Why do I gain weight after exercising?

Many people go to the gym to stop gaining weight or to lose weight, but some people find that their weight increases instead of decreasing after exercise. So some people begin to think that exercise is useless and they can only let their weight increase. So why does fitness lead to weight gain? Let me explain one by one!

Whether you are fat or thin, your weight tends to increase after you start exercising. This is because after exercise, absorption is enhanced, muscles increase, muscles are heavier than fat, and fat has not been consumed yet. At the same time, the amount of food needed after exercise is greater than before, and sleep will improve. Several factors contribute to weight gain after exercise. If you continue to exercise, after your muscles increase from a low level to a certain limit, the growth rate will obviously slow down. At this time, exercise begins to consume fat, and real weight loss begins from this time. So, don’t be discouraged, persistence will bring results.

Exercise plays two important roles in weight loss, including:

1. Directly consume a large amount of calories, oxidize fat, and reduce weight

2. Increasing the body's metabolic consumption and increasing daily energy consumption can also achieve the goal of losing weight.

It seems that under the influence of these two points, if we do not lose weight after exercise, it is already a "serious sin". Why do many people find that their weight has increased significantly after exercising for a few days?

In fact, if you did not exercise before and then suddenly gained weight after exercise, it is not mainly because of the increase in fat. The main reason is the increase in glycogen and water retention in the body.

During exercise, our bodies consume a large amount of muscle glycogen and liver glycogen. They are the first substances to provide energy during exercise. Data show that their total reserves in the human body are approximately between 250g and 400g. After exercise, due to the stimulation of exercise, the body generally stores more glycogen than before exercise.

Before a competition, professional athletes often follow the following classic diet and exercise schedule: 6 to 4 days before the competition, perform high-intensity, high-volume exercises to consume as much glycogen as possible; 3 to 1 day before the competition, reduce the intensity and volume of exercise, and increase the intake of sugary foods. This arrangement can increase the storage of glycogen in muscles by 1 to 2 times than before, and also provide better endurance performance during competition.

Therefore, you will gain weight after fitness, but this does not mean that fitness cannot achieve the effect of weight loss. Exercise is good for health, so long-term fitness can not only make people lose weight, but also maintain a healthy body. Fitness is so great, why not do it?