Is Exercise Making You Gain Weight?

You finally crawled out of your winter time slug mode and are hitting the gym full force. In addition to getting fit, you anticipated losing a few pounds.  However to your dismay, you see the scale creeping upward … and it’s not all muscle! What is going on? With all this exercise, you should be losing weight, not gaining. If this sounds familiar, read on to hear about how exercise can make you gain weight.

Real case study: triathlete gaining weight     
Suzanne is training for her first Olympic Distance triathalon  (swim 1 mile, bike 25 miles and run 6 miles). She started her 6 day a week training schedule 5 weeks ago and has noticed a 4 pound weight gain. While some of this is from muscle, not all of it is as she is having trouble buttoning her pants.  Suzanne also reports she frequently feels tired and is ravenous. So why is she gaining weight?

Here are some potential causes of weight gain: 
1. Despite the fact that she is exercising 6 days a week, somehow Suzanne is consuming more calories than she is burning off. It is easy to rationalize “I just ran 5 miles, so I can eat this extra piece of bread or bite of ice cream, etc.” These little calories add up!

2. Her hunger has increased due to all the exercise. Active muscles need more calories than couch potatoes. However the trick will be to get the right kind – and amount – of calories to fuel her body… without contributing to weight gain.

3. Suzanne is not giving her body enough rest. While some people can work out 6 days a week and feel fine, others can’t! Feeling chronically tired increases hunger and cravings for carbs(and often the not-so-good kind!)

4. She may need to pay more attention to her pre and post workout meals. Inadequate and/or inappropriate fueling can lead to low energy levels and greatly increased hunger later on (as well as poor performance while training or racing)

5. She was afraid she’d run out of energy during her long runs or rides, so she was overcompensating by eating large amounts of food the day before.

6. Suzanne has been is trying to maintain her social schedule as much as possible …  not enough sleep, too many cocktails, etc.

Solutions to stop the weight gain:
1. This is obviously not the time to diet, however she will need to trim the extras. Areas to cut back on include: alcohol, fried foods, sweets and rich sauces and dressings – and of course, overall portion sizes.

2. I would recommend that she keep a detailed food record of what she eats and drinks, as well as what she is doing for exercise.

3. While no one wants to be a hermit, this is not the time to be Ms. Socialite. Curb the cocktails and get enough sleep.

4. Consider taking another day off. In addition to causing increased hunger, fatigue, muscle soreness and increased risk of injury, overtraining can actually impede her athletic progress.

5. Make sure she stays hydrated. Sometimes we think we are hungry when it is really fluid that our bodies are craving.

6. Pay extra attention to what she eats prior to and after her workout. It is best to have a meal that includes a moderate portion of carbs and a little protein if desired prior to your long workout. For example, she didn’t need a massive bowl of pasta and an ice cream cone the night before a 20 mile bike ride. A moderate size bowl of pasta for dinner along with a high carb breakfast (i.e. oatmeal and a banana) before her ride would be perfect.

Bottom line: Regular exercise is an important part of losing weight and keeping the weight off. However, it doesn’t give you the green light to eat whatever you want!

Stay tuned for more tips on sports nutrition.