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...

Warchortle

Edit this to be more clear: You may be incorrectly estimating your TDEE through MFP. I go crazy at the gym and I don't eat back those calories, but I'm DARN sure going to eat the full amount in my BMR.

You'll see people plateau and complain even after they cut more calories nothing is happening. Increase your healthy fats and watch. Are you using a food scale, eyeballing amounts, or using a measuring cup? If you're eyeballing a tablespoon of oil here or there etc. you may not be logging your food correctly.

JAT74

Hi blobby10, I know the feeling and it's soooo frustrating. I didn't count calories before and I probably ate around 1300-1500 most days but I ate a lot more carbs and once or twice a week I had things like pastries and really unhealthy things like chocolate and crisps at weekends. I've also cut down on alcohol and I even cut out diet soda so I am a lot healthier than I was before so wish I knew what was going on.

I religiously weigh and measure everything now so this just isn't fair!

jmzz1

facing similar problem....... would like people to help out in more specific manner

JAT74

NO! I never ever 'eyeball' anything unless I am eating out and I now know how many calories are in foods now so even when eating out I try and make healthy choices. I measure and weigh everything when I'm home and calculate calories to the exact number if possible.

I do have more than a grasp on food and the types of fats I should be eating. Sorry but I do weigh and measure everything when I'm home which is 80-90% of the time and I've cut out butter, margerine and anything like that so cook with olive oil (which I measure) or none at all. I also try not to eat mayonaisse or other sauces especially sugary sauces like ketchup, bbq sauce etc.

Admittedly I do eat some 'bad' fats but I'm sorry, a lower carb diet even containing some bad animal fats should not prevent weight loss when eating at a deficit.

Alta2000

JAT74, looking at your diary and past posts, I think some of the issues are a)that you are impatient to loose the weight rapidly like loosing 10% fat in 6-8 weeks, b)continuously changing methods used and not sticking to one, c)you need to eat more fresh fruits and vegetables and less processed food-you are in Spain after all!, d)may be you are overestimating the amount of calories you burn through exercising. You are also within the ideal weight for your height, although at the upper range, and that makes it more difficult to loose weight fast compared to someone who is more distant from ideal weight range. Pick a method, above your BMR (and you are not at maintenance at your BMR, these are the calories so you can breathe and do the basic organ functions, not sedentary living), stick to it, eat more fruits/vegetables and less processed fruits, and stick to an exercise program cardio/strength training and you will see results. Just be patient and consistent.

aljeca

I'm by no means an expert but I've always understood it as:

Set your activity level to what it is WITHOUT exercise (ex: sedentary or lightly active etc, whatever yours is). MFP will calculate your TDEE and allot you a # of calories per day at a 500 calorie deficit. EAT BACK ALL YOUR EXERCISE CALS (or eat back what you can without forcing yourself to eat).

OR

Set your activity level to what it is WITH exercise (Ex: moderately active or whatever yours is based on how often you exercise). DO NOT eat back your exercise calories.

I followed the first one 2 years ago and successfully lost 15 lbs (my goal), unfortunately I stopped tracking & working out and now I'm back... LOL

Edit to add I've heard/read that if you're within 10 pounds of your goal you should aim to lose 0.5 pounds per week instead of 1

Warchortle

I just looked at your log... Why are you eating that much protein? Peak athletes might synthesize .8 grams of protein per lb of LEAN body mass. Most people are around .6 per lb of lean body mass. A lot of people assume it's 1g of protein per body weight. LBM is everything minus fat... this includes muscle, organs, tissue etc.

The only thing I can think of is 2 things. You're eating too many calories and you probably are gaining small amounts of muscle and sometimes dairy causes bloating which you consume often...

but if I'm looking at your ticker correctly you're ~140 lbs? Let's just put it this way your caloric intake should probably not be higher than mine. I'm at ~167. I think I would adjust your daily calories closer to 1550-1750 lower your protein to 100g daily.

I'm really sorry, I'm posting in a rude manner... I wish I could get some sleep, but
I know you mean well and I feel badly that I'm being an a-hole.

JAT74

Why is nobody listening?! This is not the case at all. My post about losing body fat quickly was simply to find out if it was possible that's all. I would love to lose even 2% in 8 weeks and keep it off which just hasn't happened!

Plus I am not really 'constantly' changing methods at all. As I said in a previous post in this thread when I actually sit down and look at what I've been doing for the majority of the time on here (at least 7 weeks out of the 9 I've been on here) is eating at an active TDEE -300 to 500 calories although there MAY have been one or two days a week when I was using a sedentary TDEE plus exercise calories formula when I ate at maintenance. Even accounting for this I should have lost even a little more weight so I am really confused as to what's been happening.

Regarding fresh fruit and vegetables the food in Spain I can buy here is COVERED in pesticides and will probably do me more harm than good. 90% of organic food is sold outside of Spain and there is nowhere here to buy organic where I live so I eat some vegetables and a little fruit but generally try not to overload my body with this. Plus I'm always trying to meet my protein goals so try not to eat so much fruit and veg as I don't want to go over on calories.

Also, I have been eating processed foods like sausages, ham, salami etc. due to the cost of this food compared to fresh meat/fish or canned fish as I'm on a budget but I have decided to cut right down on these foods now as I know they're bad for you but even if I ate them before I always drain off the majority of the fat from these foods using a grill or by blotting it away and I cut fat off bacon so can't see how that's the problem.

JAT74

Why is it bad to eat so much protein? I could eat less and decrease calories but I thought that with all the training I'm doing I needed more protein to help with fat loss?

I would be happy to decrease protein to 100g per day if I thought that was enough.

As for dairy, I'd also be happy to eat less but I can't seem to find protein rich foods which are as cheap. I have 1-2 protein shakes per day plus some meat/fish once or twice a day but other than dairy I don't really know what I could add that's high protein. I have nuts and eggs a lot too but can't think of any alternatives that are fairly low in carbs and are also low in calories.

By the way if you're looking at my food diary I log my exercise calories but I don't eat them back. I try and stick to around 1600 per day and around 2100 at weekends which works out to 1742 calories per day if I was to eat the same every day. That's due to being active and burning off at least 3000-3500 calories per week through working out 6-7 days.

pkw58

I keep my calories set to a sedentary lifestyle. I am in maintenance mode where I WANT to plauteau and it works better for me. I actually have found it easier to maintain (for me) with my calorie count set to lose 1/2 a pound a week. I wear a nike fuel band and log my activity most days from it. I eat back exercise calories to maintain my weight now. Not so much when I was needing to lose!

That being said, I had 1 to 8 week plateus throughout my weight loss journey in 2012 when I lost 46 pounds. I agree with the other posters - if you are within or close to within the charts for a healthy weight range, then fair warning, it just takes time. The good news is the longer it takes, the easier maintenance is.

The other side of it is I found that seeking out professional help on my weight and nutrition goals helped. If it is an option for you, sometimes working with a nutritionist or PT for an individual plan. Good luck!