Don’t panic if you gain a few pounds when you first start working out. It is normal. The better news is that the extra numbers on your scale won’t stick around if you keep at it. What causes it though? There are two main things that cause it.
Water Weight
When you first begin an exercise program, natural changes take place in your body during the first couple of months.
First, a new exercise regimen contributes to stress on the body’s muscle fibers, which can cause small micro tears, or micro trauma, in addition to some inflammation. These two conditions can contribute to weight gain by responding in ways that cause temporary water weight gain.
The first response is a healing response, because the stress and micro-tearing causes water retention in the body. The body retains fluid to try to heal micro-tears and surrounding inflammation.
Sometimes delayed onset muscle soreness may also take place in the 24 to 36 hours post-workout.
Increased muscle fuel can also contribute to weight gain. Glycogen or sugar in the muscle cells is converted to glucose. This is the energy source for muscles. When you work out on a regular basis, your body stores more glycogen to fuel that exercise, which is stored in water. This also adds a small amount of water weight.
New Lean Muscle Mass
You can also gain weight from lean muscle mass that is added to your body by working out. This doesn’t usually happen right away, however. It can take a month or two to add on weight from lean muscle mass. At that point, you will already be experiencing weight loss due to your regular exercise.
Slow and steady with any new nutritional or diet plan so you can monitor and adjust as needed is normal. So be patient with your body – It’s adjusting to your new routine just like you!
Keywords: workout, exercise, weight loss, diet, interval training, exercise regimen, running, training
October 9th, 2017
August 9th, 2017
