Muscle weighs more than body fat If you've only ever done cardio exercise, you may be confused when a strength-training program leads to
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.
The usual culprit of short-term weight fluctuations is just water retention though. If you have an especially tough workout, your muscles experience microtears. To repair the tears, your body recruits more fluid to aid in the healing process. This can result in a several pound gain on the scale.
Gaining 5 pounds in a week is not typically considered normal or healthy. While short-term fluctuations in weight can occur due to factors like water retention, hormonal changes, or dietary choices, a 5-pound increase in one week is more likely due to excessive calorie intake.
A single workout's water retention could linger on the scale for 2-3 days or longer. A new ongoing exercise routine can easily stall the scale for 2-3 weeks. If you're sure on your calorie count you will start seeing progress again soon.
“Per unit volume, muscle weighs more than fat, so shedding fat and gaining muscle may not immediately change the scale but will result in changes in shape, tone, and measurements,” says McGowan. In other words, you may look leaner as you build muscle and lose fat, but you may actually start to weigh more.
Key takeaways: 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.
Hormonal belly is when a person gains weight around the abdomen due to hormonal fluctuations. This could be due to changes in thyroid, adrenal, reproductive, or other hormone levels.
Introducing any new exercise routine can temporarily stress the body, causing the release of the stress hormone cortisol. High cortisol levels can lead the body to store excess fat, particularly in the abdomen. It can also contribute to inflammation and water retention which will further increase your weight.
Weight gain and short-term fluctuations may happen for a variety of reasons, such as aging or making lifestyle and dietary changes. However, fast weight gain can be a sign of an underlying health condition, such as a problem with the thyroid, kidneys, or heart.
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.
Gaining weight after working out is likely due to muscle fiber inflammation, muscle glycogen and water weight gain, and over time, muscle mass gain. If weight loss is your goal, seeing an increase on the scale when you've been making an effort to exercise can be frustrating.
As a rough guide, you'll probably notice some initial changes in the first four to six weeks, but longer-term changes (what you're working toward) will often take around eight to 12 weeks. The good news is that you're likely to start feeling better quickly.
In general, weight gain from fat will result in a softer appearance, while weight gain from muscle will leave you looking leaner and feeling stronger. The most accurate way to assess any change in your body composition is through body composition testing.
You're eating more
This habit, or similarly rewarding yourself with dessert or a high calorie meal, could be sabotaging your efforts to lose weight. It's easy to overestimate how many calories we burn exercising and if we turn around and consume all of those calories or more, it will likely lead to weight gain.
The 30/30/30 is a weight loss method that involves eating 30 g of protein within the first 30 minutes of your day and following it with 30 minutes of light exercise. This morning routine is rooted in sound science, and it could be a good way to increase your capacity to burn fat while keeping lean muscle.
do at least 150 minutes of moderate intensity activity a week or 75 minutes of vigorous intensity activity a week. spread exercise evenly over 4 to 5 days a week, or every day.
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.
Your Weight Changes Overnight
Similarly, here's another way to determine if it is water weight or fat that you're losing: You gain or lose pounds overnight. If you lost several pounds overnight, that's a good indication that you've shed water weight, according to Texas A&M University.
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.
After you maintain your new, lower weight for 6 months, you can repeat the cycle and reset your set point again by losing another 10%. Through small, gradual changes in your daily habits, you'll be able to stay at that new, lower weight for the rest of your life.
As you increase musculature, fat gain can occur due to the caloric surpluses required to increase SMM. This is a well-recognized phenomenon and is commonly referred to in gym-speak as “bulking.”