The other day at the gym I overheard a couple of girls complaining about how they have gained weight since they started working out. Clearly it wouldn’t be a smart move on my part to interject and give them advice, so I decided to write about it here instead.
So you’ve started a new workout routine and feeling your pretty great about yourself. You finally have motivated yourself enough to get in the gym and lose that poundage you have been complaining about needing to lose for the last week. Let’s say for the past month you have been visiting the gym religiously and you are ready to step on the scale so you accurately determine the measure of your weight loss success.
Surprise! You are now two pounds heavier.
Wait, don’t panic. Maybe it’s muscle right? Muscle weighs more than fat. Okay so with that crisis averted, say you then knock out another month of workouts and same story?
Not only does the scale say you are four pounds heavier than starting weight but your clothes are getting pretty snug. Uh oh. Okay, now it’s time to panic. So what’s the deal?
Exercise can often kick-start some extreme hunger pains. Couple this with the belief that going to the gym deserves a reward and you’re doomed for failure. More often than not, gym goers think that their workout will offset the extra calories of the dessert they want.
However, people underestimate the number of calories in the dessert and overestimate the number of calories burned at the gym.
Other times, just the appetite increase and the belief you can eat more in general because you are now exercising leads to weight gain. People seem to forget that a calorie deficit is needed for weight loss. So exchanging calories burned during a workout for a bag of Cheetos is kind of defeating the purpose.
If you find that you have fallen into this trap it is a rather simple fix. First off congratulate yourself for reading this article and equipping yourself with some valuable wisdom. Second, don’t be upset that you haven’t lost any weight, but instead focus on how much stronger and cardiovascular fit you are.
Lastly, focus on loving your body for what it can do, not on how it looks. A positive self-image has a magical way of helping people honor their bodies through health and wellness routines.
