Gaining weight NOT inches?!

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heatherisdope
heatherisdope Posts: 8 Member
in Health and Weight Loss
I have fairly recently (4-5 weeks) ago uped my calorie intake from 1200 to 1600 after I calculated my TDEE and BMR. I have since gained 7lbs! This obviously does not make me feel good. I have also been doing more strength training then cardio, which I wasn't doing before. I took my measurements are they are exactly the same as before. My clothes also fit the same but I feel like I look fatter, I don't know if it's in my head from seeing it on the scale or not. I am 5'5 and 141 where as before I was at 134. Why is this happening and how do I make it stop?!

Replies

  • AmykinsCatfood
    AmykinsCatfood Posts: 599 Member
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    Could be water retention in your muscles from the strength training, or a higher sodium diet. It's likely that if you drink more water the weight will go away.
  • jacksonpt
    jacksonpt Posts: 10,413 Member
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    Measurements are the same.
    Clothes fit the same.

    But you feel like you look fatter? Yea, it's in your head. Put the scale away for a few months.

    .
  • mdhummel
    mdhummel Posts: 201 Member
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    Sounds like you are gaining muscle which is a good thing! It could be possible that you increased your calories a little too much? It would be worth reducing your calorie intake by 100 calories for a week to see if makes a difference.
  • rosemary98
    rosemary98 Posts: 632
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    the scale can have a strong influence. if you see those number increase (which they likely should if you are gaining more muscle), you head might automatically say weight=fat. that can skew what you see in the mirror. maybe stay off the scale and go by how clothes fit and measurements alone.
  • jacksonpt
    jacksonpt Posts: 10,413 Member
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    OP said she's up 7 lbs in 4-5 weeks. People... that's NOT muscle, stop telling her it is.
  • rosemary98
    rosemary98 Posts: 632
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    OP said she's up 7 lbs in 4-5 weeks. People... that's NOT muscle, stop telling her it is.

    how much should one expect to gain in muscle in 4-5 weeks. (let's assume a couple pounds is normal fluctuation).
  • erickirb
    erickirb Posts: 12,293 Member
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    Water weight could be from changing your routine, or with an increase in cals, most likely and increase in glycogen stores, which retains water.
  • TavistockToad
    TavistockToad Posts: 35,719 Member
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    Measurements are the same.
    Clothes fit the same.

    But you feel like you look fatter? Yea, it's in your head. Put the scale away for a few months.

    this!

    you are a healthy weight for your height anyway, so you just want to lose a bit of bodyfat... ignore the scales and carry on with your lifting with a small deficit and you will get the results you want.
  • TavistockToad
    TavistockToad Posts: 35,719 Member
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    OP said she's up 7 lbs in 4-5 weeks. People... that's NOT muscle, stop telling her it is.

    how much should one expect to gain in muscle in 4-5 weeks. (let's assume a couple pounds is normal fluctuation).

    0.5lb of muscle if you're lucky

    ETA by lucky i mean eating in a surplus, good lifting routine, enough protein etc etc
  • erickirb
    erickirb Posts: 12,293 Member
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    OP said she's up 7 lbs in 4-5 weeks. People... that's NOT muscle, stop telling her it is.

    how much should one expect to gain in muscle in 4-5 weeks. (let's assume a couple pounds is normal fluctuation).

    A woman, if she is in a caloric surplus of more than 300-500 cals/day would be lucky to aid more than 1/4lb/muscle/week, maybe 1/2 if new to strength training.
  • ELCABRA
    ELCABRA Posts: 50 Member
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    I know for a fact that initially when you start to weight train there is a lil bump in weight, i am thinking due to the increased cals necessary to recovery properly. But hang in there as your body adapts the weight will come off and your toned lean muscle mass will show. It is not uncommon for your weight to yo yo a bit depending on the cycle and intensity of weights. My wife had a very hard time getting unhooked from the scale and to focus on the mirror to gauge progress. We actually put the damn thing under the bed for a lil over a month and half because she was sooo hooked on gauging progress in pounds. As she has been at it a while now she has noticed the massive benefits of lifting weights both physically and mentally, and the scale is merely for point of reference and not the holy grail it once was. Hang in there momma and give yourself and your body a chance to adapt.
  • jacksonpt
    jacksonpt Posts: 10,413 Member
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    OP said she's up 7 lbs in 4-5 weeks. People... that's NOT muscle, stop telling her it is.

    how much should one expect to gain in muscle in 4-5 weeks. (let's assume a couple pounds is normal fluctuation).

    I think .5lb per month is a reasonable baseline number, but there are so many factors that it's hard to say for sure. A calorie deficit will slow gains, genetics play a role, routine is a big factor, etc.

    And normal weight fluctuations are often closer to 5lbs, and can be more than that.
  • jacksonpt
    jacksonpt Posts: 10,413 Member
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    OP said she's up 7 lbs in 4-5 weeks. People... that's NOT muscle, stop telling her it is.

    how much should one expect to gain in muscle in 4-5 weeks. (let's assume a couple pounds is normal fluctuation).

    A woman, if she is in a caloric surplus of more than 300-500 cals/day would be lucky to aid more than 1/4lb/muscle/week, maybe 1/2 if new to strength training.

    per week?
  • Rosannajo88
    Rosannajo88 Posts: 212 Member
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    Are you eating back your exercise cals, is 1600 cals your NET? You might need to open your diary so we can have a little nosy.

    If your clothes fit the same and you have not gained any inches then the fatter you in the mirror is in your head, scales can play horrible tricks like that.

    Put the scale away but carry on measuring inches for the next couple of weeks.


    Good luck xx
  • mmapags
    mmapags Posts: 8,934 Member
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    OP said she's up 7 lbs in 4-5 weeks. People... that's NOT muscle, stop telling her it is.

    how much should one expect to gain in muscle in 4-5 weeks. (let's assume a couple pounds is normal fluctuation).

    A pound or 2 tops! And that's assuming doing everything perfectly. Adequate protein, rest, and training. That also would mean eating in a surplus and not a deficit. She didn't gain 6lbs of muscle. Heck, even a man, with the anabolic benefits of testosterone and doing everything perfectly wouldn't accomplish that. It's mostly glycogen/ water.
  • sarahertzberger
    sarahertzberger Posts: 534 Member
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    Measurements are the same.
    Clothes fit the same.

    But you feel like you look fatter? Yea, it's in your head. Put the scale away for a few months.

    .

    I agree, just get rid of the scale, take the batteries out if you have to but just don't step on it, keep working and then check measurements after a month.
  • BusyRaeNOTBusty
    BusyRaeNOTBusty Posts: 7,166 Member
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    Water/glycogen retention. It would also make you feel "fatter". I feel "fatter" in the evenings than I do in the mornings.
  • taiyola
    taiyola Posts: 964 Member
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    I took my measurements are they are exactly the same as before. My clothes also fit the same

    Sorry, but what is the issue here? These threads are so infuriating.

    Would you prefer to gain a dress size but lose weight?!

    :grumble:
  • erickirb
    erickirb Posts: 12,293 Member
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    OP said she's up 7 lbs in 4-5 weeks. People... that's NOT muscle, stop telling her it is.

    how much should one expect to gain in muscle in 4-5 weeks. (let's assume a couple pounds is normal fluctuation).

    A woman, if she is in a caloric surplus of more than 300-500 cals/day would be lucky to aid more than 1/4lb/muscle/week, maybe 1/2 if new to strength training.

    per week?

    If they are lucky (diet and routine all in order along with good genetics), most likely gains in muscle will be less.
  • emilydinah
    emilydinah Posts: 10
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    I have experienced a similar phenomenon: I didn't up my caloric intake, but I did incorporate interval training several times a week. After about two months of this, I gained a little weight, but my measurements remained the same. However, when this has happened to me, I didn't continue to gain. I tend stay somewhere between 118-125 (125 being the heaviest.) I know it's hard, but my advice is to put the scale away for a few weeks. If your diet and exercise are reasonable, don't change anything. Weigh yourself again in a few weeks. Chances are, you will find that you don not continue to gain. Hang in there!

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