Help...I'm gaining muscle...AND fat! Why.

Options
2»

Replies

  • sardelsa
    sardelsa Posts: 9,812 Member
    Options
    WayTooHonest wrote: »
    Abs are built in the kitchen. Something needs tweaked in your diet. Usual culprits seem to be carbs and sugar.

    OP is bulking. If she is in a surplus, even if the foods are carb/sugar free, she will gain some fat. Carbs are very important during a bulk for muscle building as well as energy for lifting sessions.
  • GaryMilan2017
    GaryMilan2017 Posts: 45 Member
    Options
    Hi there first of all you wI'll always put on a little fat when building muscle as you eat more calories then you burn.second of all buy some bodyfat calipers which is a good way of determine bf measure under arms bicep area and love handles.
  • LiftHeavyThings27105
    LiftHeavyThings27105 Posts: 2,086 Member
    Options
    @hcarb001 - you are bulking, right? You need to do this....you are lifting heavy and you need to 'feed the machine'. Part of a bulk is body fat gain. Honestly, not much you can do (unless you are genetically gifted....) as this is a "calorie in / calorie out" thing. Slight surplus or not, still a net gain. Lots of good advice in here. Like I always do (well, not always....just every so often) - pay attention to Miss Sardelsa. That lady knows her stuff.

    And, you answered the question that I was going to ask. If this is "your week" then there is going to be bloating and weight gain....I would say that you stepped on the scale at a bad time ("your week") and that I would not worry. You look great....keep up the hard work.
  • AnvilHead
    AnvilHead Posts: 18,344 Member
    Options
    WayTooHonest wrote: »
    Abs are built in the kitchen. Something needs tweaked in your diet. Usual culprits seem to be carbs and sugar.
    The culprit is that the OP is in a caloric surplus in an attempt to bulk, and fat gain is inevitable when bulking regardless of the macro composition of your diet. Fat and muscle is usually going to be at least a 1:1 ratio, if not more (especially for females).

    Oh, by the way - know what macronutrient converts to fat even more easily and efficiently than carbs?

    (Hint: Fat)
  • kimny72
    kimny72 Posts: 16,013 Member
    Options
    hcarb001 wrote: »
    klrenn wrote: »
    hcarb001 wrote: »
    Well obviously...if I'm losing definition I know that would equal fat gain...hence my topic title. Just because you gain fat in one area, that doesn't mean you're not gaining muscle in another area. I always gain fat in my abdomen and hips first. Some people notice fat increase in their legs first, etc. I never had the expectations of gaining purely muscle, other reasons for gaining weight follow with that of course, again I was surprised by the numbers. That's it.

    Over what time period did you gain the 10lbs? Do you track your waist and hip measurements? Since you don't weigh yourself often, you may have caught your scale weight on a high fluctuation day and it might not be a true 10lb gain (I weigh daily and have a 5lb swing with water weight fluctuations)

    I ran a 6 month bulk and gained about 16lbs. I'm coming towards the end of my cut and even though I'm 7lbs heavier than than when I started, my measurements are now only a little bit bigger than my pre-bulk measurements - this is just to show that ultimately the scale weight doesn't mean the same thing when you're building muscle. (But you will have to run a cut to lean out to get your definition back)

    Oh...and I can't remember what the ratio is, but for women, even if their training and diet are optimal the weight gain is going to be more fat than lean mass...it's definitely more than half fat gains.

    The 10lbs has been since the beginning of July til now. I've been measuring my hip/waist ratio for a while just to keep myself in check. I did weigh myself at a bad time...(10pm, after a workout and lots of water, and during my period week) so I'm doubting the accuracy of the numbers at this point lol.

    Wait until at least a week after your TOM is over and weigh again. You will most likely get a much different number.

    Regardless, are you trying to bulk or to recomp?

    If you are trying to recomp and you've gained weight (after you weigh again), you are eating too much and might need to tighten up your logging.

    If you are bulking, then you will lose some definition as you put on muscle and fat. That's why you have to cut after you bulk, to get rid of the extra fat you are going to get from your bulk.

    Maybe for sanity you should continue to weigh yourself once a week, just to get used to the different fluctuations you are likely to see over time. And NEVER just randomly decide to weigh yourself at night during TOM - that way lies madness :lol:
  • TavistockToad
    TavistockToad Posts: 35,719 Member
    Options
    Weigh yourself tomorrow morning and then come back...
  • Mithridites
    Mithridites Posts: 595 Member
    Options
    You look awesome. If I look anything like that (strong but feminine, curves in all the right places) after 2 years of working out, I will be putting the pictures in the Success Stories forum. Just a bit of perspective for you. Ultimately only you get to decide your goals.
  • Timorous_Beastie
    Timorous_Beastie Posts: 595 Member
    Options
    I think the biggest problem is psychological. ;) And I've done the same thing, so I'm not picking on you. But you weighed yourself for the first time in a while and gave that one number more importance than you should. I'm always about 3-5 lbs heavier in the evening than the morning. Add in hormonal changes, and there's a few more pounds (hello, abdominal bloating). Hell, there's been times I've "gained" ten pounds overnight after a particularly high sodium meal.

  • misnomer1
    misnomer1 Posts: 646 Member
    Options
    Weigh yourself in the morning after the daily rituals for the next week or so and if the weight it still up by a lot and you dont like how you look you could consider a cut. Tbh you look great in your profile pic.
  • LiftHeavyThings27105
    LiftHeavyThings27105 Posts: 2,086 Member
    Options
    ^^^^^^^^^^ Yes, you do look really great. But, no one's opinion matters except yours.

    As I mentioned in my previous post, you are bulking. Body Fat is inevitable. That is - generally speaking - part of a bulk. Now, I watched the Lyle McDonald video posted in another forum here in MFP and he states that you can bulk without a lot, if any, extra body fat gains. He contends "you just gotta do it right". I am going to find out what that means!

    But, has anyone mentioned that you look really great? LOL!

    I agree - conceptually - with @Timorous_Beastie - the number on the scale can be quite daunting. So, do one of two things:

    1. Weigh yourself once a week
    2. Weigh yourself everyday but just track the trend (using one week as the guideline).

    hey, whatever it is that you are doing.....keep on doing it! :wink:
  • draftsman28
    draftsman28 Posts: 98 Member
    Options
    BOOTY GAINZ >:)
  • joeyy888
    joeyy888 Posts: 17 Member
    Options
    I think it could be water gain. But like others have said, you will gain muscle AND fat when you train/ lift in combination with a good diet.
  • Rottweiler17
    Rottweiler17 Posts: 116 Member
    Options
    When you bulk the fat comes with it aim for about ten to 20 pounds over your target weight so when you cut you will be toned and at your targeted weight
  • xxzenabxx
    xxzenabxx Posts: 935 Member
    Options
    I'm 5' 4" and I would die to have a body like yours! You look amazing honestly and I think the weight gain was from sodium, TOM and maybe constipation? That can easily be 8-10lbs!

Categories