Does muscle really weigh THAT much?? :(

tinaved624

I started working about a month ago, and decided I wouldn't be as obsessive about weighing myself (esp because with a new routine and whatnot things can fluctuate a lot more). I weighed myself a few weeks ago and came in at 107.

Since then I switched my normal cardio routine to a 25 min circuit training video (Jillian Michael's 30 day shred) in the morning, and about 40 mins of cardio and 10 mins of pilates for my abs when I come home from work. Calorie wise I should be burning close to what I was burning with just my cardio routine, but my husband definitely noticed that I'm getting more toned and muscle definition than before (the circuit training focuses a lot on weight and strength training). My eating habits have been relatively the same as before, so I wasn't too too concerned about that.

I decided for some reason to get on the scale this morning, just to see if I'm still on the right track, and I came in at 117!! :frown: I still fit into the clothes that I bought a month ago (which I shouldn't have been able to do if I was ten pounds heavier) - so my husband thinks that it should be muscle gain..

Does muscle really weight THAT much though?Or is this really just general weight gain and I need to reevaluate either my eating/workout habits? I was hoping that I'd be somewhere around 105 by this point, and I ended up going in the opposite direction.. I've been so sad ever since I got to work this morning..

Any help would be appreciated!

tigersword

Most likely water. You will not gain 10 pounds of muscle in a month, that's more than an average woman will gain in a year.

myfitnessnmhoy

Muscle DOES weigh a lot, though maybe not that much, and weight is a poor indicator of overall health. I doubt it's fat if you're building muscles at the same time and watching your calories.

If you're building muscle, then a weight gain is both expected and desirable, unless you had fat you needed to get rid of as well, and if you're building visible muscle I doubt there's a lot of fat left to burn in there.

Have your body fat content tested professionally, if you're concerned about it, but it sounds to me like you may have actually reached the ideal your body wants and your focus now should be building that muscle to a point where you like it, and maintaining a healthy eating and exercise habit for the rest of your life.

If there are flabby bits left that concern you, research exercises to tone them up specifically and get some muscle there instead.

In the meantime, drink lots of water for the next couple of days, re-weigh yourself, and see if some of that weight goes away.

I think "congratulations" may be more in order than condolences.