Why you gain when starting a new workout!
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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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I Love ChaLean!!!! Awesome......She is SOOoo great!
Being a stay at home mom....I sooo look forward to pushing play everyday!
:flowerforyou:0 -
I Love ChaLean!!!! Awesome......She is SOOoo great!
Being a stay at home mom....I sooo look forward to pushing play everyday!
:flowerforyou:
Have you ever thought about being a coach.. I am always looking for others to join that love Chalene like i do.. she has changed my lfie in so many ways...
Hope you are doing well and look forward to hearing from you.0 -
Jen,
Thanks this was great info.0 -
It's a good article. she's a smart lady (and ambitious as well
). A few of us have been spouting this knowledge for quite a while on here, but for some reason, all of those half truths on the internet make it around the world and back before the real truths like this one can't even circulate this website. It's very weird to me.
there's so much false info out there, I guess all we can do is keep reminding people that you can't gain 5 lbs of muscle in 2 weeks, and you can't gain 5 lbs of fat in 1 week (well, I GUESS you could, but it would have to be some kind of a SERIOUS binge).0 -
Thank you for this timely article. I just changed my workout and did not see the weight loss I had anticipated and this was a reminder as to the why. It was a great boost on a Friday morning!0
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Tag to read.
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Just finished reading it. Great article! This may be why the number on the scale has been fluctuating a lot for me recently because I have been trying a bunch of new exercises and ending up really sore. Thanks for sharing! 0
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I'm on day 44 of P90X. I'm still up 3-4 pounds from before I started :huh: . I'm still sore after EVERY workout... Could that be the reason I haven't lost those pounds? I have my defecit set pretty low but though I would have seen my scale go back at least a little bit by now...
Also, NONE of my measurements have budged since long before I started P90X. I definitely feel like I have kicked it up with doing P90X and get waaaaaay better workouts than I EVER did in the gym, and now I have a HRM so I know I'm not in starvation mode. I've added more cardio now (reflecting the P90X Doubles schedule) so hopefully that will help burn off some of this fat. :ohwell:0 -
Very helpful article - thanks for sharing it. I will try to keep this in mind as I make progress!0
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I'm on day 44 of P90X. I'm still up 3-4 pounds from before I started :huh: . I'm still sore after EVERY workout... Could that be the reason I haven't lost those pounds? I have my defecit set pretty low but though I would have seen my scale go back at least a little bit by now...
Also, NONE of my measurements have budged since long before I started P90X. I definitely feel like I have kicked it up with doing P90X and get waaaaaay better workouts than I EVER did in the gym, and now I have a HRM so I know I'm not in starvation mode. I've added more cardio now (reflecting the P90X Doubles schedule) so hopefully that will help burn off some of this fat. :ohwell:
I know you are frustrated but it will come.. you may look at your diet.. diet is a huge part... if you are sore you might think of geting the recovery drink.. it is amazing.. i started using it when i started p90x and fell in love.. no soreness anymore plus it rebuilds the muscle and energizes.. really is an amazing product.. you can get thru me if you want to try in and pay 1/2 off shipping
www.beachbodycoach.com/stalder
I am a coach and would love to help you get where you want to be..
Good luck.
Jen0 -
It's a good article. she's a smart lady (and ambitious as well ). A few of us have been spouting this knowledge for quite a while on here, but for some reason, all of those half truths on the internet make it around the world and back before the real truths like this one can't even circulate this website. It's very weird to me.
there's so much false info out there, I guess all we can do is keep reminding people that you can't gain 5 lbs of muscle in 2 weeks, and you can't gain 5 lbs of fat in 1 week (well, I GUESS you could, but it would have to be some kind of a SERIOUS binge).
I totaly agree with you.. sometimes it just needs to be thought about at certain times..thanks for your input...0 -
Great article - thanks for sharing.0
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