I just started working out..Why am I gaining weight?!
So you’ve made that decision to get into shape and lose weight. You’ve started exercising religiously three to four times a week for 60 minutes, eating healthier, and tracking calories and nutrition on your smartphone app. Your jeans are even a bit loose already. One week in, you decide to check your progress on the scale, and BOOM! What?! It can’t be right…how is that awful number going up instead of down?!
Before you get frustrated and throw in the towel, slow your roll. Take a deep breath, and relax. The increase in weight is completely normal and temporary. Just like anything else, you have to allow time for your body to adjust to new things. Often times (but not always), when you start a new workout (or a change in intensity), you’ll experience muscle soreness. This is a sign of your body adjusting to this new activity and possibly using muscles in ways you aren’t used to.
“In the first few weeks of a new program, soreness is the body trying to “protect and defend” the effected, or targeted, tissue. Exercise physiologists refer to this as delayed-onset muscle soreness, or DOMS.
This type of soreness is thought to be caused by tissue breakdown or microscopic tears in muscle tissue. When this happens, the body protects the tissue. The muscle becomes inflamed and slightly swollen due to fluid retention. This temporary retention of fluid can result in a 3- to 4-pound weight gain within a few weeks of a new program. Keep in mind that muscle soreness is not necessarily a reflection of how hard you worked. In fact, some people feel no signs of muscle soreness, yet will experience the muscle protection mechanisms of water retention and slight swelling.”
drinking more water, retaining fluid
Muscle mass. Ever heard that phrase “muscle weighs more than fat”? Stop and think about that for a second. That’s just silly. 1 lb. of fat is going to weigh exactly the same as 1 lb. of muscle. That’s like the child’s riddle, “Which weighs more? 1 lb. of bricks, or 1 lb. of feathers?” They weigh the same. However, muscle tissue is more dense than fat tissue, taking up less space. Therefore, if you build more muscle in place of the fat, yes, you could weigh more. Ladies, don’t let that discourage your progress; Unless you are training (and eating!) to build a lot of muscle mass, you won’t get “masculine bulky”.
The looser fitting pants won’t lie..So carry on with confidence & exercise! 😉
Miranda Contreras-Bulgin
Owner & Founder of Studio MB
