Are you concerned because you’re gaining weight while working out? Both can happen at the same time? Many people work out and diet in order to lose excess pounds, but sometimes they gain weight instead.
Before you start to panic or have doubts about your weight-loss program, let’s find out why you’re putting on more pounds.
Why You’re Gaining Weight While Working Out
Muscle is Denser Than Fat – If your workout routine is focused on strength training, you may have noticed an improvement in your muscle tone. Strength training builds stronger and bigger muscles, and this is actually a good thing for both men and women. Men want to have big biceps and washboard abs. Toned muscles on women flatter the figure.
When your body starts to replace fat with muscles from working out, you may experience a weight gain. Working out and gaining weight can happen because muscle tissues are denser than fat. As you develop more muscle, you may get heavier but your body will become sleek and trim. You may gain weight, but your figure will look great.
Can Workouts Lead to Weight Gain?
Too Many Calories – Just because you are working out is no excuse to eat more than you should. Sometimes, people consume more calories without knowing it. If your goal is to lose weight, dieting and exercise should go together.
In order to lose weight, you must consume fewer calories than you burn in a day.
Eat foods that are rich in nutrients, including lean protein. Proteins provide amino acids required by the body to build muscles. You want to lose fat and gain muscle, because muscle tissues burn more calories compared to fat.
Building more muscle will increase your metabolism, allowing you to burn extra calories even while resting.
Not Enough Cardio Exercise – If you want to lose weight faster, incorporate cardio or aerobic exercise into your workout program. You need at least 30 minutes of aerobic exercise for your body to get into a “fat-burning” stage. Perform cardio workouts at least three days a week to get the best results.
Not Getting Enough Sleep – You may be surprised to learn that lack of sleep can be the reason why you’re gaining weight while working out. Lack of sleep puts extra stress on your body, and it will cope by storing fat more efficiently.
Besides, your body won’t be able to function properly if it’s not well rested. You’ll have low energy levels and will not feel like working out.
Try to get 8 hours of sleep each night. Keep in mind that regular exercise will help you sleep better.
Medical Condition – If you’re working out regularly but still gaining , you may want to consult a doctor and check for medical conditions that could be causing the gain. Hypothyroidism is a common medical condition that affects the metabolism and causes gain.
Medications – Certain medications and prescription drugs can make you gain weight, including steroids, diabetes medications, antidepressants, high blood pressure medications, and oral contraceptives. Some drugs cause fluid retention, which appears on the scales as weight gain.
When it comes to weight gain as a side effect of medication, you’ll have to balance the increase in against the health benefits offered by the medication.
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