Not all weight gain is created equally…
While it is almost certainly common knowledge that exercise burns calories and helps you to shed extra pounds, many people still think the scale should just drop once you begin an exercise regiment of any sort! The truth is, for those who aren’t used to exercising and might be slightly out of shape, beginning an exercise program may actually lead to weight gain. Before you go crazy and drop your dumbbells…this is actually GOOD weight gain!
What is it about exercise that may cause some people to gain instead of lose weight? Simple…the growth and promotion of lean muscle! Very good things by the way!
If you are not used to working out and haven’t used certain muscles regularly, after exercising, your muscles will be sore and will increase in size. While you may burn off fat, muscle is denser than fat. Therefore, any increase in lean muscle may offset the fat loss shown on the scale!
And, since muscles take up less space than fat, your extra weight doesn’t necessarily translate into larger size. In fact, once you start working out, you’ll probably become thinner, even if you maintain your previous weight. Instead of using a scale to determine if you are slimming down, have your body fat tested regularly or measure your body at certain areas.
If you see that you’re losing inches, then you know you’re on the right track. If you feel your clothes fit just a tad bit looser, you know you are doing well!
Stick with your exercise program, any new lean muscle growth you are able to generate will do wonders to helping your calorie and fat burning going forward!
While it may be frustrating and disappointing (LADIES) to see the scale not go down as quickly as you’d like after starting a new exercise routine or nutrition program, if you focus on the true goal, fat loss and overall health and wellness, you will have a much easier time sticking to it. You may, in fact, simply be building muscle faster than losing body fat.
Which inevitably, should be the goal! The scale will be the LAST place to show progress!
Jason is a lifetime fitness and nutrition enthusiast, Founder of WeChangeLivesDaily.com and an AdvoCare Diamond Distributor. With a goal of helping the masses reach their health and wellness goals, Jason and his Team have set out to provide a place and means for convenient, proven, real-world fitness and nutrition coaching and solutions!
