Weight loss after workout

Is it normal to be 4 or 5 pound lighter after a hard workout or does it mean i haven’t ate or drank enough during workout ?

I usually am as well much lighter. And I drink a bottle an hour, with carbs and electrolytes in it

It’s very normal. I can lose 4KG on a very hot day, even whilst trying to drink the water lost back.

That’s because even the glycogen / fat you are burning is being turned into CO2 / H2O, but most of the weight loss is just water

2 Likes

4lbs is pretty much the weight of one half gallon of water. from what I can tell from my water bottles they are around 22 to 24 ounces, so it would seem reasonable that one would weigh around 2 pounds less after each hour if only consuming one bottle per hour.

Glycogen is bound up with water in your muscles. When you burn glycogen you lose the water weight. This is why when people go on a low carb diet they quickly lose 10 pounds and get all excited.

6 Likes

I have that happen when I run, I can be anywhere from 2-8lbs lighter. However on the bike (trainer ride) I usually am heavier. I do consume a lot of water on a trainer ride however, not uncommon for me to drink 1.5-2L (3-4lbs) of water per hour.

I wouldn’t put too much stock into it unless your planning on many hours of activity were finding out sweat rate and subsequently calorie/mineral/electrolyte intake becomes a larger issue.

Oddly I often find I have a distended belly after working out - it looks as if I have had a few beers. There does seem to be a few articles about this saying it is not too unusual and is due to a rise in cortisol through exercise which causes water retention and bloating

Blog: https://sixtyplustimetrialling.wordpress.com/

1 Like

Yes. But not ideal.

Yes. Probably. More fluid, more sodium and probably more carbs, would be optimal.

If this is an indoor workout, get more/better fans. If I trained indoors, I would spend hundreds on powerful, high CFM fans. Preventing water and electrolyte loss through sweat is performance enhancing.

1 Like

interestlingly I carry around less weight after a couple of days off doing nothing, just recovering, refuelling.
during training days I am around 91-93kg, after couple of days pausing my training I am around 87kg.

I experience the same. That’s pretty typical. Glycogen repletion is often better around typical training days. And carb consumption might also be higher during training days, presumably resulting increased gut contents and the water content that tends to follow it.

Sounds like we’re not alone…

I’d be surprised if it’s related as much to cortisol as it is just to gut content retention and high carb, sodium, and fluid consumption.

1 Like