Dear people that say large weight gain is muscle..

SirZee

A very pertinent post. I still see 'muscle weighs heavier than fat' here on MFP and I see calls of muscle gain within days of a diet starting. People really seem to struggle with seperating fact from fiction. I'm quite new (January this year) and have learned an awful lot but there's so much more to learn and implement.

One thing I would like to know, if it isn't a daft question - where do you find out how much muscle mass you have? It would be useful to be able to measure the improvements month on month as I lift weights and find myself toning up.

You can't really measure it that much without specialized gear. It took me 2-3 months or longer to see noticeable change. I have seen noticeable change since I started this journey in January, but that's more because of loss of fat covering muscles that I built up over a decade, than new muscle growth. Growing muscle is a good way to learn patience in body changes

dbratton87

To those that say that. Please just stop it... just stop.. I see tons of posts on here daily where someone has gained 5-8lbs in a couple days to a week and the answer people give is "You've gained muscle" No... Not even likely if they are on a prohormone/gear(steroids)

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.

Other reasons if they aren't working out included:
•Sodium intake
•Food weight (especially if eating more heavy proteins than usual)
•If they had ate low carb for a few days then carbing up.
•They aren't measuring their food right and estimating wrong.

Thank you!! I hate when people tell me that if I complain that I gained a couple lbs. No, there is no way I am building that much muscle that fast. Plus, I have so much weight to lose. I STILL need to be getting lighter. I would have to build a ridiculous amount of muscle to weigh 180 and have a healthy percent body fat.

susieq101178

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.

This would certainly explain my sudden drop from 158 to 155 in 3 days. Only took the bod three solid weeks of fully-focussed diet and and exercise to adjust.

keegannati

I'm cultivating mass, bro!

Donnacoach

Thanks for sharing.

d2footballJRC

Muscle gain, for hardcore body builders, naturally, is about 1lb per month MAX. That's someone who eats and trains perfectly.

Most of the people on here aren't hardcore body builders and with noob gains you could expect 2-3lbs most likely in a month if you did everything right first starting out. 1lb per month MAX is a good goal though. It really comes down to genetics, training, sleep, and diet. You got to eat to build on average.

Rayman233

I'm going to triple my calories for :laugh: the next 5 days and see if i can get me some big guns !!

DoubleE615312

So what is it if your BF% goes down and your weight stays the same, but according to calculations your LBM goes up by 5 lbs within about a 5-6 week period? Along with all measurements going down?

d2footballJRC

I'm cultivating mass, bro!

I love the burrito's in the trash bag episode!!.. Burritos are awesome dude.. I think we need some crack...

Zumbagurl64

that's great to hear, and explains alot. I've been doing more weight lifting lately and am in that gaining zone with no logical explanation when lookung at my food diary..... i feel heavy and bloated, i drink tons of water, muscles are sore.....

thanks for sharing, makes sense! love jabba too! :-)

d2footballJRC

So what is it if your BF% goes down and your weight stays the same, but according to calculations your LBM goes up by 5 lbs within about a 5-6 week period? Along with all measurements going down?

If you are using a electric resistance device then those are all over the place and hydration levels matter. If you are getting professional metered at say an air chamber or water dip then.. enjoy the early gains and/or genetics.

doggiesnot

I love that pic! Ha-Ha!

The water retention is strong with this one!

tigersword

A very pertinent post. I still see 'muscle weighs heavier than fat' here on MFP and I see calls of muscle gain within days of a diet starting. People really seem to struggle with seperating fact from fiction. I'm quite new (January this year) and have learned an awful lot but there's so much more to learn and implement.

One thing I would like to know, if it isn't a daft question - where do you find out how much muscle mass you have? It would be useful to be able to measure the improvements month on month as I lift weights and find myself toning up.

The only way to truly know how much muscle you have would be a DEXA scan. Everything else just estimates body fat vs lean mass, but lean mass includes muscle, bone, organs, and water. It's pretty much impossible to be that precise. Most people just use lean mass, and estimate that leans mass gains equate to muscle gains, although that's not truly accurate, as it can be bone density gains, water gains, ligament and tendon changes, etc.

Quasita

The thing that gets ME is when people don't post the time over which the gain has happened, or their lifestyle before/after starting, or their build, or anything. It bothers me when people say something is impossible only because we all carry, hold, and adjust weight differently.

It's like when people say 10lbs = 7 inch loss. No, not for everyone. Same with this muscle business. If you have a lot of muscle to begin with, if all of that muscle bulks just a little bit, you can easily gain several pounds... However, it's outside of the "averages" and is not the case in most circumstances.

So, say someone posts they gained 8 in 2 weeks. Well, if they were very tall, this is possible. Not LIKELY, but it's possible. I just get tired of it when people make blanket statements, because this is a journey that is very specific to the individual, and though it can be a good jumping off place to start at the averages... I think people should encourage those that are freaking out to get personalized professional assistance, instead of asking for MFPinions.

BeautEvilKells

no no no, the fat turns INTO muscles.... and it WEIGHS more!

Fat and muscle are composed of totally different cell structures, one cannot become the other.
You can also not target an area and only lose fat there.
FYI

Ripcode

To those that say that. Please just stop it... just stop.. I see tons of posts on here daily where someone has gained 5-8lbs in a couple days to a week and the answer people give is "You've gained muscle" No... Not even likely if they are on a prohormone/gear(steroids)

This extra weight is usually water.

True.

MissTattoo

It's just an excuse people make to feel better about their gain. I figure if I haven't eaten an extra 3500 calories in a week, then it ain't fat.
Culprits: water, sodium, being a woman, ect. lol

Maryaly40

Now I'm being totally serious with this question/statement....so, sometimes, when I take my rest day, and weigh myself the day after rest, I may be down 1-2 lbs....of course provided that I ate right? True?

tigersword

So what is it if your BF% goes down and your weight stays the same, but according to calculations your LBM goes up by 5 lbs within about a 5-6 week period? Along with all measurements going down?

LBM gains don't automatically mean muscle gains. LBM is everything in your body that isn't fat. Bone, organs, partially digested food, water, blood, nerves, skin, hair, teeth, ligaments, tendons, those are all part of lean mass. One thing that people often ignore when starting heavy weight training is the bone density effects. Lifting heavy weights requires strong, dense bones for support. Bones are living tissue, and they do get heavier and stronger when you exercise.

BigMech

A very pertinent post. I still see 'muscle weighs heavier than fat' here on MFP and I see calls of muscle gain within days of a diet starting. People really seem to struggle with seperating fact from fiction. I'm quite new (January this year) and have learned an awful lot but there's so much more to learn and implement.

One thing I would like to know, if it isn't a daft question - where do you find out how much muscle mass you have? It would be useful to be able to measure the improvements month on month as I lift weights and find myself toning up.

You need to get a your body fat percentage measured. From this you can calculate you lean mass (weight - (weight x (body_fat_percentage / 100))). You can't really measure just your muscle mass. Lean mass includes muscle, bone, organs, connective tissue, etc. Everything but the fat. Once you know your percentage you can calculate the amount of fat and amount of lean mass. Then you do it again at a later date, and see the progress.

Their are some scales out there that claim to measure body fat, but the most accurate way is a caliper test, or water displacement test, or DEXA scan.