Exercise burns calories, and in most people, an exercise program in which you workout at an elevated heart rate for 45 to 60 minutes a day will help you lose weight. That is because the exercise usually helps you create a "calorie deficit" -- you are burning more calories than you are consuming, so your body burns fat for energy and you lose weight by reducing body fat. However, some people will nevertheless gain weight even while reducing body fat because they are also creating muscle with exercise, and muscle weighs more than fat. Others starting an exercise program will see some short-term weight gain due to fitness-related fluid retention.
How It Works
Losing a significant amount of weight requires both exercise and diet, according to the University of Maryland Medical Center. A person who exercises without restricting calories will experience minimal weight loss as "dense and heavier" muscles replace body fat. You will look and feel better, but your weight won't change much and might actually increase.
How Much Is Too Much Exercise?
The primary danger of exercising too much is that you become "overtrained." According to experts at Princeton University, exercise actually "breaks you down and makes you weaker," but the rest that follows a workout is when the body recovers and actually adapts to become stronger. This adaptation, called the "training effect," is what allows you to exercise longer and harder as you become more fit.
Gain Weight With Age
According to a March 2010 Harvard University study, increased exercise alone is not enough to prevent further weight gain among women who are overweight or obese to begin with. These women need to reduce their caloric intake as well. This study examined the weight gain and exercise regimen of more than 30,000 women over a 15-year period, and found that normal-weight women who exercise moderately -- through brisk walking, for instance -- at least seven hours a week were able to avoid gaining weight over the years.
Short-Term Weight Gain
People starting an exercise program with weightlifting often do too much too soon and their muscles become sore. According to the University of Hawaii, the soreness is the result of muscle tissue becoming inflamed and retaining fluid, which can result in a 3 lb. to 4 lb. weight gain a few days after the exercise regimen has started. This is why fitness experts recommend you start exercise programs slowly, so the body has time to adapt.
Other Weight-Gaining Factors
People becoming fitter through an aerobic exercise program might also see some weight gain. According to Hawaii experts, as people gain fitness, their muscles store more carbohydrates in a form known as glycogen. But with every gram of glycogen stored, 3 g of water are also stored, resulting in a weight gain of as much as 2 to 4 lbs. This weight gain is short term and will fade away as you lose body fat, so Alan Titchenal of the University of Hawaii Department of Human Nutrition, Food and Animal Sciences recommends you ignore the scale for at least a month after starting an exercise program.
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