Exercise and still gain weight? That may be why.

There is no denying that our bodies have taken a huge toll in the past year. If you are a few kilograms higher than your weight before pandemic, do not worry. Stress can cause your body to hold a little extra weight, and if you want to strive for comfort food during the pandemic, you are not alone. Regardless of how the weight gain occurred, you may feel uncomfortable with the extra weight on your body, and you may feel motivated to lose it. And what is the world’s response to weight loss? Exercise.

So, you start practicing. You try running, HIIT, Pilates, weight training, cycling or any other workout that suits you. But no matter how committed you are to your new exercise routine, you may not be able to lose the weight that originally motivated you. In fact, you are earning.

Does this sound familiar?

This is because it is very misinterpreted that exercise will lose your weight. If exercise is in fact only a small part of weight loss – 20% of it, to be exact. Most weight loss occurs due to your diet (about 80%), as well as sleeping well.

This is why nutrition according to most dietitians is the most important thing to focus on when trying to lose weight compared to exercising. And for healthy recipes to get you motivated, check out our list of 100 easiest recipes you can make.

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‘It’s pretty easy to consume enough calories to compensate for those burned during exercise. Thus, it may be possible that someone is not creating an energy deficit with exercise that enables weight loss, or even consuming the right amount of calories just to maintain. the same weight, “says Jinan Banna, PhD, RD.

“Acknowledge this you probably do not burn as many calories during exercise, “Continue Banna.” For example, if you run three kilometers, you might burn about 300 calories, which is equivalent to a piece of bread with a thick spread of peanut butter. ‘

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“Weight loss is 80% nutrition and 20% exercise and movement,” says Emily Danckers, MS, RD. “If someone is constantly exercising but does not change what he eats (or eats more to compensate for what they burned during exercise), it is very possible to continue to gain weight. A common saying is: “You can not go on a bad diet,” and this is certainly true. A solution would be to focus on total calorie intake. At the end of the day, this is what causes weight loss: eat fewer overall calories and move more. ‘

If you’re wondering, this is how many calories you should eat per week for weight loss.

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“Your metabolism may decrease due to limited calorie and / or fatigue of the adrenal glands,” says Trista Best, MPH, RD, LD at Balanced One Supplements. “To address this, you may want to consider adding foods with a greater chance of increasing your metabolism. Foods that increase the thermal effect of food (TEF) also increase your metabolism. If this food is digested, “It increases the body’s internal temperature, which increases the number of calories burned over time. This means you burn calories while eating. High TEF foods include dairy, fish, meat, eggs, nuts, seeds and legumes.”

Here are 31 healthy meals that increase your metabolism for weight loss.

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“My suggestion is to pay close attention to how much it is [you] eat, “says Lisa Young, PhD, RDN, and author of Finally full, finally slim. ‘The best way to do this is to keep a nutrition diary for at least a week and not only pay attention to what they eat, but also how much they eat. People are often surprised to find that they eat more than they think they eat. I suggest people reduce their portions of calorie-dense foods (chips, meat, dressings) and increase their portions of lower-calorie foods (such as non-starchy vegetables and fruits). It is also important to pay attention to nibbles here and there, which they also often do not realize. ‘

Concentrate on eating enough foods that are not as high in calories to maintain a better balance between calories and calories, “says Banna.” That would mean enough fruits and vegetables which, for example, contains a lot of water and fiber and contains relatively few calories. Incorporate such foods into the diet in creative ways to get you interested in eating them, such as a smoothie involving some vegetables. ‘

Here are 18 easy ways to control your portion sizes.

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“Exercising can boost the calories you burn,” says Young. “The body gets used to certain exercises that we do regularly and burns fewer calories over time. If you change things, your energy consumption can be boosted. If you run on a treadmill regularly, you can consider the treadmill, for example. Or exercise in the outdoors! “

Here is a major side effect of regular exercise, says new study.

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“An exercise system emphasizes your muscle fibers. When this happens, it causes micro-tears on your muscles, commonly called microtrauma, and a bit of inflammation, hence the extra weight gain,” says Edie Reads, RD and editor-in-chief of healthadvise.org.

Reads point out this can happen for two reasons – water weight and lean muscle mass.

“Your body’s response to these changes can also cause you to gain water weight,” says Reads. “First, tension and muscle rupture result in water retention. Just a small micro rupture allows your body to hold fluid in the area to heal. During this time, your body will also provide extra energy, which can also help you add weight. . “

However, once the initial water weight is increased, your body will make changes.

“As your muscles keep pace with the workouts, they will still require less glycogen for the same energy output. So you will probably start noticing a weight loss,” says Reads. “You will also experience weight gain due to your lean muscle mass. This will be experienced later as you continue to exercise and build muscle.”

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“Also, [try to get] sleep 7 to 9 hours every day so that you have a maximum healing time and keep the hormones that regulate hunger in check, “says Reads. Here are 7 changes in the healthy diet that help you sleep.

Between changes in your eating habits and getting enough sleep, as well as a constant workout, you will probably see differences once and for all in maintaining a healthier weight.

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