Why Does Exercise Cause a Weight Gain?

Exercise is supposed to help you lose weight. The idea is that you burn more calories than you eat, so it should speed up your weight loss.

However, in more cases than not it can cause a weight gain. Especially during the first week.

I understand how disappointing and frustrating this it. I’ve seen it happen at the scales personally. I’ve been annoyed when the scales don’t show the hard work that I’ve put in that week.

The truth is that exercise can cause a weight gain. At least at first. Over time it will even out, but you need to understand why you’re seeing the weight gain. It’s nothing bad, really. Just a few weight loss mistakes you could be making.

You’re Not Eating Enough

One of the biggest issues is that you’re not eating enough. Sure, you don’t want to use up all the extra calories that you’re burning, but your body needs you to eat something extra. It could be a slice of wholemeal toast or a protein shake. Whatever your diet allows.

When you burn more calories, your body can start panicking. It worries that you’re going to starve, and clings onto some of those extra calories by slowing down your metabolic rate. That then leads to you gaining weight because you don’t counter your eating for the slower metabolism. By eating that little bit extra when you exercise, your body doesn’t panic and you continue losing.

That Sweat Is Water Loss

All that sweating you’re doing is just your body losing water. It’s not necessarily calories that you’re burning, so you may have higher than realistic expectations when you stand on the scales.

Make sure you drink enough water, and stop worrying about the scales. Your body needs to replace it somehow, otherwise your body doesn’t work properly. Your organs start to shut down, and your metabolism is affected. Your hormones are also affected, and all this has a direct impact on the amount of weight you see lost at the scales.

What About Your Fitness Level?

Something the scales aren’t tell you is how your fitness level and health are improving. Think about that before you get too disheartened.

Also, the scales are not telling you what the weight is. While you’re exercising, your body fat percentage is decreasing. You’re just building muscle at the same time, so your weight can stay the same and even increase. This doesn’t mean you’re not actually getting fitter and trimmer. Take your body measurements, and you’ll soon see the difference. You could even take your body fat measurements to see how that is changing.

The scales are just one way to tracking how well your diet is working. Your workout regime can cause a slight weight at first, but it will eventually even out. There are a lot of reasons to see a weight gain, especially in the first week.