Today’s question is, ✨ how long does temporary weight gain after exercise last? ✨
Temporary weight gain after exercise will last anywhere from two days to 14 days. Meaning, give yourself two weeks for that weight to vanish the same way it came.
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4 Reasons Why We Temporarily Gain Weight After Exercise
If you’re wondering “how long does temporary weight gain after exercise last?”, it’s good to know why we gain weight after exercise.
There are four things that cause us to gain weight temporarily after exercise, and I’m gonna tell you all of them.
But before I go any further, I should introduce myself.
My name is Kola, just like Coca-Cola
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Back to the topic
Temporary Weight Gain – Cause 1
The first thing that causes temporary weight gain after exercise is soreness
When you do resistance training like squats, lunges, you’ll probably feel a little bit sore.
The soreness is just the body repairing itself after the workout, so the easiest way to try to avoid that weight gain is by foam rolling.
Getting sore after a workout can account for two or three pounds of weight gain after the workout.
If you are a Premium, Diamond or Double Diamond member on my website…
I have a video on there where I show you my whole foam roller collection.
So make sure you watch that video or go on the Googles and do some research and see if you can find a foam roller that you wanna use.
Temporary Weight Gain – Cause 2
Another thing that causes temporary weight gain after exercise is dehydration.
Whenever we start to exercise, our body needs more water than what we’re used to drinking.
Even if you’re a person that already drinks 64 ounces, you wanna drink more water
The reason that dehydration can lead to temporary weight gain after exercise is this.
The body is clutching onto every single droplet of water it can hold onto.
It thinks that there’s some kind of famine going on.
And perhaps something is absolutely wrong and that’s why we’re working out.
To help your body relax, and avoid holding onto water, it’s so important to just drink water as much as possible.
The way I know if I’m dehydrated is when I start getting acne on my temples.
It might be different for you.
For some people it’s dry skin.
I would not know if I had dry skin because I lotion every day 😂
Reason 3
The third thing that can cause temporary weight gain after exercise is the foods that we’re eating.
For those of y’all that like to take post-workout supplements,
That can cause some weight gain.
especially if you’re taking something like creatine.
So just check your post-workout supplements
They might have some ingredients that are causing your body to hold onto water.
Something else that can cause the body to hold onto water is eating carbs after a workout.
Now hear me out.
I’m not saying carbs are bad.
I enjoy my carbs.
But when we eat carbs, our body will take it and use it to replenish the energy that we expended during the workout.
And that process is a very water intensive process.
The name of the energy source that our body is replenishing is called: Glycogen.
For every gram of glycogen, your body is replenishing, it is also binding to three to four grams of water.
Again – it’s a really water intensive process and it causes the body to hold onto a lot of water.
But it’s nothing to worry about. It’s not a reason to avoid carbs.
It’s just part of the beautiful process of trying to work out.
And being healthier or losing weight, whatever your goal might be
Another type of food that can cause the body to hold onto water and lead to temporary weight gain after working out is fiber.
When fiber gets into the digestive, tracts into the intestines, it binds to water as well.
And while that fiber is bound to water in the digestive tract, we experience a little bit of weight gain.
Reason 4
The last thing is not really temporary, but it’s significant enough that I’ve decided to include it here.
And that is muscle gain.
So as we work out, our muscles become stronger, denser, bigger.
This muscle development could also lead to some weight gain.
If it’s muscle that’s causing the weight gain, that’s a good thing.
We don’t want to avoid gaining muscle.
After two days to 14 days, , the body will become adapted
It will become more efficient, and all these things will not cause as much of an issue.
These issues only occur when we first get started or when we make a significant change to the workout program that we’re doing now.
If it’s been more than two weeks and you’re still gaining weight, it hasn’t stabilized, it’s not going down…
Still no progress, then it’s one of three things.
Temporary Weight Gain Not Stopping After 2 Weeks? Here’s why!
It’s possible that your diet needs some more cleaning up.
This happens very, very frequently and it’s very frustrating.
Because that means you just spent two weeks working out and you’re not seeing the results that you want.
Another way that some people slip up is, and this I have been guilty, is working out and then sitting down or laying down the rest of the day. 😅
We can’t really expect to work out for only 30 minutes or an hour and then just be sedentary the rest of the day.
The body doesn’t work like that.
Even after working out, it’s still important to mov.
- Do things
- Go outside
- Run after your dog
- Chase your kid lol
Do whatever.
It’s still important to move throughout the day.
This is how we get the amount of energy output that’s needed for the body to actually start to shed fat.
And the last thing to check, if it’s been more than two weeks and you’re still gaining weight is your metabolism and hormones.
I will say though, that a metabolic or hormonal issue is not as common as we would like to think it is
It’s usually either we’re not moving enough the rest of the day or we’re accidentally eating a little bit too much
Overall, my advice would be to give it two weeks to see if things stabilize and start to go down
Look for trends in your weight over time.
Don’t be too fixated on just any one particular number.
And also just understand, please, that working out is a lifelong habit! 🙂
Two weeks is a short amount of time relative to the rest of our lives.
Now you know how much you’re going to need to suffer, I mean, workout.
Then you can make a decision about whether or not the workout program you’re doing is actually having the intended effect or not 🙂
ps: check out this cardio workout. It’s lit
How Long Does Temporary Weight Gain After Exercise Last? TLDR (summary 🙂)
- Temporary weight gain after exercise can last from two days to 14 days, and there are four main causes of this weight gain.
- The first cause is soreness, which is the body repairing itself after the workout. Foam rolling can help avoid this weight gain.
- Dehydration is the second cause of temporary weight gain after exercise as the body clings onto water. Drinking more water can help avoid this weight gain.
- The third cause of temporary weight gain after exercise is the food that we eat, specifically post-workout supplements and carbs, which cause the body to hold onto water.
- The last cause of weight gain after exercise is muscle gain, which is a good thing in the long term.
- If weight gain continues for more than two weeks, it could be due to diet, lack of movement, or a metabolic/hormonal issue. However, these issues are not as common as people may think.
- It is important to give it two weeks to see if things stabilize and not be too fixated on any one particular number. Working out is a lifelong habit
How Long Does Temporary Weight Gain After Exercise Last? : Video
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