Gaining weight while working out? Here’s 5 reasons why!

October 24, 2022 Nutrition & Fuel

Feeling discouraged that you’re not shedding those kilos or seeing those results? We’ve taken a deep dive into exactly why you just may be gaining that little bit of extra weight when working out. Consider the following five reasons as to why you might not be seeing the results you’d hoped for on your weight loss journey before getting discouraged.

MUSCLE GAINS

Don’t be fooled! You will ‘gain weight’ from lean muscle gain as muscle mass weighs more than fat. This is a major win! We generally build muscle faster than we shed fat. We can get so caught up by a number on a scale although that number may be due to an increase in lean muscle mass and is generally not an increase in fat. If you are eating healthily & investing your time & effort into exercising regularly, then it’s safe to say that a number on a scale is not nearly as important as how great you feel in and outside of the gym!

WATER RETENTION

It’s natural for your body to go through changes in the first few months of working out. The reason why we retain water when we workout is to provide a healing property for our muscles. Your muscle fibres tend to tear as you build muscle mass, causing inflammation in the body & temporarily retaining water. In saying this, it is still important to drink plenty of water during your training session to stay hydrated & avoid muscle cramps. If you are struggling with water retention, a few ways to deal with it includes getting an adequate amount of sleep, reducing your stress levels & fuelling your body with a good balance of all 3 essential macro-nutrients.

DIET

In order to ‘lose weight’ you must be in a calorie deficit. This simply involves burning off more calories than what we consume. Keep in mind that everything you consume counts towards your daily calorie intake, so we recommend having a general understanding of how many calories you are consuming in a day. If you are eating more calories than you are burning while working out, then you won’t see the results you’re hoping for. It’s important to maintain a balanced diet & make small adjustments of food choices, keeping track of how much you consume per day. Another thing to keep in mind is that we don’t want to be consuming to many processed foods, try and consume as much whole foods as you can to fuel your body.

GLYCOGEN (SUGAR) CONVERSION

When you start to exercise regularly, your body needs more energy to fuel your muscles. In order for your body to do this, it converts glycogen (sugar) into glucose. The glycogen essentially combines with water to fuel your muscles and as you begin to exercise on a more regular basis, your muscles will become accustomed to this process & will need less glycogen to fuel your body with energy. When this happens, you’ll start to see that added weight come off due to your muscles retaining less water!

IT’S A PROCESS!

Don’t be discouraged if you don’t see immediate results. Your body takes time to adjust to a new training regime or unfamiliar diet, so depending on the person, it can take weeks for your body to respond.