Why am I gaining weight when working out?

Question

I know muscle weighs more than fat but I have gained about 4-5 lbs since I've been working out on my bow flex and elliptical. Is it because I'm eating wrong? Will my weight start to go back down after working out for a while? I've been working out about 5 days a week for the past 4 weeks. Help...I'm about 5'7 and weigh 165 lbs. I don't like being this...I wanna get back down to about 150 at least!! Any suggestions or opinions will help!

Answer 1

While I don't know your eating habits, you should ensure that calories expended are significantly less than calories taken in. A net expenditure of 450 calories will result in about a 1/8 lb loss.

The muscle comes first. Then your metabolism will increase as it takes more energy to feed muscles.

After about 6 weeks of working out, the changes should start. I've known a woman in your situation who noticed very little change until 12 weeks into the exercise program. Then the pounds melted away very quickly.

Patience and determination are the key.

Answer 2

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Answer 3

Stay with it. I know it's discouraging. But what others have pointed out is true, you're gaining muscle and losing fat. Soon, you should start to notice a much sleeker you. What is happening is that fat is still in high ratio relative to muscle. Fat is what makes people look "puffy" when they carry a few extra pounds. When that fat is gone, you will look "toned".

Also, 5 days a week is a pretty strenuous workout regimine. Have you talked to a trainer? They can suggest exercises that tone rather than target building muscle mass.

Lastly, It is possible that you may reach the look you were seeking when you targetted 150# (or even looked FAR better). But when you step on the scale, it reads 160#. What's more important to you. A specific weight, or a specific appearance?

Answer 4

Hey..what a weird situation for the both of us! I weigh the same amount as you, Ive been doing the same exercises, for almost the same amount of time( 5 days a week, for almost 1 1/2 months) and..you guessed it..gained weight! Just when I thought about giving up..I met a woman in the gym..

She told me that, for a while she didnt get any results, but she has been doing the same thing we are for almost 3 months and has lost around 40 Ibs.

Try doing weights 3 times a week, and some crunches..and it will help! Trust me! In high school i took weight lifting, and lost 35 ibs, in just a few months! ( sadly I gained it all back in college)

The owner of my gym said that I should be feeling a difference in my clothing, though not yet on the scale. But he told me yesterday that if I added weights, the weight will come off alot faster!
Good Luck ;-)

Answer 5

Possible changes in muscle mass, but also fluid retention. If you are working out you probably need to drink more water. If you do not drink enough water your body ironically hoards and stores water which can cause weight gain. Drinking water keeps your metabolism amped and keeps the weight loss going. Stick with it and you will become a stick -- just watch the proportion of your body will change and you the wright loss will catch up.
Good luck!

Answer 6

Working out can definitely increase your weight, depending on what type of exercise you perform. If your main goal is weight reduction, aerobic exercises like walking, running, cycling etc... that are performed at about 85% of your max capacity (you should be able to say words / carry on a conversation while you're working out) will yield the greatest results....now, there are a lot of factors that will influence any weight gain/loss outcomes. First, your diet is the fuel your body uses to create the energy for exercising. Now you've probably heard a bunch of Carb counting/loading etc... diets. The reason for this is that carbohydrates are transformed into glycogen by your body and stored as fat for later use. To lose fat, you will have to work out enough to make your body start using this stored fat as fuel. That's the basic principle behind low-carb diets, the less carbs you take in, the less your body can transform into fat. Tailor your diet to your needs. Don't cut out carbs completely, you'll run on E.
Frequency of exercise of course is going to have an effect on results too, if you work out once a week, the effects from the exercise will be minute, aim for a workout of about 3 times per week with a day of rest between. If you want to work out every day, don't always work weights/aerobics, alternate and you'll see a huge improvement and you won't be sore all the time.
Duration of the exercise will have an effect too, for weightlifting, look up exercises that target your goals specifically and start by adhering to their sets/reps guideline and then alter them to suit your style. For aerobic exercise, build up endurance gradually to remove some of the factors of exhaustion and injury.
Intensity, like I said before is the last factor, if your workout is at 15% of your max you'll have to wait a while before you see any changes, try to aim for 70 - 85% of your max.
Hope this helps

Answer 7

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Answer 8

Muscle weighs more than fat, yes. However, if you aren't just trying to gain muscle weight, but lose weight too, you need to make sure that you are using more calories per day than you eat. Honestly, you could do it on junk food if you're counting calories, but, yes - there are things that will still help your body more efficiently use and burn what you take in too. Get enough protein, you're trying to build muscle while losing weight. Get a good variety of vegetables, vitamins and antioxidants aren't just good for your health, but the nutrition in the food will make your body optimize its potential. Don't overload on fats - like eating nothing but - but, don't think low fat and fat free is going to help entirely either. Vegetable based fats, and omegas are healthier for you - but, dairy or meat could be fine in moderation too. Your body shuts down without them, believe it or not, and especially essential fatty acids help more than you could possibly imagine - they prevent mental illness (your brain is 60% fat), make your skin, hair, and nails health, keep your heart working, etc. Also - lack of healthy fat intake increase cravings for sugar, and the overprocessed types of carbohydrates which lack nutrition. And take vitamins to ensure anything you're missing. That'll keep your body knowing it's satisfied with what it's getting, as long as you aren't starving. In general, cutting back by 500 calories a day of what you metabolize loses a pound a week (a pound is 3500 calories), 1000 loses two, and so on. It is not recommended for more than 3 pounds, so, don't think you can cut back to nil either. Most people recommend going no lower than 1200 calories a day, some as low as 1000 (unless it's hospital overwatched, those stomach surgeries have people down to 500), some as high as 1400. Just make sure you meet your bodies needs based on your own metabolism -

Formula for caloric body maintenance
1. Weight divided by 2.2
2. Height in inches x 2.54
3. 9.6 x #1
4. 1.8 x #2
5. 4.7 x age
6. 655 +#3 + #4 - #5 = (RMR)
7. RMR x activity
- sedentary (little or no) x 1.2
- slightly active (light 1-3 days) x 1.375
- moderately active (moderate 3-5 days) x 1.55
- very active (strenuous 6-7 days) x 1.725
- Extr. active = BMR X 1.9 (hard daily exercise/sports & physical job or 2X day training, i.e marathon, contest etc.)

or, a easy website to put in your activities hour by hour is:
http://www.dietitian.com/ibw/ibw.html

Answer 9

You are gaining muscle,which is good. Remember to eat a good balanced meal including fruits and veggies. Also, NEVER SKIP A MEAL! Your body will think it is starving and go into starvation mode makeing you gain weight in a unhealthy way. Good luck with everything.

Answer 10

Music makes you eat more. According to a report by the journal Psychology and Marketing, soft, classical tunes encourage that you take time over your dinner, so you consume more meal. So, switch off – silence can make you more aware of what you’re setting up your mouth.