I'm Weight Training and Getting Bigger

aehrmantraut

Hey, I've been weight training for the last couple weeks every day with 1-2 rest days in there, I've also incorporated 1 or 2 cardio sessions but I absolutely hate cardio. I have let certain muscle groups recover well, but I have noticed myself getting larger and my jeans getting tighter. My diet is fairly strict, I eat about 1350 calories a day and I am 5'8. I'm not extremely overweight by any means, my goal is not really to lose weight (although losing 10 pounds would be encouraging to see on the scale), I just want to mainly tone my body, lose some belly fat that doesn't look good under body-con dresses, and be sculpted. However, I'm just getting larger and looking bigger than when I started. Is this normal? And how do I combat it?

3bambi3

When you start lifting (or really any new exercise routine) it is normal to retain water and put on some temporary weight. When I started lifting I put on about 6 pounds for about 4 weeks until my body adjusted. If you're eating in a deficit, you'll lose weight and the lifting you're doing now will help maintain the lean mass you have.

cwolfman13

If that's the case, I'd suggest that it's water retention that's making things tighter...it takes a very long time to put on appreciable muscle mass...there's nothing really going on with that over the course of a couple weeks, particularly in a deficit.

rileysowner

cwolfman13 wrote: »

If that's the case, I'd suggest that it's water retention that's making things tighter...it takes a very long time to put on appreciable muscle mass...there's nothing really going on with that over the course of a couple weeks, particularly in a deficit.

THIS, assuming your are measuring and logging your food properly. Give it 3-4 weeks as by then the water weight will start to disappear.

aehrmantraut

3bambi3 wrote: »

When you start lifting (or really any new exercise routine) it is normal to retain water and put on some temporary weight. When I started lifting I put on about 6 pounds for about 4 weeks until my body adjusted. If you're eating in a deficit, you'll lose weight and the lifting you're doing now will help maintain the lean mass you have.

I googled this as well and I read an article that explained how women get bigger before they get small, and how if you're eating at a deficit, and lifting and you seem to be feeling larger than you just have to wait it out and in another few weeks my body will become accustomed to what I'm doing and I will apparently slim down in no time. Now I wont believe that until it happens, but its hope I guess haha

rileysowner

aehrmantraut wrote: »

3bambi3 wrote: »

When you start lifting (or really any new exercise routine) it is normal to retain water and put on some temporary weight. When I started lifting I put on about 6 pounds for about 4 weeks until my body adjusted. If you're eating in a deficit, you'll lose weight and the lifting you're doing now will help maintain the lean mass you have.

I googled this as well and I read an article that explained how women get bigger before they get small, and how if you're eating at a deficit, and lifting and you seem to be feeling larger than you just have to wait it out and in another few weeks my body will become accustomed to what I'm doing and I will apparently slim down in no time. Now I wont believe that until it happens, but its hope I guess haha

Water retention when starting a weight lifting program happens to both men and women. It is not related to sex, as it is simply how the body works to deal with the increased stress from lifting weights. The same thing will happen if a person makes a big increase in their exercise intensity as well. Once the body adapts to the change, it cuts back on the amount of water retention, and weight comes down. I wanted to make that clear so that men who face the same issue will not think they are weird.

helio23

Also, make sure you are eating enough. 1350 doesn't sound like enough if you are 5'8 and lifting weights. I used to do the same thing (although I'm 5'4 and I was eating about 1200) and I would either just get bigger or stay the same. It wasn't until I upped my calories to 1600 (which I don't always make, but I give myself the wiggle room and focus on eating tons of protein), that I started to actually lose fat and notice definition.

The key thing is: when you're not eating enough, your body doesn't have the nutrients it needs to build muscle. Remember, lifting weights causes muscle damage. As your body works to rebuild your muscles and make them stronger (and for us ladies - give us a more "toned" appearance), it uses a lot of energy and nutrients. This lasts for days after a lifting session.

You may not enjoy the idea of eating more when you're trying to lean out, but think of it this way: you're burning a lot of calories to rebuild your muscles, and the more muscle you have, the more energy you burn at rest. For me, I found that once I made my main goal to simply build as much muscle as I can (as safely as possible, of course), the better my results were. Cardio can be fun, but it never gave me the results that lifting does. So I lift heavy, and eat a lot of protein. I don't look bulky, my measurements are dropping, and even the numbers on the scale have gone down a bit.

Also, I highly recommend reading The New Rules of Lifting for Women!

Best of luck!!

aehrmantraut

helio23 wrote: »

Also, make sure you are eating enough. 1350 doesn't sound like enough if you are 5'8 and lifting weights. I used to do the same thing (although I'm 5'4 and I was eating about 1200) and I would either just get bigger or stay the same. It wasn't until I upped my calories to 1600 (which I don't always make, but I give myself the wiggle room and focus on eating tons of protein), that I started to actually lose fat and notice definition.

The key thing is: when you're not eating enough, your body doesn't have the nutrients it needs to build muscle. Remember, lifting weights causes muscle damage. As your body works to rebuild your muscles and make them stronger (and for us ladies - give us a more "toned" appearance), it uses a lot of energy and nutrients. This lasts for days after a lifting session.

You may not enjoy the idea of eating more when you're trying to lean out, but think of it this way: you're burning a lot of calories to rebuild your muscles, and the more muscle you have, the more energy you burn at rest. For me, I found that once I made my main goal to simply build as much muscle as I can (as safely as possible, of course), the better my results were. Cardio can be fun, but it never gave me the results that lifting does. So I lift heavy, and eat a lot of protein. I don't look bulky, my measurements are dropping, and even the numbers on the scale have gone down a bit.

Also, I highly recommend reading The New Rules of Lifting for Women!

Best of luck!!

Thank you!! I think I will up my calorie intake to about 1450-1500. Also, I think I always underestimate my calorie burn during workouts too. I lift for about 30-40 minutes per day and after my muscles I targeted are shaking lol.

aehrmantraut

I forgot to mention I have lost a pound in the last week, but I dont know if that was actual fat or water weight though.

helio23

You're welcome!! And I'm not sure what sort of lifting schedule you're following, but remember to give each muscle group at least a day of recovery in between. I like to do upper and lower on alternating days. Doing full-body routines every day will hurt your body!