MimiMeirah's Journal, 16 Jan 14

Hi Mimi, thanks for the encouragement yesterday. I wanted to comment on your entry today because I have been experiencing something similar and since I've been suffering from DOMS (delayed onset muscle soreness) I did a bit of research as to whether this could be the culprit. I found a few articles which basically confirm that a new type of exercise program (primarily the vigorous resistance training types) can cause initial temporary weight gain due to water retention associated with the body's inflammatory response. Below, are some excerpts from one such article. Not sure if this is your issue, but since you are doing pretty vigorous crossfit routines, it's something to consider. I'm hoping that's the case with me and that it will resolve itself in a few weeks. Good luck. _________________________________________________________________________ DOMS DOMS, or delayed onset muscle soreness, is a common phenomenon marked by muscle pain ranging from mild to debilitating and manifesting 24 to 48 hours after your workout. Besides muscle soreness, other symptoms of DOMS include loss of strength, decreased range of motion, decreased neuromuscular function, mild inflammation and an increase of two to three pounds or more in body weight. DOMS is common in individuals who are new to resistance training or as a response to a change in exercise routines, such as adding challenging, new exercises or increasing weight loads. Causes of DOMS Once thought to be caused by the accumulation of lactic acid in the muscle cells as a bi-product of ATP metabolism, researchers now believe that structural damage to the muscle cells caused during the muscle lengthening, or eccentric, phase of exercise is the cause of DOMS. Exercise physiologist Len Kravitz, PhD, of the University of New Mexico explains that the tearing of muscle tissue and the rupture of muscle cells initiates an inflammatory response which peaks 24 to 36 hours after exercise. As a part of this response, the hormones ADH and aldosterone cause the kidneys to retain water. After a few days balance is restored and water weight is eliminated.  

Hi Dmgarcia, thank you so much for your comment, which is indeed very interesting and informative. I think I had suffered from DOMS before, when I started Crossfit, and when I stopped it for three months and I restarted it in a new box, because I moved from the USA to Europe. It was really bad in my case, I hardly could walk down on the stairs 24 hours post of my workouts. But kept getting back and pushed hard, and after two or three weeks Crossfit workouts (weekly 4 times), that debilitating pain has gone. I guess, I got a little bit stronger, and adjusted myself for the challenges. Sometimes, I still feel mild muscle soreness, but I guess it is more or less normal. It is really up to the exercise regime, which I need to do. If I am not so good at something, and I am struggling to complete through the exercises, obviously I feel some kind of soreness during the exercise, and after it too. For example I am not so good at handstand push-ups, but on this week I had to do many of them so it gave me some kind of discomfort in my shoulders and upper arms. I think within a couple of weeks, you are going to be stronger and you will feel less and less pain. So please do not give up, you will so surprised by your improvements! But in other hand I believe in that tough workouts can cause water weight gain temporary. An intense workout, especially one with weight-lifting, can cause the body to retain water because water is attending to those muscles that are working overtime. Strengthening muscles or muscles that have been pulled or torn are areas where water travels to in order to heal. Also any type of hard workout, especially strength training causes microscopic tears in the muscle fibers. When these tears heal, the body rebuilds the muscles stronger than before. After a tough workout, blood rushes to the affected muscles to provide the nutrients that they need for recovery and to clear lactic acid and other cellular waste. The extra fluid causes muscles to become inflamed. Post-workout swelling usually begins almost immediately after a workout and can last three to seven days, so it will show on the scale. In short exercise will cause water retention, but won't stop weight loss. Remember blood and indeed muscle is 70% water. An inflamed muscle hold more. Also our hormonal changes month to month can cause water retention. I think it is an issue for most women 1 or 2 weeks before and at the time of their period. So the whole picture is very complex. So far if we have the calorie deficit from eating less and/or working out, then we are good. Water comes and goes, and on long term we still lose weight.  

Thank you Mimi. I definitely seem to have a love/hate relationship with water retention. I hate it - it loves me :-). I only feel like myself the week right after my period, but can count on some bloating every other week. It seems even more pronounced after 40 - seems my hormones have definitely taken a turn and I'm just now starting to understand their new pattern, which, no doubt, will change again in a few years :-). Oh well, I suppose it keeps it interesting. I am really looking forward to a few weeks from now when I will not feel that persistent muscle discomfort. I had gotten there a few months back and had actually realized some really nice muscle gains, but then work got crazy and I stopped exercising for approximately a month. I was surprised when I got back how much ground you can lose in a relatively short period of time. What took months to build, falls apart in no time. However, even though it's only been a week, i can already see that my body's muscle memory is kicking in - but I guess there is no avoiding the pain that comes with starting again. Every time i've started and have dealt with this pain, I always promise myself that I am never stopping - only to go through it when I've forgotten what this felt like. A little bit like childbirth I think -- LOL. I'll hang in there though. Thank you for your support and encouragement.  

Do not be discouraged too much Dmgarcia because of the water retention. I think we all suffer from eat at least occasionally, and it is more or less normal. Up to 70% our body consists of water. Water exists both inside and outside our body's cells. Blood is mostly made up of water, as are our organs and muscles. It is a very complex issue, it all matters, what we eat, how we exercise, and all of our hormonal issues. Consuming less salt (sodium), drinking more and more water, eating more fibers, eating moderate carbs, and using natural diuretics like black tea, coffee, dandelion root tea and sweating, because of exercise might help a lot with water retention. It is very important to stay focused and motivated, because it is temporary, and keeping your diet and doing your exercise brings you closer to your goal! Does not matter what you see on the scale on these days, just use the math. You must burn off 3,500 more calories than you take in to lose a pound of fat and you must eat 3,500 calories more than you need to gain a pound. So it will ease your mind, it is only water and not fat! Make sure you have calorie deficiency, and do your exercise to burn more calories and just to feel better, then with these you are already in the homestretch. Just calculate with these days, and know them really well! Do not be fooled by quick losses and devastating gains! Keep up with your great work, more good things are coming to you. You will see that!:)