Why Am I Gaining Weight If I'm Working Out?

Picture it: You’ve started working out and getting in shape and you’re so excited.

You step on the scale and all of a sudden you gasp. It’s somehow gone up! What the heck?

This doesn’t happen to everyone, but for those who it’s happened to, I totally understand your frustration.

Here’s the good news: The weight gain is probably temporary. It’s not fat, but water weight probably due to some inflammation (feel that soreness?). This is totally normal and will pass with some time. 

I’ll wait while you breathe in a sigh of relief.

Now, more often than not, this temporary water weight is the culprit. But just in case, there might be a few other things to blame, and they all have a solution. So, take a deep breath and let’s talk about why the scale might be going up if you’re working out:

1. Your Muscles are Growing: Congrats, you buff babe, you! In this scenario, you’re probably gaining muscle faster than you’re losing fat. And while a thicker waist and thighs might seem like a kick in the teeth when it comes to your fitness goals, don’t fret: Eventually, your fat loss will catch up. You’re just building muscle super fast, and eventually, the fat will melt away, revealing the sweet, sweet fruits of your labor, i.e., you’re strong, toned new muscles. Patience is key with this one. Keep going. That hard work is going to pay off!

2. Inflammation: It burns so good, right? Well, that soreness means that your workouts are busy working, but it can also cause inflammation. Working out causes little tears in your muscle fibers. That’s where post-workout soreness comes from. I know that sounds a little scary, but your body ends up healing those tears and your muscles become stronger and tougher. Unfortunately, that inflammation requires a bit of fluid and that fluid carries some weight. You’ve got increased blood flow to the area and lots of stuff going on. And sometimes, that response shows up on the scale. A healthy diet and allowing your body to go through its proper recovery process can help relieve your inflammation. Just know that inflammation is a normal part of the fitness process.

3. Stress: Folks, there are all different types of stress. There’s the good kind of stress, like exercise that your body goes through. And then there are other lifestyle stresses like good ol’ fashioned life stressing you out, poor diet, bad habits like alcohol or smoking, bad sleep, etc.. So, if you start combining workout stress with too much of this other stress, that could become a real problem. A stressed body produces lots of cortisol, which can cause you to store belly fat, and that’s not conducive to a healthy lifestyle when you’re trying to lose weight. Poor sleep can mess with your metabolism, as can too much alcohol. Be sure you’re not piling on the stress. It might just be the culprit when it comes to unexpected weight gain.

4. Your Nutrition Needs Time to Catch Up: You’ve heard this a million times, but it’s worth repeating: You cannot outrun a bad diet. If you are not following a healthy diet, then you can most definitely gain weight when you’re working out. Even more, working out makes you more hungry, so you might actually be eating more of the bad stuff. And don’t get me started on calories: The quality of your calories matters. If you’re eating a few calories, but they’re all from junk, that can cause all kinds of issues. Fitness is 80% nutrition and 20% exercise. If you’re only exercising, you’re only doing some of the work required for weight loss. All Beachbody programs come with a nutrition guide, so the next time you’re not sure where to start, let your nutrition guide point you in the right direction.

There you have it. These are just a few ways you can troubleshoot your program to see where your extra weight is coming from. More often than not, the key is patience. Change doesn’t happen overnight, and seeing the scale go up can be discouraging. Knowing that this is temporary can help you stay focused. Whatever you do, keep going. Change doesn’t happen right away, but it does happen with consistency. You’ve got this!