Is it muscle or fat?

jdp21
jdp21 Posts: 155 Member
edited September 21 in Health and Weight Loss
Okay, so, here's the deal. I exercised for about a month or two straight doing strictly cardio. Too afraid to lift weights. Went from 215 to 198.5. Now, I started doing weights again on Wednesday of last week. My eating habits have not changed (other than having more smoothies). In the brief time that I've started, I have gone from a lowest weight of 198.5 to around 204.5. And yes, I have been weighing myself first thing in the morning, before eating/drinking/shower, and after using the bathroom.

My concern is this: is it fat or is it possibly me gaining muscle? The reason I wonder is because I am a bit shocked that I could have gone up in weight so fast for either reason in such a short time. Since Wednesday, I have worked out my chest, triceps, biceps, shoulders and quads.

Any insight would be greatly appreciated. I would like to hear "muscle" as the answer. Haha.

Replies

  • kwardklinck
    kwardklinck Posts: 1,601
    If your muscles are sore, they're holding water. This is your body's way of protecting them. When you get used to the exercise, the water will go away. I had the same thing happen at the beginning of my weight loss and any time I started a new exercise. Just stick with it, you're doing great.
  • jdp21
    jdp21 Posts: 155 Member
    Ah I see. Interesting. I never really knew that water had anything to do with it. I mean, I knew that the muscle tissue tore and the body is at work on repairing it, but I didn't know it was water that's doing this.

    Thank you! :-) I am glad I got back to lifting weights again, especially after all I've read and been told about it. I figure, until I plateau, it'll help me move right along in burning off fat. The funny thing is now that I've started doing weights, I HATE cardio!
  • kwardklinck
    kwardklinck Posts: 1,601
    I freaked out when it happened to me. At the beginning of my "lifestyle change", I was losing inches everywhere and my pants were getting loose but the scale didn't budge. About 3-4 weeks into it, the weight started coming off. I'd read an article that talked about how your body holds water in the muscles to protect them. It all made sense to me at the time. Since you've been exercising, it probably won't take as long for your body to get used to the weights. When I started running (after doing aerobics only for a few months), it only stalled my weight loss for about a week or two.
  • de1amo
    de1amo Posts: 266 Member
    if i remember correctly in the first couple of weeks of any diet you naturally lose lots of fluid -when your were doing cardio did you drink lots of fluids to equalise this loss--i find my weight can vary about 3 lbs depending on my intake of water--one glass of water weighes about .6 of a lb so the 8 you drink here can weigh 4lbs odd.
    Also for some reason i weigh more first thing and it is not until lunch time and all my bodily functions have expelled the food from the day before--i weigh lightest at lunchtime with just normal fluid intake---not in the books but works for me
  • kdiamond
    kdiamond Posts: 3,329 Member
    Agreed with above - your muscles are retaining water. Keep at it! Weight training is so much more beneficial than cardio for sculpting a nice body. You also may need to up your protein to feed your muscles.
  • jdp21
    jdp21 Posts: 155 Member
    I've been aware of the protein thing. I was a bit disappointed yesterday because when I got home from the gym, I had no groceries and couldn't give myself the protein that I desperately needed. Haha. I typically have smoothies with whey powder in them. I'm not sure how much protein is required, though. It's all tricky.

    Also, yes, when I did cardio I drank a lot of water. I still do, really.

    I also guess that one thing I should have mentioned that the stint where I did all this cardio was October/November. I took quite a break. I still went to the gym, but it was not nearly as frequent.
  • de1amo
    de1amo Posts: 266 Member
    there are places that tell you how many kilos of muscle a dedicated weight trainer gains in a month--someone quoted me about 2lbs a month when you start. it tails off as you get more muscular.
    muscle also makes you BMR faster and help you burn fat more quickly--water also improves the rate by 3pc if you take the correct amount--i am not so sure about 8 glasses a day as recommended because if your training hard you will typical need a 1,5 litre bottle for about 2 hours cardio and weights--i tend to mix my routine up daiily--i do weights every other day and cardio each time i go to the gym with swimming on my no weights day
  • Jennili7
    Jennili7 Posts: 50
    Another thing I've heard is that muscle weighs more than fat so when you start building muscle your weight (in theory) should increase. Once you build the muscle up your body will burn more muscle to maintain those muscles so the weight should start to drop.
  • jdp21
    jdp21 Posts: 155 Member
    Yeah, I read somewhere that every lb of muscle requires 50 calories to function, so the more muscle one has, the more calories that are being burnt without having to actually exercise. And I've also heard that you continue to burn calories after weight-lifting unlike with cardio.
  • de1amo
    de1amo Posts: 266 Member
    they burn for about 45mins after you stop but dont eat during that time--that was told to me by a dietician.---i had a full body analysis when i started my gym and it told me my body fat and muscle dimensions--i was average muscle for my age but carried 27pc too much fat--and there was me thinking i was well muscled
  • questionablemethods
    questionablemethods Posts: 2,174 Member
    The funny thing is now that I've started doing weights, I HATE cardio!

    Heh. Meeeee too!

    I still do it, but I don't really like it as much as resistance work. If you are looking for a way to kill two birds with one stone, you should look into high intensity interval training with bodyweight. I know Men's Health published a popular circuit workout called the "Spartacus Workout" that uses mostly bodyweight (and maybe some dumbbells) and I do a lot of workouts inspired by Bodyrock.tv. I still do some steady-state cardio, but doing high intensity circuits seems to have really helped my metabolism--and they are just plain FUN!

    Best of luck!
  • de1amo
    de1amo Posts: 266 Member
    about the most interesting cardio machine for me is the rowing machine because it uses resistance and burns calories quickly--funny how few people use it at my 'gluttonus' gym!!
  • questionablemethods
    questionablemethods Posts: 2,174 Member
    about the most interesting cardio machine for me is the rowing machine because it uses resistance and burns calories quickly--funny how few people use it at my 'gluttonus' gym!!

    Yes! It is probably my favorite piece of cardio equipment at the gym and it is always available!
  • de1amo
    de1amo Posts: 266 Member
    my wife does 30 minutes straight off with a 5 setting--the gym instructeress are shocked because they cant do that lol--i live in turkey where people are most un-atheletic--my wife use to play loads of tennis and has extra strong legs and arms--i do 3 sets of 10 minutes between spurts on the bike--and strangely there is never a queue for the rowing lol
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