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| I have been doing bikram for about 6 weeks. I go 3 times a week and I have gained 2 pounds. I wanted to do bikram to help my posture and make my back stronger. I am a skinny person to begin with so I was not looking to lose weight just firm up and get in touch with my self. BUT, I sure did not want to gain any weight either. Does anyone heard of this before? There is another girl in my class with the same complaint. She is small framed as well and we both can't understand why we have put weight on. We are also breaking out like crazy on our faces. I thought this was going to make our skin look great.
What am I doing wrong? I have always been a very healthy eater and I have not changed a thing since starting bikram other then add more water.
Any info or advice would be greatly appreciated. We are so confused!
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| momof2 - 2006-06-20 7:42 PM
I have been doing bikram for about 6 weeks. I go 3 times a week and I have gained 2 pounds. I wanted to do bikram to help my posture and make my back stronger. I am a skinny person to begin with so I was not looking to lose weight just firm up and get in touch with my self. BUT, I sure did not want to gain any weight either. Does anyone heard of this before? There is another girl in my class with the same complaint. She is small framed as well and we both can't understand why we have put weight on. We are also breaking out like crazy on our faces. I thought this was going to make our skin look great.
What am I doing wrong? I have always been a very healthy eater and I have not changed a thing since starting bikram other then add more water.
Any info or advice would be greatly appreciated. We are so confused!
The weight of the body only depends on what is taken into the body. If you are NOT taking extra food except water, then the weight is obviously that of the extra water you are taking. You can prove this yourself by not drinking any extra water. But, then you will feel hot. Interesting! Is it not! Yes, it is. Because:
It amounts to saying that you do not want to gain any weight but you want to drink more water (because you have to).
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| perhaps you are building more muscle. |
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| I don't know if this is the same thing, but I definitely gain weight when I do any kind of moderately strenuous aerobic activity. Slower activities which are anaerobic don't have this effect on me. Any aerobic exercise like jogging or ashtanga seem to increase my appetite tremendously, especially for carbohydrates. I understand that the glycogen needs to be replenished, but my appetite increases well beyond that need. Yoga which isn't too fast seems to not stress my body in a way where I feel overly hungry the next day. |
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Extreme Veteran
Posts: 338
 
| It probably is muscle, and it probably will fall off in a few weeks, if not,I need to say, its only 2 pounds. If you continue and gain 5 to 10 pounds, I would be amazed. |
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| gogirl58 - 2006-06-21 2:33 AM
It probably is muscle, and it probably will fall off in a few weeks, if not,I need to say, its only 2 pounds. If you continue and gain 5 to 10 pounds, I would be amazed.
and if your metabolism is higher you may be eating more without recognizing it |
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| Sorry to disappoint you, but it is NOT muscle. It is water weight. The heat of the Bikram practice will force you to consume more water to stay hydrated and water is heavy. The Bikram series is relatively ineffective in providing enough resistance to stimulate muscle growth. Therefore, you won't be gaining much muscle weight. Your body will normalize after 2 or 3 months of regular practice.
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Expert Yogi
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| I don't think it matters what the weight is unless the OP is kidding herself and has started eating masses of unhealthy food in her spare time... Personally I would not be worried about 2 pounds if I was "skinny" but I would be a lot more unhappy about the skin issues. |
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| Primarily because we haven't seen Cyndi too inspired lately, I just wanna say that I believe I speak for many of us in proclaiming Bikram yoga is a bunch orf crap especially manifested in this teacher assembly line who are sent out ill equipped to actually teach folks that the Bikram method is NOT a panacea of what ails 'em. |
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| tourist - 2006-06-21 10:11 AM
I don't think it matters what the weight is unless the OP is kidding herself and has started eating masses of unhealthy food in her spare time... Personally I would not be worried about 2 pounds if I was "skinny" but I would be a lot more unhappy about the skin issues.
Exactly! If you are feeling very very healthy, weight does not matter at all. Weight will automatically be on lower side if you are healthy for a prolonged time. A few pounds here and there does not matter.
However, I disagree with the muscle arguements above. Muscle weight also depends on what you eat. If you do not eat and exercise, no muscle weight can come. The weight without eating much but with drinking extra water comes only from extra drunk water. Extra water drunk to counteract heat does not add to the other functions of the water in the body such as circulation (wrongly called cleaning at times) This extra water due to heat is used to cool the body, since it will be a big problem if not cooled. |
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| Bruce - 2006-06-21 11:28 AM
Primarily because we haven't seen Cyndi too inspired lately, I just wanna say that I believe I speak for many of us in proclaiming Bikram yoga is a bunch orf crap especially manifested in this teacher assembly line who are sent out ill equipped to actually teach folks that the Bikram method is NOT a panacea of what ails 'em.
i've always wanted to teach yoga, ever since i first found out about it, but realized early on that there is just no way i was qualified, even if i studied it for a lifetime.
maybe in the next one, if that is how it works |
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| Hi,
I'll add my .02 to this discussion.
I can see why a thin person would gain weight doing bikram because bikram yoga consumes TONS of qi (energy) and essence. Eating is one way to gain energy. So is sleep/rest. This is why I like the spirit of the daoist theory of wuwei - doing by not doing.
Plus, bikram yoga is shocking to the system. Perhaps your body went into survival mode and is now packing on the pounds.
Do less Bikram and you won't gain weight at much. Not all overweight people have lots of qi; in fact, some are quite deficient. But, there are those robust types that are overweight that do well with bikram.
one of my Bikram instructors was always, I mean ALWAYS sick and had someone else teach her classes. I'm sure she was drained and lethargic and had to take a nap and get out of the steamy heat.
fifi |
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Expert Yogi
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Location: Somewhere in the Mountains of Western NC | Bruce - 2006-06-21 11:28 AM
Primarily because we haven't seen Cyndi too inspired lately
I'm inspired...just staying under the radar. Cyndi is on a 6-week intensive YOGA program...both Bikram and Hatha Yoga. Today I'm doing double classes.
I don't gain weight with Bikram and I don't gain weight from drinking too much water, who said that - that's crazy?!!? Maybe water retention and bloating, but not weight gain. I think if anything, in the beginning, when you are feeling good and doing Bikram, you eat more than you realize to keep up with your metabolism that is going through major shock! I tend to do this, whether it be with Bikram/Hot yoga or when I'm unusually active or doing long hikes in the mountains. Although, the other day I didn't feel ravished like I have in the past. If you ignore it, it will go away...another words don't feed it anything. However after you do this type of yoga or any yoga okay, you learn how to balance yourself in eating and drinking...it will balance out if you let it. I highly recommend taking extra supplements so that way you won't feel like your starving to death and feeling weak from loosing minerals and anything extra that wants to go.
If anything, Bikram is a great exercise program for those who don't want to do Yoga.... for me, Bikram Hot Yoga is a great way to do YOGA, therefore getting the best of both worlds....cause I have an awesome instructor!!! 
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| Thank you guys so much for all of your insight. First I would like to say that I have not changed my eating habits one bit. I am eating no more then usual. I am 104 lbs. I eat every 3 hours 6 small meals a day. I used to run but was having some problems with my knees and lower back. I then decided to try the bikram. I love it! I love the way I feel and my anxiety and patience with have children have been completely under control. I just feel bloated and bulky. My weight has always been consistant. I don't go up and down. I would not care if my clothes were not snug.
Today I tried emergen-c before and after class. I had a great class and feel very energized. I am wondering if I was not repleneshing my electrolytes and my body was holding the water and like someone said earlier I was in 'survival mode' do you think this could be the problem. Do you all use some sort of electrolyte replacement? I really did not know about this until I started reading some of the threads. Thanks again everyone. I really don't want to give up the bikram I am enjoying life so much more:-) |
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| momof2 - 2006-06-21 3:13 PM
I really don't want to give up the bikram I am enjoying life so much more:-)
good gracious sakes alive!
then don't give it up!
it's rising up to meet you where you are right now! Go for it!
keep practicing |
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Location: London, England | Hiya,
To find out if it just due to extra water-which i doubt, weigh yourself first thing after you take a pee-if you are back to your original weight, then there's your answer. I would be willing to bet that this is not the case, but you are the only one who can provide the answer. Usually, people do not drink enough-our thirst mechanism is a bit ditzy.
You say you were fairly slim build-any kind of training provides resistance-even endurance training will build strength, and vice versa. With yoga, it is possible to build both strength and endurance, depending on the intention of the person doing the exercise. Lifting slowly into a handstand will build functional strength. Holding postures for some length of time will build endurance. A mixture of the two will presumably build both. I am being very simplistic!
i think the best philosophy is that your original shape is not the one that is the perfect you-if bikram is giving your musculoskeletal system better functional power and strength, then you are becoming a better expression of what you are supposed to be-the original you was a prototype, and now you are refining the design-keep it up, if that's the case. Should have arms like a gorilla in six months
Nick |
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Extreme Veteran
Posts: 338
| Maybe I don't understand what muscle you mean. When i started to do Bikram, I felt a lot
of pain and cramping in certain muscle during certain postures. As I practiced, the pain ended and I had more tone in my muscles in those very areas. Primarily the improvement was in my core muscles and my midriff. I also had more definition in the muscles in my upper arms.
So.... go figure. It must have been a gremlin entering my body..... if it COULDN't have been
muscles. |
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Extreme Veteran
Posts: 338
| You quit running.... doesn't everyone who quits running gain weight, as in a few pounds. |
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| I was just going to suggest to her that she's not doing ENOUGH Bikram to make a significant difference in her weight over a six week period. I'd say 3-4 times a week is enough to improve flexibility and maintain weight, but to get IN shape takes more like 5-6, and I still don't think six weeks is enough to see a huge difference.
Muscle weighs more than fat, true, but muscle takes a lot longer to develop than fat. Actually we don't gain fat, we have fat cells that swell up. Water weight is the most likely culprit.
Water isn't a zero-sum game. I probably lose four pounds during my practice, but I may drink a couple of liters of water, easy, before-during-and-after class. Mostly before and after because I don't drink much during class -- causes nausea. My point is that you can't just drink to make up the loss without getting dehydrated. Water needs to be a more or less continuous steady intake. If I am dehydrated before class, sucking down a bunch of water won't fix me. It takes time. If I am dehydrated I will carry water weight indefinitely.
Also, after one practices Bikram for a few months the heat is less impactful than at the beginning. I like to enter the hot room early, and I'm usually one of the last to leave. I have more energy when the class is done than I did when I came in. Of course, that's probably true for any Yoga practice. |
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gaining weight with bikram
