BEGGING for HELP I work out A LOT but clothes too small!

Tcherice

First of all, I'd like to say that I'm so glad I stumbled upon this site. I love the positivity I see.

Secondly, I'll be as brief as I can with my background workout history.

I am 23, 5'1", I have constantly struggled with body image although I've never been "fat", not by anyone else's standards at least.

After giving birth to my child, I gained about 25 pounds which I eventually lost all of within the past two years. However, I did so unhealthily and was told I was TOO frail looking. I got down to 112 pounds, which I thought was okay but I'm not nutritionist. I doubt that I had ANY muscle mass to begin with. This was about a year ago.
Since then, I have gradually added more calories and HEALTHY calories to my diet. Yes, I do slip up and eat unhealthy items (small snacks here and there) but my diet is mostly very healthy, although I could use more water intake.

Lately, I have upped my healthy calorie intake to accommodate the very rigorous workout plan I have begun. I started working out about 115 pounds and have ALWAYS been a regularly active person my whole life. However, I have started the GSP rushfit workout series and I have NEVER done more rigorous workouts regularly as I am now. I work out 6 days a week, 2 or 3 days cardio and about 3-4 days of the MMA style workouts which I will add can get pretty brutal. I have noticed that my butt and thighs have DRASTICALLY increase in size, which I assume is muscle mass as they feel more firm, my arms are firmer and more tone. My abs are eh, so-so, but what is severely scaring me is that NOTHING is fitting me anymore. I can hardly get the pants that fit me three months ago above my CALVES! Let alone my big ol' thighs and my enormous butt. My legs and butt have never looked so abnormally large in my entire life and I feel very out of proportion.


I have been doing rushfit for three weeks and before the start of that program, I was very active, working out 45 minutes about 4 times a week. I am less concerned with "losing weight" but very concerned with maintaining my previous "size."

I know muscle weighs more than fat, I am aware. I also am aware that my body at my lowest weight, 112, which was what I was before pregnancy, was probably mostly fat with very little muscle.

I anticipated my clothes getting tighter but NEVER thought I wouldn't be able to wear clothes I fit fine in a few months ago, considering I eat so much more healthy and maintain enough calorie intake to match my workout.


Is it possible that I am gaining muscle and bulking up initially? Will the fat I know I still have eventually fall off as I continue my healthy diet and exercise plan (which I love, I might add)? Is this normal? Will I eventually become less "swollen"? Am I doing too much strength training? HELP!

I want to remain in the same clothes. I have never been an over-eater so I doubt it's my diet.


WHY AM I GAINING INCHES ALTHOUGH I WORK OUT VIGOROUSLY!! By my clothes not fitting, I don't mean they're too tight; I mean I literally can no longer get them above my calves. Please help and I woul appreciate kind and encouraging responses with good information as to why this phenomenon is happening.

norcal_yogi

bumpin...

BritneysStuntDouble

It might be a tumors, or a series of tumors. I'd see a doctor.

SofaKingRad_

bump

starjumper12

sorry, i don't have any help, but have you seen GSP's legs? AMAZING! but very huge. i seriously doubt he can wear normal clothes...

spangey13

I'm not sure how accurate this is. My sister's ex boyfriend was a bit of a know it all, and told me the reason I had big thighs and a big butt was because of the type of exercise I do. Then I was mostly playing soccer - as you can imagine, it is like 90 minutes of short bursts of sprints, so high intensity for short bursts. Perhaps your MMA is a bit like that? (Honestly, I am just speculating, I really don't know for certain).

I think that women are supposed to do lower intensity for longer to avoid bulking up, if you get my drift, rather than short bursts of high intensity.

????????

I could be totally wrong, maybe another poster can clarify?

Polly758

If you were "frail looking" before, it is possible that you're just getting some muscle on, especially with all the vigorous exercising.

If it's your skinny jeans that are the problem, and you bought them when you were scrawny, then you might want to rethink your goals. I mean, if you want to put some meat on your bones, there will be meat. You won't fit into your clothes the same way.

Do you have some before + after photos we can look at? it's hard to say otherwise.

Also your height, weight, average daily caloric intake would be useful info.

Tcherice

Uh, no "bump." Is this supposed to mean pregnancy? I am NOT pregnant, so very far from it. Hahah

Tcherice

Lol, no I do not have any tumors but that was a good suggestion! Thank you for the concern

aliez

the idea of women gaining massive amounts of muscle and bulking up isn't realistic because we don't have the hormones to do so unless you are taking steroids you aren't going to get giant legs from working out your muscles are probably puffed up and swollen because they are healing, when you work out you get microscopic little tears and afterwards your body repairs them that's how you build muscle mass. they probably just look huge to you because you are used to having very little muscle mass

Tcherice

Very true, he is a beautiful man but, the workouts aren't AS vigorous as what he normally trains like.

Cliffslosinit

I have been washing all your clothes in hot water....shrinking them sorry honey.:flowerforyou:

Tcherice

If you were "frail looking" before, it is possible that you're just getting some muscle on, especially with all the vigorous exercising.

If it's your skinny jeans that are the problem, and you bought them when you were scrawny, then you might want to rethink your goals. I mean, if you want to put some meat on your bones, there will be meat. You won't fit into your clothes the same way.

Do you have some before + after photos we can look at? it's hard to say otherwise.

Also your height, weight, average daily caloric intake would be useful info.

I am 5'1", about 120, I am guessing as I hate scales, and I eat about 1500 a day. Too much?

christabel6

Bump just means it pushes up to the top of the screen (based around the most recent answer) so more people see it and you have a better chance of getting responses.

Agree with the other poster who suggested if you didn't have much muscle mass this might all be a bit of a shock. You might want to balance out the CV exercise with some pilates to strengthen and lengthen the muscles without gaining bulk.

Pixi_Rex

Buy bigger clothes.

Teysa

I don't really think you were all fat and no muscle as you are within the healthy range of BMI as well as weight.

It can be that it's muscle actually appearing there because of the type of exercise you are doing. If you feel something is wrong try talking to a trainer at a gym or a nutritionist, or even your doctor

Mcfatcat

Uh, no "bump." Is this supposed to mean pregnancy? I am NOT pregnant, so very far from it. Hahah

They were "bumping" your post... meaning helping it get attention so it doesn't sink to a different page. O.o

Tcherice

the idea of women gaining massive amounts of muscle and bulking up isn't realistic because we don't have the hormones to do so unless you are taking steroids you aren't going to get giant legs from working out your muscles are probably puffed up and swollen because they are healing, when you work out you get microscopic little tears and afterwards your body repairs them that's how you build muscle mass. they probably just look huge to you because you are used to having very little muscle mass

You should see my legs.....of course I do not take steroids. I wouldn't say I have always had low muscle mass, I have always been a runner and very active in the gym. It wasn't until I started Rushfit that I have noticed a very significantly strange change in my size, NOT my weight. I am not concerned with muscle weight gain, it happens.

Pixi_Rex

Uh, no "bump." Is this supposed to mean pregnancy? I am NOT pregnant, so very far from it. Hahah

They were "bumping" your post... meaning helping it get attention so it doesn't sink to a different page. O.o

BUMP=


Bring
Up
My
Post

Tcherice

Bump just means it pushes up to the top of the screen (based around the most recent answer) so more people see it and you have a better chance of getting responses.

Agree with the other poster who suggested if you didn't have much muscle mass this might all be a bit of a shock. You might want to balance out the CV exercise with some pilates to strengthen and lengthen the muscles without gaining bulk.

Hahah! Oh my GOD, I feel like an idiot! This makes more sense. I should've known from my extensive love of Reddit!!! Lol!!

Tcherice

Uh, no "bump." Is this supposed to mean pregnancy? I am NOT pregnant, so very far from it. Hahah

They were "bumping" your post... meaning helping it get attention so it doesn't sink to a different page. O.o

BUMP=


Bring
Up
My
Post

HAHAH! I definitely slapped myself in the face after that one :P sadly, I have bumped many posts before on other sites and had no idea that it would be applicable here -_-

marycmeadows

if you could wear skinny jeans in the first place, you should be doing squats to build up some leg muscles!

chances are you were too small to begin with (and you were probably skinny fat) and now you're building musccle, and the fat will fall off eventually.

Tcherice

Buy bigger clothes.

Not the issue. I want to know WHY this is happening.

Tcherice

if you could wear skinny jeans in the first place, you should be doing squats to build up some leg muscles!

chances are you were too small to begin with (and you were probably skinny fat) and now you're building musccle, and the fat will fall off eventually.

Ah! This makes sense! That's what I was trying to say but didn't know how to word it. Is it possible that i will build muscle initially BEFORE I see fat loss?

Polly758

If you were "frail looking" before, it is possible that you're just getting some muscle on, especially with all the vigorous exercising.

If it's your skinny jeans that are the problem, and you bought them when you were scrawny, then you might want to rethink your goals. I mean, if you want to put some meat on your bones, there will be meat. You won't fit into your clothes the same way.

Do you have some before + after photos we can look at? it's hard to say otherwise.

Also your height, weight, average daily caloric intake would be useful info.

I am 5'1", about 120, I am guessing as I hate scales, and I eat about 1500 a day. Too much?

If you really weigh 120, you could eat 2500 calories with all that exercise. But still, without seeing some photos I don't know what to tell you.

Tcherice

I'm not sure how accurate this is. My sister's ex boyfriend was a bit of a know it all, and told me the reason I had big thighs and a big butt was because of the type of exercise I do. Then I was mostly playing soccer - as you can imagine, it is like 90 minutes of short bursts of sprints, so high intensity for short bursts. Perhaps your MMA is a bit like that? (Honestly, I am just speculating, I really don't know for certain).

I think that women are supposed to do lower intensity for longer to avoid bulking up, if you get my drift, rather than short bursts of high intensity.

????????

I could be totally wrong, maybe another poster can clarify?

It is very possible! The exercise is centered around high intensity circuit training.

I just would be so disheartened to have to change the workout because I love it

Tcherice

If you were "frail looking" before, it is possible that you're just getting some muscle on, especially with all the vigorous exercising.

If it's your skinny jeans that are the problem, and you bought them when you were scrawny, then you might want to rethink your goals. I mean, if you want to put some meat on your bones, there will be meat. You won't fit into your clothes the same way.

Do you have some before + after photos we can look at? it's hard to say otherwise.

Also your height, weight, average daily caloric intake would be useful info.

I am 5'1", about 120, I am guessing as I hate scales, and I eat about 1500 a day. Too much?

If you really weigh 120, you could eat 2500 calories with all that exercise. But still, without seeing some photos I don't know what to tell you.

I will gladly post photos!! My question is...how do I do that and can I embed them within this thread using iPhone web?? I am not privy to posts quite yet :P

astrampe

If you were "frail looking" before, it is possible that you're just getting some muscle on, especially with all the vigorous exercising.

If it's your skinny jeans that are the problem, and you bought them when you were scrawny, then you might want to rethink your goals. I mean, if you want to put some meat on your bones, there will be meat. You won't fit into your clothes the same way.

Do you have some before + after photos we can look at? it's hard to say otherwise.

Also your height, weight, average daily caloric intake would be useful info.

This....maybe you were just to skeleton like before.....

Tcherice

If you were "frail looking" before, it is possible that you're just getting some muscle on, especially with all the vigorous exercising.

If it's your skinny jeans that are the problem, and you bought them when you were scrawny, then you might want to rethink your goals. I mean, if you want to put some meat on your bones, there will be meat. You won't fit into your clothes the same way.

Do you have some before + after photos we can look at? it's hard to say otherwise.

Also your height, weight, average daily caloric intake would be useful info.

This....maybe you were just to skeleton like before.....

I was unhealthy in that I was probably letting my body eat of itself. I wasn't not a skeleton, I feel that for my height I was probably a normal weight.

Tcherice

If you were "frail looking" before, it is possible that you're just getting some muscle on, especially with all the vigorous exercising.

If it's your skinny jeans that are the problem, and you bought them when you were scrawny, then you might want to rethink your goals. I mean, if you want to put some meat on your bones, there will be meat. You won't fit into your clothes the same way.

Do you have some before + after photos we can look at? it's hard to say otherwise.

Also your height, weight, average daily caloric intake would be useful info.

This....maybe you were just to skeleton like before.....

Silly newbie question...how can I post a photo within the thread?

Tcherice

If you were "frail looking" before, it is possible that you're just getting some muscle on, especially with all the vigorous exercising.

If it's your skinny jeans that are the problem, and you bought them when you were scrawny, then you might want to rethink your goals. I mean, if you want to put some meat on your bones, there will be meat. You won't fit into your clothes the same way.

Do you have some before + after photos we can look at? it's hard to say otherwise.

Also your height, weight, average daily caloric intake would be useful info.

I posted before and afters in my profile pictures. The first with my shirt off is before, about 9 months ago. The last two are now which is hard for me because I work out more than I ever have before