is it true you gain weight when you begin to run?

ive read a couple of times now on here that when someone takes up running they gain a few lbs before they begin to lose anything

ive started running quite alot recent in training for two 5K runs and a 10K run, and ive noticed that my weight has gone up, but my fitness has improved soooooooooooo much

before id struggle to run for 20 seconds!! (im currently 151lb trying to get to 120lb) but since running regularly well every day sometimes twice a day i can now run at a 5mph pace for a good 20mins straight now, but i seemed to have still gained weight to go up to the 151lbs that i am now

how long will this last if it is true about running and gaining weight?

i got a new bike today and so will be out riding the streets rather than the exercise bike in the gym, and swim 2-3 times a week. i do the occasional yoga but generally just a stretch out after a run etc.

not been doin much weight work at the mo mainly cardio altho i do run with 0.5kg weights on my ankles or wrists....

Yeah, muscle weighs more than fat. So when you gain muscle, you gain weight. You're still losing fat though, it just doesnt show as well on the scale. Be patient... it will start going down again in a few weeks or so, but your BF% and inches will probably keep dropping, so take out a tape measure :)

If you gain weight running its either because you're appetite increases because your metabolism increased or its psychological and you let yourself eat more because you know you'll run it off. If you count calories and run than the running will contribute to weight loss.

oh yeah im counting cals and eat what i should be by CC, im not an over eater or anything like that

I've heard that when your muscle tears to rebuild (this is normal) it retains extra water to help the process.

^I bet that last one is it. Running wouldn't make you gain enough muscle that it would account for the mucle and fat you burned off from it (yes, you do burn muscle from running, it gave me nice slim calves last year.) Especially if you run long distance, I think weight will start to come off. Short distance runners always seem to have big muscly legs and long distance have skinny little ones, ever notice that?

I gained weight a few years ago too when I started, I never stopped though, just felt really thick and freaked out. I notice I was really hungry for one thing, I think this is one thing your body has to adjust to and not promoting anything here but after a while, you won't seem so starved all the time, just normal eating. I think I just remember worrying about being that hungry and getting bigger instead of smaller, so I had to be working out for reasons OTHER than weight loss, namely fitness. But that retaining water thing makes allot of sense too.

I started running about 3 weeks ago. I had lost 4 pounds, then I had a 3 day binge and gained 5 pounds. I don't know if all of that weight gain was completely from the binge. Maybe some of it was from running aswell. It would make more sense to me since I didn't eat 5 pounds worth of calories.

ive started running more seriously nowdays, i used to be a short distance 60m sprinter when i was alot younger and did various comptitions, but since gave up as i grew up, now im 22 and trying to get into more long distance running, for fitness and of course more recently weight loss.

im running 20k in total in races over the next few months, i have made a web page up which not many people get to see cos i dont really know who to tell. its a findraising page for a hospital in manchester, uk, where my mum stayed for a few months and underwent to major ops for a rare cancer which is detailed on my page

http://www.freewebs.com/bunnyish

It's good to hear about your determination and success in getting fitter! Gives me inspiration to keep trying.

I started running about 2 weeks ago at 127lb, I'm quite unfit at the moment because I've just finished my 2 month sleep of a summer holiday, so I've only been managing 1.5km runs with a minute breather in the middle. I've noticed my appetite has increased but instead of bingeing on cookies and such I'll have raw nuts or veges. Along with that, I've been drinking water crazily! I now weigh around 129lb, and its only been 2 weeks so I'll attribute that weight gain to water weight and food intake.

I think the best way for you to tell if it's muscle or fat gain, is to measure your waist and hips and thighs from week to week. I also took a picture of myself in shorts and a sports bra so that in a months time, I can take another in the same clothes and compare the difference.

My goal at the moment is to get a higher ranking in the school fundraiser mile and cross country (2km) which is in about 10 weeks. Not that far, but at the moment it would be a challenge so I hope by then I can do them comfortably!

Good luck for your 20kms worth of races!