Why do I gain weight when I exercise?

[goatgirl]

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.

[kassidy0806]

Yes I know what you mean.  Do you notice a difference in your clothes?  The same thing is happening to me now too.  I have been going to the gym and watching what I eat and have gained like 5 lbs or so the scales say.  I don't know if I beleive it or not.  It is really frustrating.  I know they say muscle weighs more than fat.  I am just hoping that is the case!!

[Aruba417]

Well, muscle weighs more than fat, so that COULD be it. But usually you should see weight-loss when you're doing cardio. Could it be that maybe sub-conciously you're allowing yourself to eat more since you've added the exercise in? You should measure yourself, and see if you lose any inches. If you do, but your scales says other-wise, than you'll know it's just muscle.

[hope2beslimquick]

I am always told DO NOT WEIGH YOURSELF, it discourages you! When you start eating right, and excercising, you will notice a diffrerence. Your clothes will start to fit better, or fall off of you, you will feel better about yourself. If you weigh yourself, it will make you say "Hell, I am working out and eating well, and still gaining weight, I mine as well have a bag of chips" Trust me, been there done that. You will gain before you loose. it is a fact. Like the other person suggested, take measurements, you will see results much faster, and you will be better satisfied! Good Luck.

[goatgirl]

Thanks to everyone for the support and ideas.  I guess I will stick with exercise a little bit longer to give it more of a chance.  I do feel better when I exercise, but then get discouraged by the scale.  So I will follow your advice and get rid of the scale and start taking measurements instead and see how that goes.  Thanks again for the help.  Good luck to all in reaching your weight loss goals!

[stefkhan]

This only happens when your body is converting fat into muscle.  Do not worry what the scale says, because you will begin to see the tightened tone in your body soon.

[Svenblue]

So, I was curious to see what happened with the weight thing.. I have the same exact problem.. and that is why I googled it and found your question.. I never weigh myself.. infact when I started going to the gym I was not trying to lose weight..just tone cause I was slim.  I immediatly have started gaining..and my jeans are close to no buttoning now :(.. I feel huge! It has been 3 weeks.

T

[rsarden]

I am having the same problem.  I have been working out for over a month and I am not losing weight and I am gaining inches.  I do cardio and strength training 4 times a week.  Have you seen any results yet?

[Got_To_Do_It]

If you are exercising more then drink more water -  if you don't your body will store fluid to counteract the sweating and salt changes in the body  - your weight increase could be fluid.... ideally drink water before during and after your exercise-

Muscle weighs more than fat but to make a difference on the scale you need to be building muscle which you do by weight training not aerobic/cardio exercise....

[JT5000151]

Muscle does not weigh more than fat. Muscle is denser than fat but does not weigh more.

Ask yourself a question. What weighs more a pound of bricks or a pound of feathers?

They both weigh the same 1lb. For the third time muscle DOES NOT weigh more than fat it is denser.

[Speedy2056]

It sounds like your muscles have retained water so keep drinking as much water as you can. I definetely don't think it's fat.

It can't be muscle as it does take more than several weeks to gain one pound of muscle and with you stating you have been exercising on and off, it's unlikely.

The key is water and start weighing yourself with a tape measure instead of scales.

It's more accurate to where you are progressing.

[Teensee]

Koodos to you all, I have changed my eating habits and continued exercising but found myself at a hault. But then I noticed I started to gain, simply because I wasn't drinking enough water....I don't go near scales unless I'm at the doctors office, but I can just feel the weight gain in my abdominal area.  Though my jeans do fit I feel bloated all the time...However since reading the post, I took a vow to drink more water and I'll report back with results...Oh and just so you know I went from a woman's size 26 to a misses 14, and I'm still working on it...Thank you once again, I need all the advice I can get...

[princesswy]

so does that mean that whenever i begin to run and immediately after i run i should drink water? Or shld i wait for awhile after i run before i can drink water?

I've been gaining since i started my daily jogging. it's depressing and the more i'm stressed about my weight, the more i'll eat and the more i'll gain. it really *****

i used to be really skinny when i didn't even care about my weight. As my consciousness grow, my weight increases...

[travelingnome]

Muscle doesn't weigh more than fat in the respect that a pound is a pound is a pound, so a pound of muscle weighs the same as a pound of fat which also weighs the same as a pound of feathers. But the volume of these pounds are different. Muscle is more dense so it can weigh the same amount as fat but take up less space. So you could say a cubic inch of muscle weighs more than a cubic inch of fat. http://www.onemorebite-weightloss.com/muscle-to-fat.html Because this is true that given the same volume muscle will weigh more than fat, you are probably converting some of what was fat into muscle as you are exercising therefore weighing more while getting smaller. But also when you work out and you burn calories faster, you tend to get hungrier. You may be eating the right things, but perhaps too much of them. Keep an eye on your portion sizes, because like a pound of muscle is a pound of fat, 100 calories of celery is the same takes the same work to burn off as a 100 calories of butter.

[wantingtolose]

Thanks so much for asking this question.  I thought I was all alone, but it seems as if I am in good company.  Yesterday I went to boot camp and walked/carried 18 holes of golf and gained 2 pounds!  It just doesn't make sense to me!  Like some of you, I used to be slender but at 59 the scale only seems to go one direction!

I was wondering if I need to try something like Sunrider.  Does anyone have experience with that product line?

[Knight101]

You have all collectively said the right things, however do not be discouraged if you are gaining weight.  Do a fat percentage test at the  beginning of the month and at the end.  As you work out, be it running or resistance training you will gain muscle, and as one said earlier muscle does weigh more than fat per volume.  You will lose weight your first month if it is the first time you ever picked up a weight or exercised in your life, but as time goes on you need to be more concerned with fat percentage.  And if you are putting on more fat, but are working out hard five days a week then you probably need to eat more calories.  Your body requires more energy for the new muscle you've created and if you're not compensating for it, it is just as bad as someone who is eating just one meal a day.  You're body will go into a catabolic state and anything you are eating will immediately be stored as fat.  Everyone's body is unique to itself and this where you'll have to keep track of fat percentage as you increase or decrease your calories.  It takes a couple of months to figure out where your body falls, but once you figure out the amount your body needs you will see dramatic fat loss.

[Al259f]

So its true that you could be not eating enough then? Catabolic state is something I have never heard or read about. I have 1200 cals a day and do two circuits and two commando fit sessions per week and same as everyone else just not seeing the loss. Some days I dont feel as I have eating much - not on purpose just how the day as gone. Its so hard to know what to do for best cos I always think I need to cut down more but maybe with what you said I need to think about adding.

[Bran_Bran]

I get the same thing as soon as I stoped doiing my hour work out I lost 6 pounds in 2 weeks. 4 of them since Tuesday. It disent make sence. Though when I do gym class I lose weight. It dose t make sence for me either.

[provegge]

Muscle does not weigh more than fat.  A pound of muscle weighs one pound and a pound of fat weighs one pound.

[Gusci]

I have been exercising for two weeks straight. power walking, jogging, tennis, weight and resistant training. Cut down on my eating. eat really healthy. Sometimes I splurge out, but I don't go crazy.  I even don't eat if not hungry. I drink a lot of water now as well. I have actually put on weight. My clothes don't fit. I have put 2cm on butt, 4 cms on waist and 2 cms on thighs. I don't get it,. Why??? Is there an underlying problem I wonder?

[chandyanila]

hi. anything that causes stress, be it sudden increase in exercise level, increase in anxiety, poor sleep will cause an excess of cortisol in the body which may be the cause of weight gain initially.But once you continue exercising, the cortisol level stabilizes, your bmr rises and you will lose weight. When you diet, you need to take more protein and less carbs. Dont be on only salads.Dont exercise to lose weight. Do it as a part of a routine, and for the fun of it. Change your lifestyle, your way of thining with respect to food, and you'll see a difference.

[OytheGreat]

There will always be immediate weight gain when you start a new exercise regime. The body stores extra water

Here is some info on Catabolic state:

http://www.fitday.com/fitness-articles/fitness/body-building/how-to-avoid-a-catabolic-state.html

Here also is some great info on why you may actually gain weight and get bigger when you exercise:

http://exercise.about.com/od/weightloss/f/gainingweight.htm

[Gusci]

I do go through a bit of stress. But I can manage it. I don't smoke and I don't drink. My weight in the last few years has been between 70-75 kilos. In one day in can go up 2-3 kilos. then it can go down a few kilos. My weight will not go under 70 kilos. I am overweight by 10 kilos. My BMI was overweight.  I am exercising to lose the weight more so than loving it. Even though I must admit, I am starting to have fun with exercise.
I does frustrate me at times to the point where I say to myself, "Why?" and I feel like giving up. It is not fair now. I used to be so slim and I don't believe what people say that as you get older you put on weight. You get people of all ages who are all types of body weights. If you look at a lot of older people, they are not overweight.

[born_ib4u87620]

In regards to the pound being a pound I assume the person speaks of volume. So a pound of fat would appear to be more than that of a pound of muscle. So u may weigh more but look different ;)

[CarelessCowboy]

With increased exercise, comes micro tears in your muscles. This is how we build strength. With micro tears comes inflammation and water retention. This equals a water-weight gain. Nothing to worry about as it will settle down over time with the new exercise intensity increase. Next week should be better.