Weights vs pounds

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Hi all, have been using fitness pal for a year and a half, I lost 37 pounds in the year, for the last year I maintained at that weight. I am a school teacher and as I am on summer hols I have been able to make the gym quite a bit more I.e. 4/5 times a week rather than 3 times. Along with this I have upped weights/ squats/ lunges etc during these gym visits. My query is this..... I have put on between 5 and 7 pounds on the scale and can't get rid of them despite watching my food. There were a few weekends away and less good eating over the hols but I factored this into my weekly eating and my extra workouts. Do people think its fat I have put on or the extra workouts? I read one forum before that muscle doesn't weigh more than fat, starting t get annoyed with it now!! Any input would be gratefully received :-).
Thanks

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  • Jynus
    Jynus Posts: 519 Member
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    Exercise can cause body to recomp, which in turn may cause weight to fluctuate, usually higher unless the exercise is nothing but low impact cardio.

    ask yourself, do you care more about looking fatter with a lower scale weight, or looker in shape, with a higher scale weight.
  • meshashesha2012
    meshashesha2012 Posts: 8,326 Member
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    are you keeping track of your measurements? that's a good way to know. especially if you're using skin calipers
  • crisanderson27
    crisanderson27 Posts: 5,343 Member
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    Hi all, have been using fitness pal for a year and a half, I lost 37 pounds in the year, for the last year I maintained at that weight. I am a school teacher and as I am on summer hols I have been able to make the gym quite a bit more I.e. 4/5 times a week rather than 3 times. Along with this I have upped weights/ squats/ lunges etc during these gym visits. My query is this..... I have put on between 5 and 7 pounds on the scale and can't get rid of them despite watching my food. There were a few weekends away and less good eating over the hols but I factored this into my weekly eating and my extra workouts. Do people think its fat I have put on or the extra workouts? I read one forum before that muscle doesn't weigh more than fat, starting t get annoyed with it now!! Any input would be gratefully received :-).
    Thanks

    First of all...muscle does weigh more than fat, and for those of you too stupid to realize that anyone with a brain recognizes that 1lb = 1lb...don't even bother. I didn't say 1lb of muscle weighs more than 1lb of fat. Reading comprehension...get some.

    (Sorry to the OP for the anticipatory rant).

    Now...onto some clarification questions. How long did it take you to put on the extra 5-7lbs? My gut instinct tells me that it's glycogen storage from your extra workouts. The more you demand of your body, the more it anticipates future demands, and it stores the fuel to do so in your liver and muscles, in the form of glycogen and water. Diet won't change this. Being lazy...will.

    If I were you, I'd pick up an AccuMeasure off Amazon for like $4. It's cheap, and even if it's not medically accurate, it's something you can use to track your own bodyfat (changes) quickly, easily...and most importantly...repeatably. The 3 or 7 step methods may be more accurate in the hands of a professional, but this is more than fine for most of us...and the built in repeatability is the key to its usefulness.
  • dids6457
    dids6457 Posts: 5
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    Hi all, have been using fitness pal for a year and a half, I lost 37 pounds in the year, for the last year I maintained at that weight. I am a school teacher and as I am on summer hols I have been able to make the gym quite a bit more I.e. 4/5 times a week rather than 3 times. Along with this I have upped weights/ squats/ lunges etc during these gym visits. My query is this..... I have put on between 5 and 7 pounds on the scale and can't get rid of them despite watching my food. There were a few weekends away and less good eating over the hols but I factored this into my weekly eating and my extra workouts. Do people think its fat I have put on or the extra workouts? I read one forum before that muscle doesn't weigh more than fat, starting t get annoyed with it now!! Any input would be gratefully received :-).
    Thanks

    First of all...muscle does weigh more than fat, and for those of you too stupid to realize that anyone with a brain recognizes that 1lb = 1lb...don't even bother. I didn't say 1lb of muscle weighs more than 1lb of fat. Reading comprehension...get some.

    (Sorry to the OP for the anticipatory rant).

    Now...onto some clarification questions. How long did it take you to put on the extra 5-7lbs? My gut instinct tells me that it's glycogen storage from your extra workouts. The more you demand of your body, the more it anticipates future demands, and it stores the fuel to do so in your liver and muscles, in the form of glycogen and water. Diet won't change this. Being lazy...will.

    If I were you, I'd pick up an AccuMeasure off Amazon for like $4. It's cheap, and even if it's not medically accurate, it's something you can use to track your own bodyfat (changes) quickly, easily...and most importantly...repeatably. The 3 or 7 step methods may be more accurate in the hands of a professional, but this is more than fine for most of us...and the built in repeatability is the key to its usefulness.

    It happened over 4-5 weeks, these were the weeks I got my holidays and started the extra workouts, I didn't change my workouts but I did my speed and add weights etc.
    As for the poster who suggested which is better.....scale or body, I totally think body, but as a previously overweight person I'm anxious when the scale goes up as much as it has in the last two months.
    Thanks for the opinions guys :smile: