Gaining weight during recomp

jamieparadis20

Hi guys,
I started a recomp after realizing I was skinny fat and so far I think it's going pretty good. However, since I had the completely wrong mindset for weight loss previously, the scale going up really scares me. I know the most obvious reason is that muscle weighs more than fat, but I can't help worrying that I'm Or strength training hard enough and the extra calories I'm eating are turning into fat.
Any advice?

atjays

Keep in mind that strength training also tends to retain excess water in your muscles which is normal. Keep your hydration up and monitor your sodium intake if you're feeling bloated often. Also, you hint that you're eating above your needed calories presumably to gain muscle. How many calories are you aiming for? Generally people go for 100-200 above their maintenance so weight gain should be fairly slow

jamieparadis20

atjays wrote: »

Keep in mind that strength training also tends to retain excess water in your muscles which is normal. Keep your hydration up and monitor your sodium intake if you're feeling bloated often. Also, you hint that you're eating above your needed calories presumably to gain muscle. How many calories are you aiming for? Generally people go for 100-200 above their maintenance so weight gain should be fairly slow

I'm eating below maintenance on days I don't strength train and at maintaince on days I do. For me that's 1400 and 1600. Should I be eating above maintenance? It feels like a lot of food already honestly because I'm not used to eating that much.

serapel

My maintenance is 2100. 1500 seems really low for maintenance since women need a minimum of 1200 just to survive and function without exercise.

Do you have a slow metabolism? Have you a history of dieting?

Sounds like you need to rev up the metabolism again honestly.

richardgavel

jamieparadis20 wrote: »

Hi guys,
I started a recomp after realizing I was skinny fat and so far I think it's going pretty good. However, since I had the completely wrong mindset for weight loss previously, the scale going up really scares me. I know the most obvious reason is that muscle weighs more than fat, but I can't help worrying that I'm Or strength training hard enough and the extra calories I'm eating are turning into fat.
Any advice?

If you're total weight is trending up consistently, then that's not a recomposition. The point to maintain a target weight as you build muscle and lose fat. One thing that's hard is to differentiate a trend from fluctuations since you are supposed to be eating at maintenance.

sijomial

Your post is a bit confusing!

Muscle doesn't weigh more than fat. A pound is a pound is a pound. That it's more dense is an irrelevance as regards your weight increase.

Why does the scale going up scare you? Over what timescales are you talking? How much?
Remember you need to think long term and not react to short term fluctuations.

Recomposition is generally meaning maintaining your weight.

Is the "Or" supposed to be "not" in this sentence?

but I can't help worrying that I'm Or strength training hard enough and the extra calories I'm eating are turning into fat.

You haven't mentioned either your stats (1500 is very low unless you are tiny) or your training regime so not much to go on.

jamieparadis20

sijomial wrote: »

Your post is a bit confusing!

Muscle doesn't weigh more than fat. A pound is a pound is a pound. That it's more dense is an irrelevance as regards your weight increase.

Why does the scale going up scare you? Over what timescales are you talking? How much?
Remember you need to think long term and not react to short term fluctuations.

Recomposition is generally meaning maintaining your weight.

Is the "Or" supposed to be "not" in this sentence?

but I can't help worrying that I'm Or strength training hard enough and the extra calories I'm eating are turning into fat.

You haven't mentioned either your stats (1500 is very low unless you are tiny) or your training regime so not much to go on.

Sorry for the confusion, I wrote that right before bed.
I realize it may be fluctuations because my weight went down a little today. I think I'll see how much it's gone up in about a week.
Is 1500 really small? Sometimes I feel super over full at the end of the day and it almost feels like too much.
Yes, it's supposed to be not instead of or.

jamieparadis20

serapel wrote: »

My maintenance is 2100. 1500 seems really low for maintenance since women need a minimum of 1200 just to survive and function without exercise.

Do you have a slow metabolism? Have you a history of dieting?

Sounds like you need to rev up the metabolism again honestly.

^^again, I didn't realize 1500 was that low! I followed an online calculator and rounded down like it said to for women. I sometimes feel super full after 1600! At the same time, today I ate this amount and I'm still kind of hungry.
I'm not sure about my metabolism because I don't know how to measure that. I'm guessing it's on the slower side because I gained weight easily before I started my fitness journey. How would I "rev up" my metabolism?

rileysowner

jamieparadis20 wrote: »

serapel wrote: »

My maintenance is 2100. 1500 seems really low for maintenance since women need a minimum of 1200 just to survive and function without exercise.

Do you have a slow metabolism? Have you a history of dieting?

Sounds like you need to rev up the metabolism again honestly.

^^again, I didn't realize 1500 was that low! I followed an online calculator and rounded down like it said to for women. I sometimes feel super full after 1600! At the same time, today I ate this amount and I'm still kind of hungry.
I'm not sure about my metabolism because I don't know how to measure that. I'm guessing it's on the slower side because I gained weight easily before I started my fitness journey. How would I "rev up" my metabolism?

You need to start thinking not in terms of individual weeks, but in terms of say 4 week stretches. Re-comp is a long, slow process. If you are doing it right, while there will be weight fluctuation due to various factors that primarily affect water weight, weight will stay long term 4 weeks, 8 weeks, about the same. What will change, if you are doing it correctly, is measurements, so get out a measuring tape to get your starting measurements, and your camera to take pictures so that in a couple of months you have something to compare to.

In terms of calories, at 19, unless you are very tiny, you likely would need more. However, if after 3-4 weeks your weight is stable, it is likely you are eating an appropriate amount, although it is likely in that case you are eating more than you think you are.