There are some good things that happen with a prelude that’s not so pleasant. For example an antiseptic ointment can really sting when you apply it on a wound. You might not like it, but then you cannot ignore the bigger picture either.

Similarly when you start exercising, it might so happen that you gain weight. This, despite the fact that you may be exercising to lose weight! Before you go ballistic and start denouncing the entire concept of exercise for fitness, you should know that there can be several reasons why this is happening.

Initial weight gain during exercise does not necessarily mean that you are doing something wrong. A very common reason for gaining weight is that you are developing muscles. Muscles are denser than fat but take up less space and so are not easily detectable from outside unless they have really bulked up.

Thus it is important that you get your body-fat tested on a regular basis in order to determine whether you are gaining any. If not, then the increase in weight can be attributed to muscle gain. The same is happening when your waistline is depleting while you are gaining weight at the same time.

If however, you realize that you are gaining fat, you should consider the following possibilities to get to the root of the problem.

1. You might be eating too many calories. It might sound odd, but in trying to have a healthy diet you might be having a greater number of calories than you’ve ever had. When you start exercising you also change your diet patterns but probably fail to add up the calories that you are eating.

If you keep a log of how many calories you are having, it can be really easy for you to cut down as required. And in case you think that you can have anything you want to eat just because you are exercising, drop any such misconceptions right away.

2. You may also be having too few calories! Working out means; an increased level of activity for your body. So, if you consume too few calories, your body does not get the required energy to be more active and so your metabolic rates go down. This means that you are not able to lose fat despite your best efforts in the gym.

3. Are you expecting overnight results? Say, you were steadily gaining weight when you started to work out. So, it’s quite natural if you are still gaining weight 7-10 days into your training program. After all, it takes a lot of time for your body to ‘reset’ itself to the new level of exercise and type of diet. Try to be patient and you should see some positive changes after a month or so.

4. Do you have unknown medical problems? Though slim, the possibility that you suffer from thyroid cannot be ruled out unless you get a check up. Thyroid can result in weight gain, no matter how much you work out.

It’s best that you consult a fitness trainer for planning your exercise schedule. He or she can make sure that you progress naturally though fitness training and attain your health goals fast, without getting distracted by issues such as initial weight gain during exercise.

Author Bio: The author’s Markham boot camps help people get into great shape, and his articles are informative. For more details on how you may initially gain a small amount of weight when starting training, check out this Washington DC personal training site.

Category: Wellness, Fitness and Diet
Keywords: interval training, fitness training, exercise, workout, get in shape, how to exercise,how to workout