I’M EXERCISING BUT STILL ADDING WEIGHT
I just recently recovered from the fear of being pregnant. I wonder what that’s called.
So for about 3 weeks, I’ve been consistently exercising nonstop. I know exercising is a slow progressive activity, especially if you just rejoined the circus after 6 months of a lot of unhealthy decisions, but I’m human, so I have expectations. I expected that by my third week, I should be able to notice some changes.
I did, but I didn’t. you see in the second week, I felt powerful. I’d look at the mirror and be like ‘’by the 6th week, my tummy should be like (sucks in tummy), and my back like…
Then in the third week, I felt like I was probably doing it all wrong, or I was eating too much. My legs were so fat, I felt I couldn’t keep my feet comfortably on the ground, and my tummy was so big, and well I’ve always been cheeky.
First of all, I wasn’t eating much, second of all, whoever said exercising has to be SO demanding???
So what was the problem? Why was I adding weight while I was exercising?
HORMONES!
4 days into week 3, I got my period, and it all became clear.
You’re probably asking ‘’how?’’
Well, as a girl, before you get your monthly period, there are certain signs you’re likely to experience, like tender breast, heavy breast, bloated stomach, for some headache, increase in weight, and… you can add yours.
Actually, this increase in weight isn’t fat, especially if you’ve been keeping fit. It’s s mostly water weight.
So here’s what happens during your menstrual cycle, just a few days before you get your period.
As a female, you’ve got 2 major sex hormones; estrogen and progesterone. Before you experience ovulation, your estrogen level rises, which stimulates the process of ovulation to occur. During ovulation, estrogen begins to drop, and as you approach the end of your ovulation phase, usually 14 days, progesterone level rises, because your body is trying to prepare a room for what’s normal to happen>> conception of a baby. But we don’t want that, and so we use condoms and other contraceptives.
So when we disappoint our bodies like that, estrogen level begins to rise to meet progesterone’s.
HORMONES>>PERIOD.
You’re probably wondering why you didn’t experience weight gain during your first estrogen increase, well it was just estrogen. Now you have 2 hormones wild-n-out. The lining of your uterus becomes thick, and you retain more water.
But this is just one reason and obviously, completely gender-based. What other reasons are there? Check this out.
WHY AM I ADDING WEIGHT EVEN THOUGH I’M EXERCISING?
- ADAPTATION: when you recently begin to exercise, your body responds to this newfound ‘’religion’’. You’re putting your muscles through a different type of stress, and this stress causes micro-tears and inflammation. Now, you’ve got active white blood cells, and this whole thing is foreign to your WBC. What does it do? It fights to heal you, only it doesn’t know you’d rather not be healed, else you wouldn’t be asking that question above
So the healing process involves water retention. Like I had said, most of the gain is water gain and it’s temporary.
2. MUSCLE GAIN: remember this article(https://link.medium.com/nrLW5S1TUpb Read up) I had mentioned that one of the benefits of exercising is weight gain. So you’ve been lifting weights and doing a lot of strength and endurance exercises. You’re building your muscle mass!!! Of course, you’ll add some weight. Keep it up.
3. WATER AND GLYCOGEN: normally, our bodies convert sugar or glycogen to glucose to fuel our muscles, but when we begin to exercise regularly, our bodies realize it needs to create a reservoir for our muscles so it never lacks fuel. Well, what’s a reservoir without water?
In order to be stored, glycogen needs to bind with water, and again, that water causes a little extra weight.
One or all of these reasons is why it seems you’re adding weight while exercising.
PS: the fear of being pregnant is called Tokophobia.
StartUp Health Exercise Exercise Tweet Gurus Dr Workout Fitne Land Stayfit The Womanity Foundation Womens Health
