What's the reason for my weight gain?

Honeycat89
Honeycat89 Posts: 149
in Goal: Maintaining Weight
Hi there!

I haven't actually checked my body fat %, but i'm fairly slim and don't have much fat on me, (apart from my bum haha.)
I know it's a myth that muscle weighs more than fat (1lb of muscle=1lb of fat) but WHY do you start to put on weight when you weight train?
I am so much more muscly then I have ever been, my butt used to be almost completely fat and now it's almost all muscle!
Can someone explain this to me please? Why am i putting on weight? (my size isn't changing.)
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Replies

  • ndj1979
    ndj1979 Posts: 29,136 Member
    you are eating more calories then you are burning...commonly referred to as a "caloric surplus"

    problem solved...
  • Honeycat89
    Honeycat89 Posts: 149
    hmm this isn't right don't even eat back all my workout calories!
  • Honeycat89
    Honeycat89 Posts: 149
    you are eating more calories then you are burning...commonly referred to as a "caloric surplus"

    problem solved...

    I've been eating 1450 a day until I recently discovered I should be eating around 1800, so i've been eating less than I should!
  • Honeycat89
    Honeycat89 Posts: 149
    any advice?
  • autumn_moon86
    autumn_moon86 Posts: 13
    I was having the same issue. Found this article online:

    "It's true that many people either gain a little weight or don't see any change on the scale for as long as 4-6 weeks after making a significant change in their level of exercise. This is often explained as "gaining muscle while losing fat" but that isn't quite accurate. This extra weight is usually water.

    When you start doing more exercise, your body begins storing more fuel in your muscle cells, where it can be used easily and quickly to fuel your workouts. The process of converting glucose (carbohydrates) into fuel that your muscles actually store and use (glycogen) requires three molecules of water for every molecule of glucose. As your muscles are building up glycogen stores, your body has to retain extra water for this purpose. That's what causes most of the initial weight gain or lack of weight loss. This is a good thing—not something to worry about.

    However, despite what the scale says, you are actually losing fat during this time. The extra water retention will stop once your body has adjusted to its new activity level. At that point, the scale should start moving down. You'll end up with less fat, and muscles that can handle a larger amount of work."
  • mccindy72
    mccindy72 Posts: 7,001 Member
    Hi there!

    I haven't actually checked my body fat %, but i'm fairly slim and don't have much fat on me, (apart from my bum haha.)
    I know it's a myth that muscle weighs more than fat (1lb of muscle=1lb of fat) but WHY do you start to put on weight when you weight train?
    I am so much more muscly then I have ever been, my butt used to be almost completely fat and now it's almost all muscle!
    Can someone explain this to me please? Why am i putting on weight? (my size isn't changing.)

    If you are starting weight training and eating at a calorie surplus, you will gain weight because you are building muscle. Muscle occupying the same space does weigh more than fat occupying the same space (not pound compared to pound, but mass/density). If you are gaining weight, you probably are eating more calories than you think you are. Are you weighing all of your solid foods?
  • Honeycat89
    Honeycat89 Posts: 149

    If you are starting weight training and eating at a calorie surplus, you will gain weight because you are building muscle. Muscle occupying the same space does weigh more than fat occupying the same space (not pound compared to pound, but mass/density). If you are gaining weight, you probably are eating more calories than you think you are. Are you weighing all of your solid foods?

    I definitely eat less than 1800 cals a day, on average it's 1400-1600. I have started drinking LOTS of water, probably around 9 glasses a day, could it be anything to do with this? I work our 4 times a week for around 1.5 hours, on average burning around 650 cals a time, so it doesn't make sense!
  • tgmichelleee
    tgmichelleee Posts: 144 Member
    Used to crossfit and brother's a body builder so definitely can relate

    Someone beat me to the answer but yea, when you weight train your muscles start needing more glycogen. The more muscle you have and the more efficient your muscles are, thus the more glycogen you'll be able to store.
    When you store 1 gram of carbs for the glycogen, you'll end up storing 3 grams of water with it as well. It's just what happens naturally and automatically.
    Just know that you're not storing fat here, it's just fluid. Watching your salt intake, drinking plenty of fluids (though it sounds counter intuitive), and upping fiber should help :)

    If it bothers you so much look into dry carb feeding. This is what body builders do before competitions to get that nice lean look.
  • mccindy72
    mccindy72 Posts: 7,001 Member

    If you are starting weight training and eating at a calorie surplus, you will gain weight because you are building muscle. Muscle occupying the same space does weigh more than fat occupying the same space (not pound compared to pound, but mass/density). If you are gaining weight, you probably are eating more calories than you think you are. Are you weighing all of your solid foods?

    I definitely eat less than 1800 cals a day, on average it's 1400-1600. I have started drinking LOTS of water, probably around 9 glasses a day, could it be anything to do with this? I work our 4 times a week for around 1.5 hours, on average burning around 650 cals a time, so it doesn't make sense!

    I will ask again, are you weighing all of your solid foods?
  • ndj1979
    ndj1979 Posts: 29,136 Member
    you are eating more calories then you are burning...commonly referred to as a "caloric surplus"

    problem solved...

    I've been eating 1450 a day until I recently discovered I should be eating around 1800, so i've been eating less than I should!

    so you are eating in a deficit AND building muscle AND gaining weight????

    Are you from Mars?
  • AliceDark
    AliceDark Posts: 3,886 Member
    If you just started a lifting program or significantly changed your workout plan, it's water retention. Totally normal and should be expected.
  • sealth444
    sealth444 Posts: 2
    A pound of muscle doesn't *weigh* more than a pound of fat, but it takes up much less room than a pound of fat. You could have the same size bum and it would weigh more if it's all muscle instead of all fat. That's why the scale can be deceiving. You look the same, but can weigh more or less depending on what you're body is made of. Google an image of pound of fat vs pound of muscle.
  • Honeycat89
    Honeycat89 Posts: 149
    Thanks everyone :) just googled it CRAZY! Learn something new every day!
  • DancingJester
    DancingJester Posts: 76 Member
    My god the things people say haha (I'm not having a go at you just the people that try to explain weight and fitness and healthy eating and get people so confused) No muscle does not 'weight more than fat' if you're talking about physical weight but neither does feather and a brick, a ton of feathers and an ton of bricks will weigh the same because a ton weighs a ton, but one brick against one feather? The feather is significantly lighter. Muscle is more dense that fat, meaning a square inch of fat will weigh less than a square inch of muscle. So you will have more weight if you have a lot of muscle, but the muscle will take up less room than the fat. So either you are toned or you are miss counting calories :) so just keep an eye on what you eat and see what happens.
  • orchidee1987
    orchidee1987 Posts: 97 Member
    The question here is also : how much have you put on ( at least on the scale) and are you sure it isn't just normal fluctuations ?
  • Followingsea
    Followingsea Posts: 407 Member
    A pound of muscle weighs the same as a pound of fat, and a pound of bricks weighs the same as a pound of feathers.

    The fact that they all weigh the same doesn't mean that those four things occupy the same amount of space.
  • Honeycat89
    Honeycat89 Posts: 149
    I've put on around 4-5lb, is this normal fluctuation?
  • mccindy72
    mccindy72 Posts: 7,001 Member
    I've put on around 4-5lb, is this normal fluctuation?

    Are you weighing all of your solid food?
  • JaysWays
    JaysWays Posts: 77 Member
    Its not a myth.Its a fact! Muscle does weigh more than fat. That is why. Don't ever go by the scale I am 5f and weight almost 130 pounds I do not look like I weigh that much. I lift, run, and do beach body workouts. Don't ever worry about the number on the scale. Hope that helps<3
  • Honeycat89
    Honeycat89 Posts: 149
    Sorry I weigh some not all! But if I don't know th exact weight I tend to choose the larger portion option on the app :)
  • __freckles__
    __freckles__ Posts: 1,238 Member
    If you just started a lifting program or significantly changed your workout plan, it's water retention. Totally normal and should be expected.

    Ding, ding, ding! Alice knows all.

    But OP - you still need to weight ALL your food. Guestimating can get you into major trouble.
  • rustyguy
    rustyguy Posts: 51 Member
    A pound of muscle doesn't *weigh* more than a pound of fat, but it takes up much less room than a pound of fat. You could have the same size bum and it would weigh more if it's all muscle instead of all fat. That's why the scale can be deceiving. You look the same, but can weigh more or less depending on what you're body is made of. Google an image of pound of fat vs pound of muscle.

    Best answer
  • kjo9692
    kjo9692 Posts: 430 Member
    Geeze please don't pay attention to the people suggesting you are building muscle. Unless you are eating at a surplus then you can't be putting on muscle.

    As the other user said, if you are not weighing your solids you might be eating more than you think, but if the case is that you are actually eating at a deficit, and still weigh more then it's water retention from the new workouts like someone posted earlier in the thread.
  • mccindy72
    mccindy72 Posts: 7,001 Member
    Sorry I weigh some not all! But if I don't know th exact weight I tend to choose the larger portion option on the app :)

    but the app is quite inaccurate, if it's not something you entered yourself. You need to weigh everything you eat and enter those things yourself, or verify that the app entry is accurate by weight before you choose it for your log entry. Remember the majority of the entries you're choosing from are put in there by other MFP users and many of them are old or are by meausurement, not weight.
  • __freckles__
    __freckles__ Posts: 1,238 Member
    *Muscle takes up less volume than fat.* Don't ever go by the scale I am 5f and weight almost 130 pounds I do not look like I weigh that much. I lift, run, and do beach body workouts. Don't ever worry about the number on the scale. Hope that helps<3

    FIFY. But unless the OP is really underestimating her intake and is, in fact, eating at a surplus, I highly doubt she's building any muscle.
  • ndj1979
    ndj1979 Posts: 29,136 Member
    Sorry I weigh some not all! But if I don't know th exact weight I tend to choose the larger portion option on the app :)

    that is your problem..you are underestimating your calories and are actually in a surplus. You said that you gained 4-5 pounds in a month, which means that you are gaining a pound per week; therefore, you are eating 500 calories over maintenance a day.

    Get a food scale, weigh/log/measure everything for a month and see how it goes.
  • Nickih4619093
    Nickih4619093 Posts: 91 Member
    I was having the same issue. Found this article online:

    "It's true that many people either gain a little weight or don't see any change on the scale for as long as 4-6 weeks after making a significant change in their level of exercise. This is often explained as "gaining muscle while losing fat" but that isn't quite accurate. This extra weight is usually water.

    When you start doing more exercise, your body begins storing more fuel in your muscle cells, where it can be used easily and quickly to fuel your workouts. The process of converting glucose (carbohydrates) into fuel that your muscles actually store and use (glycogen) requires three molecules of water for every molecule of glucose. As your muscles are building up glycogen stores, your body has to retain extra water for this purpose. That's what causes most of the initial weight gain or lack of weight loss. This is a good thing—not something to worry about.

    However, despite what the scale says, you are actually losing fat during this time. The extra water retention will stop once your body has adjusted to its new activity level. At that point, the scale should start moving down. You'll end up with less fat, and muscles that can handle a larger amount of work."
  • Nickih4619093
    Nickih4619093 Posts: 91 Member
    Did not know this, thanks for sharing!
  • Honeycat89
    Honeycat89 Posts: 149
    I don't think I'm eating a surplus tbh...if I'm counting 1400 on the app but I missjudge I'd have to eat over 400 extra a day to be eating a surplus (since I recently found out I should be eating 1800.) I have just started a weigh programme so will see of my weight levels out! My clothes still fit fine :) thanks for all your advice!
  • __freckles__
    __freckles__ Posts: 1,238 Member
    I don't think I'm eating a surplus tbh...if I'm counting 1400 on the app but I missjudge I'd have to eat over 400 extra a day to be eating a surplus (since I recently found out I should be eating 1800.) I have just started a weigh programme so will see of my weight levels out! My clothes still fit fine :) thanks for all your advice!

    Actually didn't you say your TDEE was 1800? Curious - what lifting program are you following?

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