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"&amp;lt;p&amp;gt;If you&amp;amp;#39;ve noticed your &amp;lt;a data-inlink=&amp;quot;JEmozd44OY0QkETq5NAl5g&amp;amp;#61;&amp;amp;#61;&amp;quot; href=&amp;quot;https://www.verywell.com/how-to-lose-weight-and-keep-it-off-1229929&amp;quot; data-component=&amp;quot;link&amp;quot; data-source=&amp;quot;inlineLink&amp;quot; data-type=&amp;quot;internalLink&amp;quot; data-ordinal=&amp;quot;1&amp;quot;&amp;gt;weight going&amp;lt;/a&amp;gt; up after starting an exercise program, don&amp;amp;#39;t panic! It doesn&amp;amp;#39;t necessarily mean you&amp;amp;#39;re doing anything wrong, nor does it mean you&amp;amp;#39;re going in the wrong direction. There can be some obvious and not-so-obvious reasons you&amp;amp;#39;re gaining weight.&amp;lt;/p&amp;gt;&amp;lt;h3&amp;gt;&amp;lt;strong&amp;gt;Are You Really Gaining Fat?&amp;lt;/strong&amp;gt;&amp;lt;/h3&amp;gt;&amp;lt;p&amp;gt;Your first step is to determine if what you&amp;amp;#39;re gaining is fat, muscle or water. Muscle is more dense than fat, but it takes up less space. That means if you gain muscle, your &amp;lt;a data-inlink=&amp;quot;YoJZarFEoxUtJC55pPD0GQ&amp;amp;#61;&amp;amp;#61;&amp;quot; href=&amp;quot;https://www.verywell.com/change-energy-balance-for-weight-loss-3495529&amp;quot; data-component=&amp;quot;link&amp;quot; data-source=&amp;quot;inlineLink&amp;quot; data-type=&amp;quot;internalLink&amp;quot; data-ordinal=&amp;quot;2&amp;quot;&amp;gt;scale weight&amp;lt;/a&amp;gt; may go up even as you&amp;amp;#39;re slimming down. It&amp;amp;#39;s normal for many of us to &amp;lt;a href=&amp;quot;https://www.verywell.com/losing-inches-but-not-losing-weight-1231559&amp;quot; data-component=&amp;quot;link&amp;quot; data-source=&amp;quot;inlineLink&amp;quot; data-type=&amp;quot;internalLink&amp;quot; data-ordinal=&amp;quot;3&amp;quot;&amp;gt;lose inches, even if we&amp;amp;#39;re not losing weight&amp;lt;/a&amp;gt;.&amp;lt;/p&amp;gt;&amp;lt;p&amp;gt;Another culprit is water retention.\u00A0 There&amp;amp;#39;s a theory that the body will actually retain water when we exercise, not only as part of the healing process by also as a method of getting &amp;lt;a href=&amp;quot;https://www.verywell.com/what-is-glycogen-2242008&amp;quot; data-component=&amp;quot;link&amp;quot; data-source=&amp;quot;inlineLink&amp;quot; data-type=&amp;quot;internalLink&amp;quot; data-ordinal=&amp;quot;4&amp;quot;&amp;gt;glycogen&amp;lt;/a&amp;gt; to the body in a more efficient way.\u00A0 That more efficient fuel system means you may carry around a few extra pounds of\u00A0water.&amp;lt;/p&amp;gt;&amp;lt;p&amp;gt;Either way, the scale can&amp;amp;#39;t tell you any of this, which is why it isn&amp;amp;#39;t always the &amp;lt;a href=&amp;quot;https://www.verywell.com/what-you-dont-know-about-weight-loss-1231166&amp;quot; data-component=&amp;quot;link&amp;quot; data-source=&amp;quot;inlineLink&amp;quot; data-type=&amp;quot;internalLink&amp;quot; data-ordinal=&amp;quot;5&amp;quot;&amp;gt;best way to measure progress&amp;lt;/a&amp;gt;. One option is to forget the scale, at least for a little while and get your &amp;lt;a href=&amp;quot;https://www.verywell.com/whats-your-body-fat-1229850&amp;quot; data-component=&amp;quot;link&amp;quot; data-source=&amp;quot;inlineLink&amp;quot; data-type=&amp;quot;internalLink&amp;quot; data-ordinal=&amp;quot;6&amp;quot;&amp;gt;body fat&amp;lt;/a&amp;gt; tested by a trainer at your gym. If that isn&amp;amp;#39;t an option, &amp;lt;a href=&amp;quot;https://www.verywell.com/how-to-take-your-body-measurements-1231126&amp;quot; data-component=&amp;quot;link&amp;quot; data-source=&amp;quot;inlineLink&amp;quot; data-type=&amp;quot;internalLink&amp;quot; data-ordinal=&amp;quot;7&amp;quot;&amp;gt;take measurements&amp;lt;/a&amp;gt; at different areas of the body on a regular basis. If you&amp;amp;#39;re losing inches, you&amp;amp;#39;re on the right track. For more, check out &amp;lt;a href=&amp;quot;https://www.verywell.com/ways-to-track-weight-loss-progress-1231581&amp;quot; data-component=&amp;quot;link&amp;quot; data-source=&amp;quot;inlineLink&amp;quot; data-type=&amp;quot;internalLink&amp;quot; data-ordinal=&amp;quot;8&amp;quot;&amp;gt;4 Ways to Track Your Weight Loss Progress&amp;lt;/a&amp;gt;.&amp;lt;/p&amp;gt;&amp;lt;p&amp;gt;If you&amp;amp;#39;ve measured yourself in different ways and realized you really are going in the wrong direction, take some time to go through the following possibilities - you may need to make some small changes in your diet to see better results.&amp;lt;/p&amp;gt;&amp;lt;h3&amp;gt;Reasons You May Be Gaining Weight&amp;lt;/h3&amp;gt;&amp;lt;h3&amp;gt;1. &amp;lt;strong&amp;gt;&amp;lt;a href=&amp;quot;https://www.verywell.com/not-losing-weight-heres-why-1231606&amp;quot; data-component=&amp;quot;link&amp;quot; data-source=&amp;quot;inlineLink&amp;quot; data-type=&amp;quot;internalLink&amp;quot; data-ordinal=&amp;quot;9&amp;quot;&amp;gt;Eating too many calories&amp;lt;/a&amp;gt;&amp;lt;/strong&amp;gt;.&amp;lt;/h3&amp;gt;&amp;lt;p&amp;gt;It may seem obvious, but we sometimes eat more after starting an exercise program to compensate for burning those extra &amp;lt;a data-inlink=&amp;quot;YfFg4CRLn0ltpUUubOHdLw&amp;amp;#61;&amp;amp;#61;&amp;quot; href=&amp;quot;https://www.verywell.com/what-is-a-calorie-deficit-3495538&amp;quot; data-component=&amp;quot;link&amp;quot; data-source=&amp;quot;inlineLink&amp;quot; data-type=&amp;quot;internalLink&amp;quot; data-ordinal=&amp;quot;10&amp;quot;&amp;gt;calories&amp;lt;/a&amp;gt;. Most of us think we&amp;amp;#39;re eating a healthy, &amp;lt;a data-inlink=&amp;quot;4R1hJ8zSErLM_rYTFTWL_g&amp;amp;#61;&amp;amp;#61;&amp;quot; href=&amp;quot;https://www.verywell.com/secrets-to-successful-weight-loss-1231160&amp;quot; data-component=&amp;quot;link&amp;quot; data-source=&amp;quot;inlineLink&amp;quot; data-type=&amp;quot;internalLink&amp;quot; data-ordinal=&amp;quot;11&amp;quot;&amp;gt;low-calorie diet&amp;lt;/a&amp;gt; but, unless you&amp;amp;#39;re keeping a &amp;lt;a href=&amp;quot;https://www.verywell.com/how-many-calories-do-i-need-each-day-2506873&amp;quot; data-component=&amp;quot;link&amp;quot; data-source=&amp;quot;inlineLink&amp;quot; data-type=&amp;quot;internalLink&amp;quot; data-ordinal=&amp;quot;12&amp;quot;&amp;gt;food diary&amp;lt;/a&amp;gt;, you don&amp;amp;#39;t know how &amp;lt;a data-inlink=&amp;quot;8P0uBTMRzeKkXvfV_ApqKQ&amp;amp;#61;&amp;amp;#61;&amp;quot; href=&amp;quot;https://www.verywell.com/exercise-tips-for-weightloss-1231550&amp;quot; data-component=&amp;quot;link&amp;quot; data-source=&amp;quot;inlineLink&amp;quot; data-type=&amp;quot;internalLink&amp;quot; data-ordinal=&amp;quot;13&amp;quot;&amp;gt;many calories&amp;lt;/a&amp;gt; you&amp;amp;#39;re really eating. Most people are surprised when they start keeping a journal and adding up the calories--it almost always turns out to be more than they thought. Keep a &amp;lt;a data-inlink=&amp;quot;fPY0SAJ23Y6hAByT-mkRow&amp;amp;#61;&amp;amp;#61;&amp;quot; href=&amp;quot;https://www.verywell.com/how-to-keep-a-food-diary-p2-3494795&amp;quot; data-component=&amp;quot;link&amp;quot; data-source=&amp;quot;inlineLink&amp;quot; data-type=&amp;quot;internalLink&amp;quot; data-ordinal=&amp;quot;14&amp;quot;&amp;gt;food diary&amp;lt;/a&amp;gt; for at least a week or use an online tracking site like &amp;lt;a href=&amp;quot;https://www.caloriecount.com/&amp;quot; data-component=&amp;quot;link&amp;quot; data-source=&amp;quot;inlineLink&amp;quot; data-type=&amp;quot;externalLink&amp;quot; data-ordinal=&amp;quot;15&amp;quot;&amp;gt;Calorie Count&amp;lt;/a&amp;gt; to get a sense of what and how much you&amp;amp;#39;re eating. If it&amp;amp;#39;s too much, you can make changes in your diet to reduce your calories. And try to avoid the mindset that says you can eat whatever you want since you&amp;amp;#39;re doing all this great exercise. To lose weight, you still need to monitor your calories.&amp;lt;/p&amp;gt;&amp;lt;h3&amp;gt;2. &amp;lt;strong&amp;gt;Not eating enough calories&amp;lt;/strong&amp;gt;.&amp;lt;/h3&amp;gt;&amp;lt;p&amp;gt;It may seem counterintuitive, but eating too little can actually stall your efforts to lose fat. As Cathy Leman, a registered dietitian and creator of &amp;lt;a href=&amp;quot;http://www.eatwellgetstrong.com/about.html&amp;quot; data-component=&amp;quot;link&amp;quot; data-source=&amp;quot;inlineLink&amp;quot; data-type=&amp;quot;externalLink&amp;quot; data-ordinal=&amp;quot;16&amp;quot; rel=&amp;quot;nofollow&amp;quot;&amp;gt;NutriFit!&amp;lt;/a&amp;gt; says, &amp;amp;#34;...if there is a severe restriction in calories, the body may counteract this reduction by slowing down its metabolism.&amp;amp;#34; Be sure you&amp;amp;#39;re eating enough calories to sustain your body if you&amp;amp;#39;ve increased your activity.&amp;lt;/p&amp;gt;&amp;lt;h3&amp;gt;3. &amp;lt;strong&amp;gt;Not giving your body &amp;lt;a href=&amp;quot;https://www.verywell.com/not-losing-weight-heres-why-1231606&amp;quot; data-component=&amp;quot;link&amp;quot; data-source=&amp;quot;inlineLink&amp;quot; data-type=&amp;quot;internalLink&amp;quot; data-ordinal=&amp;quot;17&amp;quot;&amp;gt;time to respond&amp;lt;/a&amp;gt;&amp;lt;/strong&amp;gt;.&amp;lt;/h3&amp;gt;&amp;lt;p&amp;gt;Just because you start exercising doesn&amp;amp;#39;t always mean your body will respond to that immediately. As &amp;lt;a href=&amp;quot;http://www.eatwellgetstrong.com/about.html&amp;quot; data-component=&amp;quot;link&amp;quot; data-source=&amp;quot;inlineLink&amp;quot; data-type=&amp;quot;externalLink&amp;quot; data-ordinal=&amp;quot;18&amp;quot; rel=&amp;quot;nofollow&amp;quot;&amp;gt;Cathy Leman&amp;lt;/a&amp;gt; puts it, &amp;amp;#34;...in some instances the body needs to sort of &amp;amp;#34;recalibrate&amp;amp;#34;&amp;amp;#39; itself. Increased activity and new eating habits (taking in more or fewer calories) require the body to make adjustments.&amp;amp;#34; Cathy recommends that you give yourself several weeks or months for your body to respond to what you&amp;amp;#39;re doing.&amp;lt;/p&amp;gt;&amp;lt;h3&amp;gt;4. &amp;lt;strong&amp;gt;Rule out any &amp;lt;a href=&amp;quot;https://www.verywell.com/not-losing-weight-heres-why-1231606&amp;quot; data-component=&amp;quot;link&amp;quot; data-source=&amp;quot;inlineLink&amp;quot; data-type=&amp;quot;internalLink&amp;quot; data-ordinal=&amp;quot;19&amp;quot;&amp;gt;medical conditions&amp;lt;/a&amp;gt;&amp;lt;/strong&amp;gt;.&amp;lt;/h3&amp;gt;&amp;lt;p&amp;gt;While not everyone suffers from &amp;lt;a href=&amp;quot;https://www.verywell.com/thyroid-disease-symptoms-and-risk-factors-3233170&amp;quot; data-component=&amp;quot;link&amp;quot; data-source=&amp;quot;inlineLink&amp;quot; data-type=&amp;quot;internalLink&amp;quot; data-ordinal=&amp;quot;20&amp;quot;&amp;gt;thyroid problems&amp;lt;/a&amp;gt;, they can cause weight gain and weight loss to be more challenging. You should also check with your doctor about any medications you&amp;amp;#39;re taking that could affect your body&amp;amp;#39;s ability to lose weight. If you feel your food intake is reasonable and you&amp;amp;#39;ve given your body enough time to see results and haven&amp;amp;#39;t seen any (or are seeing unexplainable weight gain) see your doctor to rule any other causes.&amp;lt;/p&amp;gt;&amp;lt;h3&amp;gt;5. &amp;lt;strong&amp;gt;You&amp;amp;#39;re &amp;lt;a href=&amp;quot;https://www.verywell.com/losing-inches-but-not-losing-weight-1231559&amp;quot; data-component=&amp;quot;link&amp;quot; data-source=&amp;quot;inlineLink&amp;quot; data-type=&amp;quot;internalLink&amp;quot; data-ordinal=&amp;quot;21&amp;quot;&amp;gt;gaining muscle faster than you&amp;amp;#39;re losing fat&amp;lt;/a&amp;gt;&amp;lt;/strong&amp;gt;.&amp;lt;/h3&amp;gt;&amp;lt;p&amp;gt;If it seems that you&amp;amp;#39;re getting bigger after you&amp;amp;#39;ve started a &amp;lt;a data-inlink=&amp;quot;lHoPxrcfAAExSbwd0vEPWg&amp;amp;#61;&amp;amp;#61;&amp;quot; href=&amp;quot;https://www.verywell.com/weight-training-101-1229713&amp;quot; data-component=&amp;quot;link&amp;quot; data-source=&amp;quot;inlineLink&amp;quot; data-type=&amp;quot;internalLink&amp;quot; data-ordinal=&amp;quot;22&amp;quot;&amp;gt;weight training&amp;lt;/a&amp;gt; routine, it may be because you aren&amp;amp;#39;t losing body fat as fast as you&amp;amp;#39;re &amp;lt;a data-inlink=&amp;quot;T0QSA1krAsEbOS_Mxb4vhQ&amp;amp;#61;&amp;amp;#61;&amp;quot; href=&amp;quot;https://www.verywell.com/top-tips-for-building-muscle-3498594&amp;quot; data-component=&amp;quot;link&amp;quot; data-source=&amp;quot;inlineLink&amp;quot; data-type=&amp;quot;internalLink&amp;quot; data-ordinal=&amp;quot;23&amp;quot;&amp;gt;building muscle&amp;lt;/a&amp;gt;, a common problem. Genetics can play a role; some people put on muscle more easily than others. If that&amp;amp;#39;s the case for you, don&amp;amp;#39;t stop training. Instead, you might simply adjust your program to make sure you&amp;amp;#39;re getting enough &amp;lt;a href=&amp;quot;https://www.verywell.com/everything-you-need-to-know-about-cardio-1229553&amp;quot; data-component=&amp;quot;link&amp;quot; data-source=&amp;quot;inlineLink&amp;quot; data-type=&amp;quot;internalLink&amp;quot; data-ordinal=&amp;quot;24&amp;quot;&amp;gt;cardio exercise&amp;lt;/a&amp;gt; to promote &amp;lt;a data-inlink=&amp;quot;l6v4JM7g8T5lxHOaS-GujQ&amp;amp;#61;&amp;amp;#61;&amp;quot; href=&amp;quot;https://www.verywell.com/exercise-and-weight-loss-for-women-1231551&amp;quot; data-component=&amp;quot;link&amp;quot; data-source=&amp;quot;inlineLink&amp;quot; data-type=&amp;quot;internalLink&amp;quot; data-ordinal=&amp;quot;25&amp;quot;&amp;gt;weight loss&amp;lt;/a&amp;gt; and focus your strength training workouts on &amp;lt;a href=&amp;quot;https://www.verywell.com/weight-training-101-1229713&amp;quot; data-component=&amp;quot;link&amp;quot; data-source=&amp;quot;inlineLink&amp;quot; data-type=&amp;quot;internalLink&amp;quot; data-ordinal=&amp;quot;26&amp;quot;&amp;gt;muscular endurance&amp;lt;/a&amp;gt; by keeping the reps between 12-16.&amp;lt;/p&amp;gt;&amp;lt;p&amp;gt;Whatever is the cause of your weight gain, don&amp;amp;#39;t give up on exercise!\u00A0 It&amp;amp;#39;s often a temporary situation that will correct itself if you just keep going and, if it doesn&amp;amp;#39;t, don&amp;amp;#39;t give up all that great exercise time you&amp;amp;#39;ve collected.\u00A0 Consider &amp;lt;a href=&amp;quot;https://www.verywell.com/reasons-to-hire-a-personal-trainer-1231372&amp;quot; data-component=&amp;quot;link&amp;quot; data-source=&amp;quot;inlineLink&amp;quot; data-type=&amp;quot;internalLink&amp;quot; data-ordinal=&amp;quot;27&amp;quot;&amp;gt;hiring a trainer&amp;lt;/a&amp;gt; or meeting with a dietitian to help you tweak your workouts and diet.\u00A0 Sometimes, all you need are a few different changes.&amp;lt;/p&amp;gt;"^^<http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema#string>
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