Why Am I Gaining Weight While Exercising?
Why am I gaining weight while exercising is a question that many of us who work out have often asked.
There are several possible answers to this question. Only one is good – the others are bad.
The first possibility is that you may be building muscle which does weigh more than fat. In this case you have lost fat and gained muscle – you look more toned but you weigh more.
If you can tell a difference in your clothes and you look slimmer, you should not worry about what the scales say – just look in the mirror. Keep up the good work!
You should always weigh yourself at the same time of the day. The best time is when you first get up. Your weight will vary during the day due to water retention so you will get a more accurate reading first thing in the morning before you eat or drink anything.
Another possible reason why you are gaining weight while exercising, is that you are eating the wrong kind of foods.
The best way to tell is to start keeping a food journal of everything you eat and drink during the day. Sometimes you don’t realize that you are eating more harmful foods than you think you are.
Make sure that what you are eating is mostly whole, natural foods such as vegetables, fruits, seeds and nuts. Avoid processed foods and too many carbohydrates from breads, crackers and pasta. Eating a healthier diet will help you to lose weight faster.
Research has shown that a low fat vegan diet is one of the healthiest diets.
One other reason that you could be gaining weight while exercising is that you are not eating enough. Sounds crazy but when you don’t eat enough your body goes into a “survival mode” which slows down your metabolism.
Your system thinks it is starving and it slows down to conserve energy. Many times when we try to lose weight, we cut back drastically on our food intake. This is a huge mistake which can halt your weight loss and affect your health.
You will tone and sculpt your body faster if you include strength training into your exercise routine. See our post – How to stay motivated to workout for a fast and fun strength training routine.
Many people only do cardio workouts which does help you to lose weight, but it doesn’t firm you up as well as strength training does. So if you are gaining weight because of increased muscles – it is a good thing.
So now that we have answered the question “Why am I gaining weight while exercising?” you can fix any problems and continue losing weight and getting healthy.
