This post reveals the real reason you’re working out but gaining weight… especially in your stomach and my exact steps on how to eat more, lose inches, and see better results from your workouts.

Get ready for a mental, emotional, and physical transformation in this post.  I’m revealing my 3 secrets that will not only get you feeling great but also enjoying much better results from your workouts.  

Are you ready?

I used to think weight loss would come from working out more and eating as little as possible.  I thought my ideal body composition would come from a specific type of workout.  So I tried countless workout types, even working out 2-3 hours a day.  The bigger the deficit the better, right?  Wrong.

But here’s the truth…

In reality I’ve learned the real reason you’re working out but gaining weight is all about the right balance with 3 specific things. Once you get these 3 right, you honestly can do less, eat more, and still get better results.

You can seriously do LESS and get better results.  Here’s my proof:

While you’re here, don’t forget to grab the Counting Macros Checklist to get your started

Let’s first breakdown some common myths about why you are working out but gaining weight. 

Thinking you need to workout more and eat less

I used to think I needed to workout 6-7 days. a week sometimes a couple times a day.  But even still, I never saw the muscle definition I was looking for.

I wanted to look as fit and athletic as I felt [on the inside].  But the person I saw in the mirror didn’t match that.

I felt frustrated because I was working out all the time.  I was using dumbbells – heavy ones, running, and kickboxing.  I was super active!  But yet, something about this formula was off.

I wasn’t seeing results and I was stressing and obsessing about food every single day in the process.

In this post I’m going to share with you my EXACT secrets for finally seeing results of my workouts and how I literally do LESS and maintain these results with ease.

You must focus on muscle if you want to lose fat

The best defense is a good offense.

We live in a fat-phobic society.  Everyone fears gaining fat, right?  Right.

But what is the antithesis of fat?  Got any guesses?

If you are storing body fat, it isn’t just about calories in, calories out.  While no one defies the laws of thermodynamics… There’s more going on here, such as…

So what helps boost your metabolism?  What helps you burn more calories at rest?

Having more muscle.  The antithesis of fat is muscle.

Stop focusing so much on how much fat you need to lose (defense) and start focusing on the muscle you want to build (offense). 

Now I told you this was going to be a mental and emotional process so let’s breakdown how your mindset is holding you back…

Your mindset is literally sabotaging you..

So if our focus is always on how to have less of something, you are constantly thinking about that thing (you don’t want). 

Ever worry so much you might get in a car accident and then… you do?  Or, maybe you worry that something in your house could break and… it does.  

See, our thoughts create our reality and what we focus on most of the time is what we GET in return. But this is where self-fulfilling prophecy comes in.   Law of attraction shit..

So if your brain is constantly worried about the fat you have, the fat you don’t want, grabbing your stomach and saying “you are so cuss words fat” to yourself…

Guess what you are manifesting more of…

So let’s switch that thought, shall we?

If the antithesis of fat is muscle.  We must focus on muscle promoting things. 

It starts with what you say to yourself… Instead of “I’m so fat.” Change that to, “I’m so strong.”  “I love my strong body.” “I feel so good.” “I love my muscles!”

Just that little switch in thought feels a little lighter, a little better, right?

Now, thinking new thoughts isn’t going to change everything but it’s an important step in the process.

The real reason you are working out but gaining weight

You are so focused on losing fat vs. building muscle.

This is the key my friend.

If you focus on the positive – building muscle and giving your body muscle promoting input – you will see that fat dissipate and muscle definition come through.  This is how you lose inches and see your sexy muscles in the process.

Ok, now the mental side is addressed, let’s talk about the physical so you can see results of those workouts.

The 3 secrets you need to see results of your workouts:

1. Muscle promoting workouts.  

This means you need resistance training with progressive overload.  Pick up heavy shit (but please have good form).

Progressive overload will help you build strength, which is hard to do, so you need to give your body this input to watch that waistline shrink and see your muscle tone.

Now, I’ve seen many women opt for high rep, low weight, which actually might be doing the opposite of what they are looking for.

See, high rep, low weight has been shown to increase muscle mass, whereas, low rep, high weight builds strength. So if you are looking to get stronger without the bulk, both methods are key, but the majority of your training should focus on the latter.

Now simply lifting weights isn’t’ going to necessarily yield results.  If you are working out but gaining weight, especially in your stomach, you need to give your body the second key input..

2. Muscle promoting nutrition.

Food is not the enemy here, you need to fuel yourself if you want to see results of your workouts.  If you eat the right macronutrients for your body, you will see the fastest results.  Does that mean fast, as in, abs in a week?  Nope.  Body changes take a long time and most people don’t have the patience so they resort to quick fixes like keto, paleo, whole30, or 1500 calories a day or less.  

Calorie counting or eating under a certain number of calories is NOT going to get you results of your workouts.  You need to build muscle remember?  So we need to give your body the signals that say “Hey, body, muscle is important here, let’s keep it.”

So how do you give your body the signal to lose fat and build muscle?

You can workout til the cows come home but if your nutrition is off, this is going to be a very frustrating uphill battle.

The right balance of protein, carbs, and fat, done consistently along with your muscle promoting workouts is the path that will yield inches lost, increased sexy muscle tone, and diminish excess body fat.

Check out my post on the best macros to build muscle and lose fat for women here. 

Grab the Counting Macros Checklist to start eating for your personal needs today

To my calorie counters and carb cutters…

Listen up.  If you are perpetually under-eating or skipping the carbs for fear of weight gain, you’ll never give your body the signal to build muscle, therefore, you’ll never see the fit, athletic person you want to see in the mirror. 

If you are under-eating, your body can’t repair itself from your workouts.  So you could be lifting weights and then eating 1500 calories a day, not getting adequate nutrients, so your body is having to pull from existing sources of energy to repair itself… Where do you think that comes from?  Your LEAN tissue.  NOT your excess body fat.

That’s right, your body uses your own muscle to help repair as needed. So now you’re on a hamster wheel where you workout, which causes micro-tears in your muscles, but if you under-eat, you don’t get fuel to repair them, so you body uses your existing lean muscle to repair itself. 

In this case, you are treading water going no where my friend.

Additionally, more than likely, your hunger is higher than if you were inactive. So if you don’t eat properly for muscle, you may be getting too much of the wrong thing, too little of the right thing, which then, will surely make you gain weight.

So if you are working out but gaining weight, this is why.  Your body can’t get leaner, build muscle, and lose fat without the proper input.

Who’s ready to get off that hamster wheel?  If you are – shoot me a DM ON INSTAGRAM with the words “WORKING OUT BUT GAINING WEIGHT” or for a faster reply, book a free 15 minute discovery call with me here, so we can create a personal plan on how to finally see results of your workouts, I’ve had clients lose 12 inches in 30 days.

3. Recovering adequately 

When we are mentally, emotionally and physically stressed, the body isn’t able to recover. When this happens you feel like crap.  You’ll have poor sleep, brain fog, you’ll probably be more irritable or moody, you’ll have a low sex drive, you’ll want to snack more often, the list goes on.

Look, take it from me. I used to work out six or seven days a week, sometimes multiple times a day thinking that was going to get me to my desired body. But I was really just burning the midnight oil and over-stressing my body. 

Stress-bod is a thing.

People who tend to have higher stress whether it’s from their job, non-optimal nutrition, their workouts, lack of sleep or a combination of all of those, they tend to see more body fat stores in their stomach or midsection.

This was me!  Check this out…

In the picture on the right I was literally doing less, eating more, and I lost stomach fat.

I allowed my body to recover properly, I prioritized sleep, nutrition, and muscle building workouts. 

Case study: Muscle centric nutrition

This is my client Kristy. She came to me working out 6 days a week, losing and gaining the same 5-10lbs, confused and frustrated on what to eat. She tried many diets including low carb varieties but struggled with maintaining that lifestyle.

Her goals were to see results of her workouts and create a healthy sustainable lifestyle. She wanted to be more fit, see muscle definition for all her efforts, have more energy, and feel comfortable in her clothes. But most importantly, have more freedom with food and not stress about what to eat all the time.

In our 2 months together so far, she’s increased her calories consumed daily by 450. That’s an additional 3150 calories per week. She’s lost 5 lbs but lost over 12 inches. And we’re just getting started…

FAQ – why you are working out but gaining weight

Why am I gaining weight when I’m exercising and eating right?

Even if you are exercising and eating healthy, you might not be eating properly for your needs.  Once my clients get their personal food formula, they see the inches drop.  If you’d like to understand what your personal food formula would look like – book a call with me here and put “WORKING OUT BUT GAINING WEIGHT” in the notes.

Why am I gaining weight instead of losing when working out?

This is exactly what happened to me when I started lifting heavy.  I get it, it’s frustrating.

There are many processes occurring when undergoing a body composition change.  Most people want to lose body fat and build muscle to achieve a lean/toned look.  When we build muscle we are technically adding lean tissue to our bodies and the scale might tick up a bit.  But, rest assured, that since muscle is the antithesis of fat, this will help you in the long run.

The scale doesn’t give us a great picture of what is occurring when it comes to body composition.  Try looking at your measurements or how your clothes fit and compare the changes over time to see if you are losing inches (even if the scale goes up).

For example, in my before/after picture above, I am 1 lb heavier in the “after” photo.

Why can’t I lose belly fat even though I exercise?

This is almost always a nutrition issue.  There could be many root cause issues but most are resolved with eating for your energetic needs and getting your food formula right.  You’ll restore metabolic health, fix some acute digestive issues, and feel so much better – mentally and physically.  A reverse diet could be the answer.

Are you ready to lose fat and build muscle sustainably?

Book a call with us here and let’s get you on the right path.

-Shay

Before you go – be sure to grab this macros checklist to get your started eating properly for your personal needs