Gaining muscle or fat?
kayleyfc
Posts: 3 Member
Hi everyone,
I've been on a 1,520 calories/day diet for about two weeks without having any weight loss. This is while eating my exercise calories. I read the "TOPIC: For those confused or questioning "Eating your exercise calories" thread but am hoping for some more personalized advice.
I burn about 1,000 calories/day by cycling (I replaced my chair with an exercise bike about two weeks ago and so I cycle constantly for hours.) This means that, while including exercise calories, I eat 2,300-2,500 calories a day. I'm wondering if this is contributing to my problem. However, when I didn't eat exercise calories, I would get really dizzy and even had to go to a doctor. She's the one who advised me to eat the calories I'd burned, since at that point I'd been eating net 800 calories (I was eating 1,800/day - 1,000 calories exercise.)
So, here's the problem: I weigh myself twice a week and so far haven't had much progress. These are my measurements:
02/20: 178lb (yep, I gained 3lb in my first week >_<)
02/24: 175lb (back to my starting weight...)
02/27: 176.5lb (ugh...)
This has been very frustrating for me. I'm hoping to lost 20lb by June 9, but I don't seem to be on the path to doing that.
My hypothesis is this: I'm losing lbs of fat, but gaining lbs of muscle. I mean, I am cycling for hours everyday now and eating a good amount of protein. It would be understandable if I gained some muscle from that, and I've heard that muscle weighs more than fat. I wouldn't mind this so much since my main goal is to be healthy. However, how can I measure this? How can I know that I'm gaining muscle instead of fat?
I see definition in my body, but that could be all in my head. It's hard to tell from observing gradually, rather than all at once.
Additionally, I know that my eating can be improved and I am working on it. My problem in that regard is that I basically am never hungry for anything other than dessert. I am trying to reduce my dessert intake, but it's been difficult because it's the only food I ever crave. However, maybe I'll be able to succeed in reducing my consumption of such unhealthy food and the problem will be fixed automatically. I have considered going to the 1,260/day calorie intake because it might convince me that I don't have room in my diet for desserts. Right now, I can eat the desserts and still be withing my normal calorie range.
Anyway, I know this is a long post. Thank you for reading. I'm sorry if this is in the wrong section; let me know if I should post it elsewhere. These are my main two questions:
1) Is there a way to measure if I'm gaining lbs of muscle vs fat?
2) Should I go down to the 1,260calories/day plan in order to lose 20lb by June 9?
I've been on a 1,520 calories/day diet for about two weeks without having any weight loss. This is while eating my exercise calories. I read the "TOPIC: For those confused or questioning "Eating your exercise calories" thread but am hoping for some more personalized advice.
I burn about 1,000 calories/day by cycling (I replaced my chair with an exercise bike about two weeks ago and so I cycle constantly for hours.) This means that, while including exercise calories, I eat 2,300-2,500 calories a day. I'm wondering if this is contributing to my problem. However, when I didn't eat exercise calories, I would get really dizzy and even had to go to a doctor. She's the one who advised me to eat the calories I'd burned, since at that point I'd been eating net 800 calories (I was eating 1,800/day - 1,000 calories exercise.)
So, here's the problem: I weigh myself twice a week and so far haven't had much progress. These are my measurements:
02/20: 178lb (yep, I gained 3lb in my first week >_<)
02/24: 175lb (back to my starting weight...)
02/27: 176.5lb (ugh...)
This has been very frustrating for me. I'm hoping to lost 20lb by June 9, but I don't seem to be on the path to doing that.
My hypothesis is this: I'm losing lbs of fat, but gaining lbs of muscle. I mean, I am cycling for hours everyday now and eating a good amount of protein. It would be understandable if I gained some muscle from that, and I've heard that muscle weighs more than fat. I wouldn't mind this so much since my main goal is to be healthy. However, how can I measure this? How can I know that I'm gaining muscle instead of fat?
I see definition in my body, but that could be all in my head. It's hard to tell from observing gradually, rather than all at once.
Additionally, I know that my eating can be improved and I am working on it. My problem in that regard is that I basically am never hungry for anything other than dessert. I am trying to reduce my dessert intake, but it's been difficult because it's the only food I ever crave. However, maybe I'll be able to succeed in reducing my consumption of such unhealthy food and the problem will be fixed automatically. I have considered going to the 1,260/day calorie intake because it might convince me that I don't have room in my diet for desserts. Right now, I can eat the desserts and still be withing my normal calorie range.
Anyway, I know this is a long post. Thank you for reading. I'm sorry if this is in the wrong section; let me know if I should post it elsewhere. These are my main two questions:
1) Is there a way to measure if I'm gaining lbs of muscle vs fat?
2) Should I go down to the 1,260calories/day plan in order to lose 20lb by June 9?
0
Replies
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Take your measurements! Waist, legs, arms, neck. everything. That's how you can tell.
Also, you're probably gaining muscle, but not too much muscle. Muscle doesn't build up so fast in large quantities, except if you're really a beginner, which might be the case. And if that is so, muscle gain will stall soon.
You might try buying one of those scales that gives you the fat percentage. They're not completely accurate, but I use mine as a trend indicator. I know there's an error in the percentage it gives me, but assume the error is constant, and can still see if the body fat percentage is going down or going up.0 -
Yeah, measure with a measuring tape. If you are getting smaller, don't worry about the scale. You won't gain much muscle while losing fat, but you can gain strength and lose inches.
And if you weigh often you should expect fluctuations. That's natural. But if you are consistently not seeing a loss after a few weeks, then you should probably drop your calories a little.0 -
Muscles can also retain water to use for repair when you exercise more than your body is used to.
Also, you will probably need more than 2 weeks to see results when you're exercising a lot and frequently readjusting calories.
To gain muscle, you need to be eating in surplus of your TDEE.0 -
You don't need to exercise for hours to lose weight... It's quality not quantity!0
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Very common misconception around here...and people will even TELL you that this is the case. Its unlikely, but if you're doing strength training, its possible that you have some slight muscle gains (probably not 'pounds' though).My hypothesis is this: I'm losing lbs of fat, but gaining lbs of muscle. I mean,
Try taking measurements, and honestly, just give it time to see success on the scale. "About two weeks" is not long enough to be frustrated at this point. June is still a ways off, and if you stick to it, you can probably lose 20 lbs (or close to it) by then....0 -
Muscles can also retain water to use for repair when you exercise more than your body is used to.
Also, you will probably need more than 2 weeks to see results when you're exercising a lot and frequently readjusting calories.
To gain muscle, you need to be eating in surplus of your TDEE.
This. You have likely lost some fat - and maybe even some muscle, if you're doing cardio - but are simply retaining water.0 -
Agree with the thread that 2 weeks is not enough time to see results and weighing yourself 2x per week is too much. Relax, keep up the cardio (Good Job!) and perhaps reduce calories to ~2200 for a good pace of weight loss. 1 lb per week is healthy. You didn't get overweight over night, so don't expect to lose it overnight either.
Also, I would invest in a cheap body fat caliper (Fat tracker II is the one that I use, about $25) Those BFP scales are +/- 10% off and not worth it.
Good luck on your journey and I hope that you are able to change your lifestyle for the long haul.0 -
Take your measurements! Waist, legs, arms, neck. everything. That's how you can tell.
Also, you're probably gaining muscle, but not too much muscle. Muscle doesn't build up so fast in large quantities, except if you're really a beginner, which might be the case. And if that is so, muscle gain will stall soon.
You might try buying one of those scales that gives you the fat percentage. They're not completely accurate, but I use mine as a trend indicator. I know there's an error in the percentage it gives me, but assume the error is constant, and can still see if the body fat percentage is going down or going up.
I would use a fat analyzer also to measure trend. I measure once every week on the same day as soon as i wake up( after i use the bathroom since i heard that can mess up the measurements). I bought the one that measures using your hands compared to your feet. My hands tend to stay the same moisture level while my feet can get dry and mess up the measurements( dry skin is less conductive)0 -
...also a pound of muscle weighs as much as a pound of fat (or feathers, or rocks). It just takes up less space. It is 3x more DENSE than fat, so as you build muscle your clothes will fit better. That measurement beats using a scale any day.0
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A few weeks is not enough time to see results. Your muscles retain water when you exercise or switch up your normal routine. Your body has a lot of reasons why a loss won't show on the scale.
Unfortunately, if you are eating at a calorie deficit you are not gaining muscle. You will most likely be losing some muscle as we all do on a deficit.
Why are you cycling for hours a day? You don't need to in order to lose weight.
Ensure you are eating fresh, minimally processed foods and drinking enough water while not allowing your deficit to be too large.0 -
let us do the math here....1lb=1lb no matter what the matter is to gain 3+lbs of muscle in less then a week is unlikely...ok impossible. My guess is it's water weight i would weigh yourself less then twice a week.0
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Fluid.0
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Cardio burns fat..... with proper form.
Weight lifting creates muscles and burn fats (all the time).
You need to eat well and never go under.... Small meals more often.
It will activate your system to burn everything.
Drink water....a lot
Eat lots of protein, medium carbs, low fat, low sugar, low salt.
It should help.
Oh and like many said before....Scale don't tell you crap!...doesn't count the bones,structure,water and muscles..
So take a measuring tape and measure yourself..... This is the best best best way!
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Doesn't really add up to me... there is no reason to be cycling for hours upon hours in a day.... 60 minutes is just fine most likely. I would focus more on your eating habits, and accurately measuring/weighing everything. Get plenty of water and rest. Also doing something other than just cycling may help. A few weeks is really not a great indicator, give it 3-4 more and then re-evaluate.0
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Quote: "However, when I didn't eat exercise calories, I would get really dizzy and even had to go to a doctor"
I get this as well! It's really frustrating. Diffrerent things work for different people, but I've found a couple of ways round it. One way round it is to exercise first thing in the morning (sucks getting up early but then it's done!). I used to just assume that I wouldn't have the energy to get up and go for a run first thing, or I'd be too hungry, but when I tried it it was no problem at all - just have a big glass of water first or take water with you so you rehydrate after your night's sleep. Another thing to try is if you have to exercise near the end of the day, after work for example, have a small snack (small 30g bag of dried apricots / small banana) about 20 min before beginning exercise - it's not enough to cause you problems like a stitch etc and is quick release energy to give you the buzz to get going. It's between 50-100 calories, so easy to incorporate into your daily goals and you'll probably burn far more than that with whatever exercise you do, and won't then feel the need to eat back all your exercise calories.
I've only been with MFP 2 weeks, but I have lost 2lb in the first week and my jeans are hanging a lot looser so I hope I'll have lost more when I'm next due to weigh myself in 2 days time. I'm really hoping it isn't beginner's luck! When I joined, I was already active (walk 3 miles each day to and from work, run 4 times a week) but had been struggling with my weight for about 2 years and realised it must be down to eating too much - I ate healthily but my appetite is huge and I reward myself with food, so every time I'd do some exercise I'd overeat afterwards "because I earned it". I decided at the start that for the first month I would try really hard NOT to eat back my exercise calories as I think that having this mindset is what's been stopping me lose weight before joining. First week hasn't been too bad but if I end up feeling weak / dizzy / getting injured I'll rethink it.
I'm no expert, but maybe you need to exercise smarter, not harder? Your body's probably adjusted to the constant background effort of being on the bike, and I've seen lots of theory in fitness magazines that your bidy gets used to exercise or diet if it's the same all the time, and you need to change it up to keep getting results. Try a beginners couch-5k running programme maybe, or build in some high-intensity intervals? Or get on the bike outside where you'll be forced to react to gradeient / headwinds and expend more energy? As I said, I know I'm not an expert, but trying a different approach may kick-start things for you.
Good luck, don't give up! xx0 -
let us do the math here....1lb=1lb no matter what the matter is to gain 3+lbs of muscle in less then a week is unlikely...ok impossible. My guess is it's water weight i would weigh yourself less then twice a week.
true... to gain lean muscle mass takes LONG LONG TIME!
to get the natural and healthy no steroid way i mean...0 -
I'm in agreement with some of the other posters - unless you're training for the tour de france cycling for hours is not necessary for weight loss. Plus - if this is just sedately pedaling while at your desk working you're probably over estimating the calorie burn. My advice - schedule an hour in your free time and work out in the proper setting like it's no one's business!!!
Also LOG LOG LOG every single bit you eat. Log honestly, accurately and consistently!
Give yourself more than 2 weeks to see results!0 -
You will not gain pounds of muscle of in 2 weeks0
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I wouldn't go that low. Just have to give it more time. Focus more on what the tape measure says and a bit less on the scale. You probably are gaining muscle but you won't really be able to tell unless you keep going. Keep at it and go easy on the biking. Just eat right and move everyday0
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You will not gain pounds of muscle of in 2 weeks
^^^^^^This This This!!! If only it was that easy to gain muscle in just 2 weeks. We'd all look amazing!0 -
Thanks for the replies, everyone!
Alright, I think we're at a consensus that I didn't gain muscle. :P The definition I noticed must have been from before I started doing this. I've never had problems exercising; I've been going to the gym (both cardio and weight-training) 3-4 times a week for the past five years until this January, when a string of crimes in the area made me feel too unsafe to go there. I'm also an avid tennis player, but unfortunately the rain in Seattle doesn't let me play often around this time of year.
As for why I cycle so much: the exercise bike has replaced my chair, so if I want to do work at my desk, I need to be sitting in the exercise bike. I bought the bike because I have three main occupations: student, desk receptionist, and writer. All three occupations require copious amounts of sitting. I heard that sitting so much can be detrimental to future health, so I wanted to get the bike in order to reduce the risk of diseases later in life.
Because it's replaced my chair, I have to sit in it in order to use my desk, which I reorganized to be used with the exercise bike. And when I'm on the exercise bike, it's more comfortable for me to cycle than to not cycle.
I do both the low-intensity while-I'm-working-on-other-things cycling and the high-intensity workout cycling. The high-intensity workouts include weight training intervals for my arms using dumbbells. I've been counting both styles since that's what the machine says, but maybe I should only count it if I do the high-intensity workouts? The low-intensity burns about 1,000 calories in 5 hours, while the high-intensity burns about 1,000 calories in an hour and a half. These differences are taken into account when I record calories, but perhaps that's not enough to be accurate.
I think I might switch to the 1,260 calorie plan on here to account for this difference. That way, if I'm only burning 500 calories even though the machine says 1,000, it won't cause me to gain weight. I've also devised a plan to reduce sugar intake which I will put into place starting tomorrow. Honestly, eating has always been my biggest enemy when it comes to weight gain.
Part of me is also worried about hormones. I gained this weight concurrently with my development of hypothyroidism. I'm currently on medication for it, but I'm still experiencing other symptoms of hypothyroidism, so perhaps there is still something wrong. In that case, it may also impact my weight because hypothyroidism causes weight gain. I also have fibromyalgia, which causes even more complications, although they aren't directly related to weight gain, just fatigue and pain. Stupid health problems. >_< I guess I should just be glad I don't have anything worse, though.
Anyway, it seems like the best option is to just stay the course for the most part, since a lot of you said it's too early to tell if it's working.
I'll start measuring myself with a measuring tape. I'll also try to play tennis more when it's sunny to differentiate my workouts, but it's hard to know when it'll be sunny here. :P I can't run because I have bad knees and because I don't feel safe in my neighborhood when it's dark (which is the only time I would be able to run.) My apartment is too small to do any home workouts aside from on my bike; I literally have a space about 3-feet wide to maneuver in and that's it (it's a ridiculously small studio.) And as I said above, I don't feel safe going to the gym anymore, since I'd have to go when it's dark.
Again, thanks for the replies everyone! I'll wait and see how my progress is over the next few weeks.0 -
Definitely measure!! Be consistent. Always the same time. I've been advised to only weigh and measure a max of once a week. You'll get yourself stressed over it and that does NOT help you lose weight. You might even gain. Anyway, pick a day to measure and weigh. I weigh and measure every Sunday morning as soon as I get up and use the restroom. I measure my Neck, Waist, Hips, Chest, Arms (L) & (R), Thighs (L) & (R). I've even added those into MFP under weigh-in to keep track of them. I've recently found out how to calculate my BMI so I have also added that to my list. So now every Sunday I can find out where I'm at. There have been many days at the beginning where I was discouraged because the weight wasn't coming off. Was told to measure and I found a huge difference when the weight wasn't coming off! Hope this helps! Good luck to you!!
Kris0 -
Definitely measure!! Be consistent. Always the same time. I've been advised to only weigh and measure a max of once a week. You'll get yourself stressed over it and that does NOT help you lose weight. You might even gain. Anyway, pick a day to measure and weigh. I weigh and measure every Sunday morning as soon as I get up and use the restroom. I measure my Neck, Waist, Hips, Chest, Arms (L) & (R), Thighs (L) & (R). I've even added those into MFP under weigh-in to keep track of them. I've recently found out how to calculate my BMI so I have also added that to my list. So now every Sunday I can find out where I'm at. There have been many days at the beginning where I was discouraged because the weight wasn't coming off. Was told to measure and I found a huge difference when the weight wasn't coming off! Hope this helps! Good luck to you!!
Kris
Same issue myself. The scale has yet to move for me but when I took my measurements I had slimmed down. I'm this point forward relying on measurements. So I will join the rest of the crowd and tell you to breakout the measuring tape once a week.0 -
I do a lot of cycling and I do NOT use MFPs calories it calculates. It probably doubles them. Outside a good rule of thumb is 25 calories per mile on an average ride.0
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I learned the hard way that I'm unlikely to have an accurate answer to my fat/muscle ratio by using any methods at my fingertips. I was using the tape measure to track my measurements and enter them into an online calculator, which incorrectly told me I had gained muscle and lost quite a bit of fat in the past 7 weeks. So now I'm just primarily focusing on inches lost and leaving it at that.0
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