Discover 7 surprising ways exercise can actually cause weight gain instead of weight loss. Learn how to avoid common pitfalls and maintain a healthy lifestyle.Is the number on the scale increasing, even though you go to the gym every other day and eat right? We’ll tell you why this might be happening.
Diet and exercise, exercise and diet – until now, humanity has not come up with another way to lose weight, and even the “revolutionary” semaglutide is nothing more than a simple way to limit the amount of calories consumed.
But the typical advice to “eat less, move more” doesn’t always work—here’s why working out can cause weight gain. (Spoiler: muscle growth has nothing to do with it.)
The relationship between exercise, appetite, and calorie intake isn’t as simple as it might seem. Some studies show that moderate- and high-intensity exercise suppresses appetite—and that’s what people usually hear about.
However, according to other studies by scientists, exercise can have the opposite effect – lead to increased appetite. Simply put, our reactions are individual, and it is possible that it is sports that makes you eat more – and this can lead to weight gain, even if the diet consists of healthy foods.
What to do: Track your calorie and macronutrient intake using an app or any other method to make sure you’re not overeating.
You eat pseudo-diet foods
Dozens of bars, cookies and drinks marketed to fitness centres as “healthy snacks for athletes” contain huge amounts of calories, sugar and fat – sometimes with ingredients that are not much different from cakes and soda.
But that’s half the problem: we often discount such products, considering them dietary and healthy. The problem of “uncounted candy for tea” is taking on a new life – now we don’t pay attention to the number of “protein” snacks “without sugar” consumed.
What to do: see the previous advice – control your diet. And, of course, read labels and learn the ropes: according to Australian experts, added sugar has more than 400 names – manufacturers are making great efforts to mislead consumers.
Training has become a source of stress
You’ve probably heard dozens of times that exercise helps fight stress, reduces cortisol levels, and stimulates the production of endorphins, the neurotransmitters of good mood. However, there is one important “but” – there are situations when training works the opposite way and hinders instead of helping.
There are various studies that confirm that excessive physical activity can negatively affect brain health, and this, in turn, affects the gut microbiome, whose role in metabolism is enormous.
However, sometimes it’s not even about the heavy load, but about emotional reactions – if you spend the entire hour of Zumba worrying about not being able to repeat the trainer’s movements, or because everyone else is slimmer than you, the class won’t do you any good. The level of cortisol will only jump, slowing down your metabolism – and you will either not lose weight, or gain it.
What to do: Choose physical activity that you enjoy. Do you like walking your dog? Do it every day and never beat yourself up for not making friends with barbell squats.
You sit for the rest of the day.
This is a common mistake among many of us: people often think that because they go to the gym, they are already moving enough and can spend the rest of the day sitting at their desk or lying on the couch.
Bad news: Cutting back on NEAT—everyday physical activity that doesn’t involve exercise—is a really bad idea. It accounts for up to 50 percent of your total calories burned—far more than exercise.
What to do: Don’t sit in one place all day – a sedentary lifestyle, even with exercise, is not much healthier than a sedentary one. ( Here we explain what the difference is and why it is small.)
Your workouts are bad for your sleep.
There are dozens of studies that show that regular physical activity can improve the quality and duration of sleep. Sports help cope with insomnia, daytime sleepiness, and even apnea.
But, as usual, there are exceptions: there are people who start sleeping worse because of fitness. The problem is usually that they train too late in the evening – as a result, a dose of endorphins fills them with energy and prevents them from falling asleep.
What to do: Usually, it’s enough to increase the interval between your workout and sleep. If that doesn’t work, try keeping a sleep diary – write down when you exercise, what you do, and how long it takes you to fall asleep afterwards.
You are not training hard enough.
Let’s start with the main thing: even a leisurely walk will be good for your health – the most ordinary walk reduces the risk of developing many diseases if you practice it every day. But there is a difference between training to improve your well-being and training to change your body: the latter should be much more intense.
What to do: If your body has adapted, or you’re experiencing a setback, change up your fitness routine—try different exercises or increase the intensity of your usual ones.
You have an undiagnosed health problem
You have everything under control, you eat healthy, exercise and manage stress, but your weight still doesn’t go down or goes up? Perhaps you suffer from some disease that causes this effect. ( Here , for example, we talk about how stomach problems can lead to weight gain.)