Will walking make me put weight on?!

[chocolatefudge]

I've lost a stone in five weeks and feel great. I decided to start exercising to tone up a bit but I'm now worried about the effect it'll have on my weightloss. I've started walking my son to school and home again, meaning I'm walking four miles each day. I've really been enjoying it and was hoping that this combined with being 100% on plan would mean a good weightloss this week. However, I've just jumped on the scales at my Mum's and have put 1.5lb on!!! I know I shouldn't weigh mid week (usual weigh in is Monday) and I know they aren't the same scales but I feel gutted! I know people say you gain muscle through exercise and it weighs more than fat but I thought this was a myth? And surely I wouldn't have gained much muscle this quickly?! Help!!

 

[PatchworkPuss]

You are not going to gain muscle from walking hun. Muscle take a long time to build and women generally don't have the hormonal make up to build muscle to the extent that it would show on the scales.

It is complete down to sneaky peeking and using different scales. Just make sure you are drinking enough water and forget about the scales

 

[chocolatefudge]

Thank you! Hopefully it is just down to weighing early!

 

[jennjenn84]

I've been doing lots of walking also, and it's not affected my weight loss.

Just remember your consultants scales are calibrated and you should wherever possible use the same scales every week.

 

[RubyMoss]

When you introduce exercise to your lifestyle, the effects aren't always immediately noticeable; I joined a gym and it definitely took a couple of weeks before it had any impact on the scale.

Water retention is probably the reason behind your weight gain:

"When you start doing more exercise, your body begins storing more fuel in your muscle cells, where it can be used easily and quickly to fuel your workouts. The process of converting glucose (carbohydrates) into fuel that your muscles actually store and use (glycogen) requires three molecules of water for every molecule of glucose. As your muscles are building up glycogen stores, your body has to retain extra water for this purpose. That's what causes most of the initial weight gain or lack of weight loss. This is a good thing—not something to worry about.

However, despite what the scale says, you are actually losing fat during this time. The extra water retention will stop once your body has adjusted to its new activity level. At that point, the scale should start moving down. You'll end up with less fat, and muscles that can handle a larger amount of work."

 

[Berryred]

I'm now just starting week 3 of body magic, I sts the first week I started and I do think it was due to exercise. But for every walk you do the calories burnt will also carry on burning for up to 48 hours so keep at it, measure and enjoy the patches of sunshine we have been having!

 

[lardylady]

I was happily maintaining and then when I started to walk a lot more, including a walk to and from work twice a week ( a round trip of 4/5 miles), and a good 4/5 mile walk at the weekend, I have since lost a further stone despite eating the same! It has been a slow loss though, averaging at about 0.5lb a week which when you're on the weight loss phase of your journey probably seems insignificant. Walking is such good all round exercise, though- it's free and can be done at any time and once you have those habits instilled in your routine, it's a habit that will help you maintain a healthy weight so keep doing it!

 

[Hippopotamum]

Funnily enough this happened to me too. I was walking 4 miles a day, 5 days a week and eating properly, sticking to the plan really well, but I only lost half a pound each week, then I cut down to half (2 miles per day) and I lost 3lb that week. Now this could easily have been down to ordinary weight fluctuations, but it did make me think!

I would maybe stick with it over a month, then if nothing changes on the scales, cut the walking down by half, maybe just do the school pick-up (still 2 miles every day) but don't forget to measure yourself, as things might change there, even if they don't change much on the scales. x

 

[Gwella]

When you introduce exercise to your lifestyle, the effects aren't always immediately noticeable; I joined a gym and it definitely took a couple of weeks before it had any impact on the scale.

Water retention is probably the reason behind your weight gain:

"When you start doing more exercise, your body begins storing more fuel in your muscle cells, where it can be used easily and quickly to fuel your workouts. The process of converting glucose (carbohydrates) into fuel that your muscles actually store and use (glycogen) requires three molecules of water for every molecule of glucose. As your muscles are building up glycogen stores, your body has to retain extra water for this purpose. That's what causes most of the initial weight gain or lack of weight loss. This is a good thing—not something to worry about.

However, despite what the scale says, you are actually losing fat during this time. The extra water retention will stop once your body has adjusted to its new activity level. At that point, the scale should start moving down. You'll end up with less fat, and muscles that can handle a larger amount of work."

I hadn't heard this explanation before but it's interesting. I've heard also that when you use muscles that you don't usually, they will retain water to repair any damage and grow - maybe this is a simpler way of saying the same thing but I don't know! Personally if I really ache from exercise when I get weighed, I might STS, perhaps because of this water for repair.

Ultimately you're unlikely to gain weight as muscle unless you become a real gym bunny or bodybuilder, assuming you still have fat to lose and are sticking to the diet! You will be losing fat quicker than you gain muscle, obviously the exercise itself helps use up calories (walking I've heard can burn up to 100calories per mile), and actually having more muscle speeds up your metabolism so that you burn fat quicker (even when you're asleep).

 

[Snozzberry]

Step away from the scales! Mine told me I had put on 2lbs this week but I actually lost 3. I have learned my lesson.

I have started running ( well walk/run but it's becoming more run than walk finally) and it's not affected my weight loss so far. In fact the week I didn't run due to a heavy cold, I maintained.

When I was doing WW years ago though, I did find that if I did a session at the gym the day before my weigh in, I wouldn't lose that week :/

 

[chocolatefudge]

Thanks everyone! Weighted in this morning and lost 3lb and got Slimmer of the Week! So will keep up with the walking as I'm enjoying it and feel more toned already.