Why I Exercise and Gain Weight
It is amazing! You have started exercising. You have gotten a routine. You are feeling stronger. But one thing is still stuck, why has your body weight gone up? “Why do I exercise and gain weight?” you asked.
Let me tell you why. The reasons might be right in front of your eyes (or in this case, inside your body).
Summary
Why You Exercise In The First Place
You are here, reading this because you want to lose weight while gaining fitness. You have taken the first step. You have created an exercise routine. These are signs that you intend to continue. Why do you want to do that?
Because you feel healthy. You feel empowered by the choices that you are making. After all, exercise brings more benefits than you can imagine[1]. It is more than exercise and gain weight or lose some. It is about the health of the inner workings of your body.
Still have not figured out an exercise routine while you research more? No worries, this quiz to find out which type of exercise routine works best for you and your preferences.
What Happens to Your Body When You Start Exercising
Let us look at what is going on in your body when you start exercising. You go from being completely sedentary (i.e. couch potato) to being active.
The first two weeks are psychological[2]. Your body might not have gone through many changes. The biggest change is new neurological connections are being made.
You might see some weight loss. “Why do I exercise and gain weight?”, you ask when reading to this point.
The thing is, the initial weight loss people experience here is water weight[3], which fluctuates easily. You can see this weight loss, and mistake it for losing weight. Then, you start letting your diet go, then you might experience the “I exercise and gain weight” problem.
Do not be deterred by this though, exercise is more than just about losing weight. There are much more benefits, such as lowering your risk for disease, feeling better, and improving your mind[4].
While you are busy thinking about how to lose weight, you are also thinking about how to keep your mind healthy. Exercise is one of the most effective ways to improve your mental health at the same time.
Many birds in one stone. Exercise is the miracle pill you are seeking after all these years.
Related post: How to Start Exercising
Why I Exercise and Gain Weight
Now that you understand what happens when you first start working out. Let us take a look at one of the most frequently asked questions, “Why do I exercise and gain weight?” It is a loaded question with many small parts.
We will break it down and ask many questions in the hope to answer yours.
Why am I gaining weight even though I exercise and eat right?
Without knowing you personally, this question is impossible to answer. How do you define “right”? One of the most common causes I see with my clients is they overestimate the new lifestyle changes they make.
If you quit eating fast food but still like to have your daily Oreos, then progress is going to be slower than you expect it to be. Plus, exercise can be deceiving. You actually burn less calories per workout so that extra cookie erases all the work you use.
Why did I gain weight after working out for a week?
The answer to this is simple to the question above. You are being deceived by all the efforts you make in the gym. It is hard to intentionally burn calories during exercise.
You actually burn calories throughout the day, even if you do nothing, called basal metabolic rate[5]. It includes sleepy time as well. Exercise only accounts for only one aspect of the weight loss result you are going to get. If you erase your progress with instant rewards, then you might gain weight.
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I am working out but gaining weight in stomach?
Regardless of your gender, the stomach is the one of the hardest areas in your body to feel “toned” and not “flappy.”
Discipline is going to be your best friend. Your body is going through a lot of changes as you begin to exercise. You need to have the patience for everything to work.
Do not give up within 2 weeks. Try experimenting for 3 months. You know the basics of how to get started. You need to keep yourself accountable to move away from the mindset of “why I exercise and gain weight” to “I’m improving myself in the right direction.”
If you wish to access a free resource library, visit the Active Center for FREE articles, worksheets, and templates to get you there!
Hope This Helps
If you are reading to this point of the blog, I hope you have found something to help with your weight loss goals. There are many moving parts. It is more than just “I exercise and gain weight or I am gaining weight from running everyday.”
You need to consider your life as a whole. Exercise is an hour per day. What else do you do for the other 23 hours?
If you are looking for a trusted source for your fitness journey, check out my 1:1 Fun Fitness with Phung program. It is perfect for beginners who want science-based knowledge while having the freedom to apply fitness into their real daily life.
Fun Fitness with Phung
