Forums >Health and Nutrition>Weight Gain After Marathon.
Hello all! I just ran the Disney Marathon on Sunday. I was 140 pounds leading up to the marathon and im 5'11. After the marathon i was 137 which is expected. Of course i pigged out sunday afterwards and monday too. . But im already 145!! And thats in the morning! Is this normal? I dont remember gaining weight last time. Im back to my normal eating schedule and ive been doing some walking for now. Ill get back to the gym and light running this weekend but just a little shocked at the weight gain. Water weight maybe? Ugh!
Drink some coffee, take it easy, and don't sweat it.
Seriously. The rapid weight gain is probably mostly water weight and inflammation. The diuretic effect of the coffee is what I was referencing in addition to it being delicious.
That is, of course, assuming you didn't eat 15,000+ extra calories after the marathon.
"When a person trains once, nothing happens. When a person forces himself to do a thing a hundred or a thousand times, then he certainly has developed in more ways than physical. Is it raining? That doesn't matter. Am I tired? That doesn't matter, either. Then willpower will be no problem." Emil Zatopek
I agree--I haven't done a full marathon yet, but after a half (or even sometimes after a 10K if I really raced it all out) I will retain water and gain a few pounds temporarily.
rectumdamnnearkilledem
DOMS. As long as you're still achey you're likely to be carrying several #s of water weight as your muscles repair themselves. Give it a week and things should be pretty close to normal.
Getting the wind knocked out of you is the only way to
remind your lungs how much they like the taste of air.
~ Sarah Kay
Whippet
Water weight. I was up 5 lbs after my first marathon and I'm a small woman (115 lbs before, 120 lbs after the marathon).
13.1: 1:45 | 26.2: 3:55
Dream Maker
Retaining water after very long runs is common. You were dehydrated post race but now are retaining some as your tissues repair themselves. Drink a lot of water, stay away from salt and processed foods, focus on recovery, and you'll be normal in no time.
The Scrub
I went through the same thing. I was 142.5 prior to the marathon and for several weeks after the marathon I was up to 145-146 range. I thought for sure that I packed on weight during the holidays. I'm now back down to 142 without really trying.
Thanks everyone! Im actually at 139 and I havent been doing much except getting back on normal eating habits and i did go for my first run since the marathon last night. Have a half coming up in 8 weeks so back to it!
Also, if you flew home, that could be a factor as well. I seem to retain a lot of water weight for a day or two after air travel
to fix that, run home.
I gain 2-3 pounds every week after my long run. Perfectly normal.