Weight Gain vs. Muscle Gain

westbrja

Hi All,

Well I'm a bit down today as I have not lost anything (actually I gained a pound). Can someone help figure out why this may be? I have stuck to my calorie intake very closely, but I wasn't able to exercise over the weekend, but that's only 2 days missed :grumble: . I lost 5 pounds in the first 6 days and now I'm stuck already. Could it be muscle gain? I have been doing quite a bit of strength training and my muscles have been so sore. I shouldn't be hitting a plateau already should I?

natekorpusik

5 Pounds in 6 days sounds a lot like water loss. I wouldn't get on the scale more than once a week. Your body needs to adjust to your workout routine. You probably didn't gain a pound of muscle yet as that takes time. I would stick with your workout and see where you are in a few more week. 5 Pounds in 6 days is a lot of weight to lose. You should be losing between 1/2 a pound to 2 pounds max per week for healthy weight loss. Also, if you open your diary we can see what's going on there and maybe help. Good luck.

pbolton16

Well 5 pounds that quick might be some water?
Look at your sodium and make sure your getting enough water and eating enough each day.
With those hard cardio workouts it's so important to get that water back in and eat enough so your body keeps working!

Fattack

You can't gain 1lb of muscle that quickly, it's probably water.

ukhennin

Yeah, to put it in perspective, I read in an article that if a guy works really hard in the gym and eats perfectly he'd be lucky to add 10lbs of muscle in a year. That's less than 1lb a month. I think it's a common misconception to think that any weight gain is muscle gain. Chances are there's probably just more volume in your stomach or more water retention for whatever reasons.

westbrja

How do I open my diary? Sorry I just figured it out. Can anyone take a look and help?

rileysowner

It is likely water retention because of the new workout. The muscle soreness is the big give away on this. Here is an informative article on it http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/200544-why-do-you-sometimes-gain-weight-when-starting-a-new-exercis

It will go away in time. Those first 5 pounds were likely some fat and a lot of water. You will not keep losing like that long term unless you are extremely obese. One week of not losing after losing that much the week before is not a real surprise either.

To make your Diary public go to the My Home tab, select settings, diary settings, and down at the bottom you will find your privacy settings. Make it public and save the settings.

dirtyblue

I just took a look at your diary - are you drinking any water? You don't have any logged in the past 5 days that I looked at. Also, i would suggest adding sodium to your tracking, you would be surprised how much is in food.

westbrja

I just took a look at your diary - are you drinking any water? You don't have any logged in the past 5 days that I looked at. Also, i would suggest adding sodium to your tracking, you would be surprised how much is in food.

I always seem to forget to add my water intake. I usually get about four 8oz glasses in each day. Hopefully I can get more in now that it's summer time. I tend to drink more iced tea, water, etc.

westbrja

Also can anyone tell me when I will stop being so hungry all the time? If you look at my diary for this morning I ate my banana around 7:30am then I ate my cereal about 9:30am and now I'm sitting here watching the clock for lunch time. My stomach is growling. It seems like when I eat cereal I have this major sugar crash before lunch.

rachmaree

As mentioned above, it takes time and a lot of hard work to build muscle. And a rate of loss like that is something that isn't healthy to expect to maintain.
I had a quick look at your diary... try to up the protein, especially at breakfast. Eat your banana with some fat or protein, like low fat yoghurt or even peanut butter. I saw that you sometimes have oats... oats will probably keep you fuller for longer than the special k. mfp sets the protein goal quite low, so don't be worried about going over. As others have said, make sure you drink at least 2 litres of water per day, eat lots of fresh vegetables, stay away from refined sugar, and stick with your workout program Good luck

lggk01

I've been eating more protein and fewer carbs....it's helping with feeling fuller longer and curbing cravings. Hope this helps. :happy:

supermom1114

The 5lbs that quick is water loss, and you can't gain a pound of muscle that quickly. However if you have been doing quite a bit of strength training your muscles are holding on to lactic acid as well as water. Only weigh yourself once a week, and do it under the exact same conditions everytime, like right after you wake up, use the bathroom, and bam jump on the scale. If you do it at different times throughout the day you're not getting effective measurements.

along21291

Weight loss is a process. Since you lost a lot (probably water weight) the first week, your body may be retaining some water. Your calorie intake looks good. Just be very consistent and keep going even if you feel like the results aren't immediately coming. The way I think about it, the time is going to pass anyway, if I lose all the weight I need to, even a year away I will be very happy! Good luck and keep at it

niknak0508

If you haven't already.. try the Protein Plus Special K. It's really good, I normally put a packet of splenda in mine to make it a little sweeter, as the cereal is quite bland. But it has 10g of protein, might help keep you full.

supermom1114

Also can anyone tell me when I will stop being so hungry all the time? If you look at my diary for this morning I ate my banana around 7:30am then I ate my cereal about 9:30am and now I'm sitting here watching the clock for lunch time. My stomach is growling. It seems like when I eat cereal I have this major sugar crash before lunch.

You've already pinpointed your problem. If the cereal is high in sugar and has only minimal fiber and you're not balancing it with protein and healthy fat then it'll burn away and you'll feel hungrier sooner. The key to not getting hungry inbetween meals is to make sure they are balanced, complex carb, lean protein, healthy fats. Also, you should eat every 4 hours to keep your metabolism at it's max. So combine the banana and a whole grain cereal with maybe some eggs, light turkey sausage, greek yogurt, even low fat cheese chunks will do. And then have a FEW nuts of your choice on the cereal too, almond slices, walnut or pecan pieces etc. Nuts are very calorie dense but also nutrient dense so you don't need much to make a difference. Hope that helps!!! Stay on track and don't lose hope!!