Why do you sometimes gain weight when starting a new exercis

Carfoodel · September 2012

I just asked about this on my feed as I just started weightlifting and had really bad DOMS for days - was trying to drink loads of water but it was very discouraging to gain 5lbs overnight the first week - 2lb of that gain still seems to be hovering about - but I am still trying to bump up the weights to find out what I can manage. I am also still doing my other exercises on alternate days (cardio, kettlebells, loads of walking) and I am trying to eat back the majority of my exercise calories.

I was starting to worry as I have lost 70lbs twice now and I am near that again and this is where it has gone to pot twice (but I have a very different mindset this time round and it's no longer a "diet" and I am vigilant that things are not going to slide.

lol now I am rambling, but this is a good reminder that I need to stay the course and perfect time to come across this post.

joanne70 · November 2012

Bump

Kyfrog · November 2012

bump

sullyboo · November 2012

Love this it makes so much sense !!

LifeJacketWaterJogger · November 2012

MY PERSONAL TRAINER SAID IT TAKES 6 WEEKS FOR THE BODY TO ACTUALLY PICK UP THE NEW CHANGE SO IT STALLS WEIGHT LOSS..

kimmiet801 · November 2012

Bump

mon3986 · January 2013

Thank you I needed this!!! I did weight watchers for a year and lost 40lbs without going to the gym. I have kept the weight off give or take 5lbs since I have been off the program, but recently started it again. I also started the gym the same time I started my tracking and I gained my first week and was extra depressed! So thank so much for this informartion. It is very helpful!!!! :happy:

fshess · August 2013

I know this is an older thread, but BUMP! It helped me a lot reading this. When I started Insanity I was bummed to see the scale actually go up at first! But I'm glad it was temporary. I can totally feel the water retention sometimes, too. I was waking up with super puffy eyes/face and that wasn't normal, as well as just...feeling extra water. Thanks again! Bumpbumpbump.

THIS WAS WRITTEN BY CHALENE JOHNSON.

Probably the most common question I get when I release a new exercise program is, "Help! I'm gaining weight! Am I doing something wrong?" This is a common phenomenon with any new exercise program, Turbo Kick, Turbo Jam, Hip Hop Hustle, you name it! It's especially common (and temporary) with intense strength training programs like ChaLEAN Extreme or Tony Horton's P90X.

The motivation to start a new exercise program is almost always to lose weight loss. However, what most personal trainers know and most at-home exercisers do not, is that a new exercise program often can cause an immediate (and temporary) increase on the scale. (Notice I didn't say weight gain! I'll explain.) This common increase in the scale is also the reason why perhaps millions of people start and then quickly quit their resolution to get fit.

The temporary weight gain explained:
When someone starts a new exercise program, they often experience muscle soreness. The more intense and "unfamiliar" the program, the more intense the muscle soreness. This soreness is most prevalent 24 to 48 hours after each workout. 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 with 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.

Most people are motivated enough to put up with this temporary muscle soreness. Yet, many, especially those who really need immediate weight loss to keep them motivated in those first couple of weeks become discouraged and quit!

When I worked with a group of 70 test participants during the development stages of ChaLEAN Extreme, this happened. Who was the most upset and discouraged? You guessed it... the women! I'm happy to report with absolutely every single woman (and man) in our group, the weight increase was temporary and never lasted more than 2 weeks before they started to see a major drop in the scale. However, these people had the advantage of working with someone who was able to explain to them why this was happening and assure them the weight would come off if they stuck to the nutrition plan and stayed true to the program.

For those of you who are following the ChaLEAN Extreme phase plan, keep in mind that when you start each phase, your body will be "in shock" again. Don't be surprised or discouraged if you experience a temporary gain on the scale the first week of each phase.

My own personal example of this is running 10K's. I don't do it very often, maybe 1 or 2x a year. Even though I run on a regular basis, when you run a race you push much harder. It's natural for me to be "insanely" sore the next day. Its also very common for me to see the scale jump 4 pounds the next day from forcing fluids post race and the resulting DOMS. Even though I know the cause of it, it's still a bummer. We're all human and hard work should mean "results". Hard work equals results, but our bodies are amazing machines and they know how to protect us from hurting our selves. Soreness forces you to give those muscles a break Ultimately you will lose the weight and you will change your metabolism in the process.

The key is understanding that this is a normal and temporary and stick with the program!!

When to be concerned:
If you experience a significant weight gain (exceeding 5 pounds) which does not begin to decrease rapidly after the second week, guess what it is??? I'll give you one hint... you put it in your mouth and chew it. You know it! You're food (or calorie laden beverages). Newsflash friends.. exercise doesn't make you gain weight. Consuming more food than you burn makes you gain weight!

So if after two weeks you are not losing weight, have gained weight that's not coming off, it's time to take a close and honest look at your food intake. It's time to find out what you're burning in calories each day. Have your RMR or BMR tested. This can be done for less than $50 and the information is invaluable. It takes out the guess work. Google "hydrostatic body fat testing _______ " and insert the name of the big city you're closest too. Companies that do HBFT also do BMR testing. Knowledge is king.

I'm gaining weight, but I'm sure it's muscle:
Possibly, but if you're following ChaLEAN Extreme correctly, you should be losing fat and gaining muscle and the fat loss should be much more substantial than the rate at which you can physically put on muscle. This is even true for they guys. Of the 70 plus people in my test group, every single one of them lost body fat and gained muscle and not one of them gained weight. I believe the average weight loss after 4 months was 28 pounds with many people losing 40 plus pounds. Even the men, who as you can see put on a lot of muscle, were seeing huge drops in the scale. We tested their muscle composition at the beginning and at the end and 100% of the participants maintained or gained muscle while achieving substantial weight loss. That's the key to keeping weight off long term, i.e. muscle. Muscle burns fat. But you've heard me say that before.

Moral of the story:
Be patient young grass hopper. You'll be lean and mean in no time!

And by the way, you should "LIKE" Chalene on Facebook - she is amazing!! http://www.facebook.com/chalene

chirosche · August 2013

Glad you BUMPED it because I was going to start a new thread on gaining.

I have always trained over the years but I've never used a scale (at least not in the last 21 years). This time I bought a scale since I started training again (and I'm very muscular already). I lost 3 pounds but when I got on the scale this morning, I was 2 lbs up. :-( So I panicked and said I was going to change my program totally. I'm low carb/gluten free. I'm so glad I found this thread [because of you :-)]. I was so relieved. If gave me the conviction to keep going. I don't have a lot of fat to lose, but a lot of my pounds are from muscle and maybe I'll struggle with the scale because of that. I only started 18 July and should probably be a little more patient. I just want to be like those who have double digit losses. It was nice to have it explained what is happening because I have meticulously logged everything I've eaten and all of my workouts And based on the stats, I should be losing because I've definitely burned more calories than I have taken in.

Thank you to the original poster too :-)

Juniper3411 · August 2013

I've always known about this, which is why I stay faaaar away from a scale after a hard workout where I'm super sore

Even when you know what it is, it is still a bummer!

I just started going to the gym (on top of my 2X a week roller derby practices) and just finally had a "whoosh" yesterday where I finally dropped some weight. I always try to take the scale with a grain of salt, especially being a woman where we can pretty much retain water for little or no reason it seems some times!

hproskie · August 2013

I have ALWAYS wondered why that happens...thank you!

thebuzzmill · August 2013

a great way to get around this is to go by your measurements as well. You will see a gain on the scale due to exercise, but you tend to also see a smaller number in waist or arms or whatever else you are measuring. that helps me keep some perspective, since I always gain 3-4lbs. from exercise.