Question regarding rest days and weight gain...

[AmandaB]

So, I don't often post here, but I read posts several times a day. Recently, I've been having an issue, I'm wondering if you guys could give me some insight.

Over the last 3 years - using a d*et plan not to be named and working out at home using DVDs - I've lost the 50 pounds I gained with baby #2. I have kept the weight off for a little over a year now.

However, over the last 6 months, I've seen my weight begin to creep up. It's only been about 6 pounds total, but I'm concerned because my eating habits haven't changed (still on unnamed plan). Now, I have gotten more into weights - Jari Love specifically - and joined a gym and have gotten really into spinning (noticeable increase in muscle size in my quads) , and while I'd like to think this is muscle weight, I don't think that's the case.

I workout every day - around an hour and 15 minutes average. I do not take a rest day. I wear a heart monitor and almost never fall under 500 calories a workout (it's my goal). So it's concerning where this weight is coming from. I'm wondering if by never taking a rest day I'm sabotaging myself. I get a little less than 8 hours of sleep a night, but I'm tired. A lot.

If anyone can shed any light on why I'm on this gaining track I would appreciate it. As a side note, when I finished losing the weight I was under my goal weight. I was - for the first time in my life - too thin. (I've battled my weight all my life.) I'm also wondering if this has something to do with it - as in my body conserving calories.

If it matters - I'm 35 years old......

[CarlaVeg]

are your clothes fitting tighter??? or the same?

[AmandaB]

Pretty much the same, though I have noticed that my pants are tighter on my quads. But the waist is the same........

Also, if it matters, I do not sit down and am pretty much running around most of the day. A day where I get to sit down for two meals is a good one.

Thanks for your help!

[videofit]

If you are not allowing your body to rest -- and that is when your muscles repair themselves from all your working out -- your body could be hanging onto fluid for some reason, perhaps as it would during an injury. Just a wild guess. I'd say take at least one rest day per week or one every four or five days and see what happens. Maybe you are eating too few calories. Try one day per week of eating more.

[cooldham]

It definitely sounds like you might need to go a little easier on yourself and scale back...get a little more sleep at night and a rest day and I bet that weight just falls off! It could also be that your body wants to be a little heavier, since you mentioned you were at a too thin point. When I originally hit my goal weight, I did slide back up 5-10 lbs and stay there without too much effort. Maybe that extra 6 pounds is where your body wants to be.

Congrats on hitting your goal weight AND all of your workout progress!

[Debbie S.]

Amanda, since you just recently started adding strength work and spinning, the culprit is water retention. Once your body adapts to the strength workouts and spinning, you'll drop some of the water weight gain.

My legs retain water like crazy when I do a lot of spinning, so I personally don't do a lot of it.

The tape measure indicates that your waist measurement is the same, so I honestly would not be worried about your weight gain being fat.

[dela]

One of the symptoms of over training is fatigue, getting 7-8 hours of sleep I believe is the amount you should be getting.

Honestly, you might need a rest week at this point, where you can just do some light activities to let your body get some rest. But overall you really should include rest days at least a few days a month.

You may have actually put on some leg muscle too, you said you noticed more quad definition and tighter pants.

Google over training and see if you match up to other symptoms.

[slysam]

Don't know, it could be water retention or possibly muscle. I'd really watch the measurements more than the scale as I would imagine that if you were gaining body fat your waist and hips would be increasing not just your quads. I agree that a rest day may help as well and maybe try to find another source of cardio to alternate with spinning to give your quads a break (if you are not already doing something other than spinning and weights).

[bk1]

Have you had a thyroid test at all? I was on the opposite end....losing a lot of weight very easily, very tense, rapid heartbeat. I had Grave's disease. You might be hypothyroid, which can cause weight gain and fatigue.

[kat999]

Sleep, sleep, and more sleep. I work out about as hard as you are now and wasn't seeing a lot of weight loss despite everything else being good. I then started going to bed at 9 pm most nights and getting at least 8 hours of sleep no matter what. The weight just started falling off.