Decreased Muscle Mass Your body composition may be another reason why you are still gaining weight while in a calorie deficit. If you have a higher body fat percentage and lower muscle mass, then you are probably burning fewer calories than if you had more muscle mass.
Weight gain in a calorie deficit can happen for several reasons. First, you might be underestimating your calorie intake, either by not accounting for small snacks or drinks. Also, changes in metabolism, water retention, hormonal fluctuations, or muscle gain (which weighs more than fat) can impact the scale.
Weight gain in a calorie deficit can happen for several reasons. First, you might be underestimating your calorie intake, either by not accounting for small snacks or drinks. Also, changes in metabolism, water retention, hormonal fluctuations, or muscle gain (which weighs more than fat) can impact the scale.
Other reasons you might be gaining weight from exercise and healthy eating are drinking more water, increasing your salt intake or heightened appetite. Building muscle supports overall health and improves strength, balance, bone health, mobility and longevity.
Muscle gain: When you take part in customary activity, particularly opposition or strength preparing, your body might fabricate slender bulk. Muscle weighs more than fat, so regardless of whether you're losing fat, the expansion in bulk can prompt weight gain.
Muscle is denser (meaning a lot less fluffy) than fat, says Dr. Calabrese. Put another way, 10 pounds of muscle takes up a lot less space than 10 pounds of fat. So, as you start working out regularly and building strength, the new muscle you build may eventually weigh more than the fat you've burnt off.
“When someone begins exercising for the first time or significantly increases their exercise intensity, the body will undergo multiple initial adaptive responses that may lead to initial weight gain, rather than weight loss,” says Christopher McGowan, MD, a gastroenterologist and weight loss expert in Cary, North ...
You Might Be Eating Too Little
This phenomenon is called “starvation mode,” and while your body isn't actually starving, it will naturally hold onto whatever calories it receives in an effort to help you maintain your energy balance.
Water retention may clear without treatment in a few days. However, if there is a health problem causing you to hold onto fluid, your swelling may worsen over time. You may find that the body parts retaining water become tight, swollen, and painful. If untreated, heart or kidney problems may get much worse.
Working out can cause short-term weight gain as your muscle mass increases. Post-workout inflammation may cause temporary weight fluctuations. Workout plateaus, supplement use, and dietary changes can also stall your weight-loss efforts. Try not to obsess over the number on the scale.
We know that overeating and cutting healthy foods out of our diets can be an issue for weight loss, but undereating is less commonly addressed. One of the signs of undereating is finding that you're not only not losing body fat, but you may actually be seeing some weight gain.
Muscle is denser than fat, meaning a kilogram of muscle takes up less space in your body than a kilogram of fat. So, even if you gain muscle and your weight on the scale increases slightly, you can appear slimmer and more toned.
It requires addressing potential factors like inaccurate tracking, stress, and hormonal changes. Weight loss plateaus are common due to metabolic adaptation, muscle loss, or water retention, and overcoming them may require tweaks to your diet, exercise intensity, or lifestyle habits.
Your Body Is Extra Prepared for Your Second Try
If you've lost weight in the past by exercising or changing your diet and try to use those strategies again to lose weight, your body ndash; mainly hormones and metabolism – will adjust to prevent similar damage and you'll see fewer weight loss results.
Medical reasons
In some cases, underlying medical conditions may contribute to weight gain. These include: an underactive thyroid gland (hypothyroidism) – where your thyroid gland does not produce enough hormones. Cushing's syndrome – a rare disorder that causes the over-production of steroid hormones.
Decreased Muscle Mass
Your body composition may be another reason why you are still gaining weight while in a calorie deficit. If you have a higher body fat percentage and lower muscle mass, then you are probably burning fewer calories than if you had more muscle mass.
Mostly, losing weight is an internal process. You will first lose hard fat that surrounds your organs like liver, kidneys and then you will start to lose soft fat like waistline and thigh fat. The fat loss from around the organs makes you leaner and stronger.
Stage 1: Fast weight loss
In the beginning, weight loss happens pretty rapidly. Over a period of 4-6 weeks, you'll likely see a noticeable difference in your body weight [1] — either on the scales or by the way your clothes fit.
Water weight is not usually a cause for concern, but it can be uncomfortable and recurring. Reducing salt and carbohydrate intake, keeping hydrated, and frequently exercising are all good ways to lose water weight and prevent it from returning.
Especially in the first days and weeks of a new workout routine, your body is going to retain water. In most cases, it goes down within a few days. Some reasons your body retains water are: Inflammation - As you stress the body and break down the muscle, your body holds onto water to help with the repairs.