Measure Muscle Gain?

mojgan12345

Hi,
Beginner Question:

I have been exercising and eating its calories back. I net at 1300~1400 a day (apparently my maintenance calories are 1700), instead of losing weight I gained weight, which I don't mind if it is muscle. So how can I know if this is muscle or not? Do I need to measure inches or there is another way of knowing? Does " losing inches + gaining weight == muscle gain" or not necessarily?

Thanks!

LividMuffin

If you're eating under your maintenance calories it is very unlikely that you gained such a significant amount of muscle that would compensate for all the fat loss and make the scales go up.. It could be water retention, it's normal to go up and down slightly in a short period of time. If you really eat as much as you say you are the weight will go down, just give it time.

diannethegeek

How long have you been at this and how much weight have you gained? And what kind of exercise are you doing?

It's really common to see a slight gain or a stall on the scale when you start a new exercise routine because our bodies flood sore muscles with water to help cushion and repair them. This can mask any fat loss that's happening, and many new exercisers mistake it for muscle gain (especially if they have the accompanying swollen or "pumped" look to their muscles). It's temporary though and should go away as your body gets used to the routine.

Aaron_K123

Hi,
Beginner Question:

I have been exercising and eating its calories back. I net at 1300~1400 a day (apparently my maintenance calories are 1700), instead of losing weight I gained weight, which I don't mind if it is muscle. So how can I know if this is muscle or not? Do I need to measure inches or there is another way of knowing? Does " losing inches + gaining weight == muscle gain" or not necessarily?

Thanks!

If you are eating under maintenance it isn't muscle. Its likely water.

iustinh

Hi. I have researched this issue a while ago. I guess it only makes sense in order to calculate your lean body mass to substract the fat mass from your weight. Apparently electrical impedance body fat measurement is not very accurate, but might give you a rough idea, i think it is best to go to a gym, most gyms have calipers for measuring the fat from different parts of your body, the less body fat you have, the more accurate the readings are, also your measurements should be done always by the same person.

If you can't do that i recommend taking monthly photos of yourself from the same distance from different angles: front, back, sides, flexed and/or relaxed. It helps a lot in observing changes in your body plus you can look over them when you reach a plateau and you will remember how you looked when you started and how much better you look now.

Weighing yourself daily isn't the most accurate way of tracking weight loss because of factors like dehydration, water retention and the amount of bowel content.

Also you should never be discouraged of how you look when you eat healthy because your muscles are low on carbohydrates, your muscles look deflated, you're like a raisin, and if you have water retention like me because of the amount of seasoning I put on the chicken it can be easily mistaken as fat on your belly. Try if possible to eat low in salt or even to avoid salt.

As for muscle gains, women gain less muscle than men, so maybe you could gain around 5 lbs a year as an intermediate.

So don't ever be discouraged by your weight or looks because in the long run you will see the differences. I could have made this post shorter, but I wanted to make some points. Good luck with your diet!

acorsaut89

So I was looking at your profile, and it says you're aiming for 120lbs at 5'9 . . . I am also 5'9 and the healthy range is at 137lbs, 120 is underweight as per BMI.

I recognize BMI isn't everything, but just something to take into consideration . . .

ninerbuff

Gaining muscle means adding mass. It has to come from somewhere, so in all probability to make it happen, one has to surplus their intake. If you're not surplusing, it's highly unlikely that any muscle is being built.

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

mojgan12345

If you're eating under your maintenance calories it is very unlikely that you gained such a significant amount of muscle that would compensate for all the fat loss and make the scales go up.. It could be water retention, it's normal to go up and down slightly in a short period of time. If you really eat as much as you say you are the weight will go down, just give it time.

Thanks! That makes sense.

iustinh

After I read acorsaut89's post I looked at your profile and I don`t think you are that underweight, just don't try to lose any more weight. Try to eat healthier, replace simple carbs with complex carbs, eat more vegetables instead of fruit and eat more protein, also try to get healthy fats from nuts and seeds, they can promote fat loss. Change your diet and your body will change its composition accordingly. Low protein, high carbs high fat -> skinny fat body type, higher protein, moderate carbs and lower fat -> lean body.

mojgan12345

How long have you been at this and how much weight have you gained? And what kind of exercise are you doing?

It's really common to see a slight gain or a stall on the scale when you start a new exercise routine because our bodies flood sore muscles with water to help cushion and repair them. This can mask any fat loss that's happening, and many new exercisers mistake it for muscle gain (especially if they have the accompanying swollen or "pumped" look to their muscles). It's temporary though and should go away as your body gets used to the routine.

I have been working out every day for a little bit over 3 weeks now. Before that I would only run on weekends.

I have gained an average of 3 lbs.

I run 1.5 hours a week, elliptical 1 hour a week, Swimming 1.5 hours a week. I do a Turbo Fire workout every other night starting 2 weeks ago, the soreness I get from it doesn't let me do it every day. So I guess since the Turbo Fire is completely new and kind of hard for me maybe I am retaining water.

mojgan12345

Hi. I have researched this issue a while ago. I guess it only makes sense in order to calculate your lean body mass to substract the fat mass from your weight. Apparently electrical impedance body fat measurement is not very accurate, but might give you a rough idea, i think it is best to go to a gym, most gyms have calipers for measuring the fat from different parts of your body, the less body fat you have, the more accurate the readings are, also your measurements should be done always by the same person.

If you can't do that i recommend taking monthly photos of yourself from the same distance from different angles: front, back, sides, flexed and/or relaxed. It helps a lot in observing changes in your body plus you can look over them when you reach a plateau and you will remember how you looked when you started and how much better you look now.

Weighing yourself daily isn't the most accurate way of tracking weight loss because of factors like dehydration, water retention and the amount of bowel content.

Also you should never be discouraged of how you look when you eat healthy because your muscles are low on carbohydrates, your muscles look deflated, you're like a raisin, and if you have water retention like me because of the amount of seasoning I put on the chicken it can be easily mistaken as fat on your belly. Try if possible to eat low in salt or even to avoid salt.

As for muscle gains, women gain less muscle than men, so maybe you could gain around 5 lbs a year as an intermediate.

So don't ever be discouraged by your weight or looks because in the long run you will see the differences. I could have made this post shorter, but I wanted to make some points. Good luck with your diet!

Thanks you for *answering* my question on "how to measure the muscle" and not diverging from the real question, which I see is very common in MFP.
I appreciate your input

mojgan12345

So I was looking at your profile, and it says you're aiming for 120lbs at 5'9 . . . I am also 5'9 and the healthy range is at 137lbs, 120 is underweight as per BMI.

I recognize BMI isn't everything, but just something to take into consideration . . .

Thanks for your reply
I weigh 133 lbs now, the healthy range for our height actually starts at 125 lbs if you are using BMI.

Plus, I don't use BMI because I don't believe it is a good metric for me.

mojgan12345

Gaining muscle means adding mass. It has to come from somewhere, so in all probability to make it happen, one has to surplus their intake. If you're not surplusing, it's highly unlikely that any muscle is being built.

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

By surplus, I'm assuming you mean a surplus in "net calories" , right?

TeaBea

Gaining muscle means adding mass. It has to come from somewhere, so in all probability to make it happen, one has to surplus their intake. If you're not surplusing, it's highly unlikely that any muscle is being built.

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

By surplus, I'm assuming you mean a surplus in "net calories" , right?

No - over your maintenance calories (TDEE).

Net calories just get you back to your original deficit.

http://iifym.com/tdee-calculator/

Aaron_K123

How long have you been at this and how much weight have you gained? And what kind of exercise are you doing?

It's really common to see a slight gain or a stall on the scale when you start a new exercise routine because our bodies flood sore muscles with water to help cushion and repair them. This can mask any fat loss that's happening, and many new exercisers mistake it for muscle gain (especially if they have the accompanying swollen or "pumped" look to their muscles). It's temporary though and should go away as your body gets used to the routine.

I have been working out every day for a little bit over 3 weeks now. Before that I would only run on weekends.

I have gained an average of 3 lbs.

I run 1.5 hours a week, elliptical 1 hour a week, Swimming 1.5 hours a week. I do a Turbo Fire workout every other night starting 2 weeks ago, the soreness I get from it doesn't let me do it every day. So I guess since the Turbo Fire is completely new and kind of hard for me maybe I am retaining water.

100% definately weight gain due to water retention from the beginning of a new exercise routinue. Happens to everyone.