Muscle weight

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kak1018
kak1018 Posts: 183 Member
in Health and Weight Loss
I lost 25lbs over two years ago and have struggled with that last 10 ever since. I quit smoking 6 months ago and it has become even more of a challenge. I am religious about my work-outs and eat very healthy 90% of the time. i am getting ready for a trip to Mexico so i dragged out the old summer clothes today and even though my weight is up from last summer everything fit pretty good. Is it possible I have converted some of these extra lbs into muscle? What is a reasonable amount that could attribute to this? I am trying not to rely as heavily on the scale as I used to, but am curious if anyone knows the answer.

I weight train 15 to 20 minutes daily, do 60 minutes of cardio, and 15 minutes of abs 6 days a week if that helps.

Replies

  • kak1018
    kak1018 Posts: 183 Member
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    I lost 25lbs over two years ago and have struggled with that last 10 ever since. I quit smoking 6 months ago and it has become even more of a challenge. I am religious about my work-outs and eat very healthy 90% of the time. i am getting ready for a trip to Mexico so i dragged out the old summer clothes today and even though my weight is up from last summer everything fit pretty good. Is it possible I have converted some of these extra lbs into muscle? What is a reasonable amount that could attribute to this? I am trying not to rely as heavily on the scale as I used to, but am curious if anyone knows the answer.

    I weight train 15 to 20 minutes daily, do 60 minutes of cardio, and 15 minutes of abs 6 days a week if that helps.
  • jakspak
    jakspak Posts: 260 Member
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    i cant really answer this question with knowledge but can say its the whole picture have you taken your measurements and weight and looked at the whole picture weight is really only a small part of the picture especially with muscle weight being added. hope this helps and if your clothes are fitting nicely and you look and feel great then thats the main thing
  • banks1850
    banks1850 Posts: 3,475 Member
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    sure it's possible, in fact, given what you stated that you do, it's probable. There is no way to know for sure how much unless you get a Body Fat % measurement before and after, but If you're measurements are smaller then the last time you weighed this much, muscle is the most likely difference. Congrats!
  • AJCM
    AJCM Posts: 2,169 Member
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    My brother was a "body builder" and I remember from discussions with him, that it is very difficult for women to add significant muscle weight, whereas a man can add, steroid free, about 20 lbs a year (or 28 grams a day) - if they are working out to their maximum on a regular basis. I think for women it was around a quarter of that amount.

    Years ago when I was working out quite seriously (like you have described) I went from 110 lean body mass, to 117 lean body mass, so I suppose I gained 7 lbs in muscle in about 10 months.

    Do some research online to confirm, but I would say that you certainly have gained some muscle, and lost some fat, which accounts for the change in the way your body feels, while the scale remains unchanged!
    :smile:
  • kak1018
    kak1018 Posts: 183 Member
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    Thanks for all the tips, my biggest regret is that I didn't take measurements when I started all this. I would advise all newbies to do it! I love this site, you guys are the best!
  • sgtinvincible
    sgtinvincible Posts: 2,559
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    Just so you know, BMI is a very very poor indicator when lean muscle mass is taken into account.

    For instance, I weigh 220, and stand 6'0 tall. According to BMI I am about a 30 on the scale, so I am considered obese. When this was mentioned at my doctors office he laughed and said, 'There is no way that is accurate for your body type.' He suggested using the waist to hip ratio which (according to him) is a much better indicator of body fat and health.

    To check your waist to hip ratio, measure around your stomach at belly button height. This is your waist measurement (naturally). Then measure your hips at their broadest point (around your butt etc).
    Divide, your waist by your hips and you should get your ratio. My ratio was .85, which according to my Doc was very good. You want to shoot for .92 or lower. He said that this was where losing inches is worth a lot more than losing weight, as it is ab fat that is unhealthy.

    Hope this helps give you a good perspective. :)

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