Weight gain after two weeks of running

[Brian]

Hi all. I'm new to the forum and have a quick question. I have been following PP for about four months and have dropped about 33 pounds. I have been walking regularly for about 3 months and have just recently, about 2 weeks ago, been running the same 3.4 mile route in about 35-40 minutes. Although I am still following the first induction phase, <30 carb/day, I have now started to gain weight, about 3 pounds to date. I have re-checked my carb intake and it is about the same as it was. Any suggestions would be appriciated. :confused:

[Gaelen]

Brian, the extra work your muscles are doing to run vs. walking the same route might just be enough to prod some additonal muscle development (one of the reasons changing up workouts periodically can help accelerate body reshaping). If your muscles grow just a bit bigger, you'd see a net weight gain--another reason to periodically re-calculate your lean body mass, to get an idea whether your net gain/loss is from muscle development, muscle loss, fat gain, or fat loss.

I weigh (or am weighed) at least four times per week, so I tend to weigh myself regularly on my home scale at the same time to help me keep an eye on what should be 'normal' or an average weight for the week. I know, I know...the standard recommendation is to throw the scale away...but every doctor's scale is different, so I need some sort of baseline (my home scale) to put whatever number they get into context. Scale numbers long ago lost any power to send me into a mental tailspin as they could a decade ago, so I weigh regularly without guilt.

What regular weighing tells me is when I've eaten too much salt or for whatever other reason, I am probably retaining water. I can easily vary 3 lbs within a day, depending on time, whether I've eaten something really salty like lox, have drunk enough fluids that day, have just exercised or eaten, etc. etc. So if that plus-3-lbs. is one isolated weighing--maybe not to worry. If you're a routine weigher and you've clocked in an extra three lbs. for a few weighings in a row, it might be time to take a look at your salt/water intake, and re-calc your lean body mass.

Hope this helps; welcome in!

[Billie]

Brian what about your measurements? Have they changed, clothes fitting differently?