Are you gaining unwanted weight after training? That's why.
But there are several reasons why you may notice a slight weight gain after a workout. These include increased muscle mass, water retention, post-workout inflammation, the use of supplements, or even undigested food. In most cases, weight gain after exercise is temporary.Increase in muscle mass
Most likely, you will gain muscle mass when you start exercising. How much muscle you gain depends on your diet and type of training. But any increase in physical activity is likely to lead to some improvements in strength and muscle mass.
If you participate in strength training and consume enough protein, you are likely to notice a more significant increase in muscle mass. Genetics also plays a role in the amount of muscle mass you gain when you start an exercise program.
If you gain muscle mass easily, consider yourself lucky. Muscles help to form a strong, healthy body. Some people build muscle faster than others. But when you gain muscle mass, the number on the scales is likely to increase.
In fact, even if you are also losing fat, you may notice an increase in it. Muscles are denser than fat, but take up less space. This means that if you gain muscle mass, your weight on the scales can increase even if you lose body fat.
If you exercise regularly, you can lose a few centimeters even if you don't lose weight. A higher number on the scale may mean that you lose fat and gain muscle mass — a positive trend that leads to a slimmer and stronger body.
Water weight gain
Water retention is a common cause of temporary weight gain. Premenopausal people are particularly prone to fluctuations in body weight during the month due to hormonal changes.
If you have menstruation, you may notice some degree of bloating immediately before and during menstruation. Exercise can help reduce premenstrual symptoms, so it's helpful to keep up with workouts, although you may still see an increase on the scales.
The peak of fluid retention occurs on the first day of menstruation.
The extent to which you see an increase on the scales varies from person to person, but at least a slight increase in weight — even after exercise — is normal.
Another common reason for weight gain due to water is increased sodium intake. Eating foods with a high salt content can lead to an increase in body weight.
After eating salty food, most people's water intake increases, but more urine is not necessarily excreted. Excess fluid in the body is a few extra 0.5 or more kg on the scales. Some people are very sensitive to sodium and may retain more water.
Keep in mind that even if you don't add salt to your food, it can still lurk in the processed foods and beverages you consume. Even some healthy, nutrient-rich foods, such as soup, cottage cheese and canned beans, may contain excess sodium.
Inflammation after exercise
Your workout alone can cause weight gain—at least temporarily. But this increase may indicate that you are training hard enough to see real results.
Simply put, exercise (especially strength training) damages muscle tissue. The recovery process after training allows the muscles to grow and become stronger. Meanwhile, inflammation occurs in the tissues.
Exercise causes structural damage to myofibrils (muscle tissue cells). Inflammation occurs due to the accumulation of white blood cells in damaged tissues. Inflammation and fluid buildup may manifest as temporary weight gain after exercise.
Application of additives
Post-workout nutrition or supplementation may also lead to some weight gain after exercise. Exercise, especially long-term endurance exercises such as running or cycling, deplete glycogen stores in the body.
Trained athletes very often consume post-workout drinks containing carbohydrates. Carbohydrates help restore muscle glycogen. But for every gram of stored glycogen in the body there are three grams of water.
The result? An increase in accumulated water and a possible increase in water weight after training. Of course, this post-workout effect applies not only to carbohydrate supplements.
Even the carbohydrates you consume during meals and snacks after exercise will be stored as glycogen along with water. This is a normal and healthy recovery process, so you should not try to avoid it.
Other supplements can also cause weight gain after exercise. Creatine, a supplement used by many avid athletes, can cause weight gain by increasing muscle mass or fluid retention.
Undigested food rich in fiber
If your workouts make you feel hungry and you're fueling up with healthy, fiber-rich foods, the nutritious food you consume can lead to weight gain temporarily.
Fiber helps to retain water in the colon, as a result of which the stool becomes less dry and easier to evacuate. In particular, it is known that insoluble fiber increases the weight of the stool.
Before the stool comes out, you may notice weight gain after exercise, but fiber also shortens the passage time through the colon. So it's not a nutrient that should be avoided.
Should I worry?
In many cases, there is no reason to worry about gaining weight after a workout. In fact, if weight gain is the result of one of the common reasons listed above, you should take it as a sign of success.
Of course, there are other reasons why you might see an increase on the scale. Some medications may cause weight gain, or your calorie intake may increase along with your hunger level after exercise.
It may be useful to use body measurement methods other than weights to measure the progress of your workout to find out if there are changes, if they are justified.
Most basic weights can't tell you if weight gain is due to increased fat, muscle mass, or water retention. To measure actual fat loss, you can regularly use body fat scales (which are usually not very accurate) or take measurements on different parts of the body.
But there are also advantages to not focusing on numbers when measuring your progress towards weight loss goals. How you feel mentally and physically, how your clothes fit your changing body, as well as your overall strength and health — all these are also important parts of the process.
Result
Exercise provides countless physical and mental benefits. If you have started a training program and stick to it, you will most likely feel a surge of energy, a greater ability to easily cope with everyday tasks and improve your level of physical fitness. You're also likely to get a boost in pride and self-confidence. These are real advantages that should take precedence over the numbers on the scales.
Suppose you have evaluated yourself differently and feel that you are really going in the wrong direction. In this case, you can work with a qualified trainer or registered dietitian or with your doctor to find out if there are other reasons for weight gain after training. But in many cases, it's just a sign that you're doing everything right.
