You May Be Retaining Water
While consuming too much salt or certain types of processed foods is the most common culprit of water retention, standing or sitting for too long, hormonal changes that occur around your menstrual cycle, and even certain types of medication can cause increased water retention.
You've gained muscle.
So as you gain more muscle and lose fat, you change your overall body composition, which can result in a higher weight, but a smaller figure and better health. If the scale has inched up, but your waistline hasn't and you feel strong overall, don't sweat the pounds; they're increasing your power.
“When you start exercising, your muscles start gobbling up fuel called glycogen,” says Krista Scott-Dixon, Ph. D., Director, Headspace Adjustment Bureau, Precision Nutrition. Since glycogen stores water, you could gain up to 10 pounds in water weight alone, says Scott-Dixon.
Temporary weight gain after exercise will last anywhere from two days to 14 days. Meaning, give yourself two weeks for that weight to vanish the same way it came.
One of the main reasons why burning calories through exercise may still not result in weight loss is due to overexertion, or inflammation of your body. If you exercise too hard on a daily basis, there is an excess of inflammation in your body. All the added up inflammation makes you gain more weight than lose.
In terms of losing weight through exercise, he says people can start seeing results in two to three weeks. But he explains that if you want to keep the weight off, you'll need a routine that progresses slowly and steadily instead of one where you're going all out.
Cardio can't directly cause you to gain weight or fat. According to Mayoclinic, how you eat and drink in addition to your physical activity level are things that ultimately determine your weight. This is also impacted by your metabolism — the process by which your body converts what you eat and drink into energy.
Should you weigh yourself after a workout? It is generally not recommended to weigh yourself immediately after a workout, as your weight can fluctuate due to several factors such as hydration level, muscle soreness, and inflammation.
Muscle fitness – expect to see small changes in the first few weeks. Within three to six months, an individual can see a 25 to 100% improvement in their muscular fitness – provided a regular resistance program is followed.
This phenomenon is sometimes called “phantom fat” or “phantom fat syndrome.” The medical term is body dysmorphic disorder, said Giovanni M. Billings, Psy. D., a psychologist who works with surgical weight loss patients. The disorder can involve other aspects of a person's self image, not just weight.
It kicks in to preserve and store fat for future energy. Research shows that this happens because the human body has evolved to value storing fat and energy and to interpret a shortage of calories as sign of distress.
In conclusion: Cardio burns more calories during your workout and burns fat faster, so it's ideal for weight loss. Strength training helps you build muscle and burn more calories all day (even while on the couch).
Here are some symptoms of too much exercise: Being unable to perform at the same level. Needing longer periods of rest. Feeling tired.
Signs that you're excessively exercising include feeling fatigued, a decrease in performance, proclivity for injury, changes in appetite, and mood changes. If you're experiencing any of these issues, try adding more rest after working out and take days to rest and recover.
As a general goal, aim for at least 30 minutes of moderate physical activity every day. If you want to lose weight, maintain weight loss or meet specific fitness goals, you may need to exercise more. Reducing sitting time is important, too. The more hours you sit each day, the higher your risk of metabolic problems.
You're not varying your workouts
You're body needs new stimuli and progressive training if you want to see results. A more developed cardiovascular system will also increase your ability to recover faster. Both HIIT and steady-state cardio are essential even if your main goal is to build muscle and strength.
The more you exercise, the more calories you'll burn. If you're trying to lose weight, you should aim for doing cardio at least five days per week for a total of at least 250 minutes (4 hours, 10 minutes) each week. Contrary to what many believe, you can do aerobic exercise seven days per week.
Crunches:
The most effective exercise to burn stomach fat is crunches. Crunches rank top when we talk of fat-burning exercises. You can start by lying down flat with your knees bent and your feet on the ground.
Without understanding your caloric intake, walking 10,000 steps or more might not cause enough meaningful fat loss. However, there are enormous health benefits to increasing your activity level through moderate exercises like walking.
Most people burn 30-40 calories per 1,000 steps they walk, meaning they'll burn 300 to 400 calories by walking 10,000 steps, Hirai says. However, this is just an estimate. Each step you take burns calories, but the exact amount is highly individualized. "Calorie burn rate can be quite variable," he says.