Post-big ride weight gain

[tab123]

I did my first big ride of the season on Saturday. I rode 55 miles of very hilly riding in hot, humid weather. After waking from a catatonic state yesterday, I weighed myself to discover I am five pounds up! I know this is the result of glycogen depletion (and perhaps indulgence in Indian food on Saturday night) and will disappear (I hope), but it is annoying nonetheless.

Has anyone else experienced this?

[Tri Girl]

I know after a long workout in the heat, I'll gain weight. For me, I think it's a result of water retention (from consuming extra salt to prevent dehydration) and all the liquid I drink. Isn't Indian food high in sodium? If so, I'll bet that's it. Don't worry- it'll come right back off. :)

[andtckrtoo]

Oh wow! You did the two things guaranteed to make me gain weight (temporarily, fortunately). Indian food always packs weight on me - always, always.

And a long ride does it as well for a few days. I've heard it's because our bodies are put under a lot of stress after such a ride. It wasn't that long ago when such stress was created by really bad things (famine, escaping a flood, etc) and they did not usually go away right away, so the water retention is actually a survival mechanism. It should go away as soon as your body realizes that it's okay to let it go.

[tab123]

Isn't Indian food high in sodium? If so, I'll bet that's it.

Oh Indian food is a salt bomb. But it is hard to resist such good bread and great sauces after exercising hard!

[indysteel]

There was a recent thread on this very topic. Perhaps you'll find something helpful here.

http://forums.teamestrogen.com/showthread.php?t=29549&highlight=post-ride+weight+gain

[shootingstar]

Looked at the older thread link that indysteel just gave above.

It has been probaby rare that I've had 1300-1500 eaten calories per day. Maybe should aim for 1500 for non-cycling days/weeks in winter. Haven't kept a food diary yet. Probably would shock myself if I really knew total calories, of which not all is totally healthy.

I've never really paid close attention to my weight immediately after a long ride.

More helpful (to me) to weigh self after 1-2 days after a long ride to a more accurate true weight...provided I did do some cycling and moderate eating during those post long-ride days.

I also find it helpful to eat a generous amount of fresh fruit throughout the day or after a heavy rich meal at dinner. Strange as this may seem, I also judge the "health" of bodily functioning and effectivness of exercise not just on fit of clothing, but also in terms of my washroom /toilet output. Meaning bladder and bowel..

If I am constipated, usually that means i have not exercised enough the day before and may have also eaten insufficient type of foods for bowel motility. :)

[beancounterbeth]

I can not believe I ran across this thread today.

I weighed myself Saturday before I rode and after I got back home. I rode 52 miles in the humid Okalhoma heat. I was down 2 pounds after the ride. Then on Sunday morning I weighed myself and I was a pound heavier than I was on Saturday morning before all that work. Then this morning I was up another whole pound. The scale this morning said a number I haven't seen in quite a while I have been pretty down about it today.

On a side note......52 miles was a new record for me. The longest I've ridden before that was 47 and that is not something I do on a regular basis. I usually do 25-32 mile rides 2-3 times a week.

I did go eat chips and salsa Saturday night but not enough to warrant this. Ugh!

So today for lunch I had a salad that was mostly greens and a little fruit on the side. I'm going to watch the sodium for the next couple of days and those pounds had better come back off.

It is just really frustrating to go and burn 2,500 calories only to find out that I gained weight over the weekend.

[Tri Girl]

It is just really frustrating to go and burn 2,500 calories only to find out that I gained weight over the weekend.

It's one reason I've pretty much stopped weighing myself entirely. The numbers mess with my head too much. It kills me to work out hard and then gain weight. If I'm going to gain weight, I want it to be because I pigged out and enjoyed copious amounts of food- not because I rode my bike for hours. ;)

[indysteel]

It's one reason I've pretty much stopped weighing myself entirely. The numbers mess with my head too much. It kills me to work out hard and then gain weight. If I'm going to gain weight, I want it to be because I pigged out and enjoyed copious amounts of food- not because I rode my bike for hours. ;)

+1,000.

I used to be a restrictive eater and obsessive about weighing myself multiple times a day. In the time since I stopped doing that, I've gained very little weight and a whole of sanity.

[Jiffer]

I experienced the very same horrific result after having 4 days of 40th birthday celebrations. :eek: Every time I went to a restaurant, someone put a free dessert in front of me with a candle! Not to mention, I just simply ate too much at every meal, cause we were out of town during part of it.

Okay, I know it doesn't compare to what you're saying, but I DID gain 4 or 5 lbs! The good news is, I have since lost it and YOU WILL TOO!!! :D

(Hey, if you haven't checked lately, go read your post about your San Marcos saddle in the saddles thread. I posted a question there for you.)

[Norse]

I don't weigh myself the day after a big ride or tour anymore, because it is disheartening to see I actually gained a couple of pounds. I attribute it to water retention but who knows. I will check my weight a couple of days later because, happily, I have usually dropped 2-4 lbs from my pre-ride weight. I read somewhere that after big exertions, your body's metabolism is higher for several days after. So, my theory is that the my body keeps burning through the fat stores for a few days and that's why, even though I eat the same, the loss shows up later.

Disclaimer: I am not a scientist or nutritionist nor do I claim to be either! How's that for grammar?

[Biciclista]

my DH & I both try to weigh ourselves after a big hard ride; it helps monitor dehydration (or drinking too much liquids !)