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Drastically increased physical activity for 8 months but body looks the same

sethmachine
sethmachine Posts: 2 Member
edited March 2021 in Health and Weight Loss
Hi,

About 8 months ago I went from being mostly sedentary to being physically active at least 3x a week for nearly every week. My body looks identical or slightly higher fat % than what I looked 8 months ago. I did gain about 10 lbs, though not intentionally as I've been eating at or below my caloric needs.

My week usually consists of the following 3 activities:
  • 1x Weight lifting session at gym (2 hour session once a week hitting most big muscles)
  • 1x rock climbing (either 2 hours indoors OR about 6 hours outdoors)
  • 1x Hiking (8-10 miles per hike)

The only thing that's changed is my body weight. I was about ~120 lbs 8 months ago and now I'm around 130 lbs. Given that most of my activity is endurance based (climbing + hiking), I would not expect to gain so much weight. None of my muscles look particularly bigger, and if anything my stomach fat has gotten more noticeable (though I'd still be considered "slim").

That doesn't make a lot of sense--why would my fat % increase going from a sedentary to very active life style?

I'm looking for someone to explain what might be going on, and what could I do to start lowering my body fat %.

Thanks!

Replies

  • PAV8888
    PAV8888 Posts: 14,538 Member
    The longer duration outside exercise climbing and hiking days would, indeed, be very active days, if you just lump the exercise in your daily activity setting instead of accounting for it separately.

    The lifting session day, depending on what else you do, would probably qualify as an active day on MFP, again assuming you don't log your specific exercise separately which would be normal MFP procedure.

    What's taking place the other 4 days? How much time do you spend moving around during your typical day?

    Have you started eating a bit more than before due to the exercise making you a bit hungrier either that same day or the next one?
  • yirara
    yirara Posts: 10,123 Member
    edited March 2021
    What is your goal? Become fitter? Add more exercise regularly and not just once a week. Get more muscles? Add more strength training. Probably at least 3x per week to see actual changes. There's no need to go to the gym for 2 hours. Find a proper progressive lifting programme and stick with it. It probably won't take longer than 1 hour including warmup. Others have commented on the calories already.
  • ChickenKillerPuppy
    ChickenKillerPuppy Posts: 297 Member
    Your activity sounds very enjoyable but I would agree it would not qualify you as having a “very active lifestyle” if this makes up the bulk of your weekly activity.

    I’d want to know what others have asked you - what do you do as far as activity on the other four days? Aside from this deliberate activity, how active are you just living your daily life? And of course, your height, age, weight (I know you gave us weight) and calorie consumption. As others have indicated, your eating is much more important to figuring out weight gain than activity.
  • Ddsb11
    Ddsb11 Posts: 607 Member
    edited March 2021
    I see what you’re saying. If I added 6-10 hours of exercise a week, especially from lifting, hiking, and rock climbing, I would think I drastically improved as well, so congrats on that!

    Do you feel like this increased activity is making you hungrier? Do you find this new weight adds more energy and capabilities to do these things easier, faster, and better? Has your activity otherwise shut down or slowed down? Why are you concerned about the weight gain- is it because you feel it is entirely fat? Are you asking how to gain weight but only increase muscle, or just gain muscle but maintain your weight? As you are male, your post is perplexing and I have so many questions. But either way, seriously, great job adding exercise and staying consistent for 8 months.
  • ninerbuff
    ninerbuff Posts: 49,115 Member
    You gained weight. That meant your body fat % goes up too. And you can't change your shape. It's genetically predisposed to you. You can enhance things like muscle size and/or lose body fat and look leaner, but your shape is your shape. Your bones are set a certain length and how the muscles are attached to them are permanent giving you your shape.

    A.C.E. Certified Personal and Group Fitness Trainer
    IDEA Fitness member
    Kickboxing Certified Instructor
    Been in fitness for 30 years and have studied kinesiology and nutrition
    9285851.png
  • cwolfman13
    cwolfman13 Posts: 41,865 Member
    sethmachine wrote: »
    Hi,

    About 8 months ago I went from being mostly sedentary to being physically active at least 3x a week for nearly every week. My body looks identical or slightly higher fat % than what I looked 8 months ago. I did gain about 10 lbs, though not intentionally as I've been eating at or below my caloric needs.

    My week usually consists of the following 3 activities:
    • 1x Weight lifting session at gym (2 hour session once a week hitting most big muscles)
    • 1x rock climbing (either 2 hours indoors OR about 6 hours outdoors)
    • 1x Hiking (8-10 miles per hike)

    The only thing that's changed is my body weight. I was about ~120 lbs 8 months ago and now I'm around 130 lbs. Given that most of my activity is endurance based (climbing + hiking), I would not expect to gain so much weight. None of my muscles look particularly bigger, and if anything my stomach fat has gotten more noticeable (though I'd still be considered "slim").

    That doesn't make a lot of sense--why would my fat % increase going from a sedentary to very active life style?

    I'm looking for someone to explain what might be going on, and what could I do to start lowering my body fat %.

    Thanks!

    Because you're consume calories in excess of what your body needs regardless of your physical activity...if you've gained 10 Lbs in 8 months, you are eating in a small surplus of calories. #math
  • AnnPT77
    AnnPT77 Posts: 35,382 Member
    OP, I share others interest in how tall you are, because your weight is remarkably low for a man. (I'm a smaller-frame, 5'5", 125-pound woman.) Please give us some context? Answer the questions others have asked? That would help us tailor advice to help with your goals.

    Mean time, I'm going to tell a personal story, that I think relates to how you're thinking.

    Back in 2003, obese at the time, I went from very sedentary to working out (training, really) regularly, getting to 6 days of pretty-intense workouts most weeks. I perceived myself as not having changed my eating patterns. I stayed obese (stable weight) for over a decade, doing that. (I decided I must have a "slow metabolism".)

    I just kept looking doughy, fat, despite getting lots stronger and fitter (low resting heart rate, good endurance, all that jazz, even some decent race results). I even sloooowwwly lost a couple of pants sizes over *several years*. (Not just from vanity sizing, either: I got smaller.) Still looked doughy, fat.

    In 2015, health markers convinced me I needed to lose weight. I started to calorie count. I learned I actually have unusually high calorie needs for my demographic, what some might imprecisely call a "fast metabolism". I didn't materially increase my exercise while losing weight, since I was doing quite a lot, a time budget that was good for me.

    Over the course of a year, I lost about a third of my body weight. In the very late stages of that fat loss . . . poof, visible muscle definition. Now, I don't have huge muscle mass (I'm a freakin' li'l ol' lady, age 65!), but I'm somewhat muscular for my demographic from those *years* (12+ of 'em) of reasonably high activity.

    You've been at this for 8 months. Eight months.

    You're working out 3x a week. Only one of those times is an activity with a reasonable probability of triggering mass gain, and even that potential depends on details we don't have about your strength training (plus once a week is highly, highly unlikely to be sufficient stimulus for muscle gain, even if all other factors are perfect, and we don't know about that, because we need more details like age, nutrition, etc.). Under perfect conditions, a man might gain a pound of muscle a month. Your conditions for sure aren't perfect, so any potential gain realistically would be less, probably much less. (Your climbing can potentially add strength and some other aspects of improved fitness, but very low probability of rapid mass increase IMO.)

    If you've gone from 120 to 130, you've gained at least some fat. That seems like the extremely likely conclusion. Fat can hide any increased muscle definition. Fat gain happens when one eats more calories than are being spent. Heck, weight gain (even if partly/all muscle) happens when one eats more calories than are being spent. (It's possible - quite, quite slowly - for some people to gain muscle while holding weight steady . . . but that's not what you've done, according to your post.

    Please give us more details about your age, height, daily activity level other than exercise, quality of nutrition (especially but not exclusively protein intake), and some more details about your strength workouts (current exercises, counts, weight, etc.). Full body photo might help, if you're willing. Folks here can probably help, but need more info.
  • ninerbuff
    ninerbuff Posts: 49,115 Member
    Ddsb11 wrote: »
    ninerbuff wrote: »
    You gained weight. That meant your body fat % goes up too. And you can't change your shape. It's genetically predisposed to you. You can enhance things like muscle size and/or lose body fat and look leaner, but your shape is your shape. Your bones are set a certain length and how the muscles are attached to them are permanent giving you your shape.

    A.C.E. Certified Personal and Group Fitness Trainer
    IDEA Fitness member
    Kickboxing Certified Instructor
    Been in fitness for 30 years and have studied kinesiology and nutrition
    9285851.png

    I’ve definitely changed my shape many times. I’ve had rolls and thighs that touched to my knees, and even looked curvy. To a thigh gap, and everyone was convinced I had “no hips”. Sure my skeletal shape is the same, but my body mass can certainly change shape. Symantecs isn’t it?
    Lol, I like your shape.


    A.C.E. Certified Personal and Group Fitness Trainer
    IDEA Fitness member
    Kickboxing Certified Instructor
    Been in fitness for 30 years and have studied kinesiology and nutrition
    9285851.png
  • sollyn23l2
    sollyn23l2 Posts: 1,885 Member


    I'm looking for someone to explain what might be going on, and what could I do to start lowering my body fat %.

    Thanks! [/quote]
    You put on 10 lbs because, unless you are only 5 feet tall, then you were at least 10 lbs underweight. Thank your body for doing its job.

  • Ddsb11
    Ddsb11 Posts: 607 Member
    edited March 2021
    ninerbuff wrote: »
    Ddsb11 wrote: »
    ninerbuff wrote: »
    You gained weight. That meant your body fat % goes up too. And you can't change your shape. It's genetically predisposed to you. You can enhance things like muscle size and/or lose body fat and look leaner, but your shape is your shape. Your bones are set a certain length and how the muscles are attached to them are permanent giving you your shape.

    A.C.E. Certified Personal and Group Fitness Trainer
    IDEA Fitness member
    Kickboxing Certified Instructor
    Been in fitness for 30 years and have studied kinesiology and nutrition
    9285851.png

    I’ve definitely changed my shape many times. I’ve had rolls and thighs that touched to my knees, and even looked curvy. To a thigh gap, and everyone was convinced I had “no hips”. Sure my skeletal shape is the same, but my body mass can certainly change shape. Symantecs isn’t it?
    Lol, I like your shape.


    A.C.E. Certified Personal and Group Fitness Trainer
    IDEA Fitness member
    Kickboxing Certified Instructor
    Been in fitness for 30 years and have studied kinesiology and nutrition
    9285851.png

    😂
  • kshama2001
    kshama2001 Posts: 28,055 Member
    Did you also get taller during this time? How old are you?
  • AnnPT77
    AnnPT77 Posts: 35,382 Member
    kshama2001 wrote: »
    Did you also get taller during this time? How old are you?

    Good point. Or, if young enough, simply assumed a more mature body configuration, which can go on pretty long for men. I should've thought of that as a possibility, beyond muscle or fat gain.
  • kshama2001
    kshama2001 Posts: 28,055 Member
    AnnPT77 wrote: »
    kshama2001 wrote: »
    Did you also get taller during this time? How old are you?

    Good point. Or, if young enough, simply assumed a more mature body configuration, which can go on pretty long for men. I should've thought of that as a possibility, beyond muscle or fat gain.

    My ex grew 8 inches in college. I'm sure he put on quite a bit of weight during that time.

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