Ask the Anytime Gal: ‘I’m working out, but gained weight. Why?’

Question: I started working out … and GAINED weight. What is going on?

Answer: Take a breath. Don’t panic. It is completely normal — and healthy — to experience weight gain after exercise. It’s not because you’re working out “wrong.” In fact, initial weight gain could show that you’re working out right! Let’s break it down. 

1. You’re new to working out

Our bodies are incredible machines and when you introduce them to something new — like exercise or dietary changes — they need time to recalibrate and make adjustments. Depending on the person, it can take weeks for your body to respond. Let your body balance out changes in muscle mass, water retention, calorie intake, and metabolism rate, and you’ll start to see results toward your healthy weight goal. Keep at it and allow your body time to process the change.

2. Exercising causes microtears and water retention

When you initially start exercising, your body will naturally go through many changes in the first few months. New exercises can lead to inflammation or microtears in your muscle fibers as you build muscle mass. This might sound scary, but we promise it’s good news. 

Muscle weight gain is obviously a good thing, but your body will respond to this inflammation by temporarily retaining water, which can lead to increased water weight. And that’s OK! Let your body heal. Drink plenty of water, eat well, keep an eye on your sodium intake, and get enough sleep. 

3. Muscle weighs more than body fat

A pound of lean muscle mass and a pound of body fat tissue might weigh the same, but they take up different amounts of space. This means that muscle and fat may look the same on the scale, but they’ll look different on your body. While your clothes may feel looser, the scale may tell you otherwise. Count this as a win. You’re working a well-rounded program that includes both strength training and conditioning, and now you’re reaping the reward.

A pound of muscle also burns more calories than a pound of body fat, so muscle mass is really the gift that just keeps on giving, especially when it comes to weight loss goals. When you start working out on a regular basis — and building more muscle — your body burns more calories. 

4. Your appetite and diet are changing​

You can’t out-exercise a poor diet, and a common reason people struggle to achieve weight loss is eating too much due to post-workout hunger. In order to shed the pounds, you must have a caloric deficit. It can be difficult to keep track of everything you eat, but try logging your meals once a week to check in on how much you’re actually eating (and drinking — sneaky extra calories hide in lots of beverages!). If you’re taking in more calories than you’re working off, you won’t see the weight loss you’re working toward. 

5. You’re experiencing other health issues

While this is a less likely explanation than the others, it is possible that your unexpected or sudden weight gain is being caused by underlying health issues or medical conditions.

Insulin resistance: Working out requires fuel, and while you might be focused on how much protein you’re eating, it’s actually glucose that immediately fuels your muscles for a workout. When your body doesn’t respond well to insulin, it’s known as insulin resistance. A variety of factors can cause insulin resistance, including thyroid gland issues.

Thyroid issues: Thyroid issues are a common cause of unexplained weight gain, and an estimated 20 million people in the U.S. have some form of thyroid disease. Your thyroid gland (located at the base of your neck) releases hormones that control metabolism — aka, the way your body uses energy. An underactive thyroid can lead to sudden weight gain, because if your body isn’t receiving enough of those regulating thyroid hormones, it stores more weight.

Gaining weight is much more complicated than it seems, and the scale doesn’t always give you all the information you need — especially in the short term when rapid weight gain can seem like a problem. 

Using devices like heart rate monitors and the Evolt 360 body scanner can be a great way to define progress, even if there’s a higher number on the scale. You can track your muscle mass growth, body fat mass, and tons of other measurements that are just as — if not more — important than weight.

After all, how much you weigh is not nearly as critical as how great you feel in and outside of the gym!

About the author: Jayme Smid is the club manager at Anytime Fitness in Brandon. To submit a question for future articles, please contact the author at jayme.smid@anytimefitness.com.