight around and I used to do a lot of sports before getting fat. I've always been an active person even after gaining weight. I just need to tighten the muscles more and losing some wouldn't be a big deal.

I was so discouraged and fed up this morning after weighing I thought what's the point of trying?!! Why not just get that bucket of fried chicken I've been craving? Now I'm thinking I'll stick with the extra cycling efforts and wait a couple more months before patronising that fine food emporium KFC. By then I'll know if it is a reward for losing weight or giving up.

INCHES are the indicator I use. If those decrease, so does the extra fat.

I think it's a really bad idea to give up like that. It's much better for you and everyone else that is close to you if you are healthy. Like I said before, health is more than a number on a scale. I would much rather be 400 pounds but in good physical health than 180 and in poor health.

but my problem falls into the whole GOSH DARN complex carbs, fatty acids, processed foods, saturated fat, polyskldlkje lkjsdlfj , kejlrjkwoij , eljlwjlekjr, lwjlrjek blah blah blah blah, all that junk of the foods that I am not supposed to eat I can never figure that crap out. I wish someone can give me a good diet with planned out meals with a shopping list to shop for :). I can never figure out nutritional stuff I get chicken breasts only to find out that the teriaki flavored ones are bad for me and they are processed with corn syurp or some crap like that.


It's so confusing working out what's got what in it and what's been added and how many calories etc. I avoid this headache by simply doing most of my shopping in the raw sections. If it comes in a box or is in a fancy sealed package then I generally don't buy it. This does mean having to find ways to flavour the food healthily which I usually fail to do hence the boredom with what I normally eat.

It's so confusing working out what's got what in it and what's been added and how many calories etc. I avoid this headache by simply doing most of my shopping in the raw sections. If it comes in a box or is in a fancy sealed package then I generally don't buy it. This does mean having to find ways to flavour the food healthily which I usually fail to do hence the boredom with what I normally eat.


+1 I try to stay away from boxed foods too. If I can't pronounce the ingredients without referring back to my 2nd grade Phonics book...then I don't wanna eat it. ....although, I sure do like diet pop and that's full of all sorts of chemicals:p

I'm so glad to see this post - I've been suffering from the same ups and downs on the scales, and it really can be discouraging. One thing I'm doing to help keep things in perspective is every week when I record my weight, I also record one other fitness-related accomplishment, whether it's a change in how my clothes fit or a new personal best on my bike.

Doesn't mean I don't still get freaked out sometimes, when the pounds aren't falling off...

Earlier I mentioned that I weigh myself every morning because I like making graphs and such. I just thought I'd share one of those with you. Notice how much my weigh goes up and down from day to day, but over all there is a very nice trend. :)

Joe, that is a hell of a descent! I think you should write a book so everyone can follow you.

Nice blogs, Becky and bdinger. One thing I notice when in the process of losing weight is how obessional I become...thinking about food and weight all the time. The various weight loss blogs I've looked at seems to show the same obsession. Shopping, surfing the web, watching tv - everything seems to be about food and cycling with me at the moment. For some strange reason I'm drawn to watching diet programmes followed by cookery programmes on tv. If I can't eat it at least I can see it and drool.

My weight can easily fluctuate 3 lbs in a matter of hours.

I found that if I do not eat enough calories I gain weight. I know it sounds weird, but its true. Especially when I ride 100+ miles per week, I try to keep my calories around 2200-2400 per day. My weight does jump around wildly also. Good luck with the battle!

Last weekend I really pushed myself hard to try get myself off a weight loss plateau that I've been on for months. The strangest thing happened. Monday morning I weighed myself after using the bathroom (get rid of every bit of weight possible!) and I had gained 2 kgs i.e over 4 lbs! Same thing happened previous weekend. I do generally lose the gain over the next week before the next ride but that means I don't lose weight over time.

Saturday I did 80 miles (my longest distance yet due to getting lost on a planned 50 mile ride) solo - 5 hours
Sunday 45 miles group ride

Both were over hilly terrain where I pushed really hard uphill and there were a lot of hills. On the solo ride I specifically went to the steepest hills in the area. The group ride was especially hard becasue I was riding with people who were faster and much stronger climbers than me. Both rides exhausted me making me fall asleep after I got home. I did eat a lot post ride, but healthily - turkey, lettuce, cucumber, pasta, celery, eggs, peas

Some background: I was 210 lbs before the weekend. Height 5'10. Been cycling both days on weekends for about 10 months. I eat very healthily (no junk no added salt, very low fat, moderate carbs, lots of fruit and veg) - so healthy I get bored with the food I eat. Good cardio fitness. I don't get out of breath on solo rides though I do push hard (I always chase other faster riders whenever I see them and especially when they overtake me).

What's going on? Why do I keep gaining weight after rides? Why can't I lose weight over time? Anyone else see weight gain after rides?

Thanks

There are a couple of issues, one is that muscle weighs more then fat, so if you convert fat into muscle, of the same volume, you will actually gain weight. There are other indicators better then weight, for example if your doctor does a Body Fat test, and that number is lower, or if your Blood Pressure or Blood Sugar (HbA1c test) numbers are lower, or you have worn size 44 pants for years, and now find that the size 42s at the store are loose.

The other issue is that you should always weigh yourself under the same conditions, first thing in the morning, get up, go to bathroom, take off night clothes, get on scale, if you weigh weekly, always do it on the same day of the week. This is all to eliminate as many variables as possible. If your dressed, one set of clothes will weigh differently then another, if you have eaten or drunk anything then adds weight, if you haven't gone to the bathroom, then whatever your kidneys and bowels have been working on, is adding weight. You can weigh more on a Monday morning after partying all weekend, then you do on a Friday morning, when you have not started partying, yet.:beer:

I don't weigh myself. I only care about how I feel and how my clothes fit. I can lose 5 or 10 pounds and no one can tell the difference so I can't really care about 2 or 3. I guess if you're 120 and you lose 10 pounds it's a big deal.

if you lost 20 pounds on the scale but looked and felt exactly the same, and your clothes fit the same, would that make you happy?
what if you dropped a couple sizes and felt much better but weighed exactly the same on the scale?

I find it helps to be very clear with myself about my goals.

bb