"Side Effects" of Exercise

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jwooley13
jwooley13 Posts: 243
in Fitness and Exercise
Hi everybody,

I've finally found myself in a position to afford a gym membership at a halfway decent gym and I've really been putting the effort in to go six times a week. I've only been at it for a little over a week, but it really feels like something I'll stick with.

Now, here's my question - what have you found to be different about weight loss when you combine it with a consistent workout routine as opposed to just dietary modifications? I know that muscle is denser than fat, and that loss may occur in inches rather than pounds. I've also heard that intense workouts can cause your muscles to hold on to water for a few days. Any truth to those?

Any advice for someone new to a more exercise-based weight loss plan?

Replies

  • rgpsx1
    rgpsx1 Posts: 8 Member
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    Sex drive... Lol
  • cheshirecatastrophe
    cheshirecatastrophe Posts: 1,395 Member
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    Intense workout days (intensive cardio/HIIT *or* strength training) can send hunger through the stratosphere. Different people have different ways of dealing with this. Allow yourself some room and time to experiment.

    Yes, muscles hold onto glycogen for fuel when you work out, which means holding onto water. The evening of or morning after a rough workout, your weight might be up a little. (But you are probably used to fluctuations, anyway). Tracking trends over time becomes more important. Also, it's kind of fun to see a move upwards and know it's because you crushed yesterday instead of just another bad IBS day, or worse, a bad (good) craft beer day. :)
  • mbender719
    mbender719 Posts: 17 Member
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    Better mood overall, it's gratifying to know that you've put in that time/work/extra effort. I've been feeling more positive and proactive in other areas of my life since I started working out consistently (30 days).
  • youngfart
    youngfart Posts: 7 Member
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    When, in the past, I have used diet exclusively to lose weight, I went from hating being fat to hating 50 little things about my body. Exercise, for me, eliminates that, and allows my weight loss to be a side effect of the cool shtuff I can do now, instead of the goal. It helps me love my body instead. I don't hate the way my thighs still touch; I love how much weight they can help me squat. I don't hate my jiggly arms; I love that they're getting strong enough to do a pullup (for the first time ever in my life).

    Advice? You can't out-train your diet. It's really easy to overestimate how many calories you burn, and underestimate how many you ate. For instance, an extra 2 slices of pizza for 700 calories takes 5 minutes to eat, and nearly 45 minutes on the elliptical to erase...
  • DopeItUp
    DopeItUp Posts: 18,771 Member
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    Awesomeness levels increased substantially.
  • ElliInJapan
    ElliInJapan Posts: 284 Member
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    For me the most wonderful effect of consistent exercise is its effect in my daily life. I'm not afraid to move any more, to walk, to run, to bend, to jump, to sit on the floor and play with my nephew.

    At my highest weight, a 3min walk to the nearby supermarket was frustrating. Carrying the bags back was a pain. Bending to tie my shoes made me gasp for air.

    Nowadays I enjoy my life way more. Even at home I see differences in the way I move. I can lift my knees high to overcome an obstacle. I have the strength and balance to get out of the bathtub without holding onto anything. And there are plenty of such small moments of awesomeness that make my everyday life better and motivate me to keep improving. I now enjoy my body.
  • shmerek
    shmerek Posts: 963 Member
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    Since I started lifting I rarely get depressed anymore. It has completely changed my moods and made me a far more positive person.
  • rrowdiness
    rrowdiness Posts: 119 Member
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    For me (good and bad all mixed together)
    • Change in what you want to eat (less motivated to eat junk food)
    • Better sleep (although if you workout in the morning - your body starts to expect it)
    • Your energy levels initially dip, then go through the roof.
    • Far more resilient in everyday activities. Six hours on your feet? Ain't no thing.
    • Physically confident - approach is 'yeah I can do this.' and you carry yourself differently.
    • Better wellbeing (fewer muscular aches and pains)
    • Fewer coughs / colds etc
    • Sweat less in summer
    • Body looks different (toned rather than thin)
  • 47Jacqueline
    47Jacqueline Posts: 6,993 Member
    edited January 2015
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    Feel fabulous
    I love my body (Body looks different (toned rather than thin)
    Better posture
    Fewer muscular aches and pains
    Get sick less often and it doesn't last as long
    Relief from depression

    Negative: Spend money on gym clothes. ;-)
  • SKME2013
    SKME2013 Posts: 704 Member
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    Better mood
    Better looks
    Better sleep
    Better attitude towards difficult tasks
    Less junk food as fitness driven
    More active, any sports challenge is great
    Confidence booster- I am a runner and running a race gives me a high and a great feeling of having accomplished something
    Better endurance

    Negativ: nothing really, perhaps that I am now addicted to sports and e.g. not being able to run enough while travelling leaves me miserable. Also...beware of over-training! I had an injury to running too much and that's no fun. Make sure to get your rest days in!
    Stef.
  • tbilly20
    tbilly20 Posts: 154 Member
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    A lot of really great things have been said already! All those are wonderful benefits of exercise. Here's some things to be cautious of....

    It has been mentioned, but it should be again. Don't be afraid of losing a lot one week and very little the next. Stringent exercise tears muscle (it's normal). Torn muscle requires water to "heal". Water adds weight. Some days you don't retain much water and the scale looks awesome! Other days you can hold on to a bunch of H2O and actually gain!

    Truly turning fat into muscle takes time. Don't hop the scale in two weeks and justify a 5 lb gain with, "must be all the muscle I'm putting on." It's been said, but go with how your body feels! Do your pants fit better? Do you feel more toned? Does your body feel firmer in places that used to be covered by a little squish?

    Lastly, be very careful with the estimates the app offers for you exercises. These are merely guidelines. It has no idea if you were covered in sweat at the end of your workout or spent the entire time reading a magazine. A heart rate monitor is good investment to get a gauge of intensity.

    Exercise is a great stress reliever, so enjoy yourself! Don't let getting to the gym be stressful. If you can't make it one day, it will still be there the next. Unless your gym is going out business, in which case they would probably try to contact you before hand! :smile:
  • Fuchsiagenii
    Fuchsiagenii Posts: 40
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    You don't need to go to a gym to do a workout. There are lots of different exercised that can be done at home without gym equipment.

    Always do warm up before exercise and wear appropriate foot wear - even at the gym.

    I tore my fibrial posterial tendon in one leg whilst exercising on the treadmill at the gym and could not walk on that leg for 9 months. The tendons take much longer to heal that broken bones.
  • jimmmer
    jimmmer Posts: 3,515 Member
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    Being a more capable human being...
  • PerkisPower
    PerkisPower Posts: 74 Member
    edited January 2015
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    .
  • PerkisPower
    PerkisPower Posts: 74 Member
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    Everything everyone is saying is accurate in my life. The extra natural energy you have from exercising is astonishing.
  • FenTiger89
    FenTiger89 Posts: 49 Member
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    I sleep SO much better since I started working out last year. I used to have a lot of problems with insomnia, but that's pretty much gone by the wayside now. Definitely a lot more energy and just an overall feeling of wellness.
  • shabaity
    shabaity Posts: 791 Member
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    My shoulders triceps and sides hate me but my kicks are more accurate as are my punches and I will master that hip escape soon. I've determined weight loss is to be treated as a side effect and if I can wear an A3 belt instead of A5 by the time I get half way thru the current program then great if not we'll I've at least gotten some new belts. The fact that I'm sleeping and not as fidgety is awesome too.
  • yopeeps025
    yopeeps025 Posts: 8,680 Member
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    rgpsx1 wrote: »
    Sex drive... Lol

    Yup. I hate it.
  • cwolfman13
    cwolfman13 Posts: 41,868 Member
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    jwooley13 wrote: »
    Hi everybody,

    I've finally found myself in a position to afford a gym membership at a halfway decent gym and I've really been putting the effort in to go six times a week. I've only been at it for a little over a week, but it really feels like something I'll stick with.

    Now, here's my question - what have you found to be different about weight loss when you combine it with a consistent workout routine as opposed to just dietary modifications? I know that muscle is denser than fat, and that loss may occur in inches rather than pounds. I've also heard that intense workouts can cause your muscles to hold on to water for a few days. Any truth to those?

    Any advice for someone new to a more exercise-based weight loss plan?

    Regular exercise increases your body's energy requirements...thus you can eat more and still achieve the same goals...when you're not active, daily calories to lose weight are just paltry...I'm not a bird and won't eat like one.

    I have also found that you hold on to more muscle mass...so you look better as you shed the fat rather than just looking "skinny"

    Yes, working out causes water retention

    You should establish independent fitness goals that go beyond just burning calories and losing weight...burning extra calories is a nice bi-product but in the long run, establishing independent goals is what is going to keep you going and will help dictate your training/fitness regimen.

    Beyond that, exercise has helped with my anxiety and stress immensely. I also sleep much better and my wife pretty much has to walk around the house with her panties down around her knees.
  • MinnieInMaine
    MinnieInMaine Posts: 6,400 Member
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    Good for you! Yes, you will likely see more fluctuation on the scale due to the water/glycogen retention. It's part of the natural healing process and a very good thing!

    Because of this (and other reasons for water retention), I'd highly recommend using additional methods to measure progress. Pay close attention to how your clothes are fitting and even save a "before" outfit so you can actually try it on and see just how far you've come. Take body measurements - better yet, have someone else do it for you - and make clear notes about exactly where you're measuring (muscles taper so the location can make a huge difference). Take progress pictures.

    Log your workouts and look back at them now and then. You'll be amazed at how quickly you can progress physically!

    Best of luck!

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