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98010 tn?1305899735

Why do I gain weight when I exercise?

It seems like everytime I add exercise to my healthy eating I tend to gain weight instead of lose.  After several weeks of trying to be patient and give the exercise program (mostly aerobic walking) a chance, I tend to get frustrated and give up exercising because my goal is to lose weight not gain it.  Does this happen to anyone else?  Am I not giving exercise enough time to see the benefits?  Any help would be greatly appreciated.
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Avatar universal
I have to add to this as well. I'm beginning to think it must be something to do with genetics or something for certain people. Yes I see all the proof that exercise is great for weight loss, I believe that it works for most people but it simply doesn't for me. A year ago I decided I wanted to get healthy, though I loved my weight and wanted to maintain it. I started eating regular portions of veggie and protein based meals while going for runs and doing a bit of weights, pilates etc. In the first three months I went from 56kg to 59kgs but everyone kept reassuring me that you gain weight at first then you go back to your normal size or lose it so I kept going and gradually increased the exercise to 45 minutes 4 to 5 days a week. In the next three months my weight went up to 64kgs. Yes I was stronger but none of my clothes fit anymore, my bmi was almost in the overweight section and my self esteem plumetted. I couldn't believe that by doing everything that was recommended that this could happen. I talked to gym trainers, nutritionists, doctors and they all told me to just keep going, that because I was doing everything right, that anytime now i'd go back to my normal size. But after 6 months I was sick of trying my hardest and being unhappy. I changed my exercise to only a bit of yoga and the occasional walk, and actually began to introduce a few of the treats into my diet i'd denied myself for so long and the weight just dropped off me. I lost 4kgs in 2 weeks, another 4kgs in the next month and am still gradually losing. I am now another 6 months down the track far slimmer than I have ever been in my life, I feel happy, confident and I actually feel far healthier than I did when I was being "healthy". I have no idea why my body had such a negative reaction to the exercise but from now on I'm just going to do what feels right and natural to my health and happiness instead of following others instructions because hey at the end of the day we know our own bodies the best.
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Avatar universal
CALORIES ARE NOT CREATED EQUAL. HOW YOUR BODY CONVERTS CELERY...WATER & NUTRIENTS, IS FAR DIFFERENT FROM HOW IT CONVERTS BUTTER....PURE FAT.
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Avatar universal
Muscle does not weigh more than fat. A pound is a pound! If you look at a pound of fat and a pound of muscle (chicken fat next to filet mingnon) the muscle is smaller in size. I too am having a battle with the scale after training in cardio and weights for 5 weeks. I have gained and it is frustrating! But....I have muscle tone, definition and feel great. So I now have to decide should I pay so much attention to the scale or just the tape measure???
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Avatar universal
Hi all...  I got this Christmas gift Elliptical Machine. And I have start using  it since Jan'12. half an hour a day, at least 4 times a week till now. I did not even loose half a  inch.. Can someone tell me why ? I am giving up soon.. Really frustrated..
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3130157 tn?1342463372
This is good advice. I drink between 1/2 and 1 gallon of water a day since I began going to the gym 6 weeks ago. I am seeing a huge difference in my strength. I started most of my weights at 70 pounds and am up to 130-150 now. However, I have gained a lot of weight and it is very depressing. My scale Tracks weight, BMI, muscle mass, water retention, and a few other things. My water retention wont go up no matter how much water I drink which is depressing. But I have gained 7 pounds in 7 weeks. I see a very tiny difference in my waist as far as visual weight loss but other than that I am still in all my same clothes and no change is happening in my size. WTF?? I have never weighed this uch in my life. This is depressing.
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Avatar universal
I'm having this problem but I have lost 20 lbs but it seem like the scale each week likes to play games with me I'm completely stuck. I'll lose then the next week I'm back and then it repeats ugh but I also measure at the same time. I workout 4-5 times a week and eat about 1200-1300 calories a day. Totally frustrating but keep going because sometimes it could be water weight not fat gained. Try to weigh in every two weeks if you have to I will probably start doing the same. Goodluck girl. :-)
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