Rapid weight gain. Frustrated

(Donald Alderman) #1

So I have keto for 3 weeks now. Consistent 20 grams or less carbs a day. I started at 208 and got down to 194. So Thursday I ran the Peachtree road race which is a 10k. Since Thursday I have gained 5 or 6 pounds. What is going on? How have I gained that much back in 2 days? Getting extremely frustrated :rage:. My legs have been super sore from the race. Do sore legs retain water. Could it be the sore muscles in my legs causing the gain in weight?

(Carl Keller) #2

Welcome Donald.

My guess is you lost a lot of fluids when you ran the race and the following days your body sponged up a bunch of water. Gains or losses in a few days time is not really a trend. Weigh again in a week and see where you are at.

I did find an article that suggests micro trauma and inflammation caused by exercise can cause water retention to promote healing.

https://health.clevelandclinic.org/just-started-exercising-gaining-weight/

(Donald Alderman) #3

Thank you for the information. That makes sense. I will stay away from the scale for a week and then see where I am. That makes me feel better.

(less is more, more or less) #4

Another aspect to consider is that if youā€™re only three weeks into low-carb eating.Ā¹ It is reasonable to conclude that your body hasnā€™t entirely switched to burning fat first when you expend a burst of energy, such as a 10K. Such a weight swing isnā€™t necessarily concerning. For that matter, even two years in, I find unusual peaks and dips in my weight. I am now confident that itā€™s one metric among many to watch. By itself, it should not alarm you.

As for sore legs, increase your salt ā€“ or enjoy beef or chicken bouillon to help replace lost sodium. Low-carb eating requires you to replace the sodium you give up that is commonly found in starchy foods. Salt will also impact the scale, but, again, this too is a red herring.

Having run half-marathons ā€“ may I run many more ā€“ being fat adapted is a wonderful experience.

Welcome to the forums!

Ā¹ At least you say you are. I donā€™t mean to sound judgemental, but being genuinely low-carb requires rethinking everything, and takes time. Even old-timers struggle with keeping their carbs low. Letting us know what you eat will allow us to provide additional guidance, should you be so inclined.

(Donald Alderman) #5

Today back down 4 lbs to 196. Seems it was just fluid retention from recovery after the run. Feeling better. I do track macros in my app to ensure I am not going over. I am usually under 20 grams. I agree itā€™s hard sometimes as carbs come from places you would least expect it. Thanks for all the guidance.

(Susan) #6

Way to go, Donald, good luck with the rest of your Keto journey.

(Bacon is a many-splendoured thing) #8

Thatā€™s less likely if you avoid processed foods (Michael Pollan calls them ā€œedible, food-like substancesā€) and eat actual, real food.

(PSackmann) #9

Youā€™ve gotten some good advice and responses, I just wanted to send a kudo for doing the Peachtree. :confetti_ball::confetti_ball::confetti_ball: