Working out hard....gaining lbs & inches!

JCE0129

About 4 to 6 weeks ago I started hitting the gym every weekday morning for an hour and a half....30 min of cardio & 60 min of weight training, alternating days for upper and lower body. I'm not the world's healthiest eater, but I think I do pretty well. Most days I am at or under my calorie goal. There are days I may go slightly over in fats because I like to incorporate things like nuts, eggs, avocado, etc. into my diet. But that was more when I was trying to stick to the "fat shredder" diet and had my macros customized. If I go with what MFP recommends I am rarely over in anything and I do not eat back my exercise calories.

In the time I've been working out I have gained 5 lbs and 2 inches in my waist. Now, I understand that muscle weighs more than fat. I also recognize that I am not a big person (120 lbs, 5ft 3in) so, especially as I gain muscle, I will not really lose much weight. However, what's up with the gaining inches? It's very frustrating to be up at 4am everyday to get to the gym....I am a full time accountant, full time graduate student, and mother of 3 so there is not a lot of time to spare in my day.....forfeit sleep, work my butt off only to feel bloated, tired, and like I am getting bigger instead of a little smaller and tighter. Suggestions, comments please?

jharb2

Couple things that stand out to me - 1. you frequently are under your calorie goal 2. you do not eat back your calories. both of those things are counterproductive. And thats alot of days in a row of working out with no rest days in between.

MinnieInMaine

First of all, forget the whole muscle weighs more than fat thing. You're eating at a calorie deficit and you're female so it's pretty near impossible for you to gain any muscle. You'd have to be at a calorie surplus and be on a very regimented eating and exercise program for that to happen, and even then, you'd be lucky to gain 1/2 of a pound of muscle in a month.

I checked out your diary and agree with the above poster, you are eating way too little to support your workouts. This makes me wonder if you're tracking accurately and consistently. Are you weighing solid foods, measuring liquids? I also noticed you skipped logging over the weekend and Monday...any chance you indulged a little ove the weekend and you're bloated and retaining water from that?

P.S. You're not doing yourself any favors by forfeiting sleep. Your body needs rest and recovery.

JCE0129

I did skip logging over the weekend and that is not unusual for me. During the weekends I tend to eat less, believe it or not, due to running around with the kids and getting most of my study hours in. My husband and I rarely eat out, so weekend meals usually consist of grilling at home....and I do not eat red meat or pork. I do admit that I drink more calories over the weekend (wine)....that is my indulgence! I actually weighed more on Friday of last week than I did yesterday. I do weigh my food and if I can't weigh (say I'm at the office and didn't weight out my lunch that morning) I try to overestimate if anything. I tend to stick to a lot of the same foods so it gets easier to eyeball it when I have to.

Sleep deprivation isn't a choice, unfortunately it's necessary with my schedule! I get about 5 hours a night during the week. Not as much as I'd like but I know people who function on less.

JoRocka

Don't forget about water retention issues.

And also- if you aren't tracking every single crumb you put in your face- start.
Get a scale- lock that down.
Get as accurate and specific as possible.

2" and 5 pounds in a month could be water weight from lifting- but it should have settled out.

You need rest days- so take them. 3-4 days should be sufficient.