DOMS, Water Retention, and Weight Gain

[Jewelgirl04 106]

Hi everyone! I was sleeved on 1/23/15 and reached my goal of 145 on 12/24/15. I never bounced more than 2-3 pounds over my goal weight for a long while, at least until I went on vacation in November 2016. I jumped up to 153, but was able to get down around 150, but no lower.

I haven't been able to drop under 150 since (despite being incredibly strict) and after getting up to around 153, I enrolled in a personal training program at the hospital where I'd had my surgery (also endorsed by my surgeon). I started two weeks ago and have 45 minute sessions 2x per week, mixing up strength training with cardio. I'm also trying to tighten up my body prior to considering plastic surgery (especially the damn FUPA that is the bane of my existence).

My Protein intake has been within the range as stated by my surgeon (60-80g) and my caloric intake is generally between 600-1000 calories (tracked via My Fitness Pal). I'm sort of ballparking my own caloric range based on what's been posted here, as my nutritionist never actually gave me an idea as to what I should be sticking to.

I know that I've had Delayed Onset Muscle Soreness (DOMS), which starts 24 hours after a session, peaks at 48 hours, and is mostly gone by 72 hours. However, I'm noticing the the scale isn't dropping, but rather, it's substantially climbing. I was 152 when I started and am pushing over 156. I cannot get the scale to lower and it's getting to be very frustrating. Further, I've noticed that I've actually gone up an inch or two in measurements from where I was two weeks ago. Ugh ugh ugh.

Has anyone else experienced this? I'm staying hydrated, but it's hard to keep wanting to knock back my liquids if this is retention at work. I have my belated two year post-op appointment (had to keep rescheduling due to weather) on May 5th and I'd hate to go there up 10 pounds or more when I'd had an otherwise successful year. I'm just frustrated beyond belief.

[TheRealMeIsHere! 863]

11 hours ago, Jewelgirl04 said:

it's hard to keep wanting to knock back my liquids if this is retention at work.

Actually, Fluid retention can be exacerbated by decreasing liquids.

Are you tracking every bite? Drinking calorie free liquids? You may need to up calories to lose. Also, keeping carbs at a minimum is helpful. With me, I found that allowing some fat in my diet is helpful.

Maintenance is tough, until you find the balance that works for you. It's still evolving for me, 4 years after reaching goal.

[OutsideMatchInside 10,166]

Why are your calories and Protein so low if you are working out and strength training?

If you are really serious about your goals, have your RMR tested so you know exactly where to set your calories. A DEXA scan can help you determine your lean mass so you can set your protein goals.

Everyone gains weight when they are weight training. You build muscle by tearing your muscles apart and when they rebuild the tears you get gains (a little over simplified). Your muscles fill those tears with liquids, so you have increased Fluid retention. Your trainer should have warned you about this.

Depending on the exercises you are doing, you are going to gain inches. If you want to lean out and as a female and build muscles there are other options like pilates, barre3, etc. There are exercises you can do with normal weight that will lean you out but most trainers aren't skilled in that.

[Introversion 1,876]

Glycogenation is the most common reason people see weight gain when starting a new exercise program. The new exercise program increases your muscle’s energy storage capacity. An active body demands more fuel, so it adapts by storing more of the carbohydrates you eat as glycogen in your muscle tissue.

So you may be losing fat when you start a new workout program. However, the progress you make is cloaked by Water weight gain. You have possibly lost a couple of pounds of fat the first week but gained several more pounds of muscle glycogen during that time.

So you weigh yourself, see some notable weight gain, and conclude your hard workouts were all for nothing. Therefore, stay off the scale for a few weeks. Measure your progress during these first few weeks by how your clothes fit, not by the number on the scale.

Also, 600 to 1000 calories a day is not nearly enough intake for an active lifestyle. The less you eat, the more your body retains water. The more water you retain, the bigger that number is on the scale. Give your body the food it needs, and it will eventually shed fat.

For example, I am a 36-year-old hypothyroid female whose weight fluctuates between 117 and 120 pounds. We were sleeved in the same time frame (early 2015). I am two years out and consume anywhere from 1800 to 2100 calories per day. You are causing your body to hold on to fat and water for dear life by restricting so much.

In other words, eat the food and stay off the scale.

[Introversion 1,876]

Another afterthought...I want to provide the actual numbers associated with glycogen stores that results in weight gain. The important thing to consider is that you are likely NOT gaining fat.

Your body stores 2+ grams of Water for every 1 gram of glycogen stored in tissues. This results in increased body weight as well as potential bloating. However, it is water weight. You are not gaining fat. Remember that 1000 grams of glycogen needs 2000+ grams of water for storage in your tissues.

Also, under-eating can result in weight gain. You are more than two years out. You should not be restricting your intake to the 600 to 1000 kCal range each day. You are doing metabolic damage by restricting so low and combining it with exercise. read the article below if you have the time.

http://strongfigure.com/why-under-eating-is-making-you-gain-weight/

[OutsideMatchInside 10,166]

@Introversion

I agree with everything you said and I really feel like at this point she needs to take a step back from exercising and invest in some body assessments.

She needs to establish if her low caloric intake all this time has damage her metabolism and exactly what her RMR is. A DEXA scan wouldn't hurt.

[Jewelgirl04 106]

Thank you everyone for your input! I only started this level of strength training two weeks ago and my previous activity had been limited to walking. I also have an appointment with my NUT and my surgeon on May 5th, so this is certainly a concern I'll bring up to them.

2 hours ago, TheRealMeIsHere! said:

Actually, Fluid retention can be exacerbated by decreasing liquids.

Are you tracking every bite? Drinking calorie free liquids? You may need to up calories to lose. Also, keeping carbs at a minimum is helpful. With me, I found that allowing some fat in my diet is helpful.

Maintenance is tough, until you find the balance that works for you. It's still evolving for me, 4 years after reaching goal.

I'm trying to increase my liquids to reflect my increased level of activity. I don't drink anything that isn't either calorie-free or five calories for the glass (ie: Crystal Light and Snapple, as sometimes I get Water sickness) and I am tracking every bite.

My clothes don't seem to fit any differently, which is the frustrating part. Sometimes, I think maintenance is harder than losing post-op.

1 hour ago, OutsideMatchInside said:

Why are your calories and Protein so low if you are working out and strength training?

If you are really serious about your goals, have your RMR tested so you know exactly where to set your calories. A DEXA scan can help you determine your lean mass so you can set your Protein goals.

Everyone gains weight when they are weight training. You build muscle by tearing your muscles apart and when they rebuild the tears you get gains (a little over simplified). Your muscles fill those tears with liquids, so you have increased Fluid retention. Your trainer should have warned you about this.

Depending on the exercises you are doing, you are going to gain inches. If you want to lean out and as a female and build muscles there are other options like pilates, barre3, etc. There are exercises you can do with normal weight that will lean you out but most trainers aren't skilled in that.

14 minutes ago, OutsideMatchInside said:

@Introversion

I agree with everything you said and I really feel like at this point she needs to take a step back from exercising and invest in some body assessments.

She needs to establish if her low caloric intake all this time has damage her metabolism and exactly what her RMR is. A DEXA scan wouldn't hurt.

This level of exercise is completely new for me. My NUT has never really advised me that I should be adjusting my caloric intake based on intensity of exercise, so I'm flying pretty blind here. (Obviously at the end of the day, the responsibility is my own, but I've been really disappointed with my NUT for lack of guidance the more I learn about life post-op.)

The trainer that I work with specializes in bariatric patients, so I'm thinking this is somewhat similar to the TOM water retention that results in some bloat. It just sucks because it's now gone on for two weeks since I started.

1 hour ago, Introversion said:

Glycogenation is the most common reason people see weight gain when starting a new exercise program. The new exercise program increases your muscle’s energy storage capacity. An active body demands more fuel, so it adapts by storing more of the carbohydrates you eat as glycogen in your muscle tissue.

So you may be losing fat when you start a new workout program. However, the progress you make is cloaked by Water weight gain. You have possibly lost a couple of pounds of fat the first week but gained several more pounds of muscle glycogen during that time.

So you weigh yourself, see some notable weight gain, and conclude your hard workouts were all for nothing. Therefore, stay off the scale for a few weeks. Measure your progress during these first few weeks by how your clothes fit, not by the number on the scale.

Also, 600 to 1000 calories a day is not nearly enough intake for an active lifestyle. The less you eat, the more your body retains water. The more water you retain, the bigger that number is on the scale. Give your body the food it needs, and it will eventually shed fat.

For example, I am a 36-year-old hypothyroid female whose weight fluctuates between 117 and 120 pounds. We were sleeved in the same time frame (early 2015). I am two years out and consume anywhere from 1800 to 2100 calories per day. You are causing your body to hold on to fat and water for dear life by restricting so much.

In other words, eat the food and stay off the scale.

51 minutes ago, Introversion said:

Another afterthought...I want to provide the actual numbers associated with glycogen stores that results in weight gain. The important thing to consider is that you are likely NOT gaining fat.

Your body stores 2+ grams of Water for every 1 gram of glycogen stored in tissues. This results in increased body weight as well as potential bloating. However, it is water weight. You are not gaining fat. Remember that 1000 grams of glycogen needs 2000+ grams of water for storage in your tissues.

Also, under-eating can result in weight gain. You are more than two years out. You should not be restricting your intake to the 600 to 1000 kCal range each day. You are doing metabolic damage by restricting so low and combining it with exercise. read the article below if you have the time.

http://strongfigure.com/why-under-eating-is-making-you-gain-weight/

Thank you so much for that article. I really have to ask my NUT what my caloric intake should look like when I see her because I'm now really concerned based on what you (and others) have said. If I was losing inches, it'd be easy for me to ditch the scale. I guess we'll really see what is going on with my measurements in 6 weeks, when my program ends and I get my measurements taken again.

[OutsideMatchInside 10,166]

In my experience Nutritionists are useless. You might not ever get any good guidance, but it doesn't hurt to ask.

[Newme17 3,444]

5 hours ago, Introversion said:

Also, under-eating can result in weight gain. You are more than two years out. You should not be restricting your intake to the 600 to 1000 kCal range each day. You are doing metabolic damage by restricting so low and combining it with exercise

Finally....I love seeing others chime in about this. I damaged my metabolism by not eating enough as well. I gained weight doing this. I also worked out a lot. Didn't see anything going anywhere. Doc was always on to me too. I finally learned my lessons and educated myself. I've got a lot of information from this site, http://eatmore2weighless.com/. Helped me immensely. Although I don't like the idea of calorie counting, it's good to do/start just to get an idea of what you should be eating at the activity you are doing.

[Stella S 612]

Finally....I love seeing others chime in about this. I damaged my metabolism by not eating enough as well. I gained weight doing this. I also worked out a lot. Didn't see anything going anywhere. Doc was always on to me too. I finally learned my lessons and educated myself. I've got a lot of information from this site, http://eatmore2weighless.com/. Helped me immensely. Although I don't like the idea of calorie counting, it's good to do/start just to get an idea of what you should be eating at the activity you are doing.

I never had much luck with dietitians. Even my weight loss surgeon office is less than helpful. I personally get wrapped up in the details already know the basics and need the whole picture which was something I could only get myself. My weight-loss surgeon's office did offer me a job - LOL. Oh I am in my early 40s and I have been between 118 122 for eight months after WL surgery April 2015. I too am active and eat in the tween 1600 and 2000 cal each day - sometimes depending on exercise much more. One weird thing is I eat so much more now than I ever did pre-WLS.

[Jewelgirl04 106]

Thank you to everyone who has replied.

i went to the NUT and surgeon and long story short, they recommend waiting it out. They suspect its Water retention, but offered no suggestions or guidance. It feels (and has felt since I hit goal way back when) that once I hit my goal weight, there's not much interest in helping me anymore. I mean, to give you a bit of an idea as to how things operate, in my first post-op appointment a week after surgery, they sat me down at a computer and told me to leave a review of the surgeon. In the exam room.

the NUT says I should be eating between 800-1000 calories a day, even with workouts.

im actually doing something semi-odd that finally seems to be helping the scale drop, which I did in Jan/Feb 2016 that helped. I found eating a Starbucks bistro box for lunch every day helped me lose, rather than eating my usual lunches. I usually build a beef/chicken fajita bowl for dinner. I don't eat Breakfast because I commute on the bus into NYC for 90 minutes and get nauseated if I eat. Maybe it's a perfect balance for me. Or coincidence. But I'm seeing the scale drop for the first time in 5 weeks. I was 158.5 on Saturday. Today, I was 155 and I was last that my first week of working out. The bistro box is the only change!

i will keep going this way as long as I lose. I'm just glad to see progress!