How is this even possible?!?!?!
tlhorsley
Posts: 141 Member
My story...
In February I weighed 127 (I am 5'6") and started my MFP journey.
In March I started NROL4W. First 4 weeks of NROL4W I had some nice results. For the next 8 weeks my weight went up to about 130 but my inches stayed the same as they were 4 weeks in to the program. I was eating at a 15% CUT during rest days and more on lift days.
In May I started the TDEE Reset bc nothing was changing and I was getting frustrated. I did that for 6 weeks and gained 3 pounds (weighing 133).
On July 8th I went back to a 15% CUT. I did the 15% CUT every day regardless of lifting but made sure I always netted my BMR.
I am 5 weeks in to the CUT and my weight is up another 3 pounds!! (last week I started eating more on lift days bc I felt my body need a little more on heavy lift days).
How is it possible that I haven't been eating over TDEE, most of the time I have been eating at a 15% CUT yet my weight is up 9 pounds?!?!?! I don't care THAT MUCH what the number on the scale says but it is confusing me. My inches have not changed since APRIL despite working my butt off in the gym.
How is this even possible?!?!?!
In February I weighed 127 (I am 5'6") and started my MFP journey.
In March I started NROL4W. First 4 weeks of NROL4W I had some nice results. For the next 8 weeks my weight went up to about 130 but my inches stayed the same as they were 4 weeks in to the program. I was eating at a 15% CUT during rest days and more on lift days.
In May I started the TDEE Reset bc nothing was changing and I was getting frustrated. I did that for 6 weeks and gained 3 pounds (weighing 133).
On July 8th I went back to a 15% CUT. I did the 15% CUT every day regardless of lifting but made sure I always netted my BMR.
I am 5 weeks in to the CUT and my weight is up another 3 pounds!! (last week I started eating more on lift days bc I felt my body need a little more on heavy lift days).
How is it possible that I haven't been eating over TDEE, most of the time I have been eating at a 15% CUT yet my weight is up 9 pounds?!?!?! I don't care THAT MUCH what the number on the scale says but it is confusing me. My inches have not changed since APRIL despite working my butt off in the gym.
How is this even possible?!?!?!
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Replies
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Bumping - this is exactly what I'm afraid is going to happen so I'd love to hear people's responses.0
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The SCALE WEIGHT that you gained is most likely MUSCLE and a little fluid retention from lifting.
What proves this is the fact that your measurements are the same or lower and your weight has gone up~ a sign that you did NOT gain FAT but MUSCLE.
Let me just add that frequent weighing while you are heavy lifting can be a VERY inaccurate tool for measuring your actual success since you are almost always in a state of "retaining fluid" in your "worked" muscles.
I avoid the scale like the plague and I'm doing NROL4W too~ I lift on Mon, Weds, & Fridays~ if I DID get on the scale, it would be on Sunday~ giving my body 2 days to release any fluid that it's holding.
I will let others comment more on your food but to me, your Cut seems OK~ I believe the theory here is to eat the same amount of calories every day regardless of exercise but you also have to tweak it to suit YOUR body's needs.
I would also suggest you take a good look at your "Macros" for each day~ a lot of folks here only worry about hitting their PROTEIN goal each day and let the rest fall into place. I MAKE SURE I hit my Protein on lifting days.
Hope this helps.......0 -
Looks like Heidi
is on the job!!:drinker: 0 -
Yep, most likely muscle gain. FWIW, 136 with muscles may well be close to an ideal weight for you. That's certainly well within normal BMI.0
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You are doing fantastic and doing EVERYTHING right I know!!! :happy:
How about measurements? Have they went down any & those shorts that you could fiinally wear - Are any other clothes feeling better to wear? As much as you lift you are DEFINITELY building muscle. I would think that you are gaining muscle weight plus an extra 1lb or 2 from actually lifting b/c of the water/glycogen.
For your height - Your weight is actually great!! I am only 5'2" with a goal weight of 130lbs - Even 140lbs if it is muscle....I really think that maybe your goal weight without the extra muscle could be 130 but with all of the lifting included your body may be picking its own goal weight to accomodate the lifting that you are doing. I know you have issues with your tummy (like we ALL do) but maybe adding in some core work for that b/c other than that I bet your body looks great!!
Remember we are each our own worst critics!!:grumble:
My best advice for you right now would be to send a quick PM to Lucia or Kiki and just get their advice b/c I know that they have each gone through exactly what you are going through (from what I have read) and I think one of them would be the best to give you specific advice. Maybe Lucia b/c I know that she is still at her higher weight but now with muscle and she knows what to expect and she definitely looks great!!
I hope this helps you out a little bit at least!! I wish this were going the way you wanted it to but I really think that you are doing absolutely amazing and improving yourself in so many ways....Don't forget what EVERYONE keeps saying - JUST LOOK AT YOUR BACK...lol...All muscle - that HAS to count for something!! :flowerforyou:0 -
For the most part I stay away from the scale bc I don't want it to drive me crazy. I weighed this morning (Monday) and had lifted on Friday.
I don't understand how I could have gained muscle since I have not been eating over maintenance.
I haven't had a chance to read what Heidi posted and will do that later while the kids are napping so I can concentrate!
My measurements have stayed the same since April! They went up a little during my reset but went back down within about a week of eating at CUT again. My clothes, for the most part, are fitting just like they did in APRIL!
As a whole I really don't care that much what the number on the scale is, as I know it is just a number but am confused as to how it can be up 9 pounds. And frustrated that measurements haven't changed since ARPIL!0 -
My measurements are the same as well and I'm up about 3 pounds since starting my cut last week.
So I know where you are coming from. I'd like to know when that stupid number will go down again. :grumble: 0 -
You gain muscle when you cut the calories.. when you eat at maintenance or above, its basically giving your body more "fat" so when you make the cut after, your body can change that fat into lean tissue (muscle).. so even if you are eating at cut, you will develop muscles from lifting.
Like others have said, the weight "gain" is from water... water retention is a biotch to women and there is no way to avoid it. Have you take a complete rest week off from the weights yet? At the end of each stage, be sure to take a complete rest week, then take your measurements and see what happens.
I know its frustrating. I m right there with you. Im on stage 4 and have been lifting for about 3 months now, and because I did a Reset during that time, I have ZERO results to share with inches... its frustrating as hell knowing how much I have done with the weights and not see anything happening.. But I KNOW it will in due time. Keep the faith0 -
You gain muscle when you cut the calories.. when you eat at maintenance or above, its basically giving your body more "fat" so when you make the cut after, your body can change that fat into lean tissue (muscle).. so even if you are eating at cut, you will develop muscles from lifting.
Not quite. If you're eating at maintenance and lifting you will gain some muscle. If you're eating over maintenance, you will gain more muscle and some fat (goes with the territory of bulking). If you're eating at TDEE -15%, which is not a huge deficit, you can theoretically burn fat AND gain some muscle, but not as much or as quickly.
www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/21558571
And this may not be what you meant, but just to clarify, fat is not "changed into" muscle. Cutting reveals muscle as fat is lost.0 -
You gain muscle when you cut the calories.. when you eat at maintenance or above, its basically giving your body more "fat" so when you make the cut after, your body can change that fat into lean tissue (muscle).. so even if you are eating at cut, you will develop muscles from lifting.
Not quite. If you're eating at maintenance and lifting you will gain some muscle. If you're eating over maintenance, you will gain more muscle and some fat (goes with the territory of bulking). If you're eating at TDEE -15%, which is not a huge deficit, you can theoretically burn fat AND gain some muscle, but not as much or as quickly.
www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/21558571
And this may not be what you meant, but just to clarify, fat is not "changed into" muscle. Cutting reveals muscle as fat is lost.
Wait. You gain muscle even at maintenance ? Is there anyway to not?0 -
You gain muscle when you cut the calories.. when you eat at maintenance or above, its basically giving your body more "fat" so when you make the cut after, your body can change that fat into lean tissue (muscle).. so even if you are eating at cut, you will develop muscles from lifting.
Not quite. If you're eating at maintenance and lifting you will gain some muscle. If you're eating over maintenance, you will gain more muscle and some fat (goes with the territory of bulking). If you're eating at TDEE -15%, which is not a huge deficit, you can theoretically burn fat AND gain some muscle, but not as much or as quickly.
www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/21558571
And this may not be what you meant, but just to clarify, fat is not "changed into" muscle. Cutting reveals muscle as fat is lost.
Lol, thats what I meant.. im just not as eloquent at saying it:)0 -
One other thing...Since you have been eating at cut for around 5wk, have you tried going back to TDEE for 1-2 weeks? That may help get your body moving since it may now think your cut amount is maintenance. I am hoping some of this will help. :flowerforyou:0
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Check out the difference in this gal from lifting but going up on the scale:
http://www.nerdfitness.com/blog/2011/07/21/meet-staci-your-new-powerlifting-super-hero/
I no longer care about a random number on the scale as long as I'm building muscle!0 -
Wait. You gain muscle even at maintenance ? Is there anyway to not?
It depends on how much you're lifting. Muscle grows in response to stress, for lack of a better word, and must have continual--and increasing--stress in order for that to happen. If you don't keep pushing yourself by upping your weights, you won't gain.0 -
Check out the difference in this gal from lifting but going up on the scale:
http://www.nerdfitness.com/blog/2011/07/21/meet-staci-your-new-powerlifting-super-hero/
I no longer care about a random number on the scale as long as I'm building muscle!
^^^ This. You're so right... the number doesn't matter!! And like the website above, most photos I see of absolutely ripped girls weigh much more at their best physiques than beforehand. Muscle weighs more than fat. It's nothing to be afraid of, and if anything, you can keep eating the same amount of cals because the less you weigh, the lower your cals!0 -
I have a lot to lose, but after a few pound loss when I began EM2LW (at a 15% cut), I also began NROLFW and stayed at the same weight for about 8 weeks. It got kind of frustrating just because I felt I should be losing weight even though I was building muscle. Well, I wasn't able to lift for about the last two weeks, and weighed a few days ago and had dropped 5 lbs. This to me was evidence of how much water I was retaining simply due to keeping my muscles in a constant state of repair. I have definitely seen positive changes in my body over this time period, so I have not been too concerned with the scale weight. I know that I'm doing the right things to improve my body and my health. I can feel the improvements, so while I may weigh once a week, I don't put a lot of stock in the number I see.0
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I am not caught up on the actual number on the scale. I care more about how my clothes fit and how my body looks.
So, I don't care what the number is I just don't understand how it keeps going up when I am not eating above TDEE. I don't think it could be muscle gain since I am not eating over TDEE.
The only thing that could make since to me would be the water rentention I guess. Since I am doing NROL4W and constantly changing up the lifting and challenging my body maybe it is just the water. I am in the final cut of NROL4W and seem to stay sore.
That much water rentention...all the time. Shmh!0 -
So, I don't care what the number is I just don't understand how it keeps going up when I am not eating above TDEE. I don't think it could be muscle gain since I am not eating over TDEE.
Some of it is surely water retention, but you can indeed gain muscle eating at or a bit below TDEE--not as much as you would if you were eating over, but some gain for sure if you're fueling your body with enough protein and lifting heavy enough.0 -
BUMP.... yep... have heard and experienced this!0
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BUMP0
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Oh the joy of heavy lifting. I have to watch the mirror and clothes because my weight on the scale is a number that I used to wear a size 10 before. I wear a 6 and some 4's. Plus i am building the physique I always wanted.
So be encouraged and stay focused on what you want to look like and not the scale.0 -
Bump0
