3 reasons you gain weight when you start working out

When we start working out, we are often too impatient for the results to appear. We are only a week into it and every day, we step on to the weighing scale with expectant eyes. But more often than not, what we see is the opposite of what we expect to see: The weight increases.
There are many reasons as to why our weight shoots up when we begin a workout regimen. Here, we look into what may be causing the initial flare-ups.
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Whenever you start an exercise regime, your weight may increase due to muscle soreness. Soreness is basically a result of breakdown of muscle tissue and occurs for a day or two after every workout. It occurs in order to protect the targeted muscle tissue from the new exercise program. But what needs to be remembered is that that muscle soreness is only temporary and usually begins to wear off after the second week.
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The second protection mechanism of your muscles works through fluid retention. In order to protect the targeted muscle tissue from the new exercise program, the muscles may also retain fluids and become slightly inflamed. This temporary retention of fluids can result in up to 2 kilograms of increase in weight. It will wear off after a few weeks of your new regimen.
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Muscles contain water in addition to muscle cells. When you begin exercising, muscles, specially the large ones like you have in your legs, can increase in size due to exercising regularly. But muscles are known to take lesser space than is taken by fat. So, you will get slimmer even though your weight may increase. But this weight gain is not bad. In fact, you are likely to be healthier than before.
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