Is it possible I'm putting on muscle?

JAT74

I've been a member of MFP since 2nd January and so far my results have not been at all as I'd hoped.

Admittedly I've made lots of adjustments to my diet over the period I've been using the website but I need to figure out what's going on and how I can rectify the situation because I'm really not seeing the changes I want and am feeling very unhappy about it.

For example initially I was eating very low calories for around 2-3 weeks (under 1000) and at that point I saw my first weight loss of 3 lbs which I know was probably water weight. I then increased my calories to just above my BMR (1350) but I ate back my exercise calories on top of that so there is a good chance i was eating at maintenance as a lot of days I burned off 500-800 calories hence no more weight loss for weeks and only a 1% maximum fat loss plus minimal inch loss.

After that I was really frustrated and recalculated my TDEE a couple of weeks ago based on being active as since around the 2nd week in January I have been working out 6-7 days a week and my TDEE with exercise is at least 2300-2400. I therefore re-calculated my MFP calories so that I could lose 1lb per week ie. created a deficit of at least 500 calories per day in order for this to happen. I also stopped eating back any of my exercise calories at this point and I lost another pound, bringing my total weight loss to 4lb.

My problem is now after a couple of weeks of this I've gained back 2lbs and my clothes are feeling tighter again and I don't know what's going on. During the course of being on MFP I have significantly increasted my protein intake from around 50g per day which I had previously (and higher carbs) to at least 110-140g per day and carbs generally around 100g per day.

Is it possible that I'm seeing muscle gain without losing fat? I know you are technically not able to gain muscle if you're eating at a deficit but I can't figure out what else is going on. My arms are definitely looking a little more defined and I can feel the strength in my obliques and my legs too but there is still a thick layer of fat over the muscle.

Most weeks I burn off over 3-3500 calories in exercise from doing a mixture of cardio and strength training and have been doing this now for at least 8 weeks. I feel I'm getting fitter and stronger which is great but I'm so unhappy about lack of fat loss and I really don't know what to do. I have started Insanity this week and am also now weight training twice a week too (double workout days).

I really need to lose the fat and soon otherwise I'm afraid I'll end up heavier than I started and I'll look fatter with the extra muscle. Should I drop my calories down to a significantly lower level? I am currently eating around 1850 calories per day which I calculate over the week to give me less on weekdays (around 1600) and a bit more at weekends.

Any ideas?

SamanthaClarexo

Due to the fact you're eating at a deficit - you're not gaining muscle.

It could be the fact you're working out harder, your body is retaining water to repair itself.

Don't set your heart on the scale, take measurements and measure your body fat %. You are seeing positive results, you said your arms feel leaner and you can feel the muscles in your legs?

Consistency is key - keep doing what you're doing, it sound's like you're on the right track

mbow1977

Yep, as above chances are your burning muscle if youve been eating at a deficit not burning fat so it could be water retention.

JAT74

If I was seeing significant changes in body fat or inch loss I would be ok about the scale not moving but this isn't really happening. I have only lost half an inch from my waist and an inch from my hips and I think my thighs are even bigger than before. My upper arms I'm not sure about as I didn't measure them before but they do feel a little smaller.

My body fat initially seemed to go down as much as 2% but now it seems to be almost back to where I started. I've been religiously logging my food every day and I am at a loss about what to do next. It's been over 2 months, I feel soooo frustrated and upset.

What can I do?

jasonpclement

keep your deficit very subtle, and consistent. Your body needs to regular to its incoming calories. It actually shuts certain things down when you cut your calories low, to down regulate your metabolism.

contingencyplan

If I was seeing significant changes in body fat or inch loss I would be ok about the scale not moving but this isn't really happening. I have only lost half an inch from my waist and an inch from my hips and I think my thighs are even bigger than before. My upper arms I'm not sure about as I didn't measure them before but they do feel a little smaller.

My body fat initially seemed to go down as much as 2% but now it seems to be almost back to where I started. I've been religiously logging my food every day and I am at a loss about what to do next. It's been over 2 months, I feel soooo frustrated and upset.

What can I do?

What method are you using to calculate body fat? Those electronic ones aren't accurate and will register water retention as fat as well.

JAT74

It's hardly low, it's at most 500 calories per day but if my TDEE is overestimated which is possible it's less than that in reality. I feel so frustrated I'm tempted to decrease my calories even more to rectify the situation because I can't wait around forever for something to change. I want to do the sensible thing and try and lose the fat the healthy way but I feel like all my hard work has been for nothing.

JAT74

I am using both fat calipers and two different body fat scales. One of the scales includes just measures body fat and that tells me I'm 37% but the other scale which separates water and fat seems to fluctuate between 30.5 and 32%. The calipers also tell me I'm 31.5% so I think (I hope) I'm closer to this number but even so I still have loads of fat I'd like to lose.

xidia

You need to stick with any regime for at least a month to gauge results. Pick a deficit & exercise routine, stick with it for a month and see what happens the re-evaluate.

EmmaKarney

You could calculate your TDEE based on sedentary and then eat back half to two thirds of your exercise cals?

jrompola

Due to the fact you're eating at a deficit - you're not gaining muscle.

Just wanted to point out that's wrong. You can lose weight and gain muscle at the same time while eating at deficit though you should not be at an extreme deficit which under 1000 calories would be

JAT74

My TDEE based on sedentary is around 1800 calories so 1300 would be the amount I'd need to eat in order to lose 1lb per week plus exercise calories. Even if I ate half of them back ie. 250 most days on top that would bring me to 1550-1650 and other days when I burn off 900 calories which I do some days I'd be up to 1750-1950 which is pretty much what I am actually eating now anyway by working from an active TDEE -500.

I know you need to be consistent for at least 4 weeks but I've been on MFP working out a lot for 8 weeks now at a similar intensity and eating pretty much the same number of calories bar 3-4 weeks when I MIGHT have been eating at maintenance so I am really unsure why I am not seeing changes. I am sure people who don't calculate their calories or track their calorie burns don't have these problems so why is it happening to me when I'm being so careful?

JAT74

No, I was only eating under 1000 calories for a maximun of a week and a half after first joining MFP and I wasn't exercising then either.

EmmaKarney

What are your macros?

Are you eating enough protein and drinking enough water?

JAT74

Yes as I've said in my initial post I have been eating over 100g protein per day, generally between 110-140g most days and I've significantly decreased my carb intake so that it's between 70g and at most (usually at weekends) 120g. I drink water and other drinks like green tea throughout the day, I have a water bottle with me at all times.

EmmaKarney

Sorry i should have re-read the OP.

You seems to be doing the right thing - just keep going then.

Unless you aren't accurately logging your calories and therefore possibly underestimating your intake (are you weighing everything?) then maybe your body just needs some time?

Either that or you're a special snowflake

neanderthin

No, I was only eating under 1000 calories for a maximun of a week and a half after first joining MFP and I wasn't exercising then either.

If your not exercising and specifically not doing any weight training then your not building muscle, period. You could if you did about 3 heavy lifting sessions a week. Basically if you don't use it, you lose it.

Warchortle

noobies can gain muscle in a caloric deficit, but the fact your clothes are getting tighter is a sign that it's not muscle.

You would be "leaning out" even if you were gaining muscle weight. You could have a food allergy like corn, gluten, or soy you're not aware of which is creating bloating.

JAT74

neanderthin you obviously didn't read my original post either! I am exercising enough to burn off 3500 CALORIES PER WEEK! Plus I'm weight training and have been since I started here pretty much (doing a DVD based workout) although I wasn't lifting heavy until this week, but I've now started a weights only routine and am lifting much heavier weights.

blobby10

Jat74, I will be watching this thread with interest as I'm in exactly the same boat!! Since 3rd Jan I've cut out so much rubbish - even just the chocolate and sweets I used to eat would have saved me over 3000 cals per week but I haven't seen even a pound go. I work out 5/6 days per week for 45-60 mins and they are punishing workouts for 3 of the days and just hard the other 2!

I'm just trying to decide whether to give up or to give it another 3 months which will take me to the end of June.

B x

TriShamelessly

You need to stick with any regime for at least a month to gauge results. Pick a deficit & exercise routine, stick with it for a month and see what happens the re-evaluate.

This and then some. Give the new schedule at least 3-4 weeks so your body can make its adjustments. Weight loss is not a linear process - looks a lot like a heart rate monitor if you track daily actually.

And any weight gain while eating at a deficit is not lean muscle mass. You can see better definition and you will get stronger if lifting weights while eating at a deficit. However, human physiology being what it is, you will not gain lean muscle mass while eating at a deficit. You'll simply maintain more of what you already have and burn a greater % of fat.

Best wishes for success...