Why Do You Weigh More After Working Out?

You may think that you should weigh less when you get on the scale after you've had a tough workout, but that isn't always the case. Your body's relationship with the scale is complicated and can be affected by a variety of factors. If you find that you've gained a few pounds after you've started working out, don't be discouraged. The change is actually normal.

It's natural to think that sweating away a lot of water will cause you to weigh a little less when you get on the scale, but this isn't always the case. In fact, if you're experiencing a minor case of dehydration after a workout, this might actually cause your body to retain more fluid and the scale might increase a little. Once you drink water and replenish your body, the scale might drop back down.

When you exercise, particularly if you're doing strength training, your muscles will experience micro tears from the workout. These tiny tears are actually part of how muscle builds itself during strength training; small tears are healed and the muscle gets stronger. But when you first get the tiny tears, your body may retain more fluid in the muscles as part of the healing process. Your muscles will also store extra glycogen as they heal, which causes more fluid retention. This can cause your weight on the scale to temporarily increase.

Your weight gain could simply be a matter of weighing yourself on a different scale. If you use a less expensive digital scale at home and switch to a higher-quality mechanical balance scale at the gym, similar to the balance scales used at a doctor's office, this can account for the change. Digital scales typically don't weigh as accurately as balance scales, and this can cause your weight to look like it's increased at the gym. Instead of just relying on the scale, take measurements of your waist and your hips and watch for changes in your measurements.

When you start working out, you might also start feeling hungrier. In fact, you might be grabbing more snacks or eating bigger portions at your meals without realizing it. It can be easy to overestimate the number of calories you've burned and accidentally eat more than you burned off. Although doing this one time won't be enough to make a huge difference, if you do this every day you'll gain weight over time.