Why you gain when starting a new workout!
jenstalder
Posts: 89
An amazing article I had to re-post that one of my favorite fitness celebs posted – Chalene Johnson. For me, it was my “ah-ha” and for others that I’ve shared this with, it re-settled their discourage and kept them charging forward with their respective workout program and goals. DON’T GIVE UP and get some great insight from this fitness expert:
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 phenomena 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. It’s 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 your 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 the 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 hoper. You’ll be lean and mean in no time!
This is one of the most useful articles I have come across that makes sense and enlightens one, as they prepare for their new program or are in the midst of it. Just having an understanding and a reason why we experience this temporary weight gain, makes the experience that much more enjoyable.
. Thanks Chalene!
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 phenomena 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. It’s 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 your 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 the 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 hoper. You’ll be lean and mean in no time!
This is one of the most useful articles I have come across that makes sense and enlightens one, as they prepare for their new program or are in the midst of it. Just having an understanding and a reason why we experience this temporary weight gain, makes the experience that much more enjoyable.
. Thanks Chalene!
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Replies
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Thanks for the information..that is a very helpful article and I am sure this will be helpful to alot of people..I have heard of this happening but did not really understand why since you are working out so hard..and now you have shed some light on the whole process..I have really started working out hard this week so I will remember this if I see this process happening ...Thank you once again..0
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Thanks! Tagging this for my topics.
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This is so what I needed to hear!!! I've been so discouraged because I started working out and eating good consistently 2 weeks ago and have gained 2 pounds. I was so worried I wasn't taking in the right amount of calories or was doing something wrong. This makes sense. Thank you for posting! Seriously, you have no idea how much you just made my day!0
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I like this article...thanks for sharing.
I do wonder, however, if this may be why some erroneously think "Muscle weighs more than fat" or if that is perhaps what their reasoning stems from.
Meaning, people who did not know what this article relates...probably have thought that all their exercising has caused them to develop all this muscle...therefore, gain weight.
You're right...knowledge is power...and ignorance is definitely not bliss! Keep it coming...I love learning!0 -
Good info!0
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I wish everyone was required to take anatomy & physiology and Exercise physiology in school. It would make things so much simpler when it came to the body.0
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Thanks for the info. It really help me understad better. 0
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Wow my sister just said the same thing to me, I started working out a week ago and lost 5 lbs in a week, but today i'm extremely sore that i couldn't even move also i noticed 1 pound gained on my scale and i have been very strict with my diet. However i'm not giving up i'm giving my body the day off today but will resume with my work out tomorrow.:happy:0
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I ALWAYS gain a couple pounds after starting a new workout. At first I thought I was doing something very wrong and got discouraged. That was until I asked a trainer at my gym, who basically told me the same thing that is in this article. Sure enough, about a week later, the scale went down and I started noticing that my clothes were beginning to get looser. I also have noticed that I don't get as sore after I've been consistently working out for a few months, even though I work out for longer periods and at a higher intensity. I'm glad to know that this is somewhat normal.0
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bump... saving in my topics, because I'm always having to google Chalene's blog to post in the forums...0
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thanks for this... i did a 10k race on sunday and was bumbed out this morning when i jumped on and it hadnt moved down but it had moved up
but after reading this im not chomping down and apple and off swimming in a bit 0 -
Great post. Thanks!0
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Thanks for the information. I'm planning on starting an exercise routine in the hope of toning up a bit and building strength in my arms and legs so will keep this in mind as I go.0
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Thanks for posting 0
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bump0
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So helpful thank you!0
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bump0
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Thank you for sharing!0
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This is exactly why people who aren't "in the know" say the supportive term of "muscle weighs more than fat".I like this article...thanks for sharing.
I do wonder, however, if this may be why some erroneously think "Muscle weighs more than fat" or if that is perhaps what their reasoning stems from.
Meaning, people who did not know what this article relates...probably have thought that all their exercising has caused them to develop all this muscle...therefore, gain weight.
You're right...knowledge is power...and ignorance is definitely not bliss! Keep it coming...I love learning!0 -
thank you. this was helpful. I am esily discouraged in all this. I have lost 55 pounds in the last 14 months and have 75 more to go....I hit a wall i can't seem to break. So i started Zumba and have gained 4 pounds in two weeks. I really like it and in my mind i understand that sweat works... and man do i sweat . and i am eating better. I just need to keep at it -that it is not an overnight solution but a night after night solution.0
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Bump... to read later.0
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Thanks so much for this info. I have been exercising for 3 weeks (about 6 days a week, minimum of 1 hr/day) and was trying to follow weight watchers on my own. Sadly, I did weigh in this morning at the gym and I have gained 3 lbs and have yet been able to loose them. I asked my trainer and she suggested I count calores to see if I am eating enough. I am hoping this is the way for me to go and loose weight.0
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thanks!!0
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bump0
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bump0
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This was a great post to come across after the scale showed a four pound jump from yesterday morning! But, guess what? I ran a half marathon yesterday!!!!! So, no need to panic 0
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Great information. Thanks for posting!0
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Thank You for this! I needed to read this Two weeks ago, I was one of those people who gained with Chalean..4 lbs and was very upset. I was reminded that I did the same thing last year and I am glad I pushed through and didn't quit...the weight(fat) is coming off and I am starting to see great changes. You have got to Will it to happen....one pound at a time, one day at a time, one month at a time. Thanks Chalean!0
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Thank you. This is exactly what I needed to hear. I've just started working out with a personal trainer, 3 sessions so far. I have kept to my diet and still no loss...in fact only 1 lb in the last few weeks. I haven't lost but gained 2 lbs since my new workout plan and I was beginning to feel discouraged & frustrated. I am working HARD!! lol This helped put things in perspective for me. So thanks. 0
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Thanks! This is very helpful in understanding the water retention, etc with starting a new program. I just started resistance training about a week and a half ago and during the first week gained over 4 pounds. As of this morning, I did start seeing a drop this morning, so hopefully in the next day or so the rest will be gone as well.0
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