Gaining fat
QueenOfVines
Posts: 50 Member
I am a skinny fat person. I have started weight training (not very intensively but regularly) about 3.5 mths ago.
Good news:
- my muscles are more toned and defined now.
- I like what i see of my traps, biceps, and deltoids....
- my posture improved
Bad news:
- The weighing machine says that my fat % has increased from 24.7% to 26.7%!!!!
- my love handles are growing.
I'm not sure what I'm doing is wrong. Is it my diet ? or am i reaching menopause?
FYI: I'm 43 yrs old. i do not do cardio, but i walk a lot. I do not drink alcohol and i'm on low sugar diet. My diet is not perfect, but to many people, it's "above average healthy". i do not eat cakes, i do not drink sugary drinks. i do not eat sugary foods. I seldom eat fast food. 50% of my meals are full vegetarian.
Good news:
- my muscles are more toned and defined now.
- I like what i see of my traps, biceps, and deltoids....
- my posture improved
Bad news:
- The weighing machine says that my fat % has increased from 24.7% to 26.7%!!!!
- my love handles are growing.
I'm not sure what I'm doing is wrong. Is it my diet ? or am i reaching menopause?
FYI: I'm 43 yrs old. i do not do cardio, but i walk a lot. I do not drink alcohol and i'm on low sugar diet. My diet is not perfect, but to many people, it's "above average healthy". i do not eat cakes, i do not drink sugary drinks. i do not eat sugary foods. I seldom eat fast food. 50% of my meals are full vegetarian.
1
Replies
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The weighing machine (scale?) is an incredibly inaccurate way to determine your body fat percentage so take any numbers you get from that with a large grain of salt.
What are you stats (height/weight/calorie intake)?
It is possible that you are eating more than your maintenance calories and that's why you are seeing the changes.3 -
Are you gaining weight according to your scale? Is your goal to gain or maintain?1
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Are you gaining weight according to your scale? Is your goal to gain or maintain?
My goal is to lose the love handles, n reduce fat percentage. I don't care how much I weigh because i don't mind it if i gained muscle weight.
I think fat percentage 21-24% would be healthy n fit that i would like to get to.
I have gained weight according to the weighing scale. I think i have probably gained both muscles and fat.0 -
The weighing machine (scale?) is an incredibly inaccurate way to determine your body fat percentage so take any numbers you get from that with a large grain of salt.
What are you stats (height/weight/calorie intake)?
It is possible that you are eating more than your maintenance calories and that's why you are seeing the changes.
Im 156cm.
I was 45kg. Now 46kg. (For most of my adult life, i was 41kg)
I don't track my calorie intake. I tend to be small eater.0 -
QueenOfVines wrote: »Are you gaining weight according to your scale? Is your goal to gain or maintain?
My goal is to lose the love handles, n reduce fat percentage. I don't care how much I weigh because i don't mind it if i gained muscle weight.
I think fat percentage 21-24% would be healthy n fit that i would like to get to.
I have gained weight according to the weighing scale. I think i have probably gained both muscles and fat.
Then, given your goals, it would make sense to eat just a little less, or add some more regular calorie-burning activity, whichever is most convenient and congenial to you.
I agree that the scale (or other device that you stand on/hold in hands that uses BIA technology to estimate fat weight) is not accurate enough to rely on, especially for a 2% difference. My scale can change percent that much overnight. Your tape measure, clothing fit, and (over a shorter time span) scale weight can be better indicators.QueenOfVines wrote: »(snip)
I'm not sure what I'm doing is wrong. Is it my diet ? or am i reaching menopause?
FYI: I'm 43 yrs old. i do not do cardio, but i walk a lot. I do not drink alcohol and i'm on low sugar diet. My diet is not perfect, but to many people, it's "above average healthy". i do not eat cakes, i do not drink sugary drinks. i do not eat sugary foods. I seldom eat fast food. 50% of my meals are full vegetarian.
IMO, menopause is over-blamed for things like this, when the true issue is mostly muscle mass and activity level, as women age. (I'm 64, been there, done that.)
Walking *is* cardio, loosely, BTW.
None of the dietary things you mention are specifically relevant; what matters is calorie intake vs. calorie expenditure. (Obviously, a sensible, nutritious diet is a plus in other ways, but sugar is another thing that's over-blamed for things really caused by other factors, primarily excess calories). Vegetarianism specifically: I can personally guarantee that's irrelevant. I was vegetarian the whole time, from a healthy weight in my 20s, to obese in my 30s-40s and beyond, and while going back to a healthy weight in my 50s-60s. Haven't intentionally eaten meat at all, since 1974.
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QueenOfVines wrote: »The weighing machine (scale?) is an incredibly inaccurate way to determine your body fat percentage so take any numbers you get from that with a large grain of salt.
What are you stats (height/weight/calorie intake)?
It is possible that you are eating more than your maintenance calories and that's why you are seeing the changes.
Im 156cm.
I was 45kg. Now 46kg. (For most of my adult life, i was 41kg)
I don't track my calorie intake. I tend to be small eater.
Hmm you are just at the limit of underweight so I would not recommend losing. If you feel you have issues with fat it's likely not so much fat that is the issue but lack of muscle. Adding more muscle will really help your body composition.
I would actually recommend gaining but if you are absolutely not comfortable with that you can spend some time maintaining and recomping. Your weight might fluctuate up 5lbs. Just keep track of your measurements, the mirror, progress photos and gym progress.
Also make sure you are getting adequate protein. 0.8-1g per lean body mass/bodyweight. And just to put it out there I eat cakes, drink alcohol, eat sugar (all in moderation) and have no issues with my body composition or gaining muscle, so those foods in themselves, as long as they aren't crowding out nutrition or protein and you are sticking to your calorie goals, are fine to have.7 -
QueenOfVines wrote: »The weighing machine (scale?) is an incredibly inaccurate way to determine your body fat percentage so take any numbers you get from that with a large grain of salt.
What are you stats (height/weight/calorie intake)?
It is possible that you are eating more than your maintenance calories and that's why you are seeing the changes.
Im 156cm.
I was 45kg. Now 46kg. (For most of my adult life, i was 41kg)
I don't track my calorie intake. I tend to be small eater.
Hmm you are just at the limit of underweight so I would not recommend losing. If you feel you have issues with fat it's likely not so much fat that is the issue but lack of muscle. Adding more muscle will really help your body composition.
I would actually recommend gaining but if you are absolutely not comfortable with that you can spend some time maintaining and recomping. Your weight might fluctuate up 5lbs. Just keep track of your measurements, the mirror, progress photos and gym progress.
Also make sure you are getting adequate protein. 0.8-1g per lean body mass/bodyweight. And just to put it out there I eat cakes, drink alcohol, eat sugar (all in moderation) and have no issues with my body composition or gaining muscle, so those foods in themselves, as long as they aren't crowding out nutrition or protein and you are sticking to your calorie goals, are fine to have.
Good point. I need to remember to translate cm/kg to my native terms.
OP: If you're gaining, and don't want to, it still may be reasonable to reduce calories by a bit, to find true maintenance calories, and recomp, if you don't want to bulk/cut. Losing more weight is likely not the best strategy, at this point. Sardelsa's advice is excellent.2 -
QueenOfVines wrote: »The weighing machine (scale?) is an incredibly inaccurate way to determine your body fat percentage so take any numbers you get from that with a large grain of salt.
What are you stats (height/weight/calorie intake)?
It is possible that you are eating more than your maintenance calories and that's why you are seeing the changes.
Im 156cm.
I was 45kg. Now 46kg. (For most of my adult life, i was 41kg)
I don't track my calorie intake. I tend to be small eater.
Hmm you are just at the limit of underweight so I would not recommend losing. If you feel you have issues with fat it's likely not so much fat that is the issue but lack of muscle. Adding more muscle will really help your body composition.
I would actually recommend gaining but if you are absolutely not comfortable with that you can spend some time maintaining and recomping. Your weight might fluctuate up 5lbs. Just keep track of your measurements, the mirror, progress photos and gym progress.
Also make sure you are getting adequate protein. 0.8-1g per lean body mass/bodyweight. And just to put it out there I eat cakes, drink alcohol, eat sugar (all in moderation) and have no issues with my body composition or gaining muscle, so those foods in themselves, as long as they aren't crowding out nutrition or protein and you are sticking to your calorie goals, are fine to have.
I don't mind to gain weight as long as it's healthy muscle gain. I'm just worried that i seem to be gaining fat, which i feel i am, judging from my growing love handles.
Maybe i need more help on how i can gain muscle weight while keeping fat in control.
I guess making sure i get enough protein is one way to help muscles grow.
Maybe i need to intensify my strength training, i only train 2x a week.0 -
Unfortunately there is no way to gain just muscle. Some fat gain will come along with it. However to minimize it, make sure you are lifting/resistance training (make sure you are progressing over time, ideally following a balanced program), keep your surplus minimal, so gaining 0.5lb/0.25kg and under per week, and getting adequate protein as I mentioned.
Once you get to a weight you are happy with you can then choose to recomp and reduce the fat gained if you wish.
I will add this whole process takes consistency, time and patience. Hang in there but the results will be worth it !5 -
Unfortunately there is no way to gain just muscle. Some fat gain will come along with it. However to minimize it, make sure you are lifting/resistance training (make sure you are progressing over time, ideally following a balanced program), keep your surplus minimal, so gaining 0.5lb/0.25kg and under per week, and getting adequate protein as I mentioned.
Once you get to a weight you are happy with you can then choose to recomp and reduce the fat gained if you wish.
I will add this whole process takes consistency, time and patience. Hang in there but the results will be worth it !
How do i do recomp n reduce fat after i get to my ideal weight? Calorie deficit?
0 -
QueenOfVines wrote: »Unfortunately there is no way to gain just muscle. Some fat gain will come along with it. However to minimize it, make sure you are lifting/resistance training (make sure you are progressing over time, ideally following a balanced program), keep your surplus minimal, so gaining 0.5lb/0.25kg and under per week, and getting adequate protein as I mentioned.
Once you get to a weight you are happy with you can then choose to recomp and reduce the fat gained if you wish.
I will add this whole process takes consistency, time and patience. Hang in there but the results will be worth it !
How do i do recomp n reduce fat after i get to my ideal weight? Calorie deficit?
You just maintain your (new) weight, keep lifting. Over time you will lose fat and gain muscle too. Unless you gain a more significant amount of weight you can eat in a small deficit to cut the fat. It really depends on your ultimate goals and where you want to be.6 -
[/quote]
You just maintain your (new) weight, keep lifting. Over time you will lose fat and gain muscle too. Unless you gain a more significant amount of weight you can eat in a small deficit to cut the fat. It really depends on your ultimate goals and where you want to be. [/quote]
I get it now! thank you so much for the enlightening advice !!!2 -
Most machines are really not very good at measuring body fat accurately so I really wouldn't worry about it. You know what you are seeing and feeling. Here's a link to a page that discusses various methods of assessing body fat percentage and note that all of them put your "increase" within the expected margin of error in measurement. https://www.healthline.com/nutrition/ways-to-measure-body-fat4
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