Ok....Clear this up for me

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tgabmac
tgabmac Posts: 46 Member
in Health and Weight Loss
So I started the second day of January. I life heavy 3-4 days a week, do a lot of cardio 4-5 days a week 30-60 min. I eat a high protein diet, but maintain healthy carbs. I try to eat a little more than 100 grams. The first few weeks I lost about 8 pounds. Which is fantastic! However, I've been at a standstill for almost 3 weeks. Actually, it's almost going up a little everyday. Like, .1 or .2 pounds. I added swimming 4 hours a week and that still hasn't caused it to budge. HOWEVER, my inches have gone down pretty much. Such as my waist went from almost 37 inches to 32 inches as of last night. Everyone says it's muscle, it's muscle. But, other people say you can't gain muscle on a calorie deficit. And most calculations say I, as a woman who lifts the way I do, can only gain between 12-15 pounds of muscle in a year if I was going string. So max, it would only be about 2 pounds gained, but I'm on a calorie deficit so I can't gain muscle. What is it? What is the truth? Where am I going wrong then?
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Replies

  • Deestrong68
    Deestrong68 Posts: 119 Member
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    Edit:

    I gain Muscle eating less than my Recommended Calorie Intake, and on the workout days I do not eat back my Calories I Burn.


    There MFP Forum Police is that better
  • _Zardoz_
    _Zardoz_ Posts: 3,987 Member
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    Its Muscle, you can gain weight on a Calorie Deficit.
    Err No you don't build muscle in a deficit

    It's normal fluctuations because weight loss is not linear
  • ndj1979
    ndj1979 Posts: 29,136 Member
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    Its Muscle, you can gain weight on a Calorie Deficit.

    umm no, you can't….you need energy to build muscle, which means that you need a caloric surplus. That is like saying you can gain weight in a calorie surplus; it is not possible, because it defiess the laws of math..

    OP - First , weight loss is not linear you will have weeks where you lose and then weeks where nothing happens, that is normal. Second - if you are doing as much cardio as you are doing + swimming + heavy lifting you probably have some serious water retention, which is making you hold onto water and affecting number on the scale. Three - do you weight, log, measure everything? Do you have a food scale?
  • RhysJ13
    RhysJ13 Posts: 72
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  • arrseegee
    arrseegee Posts: 575 Member
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    Its Muscle, you can gain weight on a Calorie Deficit.

    This is not correct.

    OP, are you weighing your foods before logging them? If not then try it, it could be that you are just eating more than you think.

    I can't explain the inches lost but not weight UNLESS you have a very high sodium intake and what you're seeing on the scale could be some water retention.
  • KarenJanine
    KarenJanine Posts: 3,497 Member
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    Its Muscle, you can gain weight on a Calorie Deficit.

    Nope.

    This defies physics, you can't build something out of nothing.
  • ronbo62098
    ronbo62098 Posts: 59 Member
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    You can NOT gain (real) weight on a calorie deficit. You can gain a little water retention weight, but that doesn't seem to be your issue if it's been weeks. In reality, you cannot be eating at a deficit. Review your eating logs and your exercise logs. There are inaccuracies somewhere. Find those and work from there. Most "old timers" here will tell you to weigh your food (not measure it). I personally find that a pain-in-the-backside, but if you're stuck, it will at least give you accurate data to move forward.
  • Ashes_To_Beast
    Ashes_To_Beast Posts: 378 Member
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    So I started the second day of January. I life heavy 3-4 days a week, do a lot of cardio 4-5 days a week 30-60 min. I eat a high protein diet, but maintain healthy carbs. I try to eat a little more than 100 grams. The first few weeks I lost about 8 pounds. Which is fantastic! However, I've been at a standstill for almost 3 weeks. Actually, it's almost going up a little everyday. Like, .1 or .2 pounds. I added swimming 4 hours a week and that still hasn't caused it to budge. HOWEVER, my inches have gone down pretty much. Such as my waist went from almost 37 inches to 32 inches as of last night. Everyone says it's muscle, it's muscle. But, other people say you can't gain muscle on a calorie deficit. And most calculations say I, as a woman who lifts the way I do, can only gain between 12-15 pounds of muscle in a year if I was going string. So max, it would only be about 2 pounds gained, but I'm on a calorie deficit so I can't gain muscle. What is it? What is the truth? Where am I going wrong then?

    Just be proud of yourself, I always tell my friends to throw out their scale! Take some progress pics and measurments! I think at the end of the day that's what counts, the scale will only make you doubt yourself but the rest will make you proud, like having to buy new clothes and ppl noticing you getting slimmer :)
  • Deestrong68
    Deestrong68 Posts: 119 Member
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    Edit:

    I gain Muscle eating less than my Recommended Calorie Intake, and on the workout days I do not eat back my Calories I Burn.


    There MFP Forum Police is that better
  • JenniBaby85
    JenniBaby85 Posts: 855 Member
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    True that you technically "Can't gain weight on a calorie deficit". However, I have thyroid problems, which causes weight gain no matter what I do, unless I keep taking the proper dosage of medicine for it (Which means very regular lab work and tweaking of my current dosage). Maybe get your TSH hormone levels checked?
  • Francl27
    Francl27 Posts: 26,371 Member
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    It's water weight.
  • gregpack
    gregpack Posts: 426 Member
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    Differentiate "weight" from fat. You can lose fat without losing weight. You can gain weight without gaining fat. Some experts such as Lyle McDonald in the field have noted they've had some clients with a decent amount of excess fat are able to simultaneously lose fat and put on muscle in the early stages of a diet. I'd say that if your waist. hips, etc are getting smaller you're going in the right direction. But this won't last forever. Eventually the scale will start moving again. .If both your body measurements and weight plateau then a re- assessment of your program is in order.

    BTW, I don't know how much you're eating, but I'll cite the obligatory "that's a lot of exercise on a caloric deficit" phrase.
  • TavistockToad
    TavistockToad Posts: 35,719 Member
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    you've lost 5 inches off your waist, but you're more interested in a number on the scales that means nothing and noone else sees?!
  • ndj1979
    ndj1979 Posts: 29,136 Member
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    Kind of Funny I have added muscle the past 3 months eating mostly at a calorie deficit.

    Lost lots of fat and added muscle. I must be a Alien then

    what are you using to measure your progress? How do you know you have added muscle?

    More then like you think you are in a deficit but due to inaccurate logging are in a surplus...
  • 3laine75
    3laine75 Posts: 3,070 Member
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    you've lost 5 inches off your waist, but you're more interested in a number on the scales that means nothing and noone else sees?!

    My thoughts exactly :)
  • LishieFruit89
    LishieFruit89 Posts: 1,956 Member
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    Edit:

    I gain Muscle eating less than my Recommended Calorie Intake, and on the workout days I do not eat back my Calories I Burn.


    There MFP Forum Police is that better

    Nope.
  • ndj1979
    ndj1979 Posts: 29,136 Member
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    OP - drink a lot of water and do less cardio and should release the water weight that is being retained….
  • tgabmac
    tgabmac Posts: 46 Member
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    I drink about 1-2 gallons of water a day. Depends on how I feel. I don't have a scale because I am in college so I eat food from there. What I do is take less and count it as more. So If I take a cup of soup, I count it as 1 3/4 to 2 cups of soup. Weighing is impossible because I don't have my own money or space to buy groceries every week. Almost 90 percent of the time I never go beyond what MFP has told me. Even with adding more. It says to eat 1410 and I eat a little over 1200 maybe 1300.
  • ndj1979
    ndj1979 Posts: 29,136 Member
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    I drink about 1-2 gallons of water a day. Depends on how I feel. I don't have a scale because I am in college so I eat food from there. What I do is take less and count it as more. So If I take a cup of soup, I count it as 1 3/4 to 2 cups of soup. Weighing is impossible because I don't have my own money or space to buy groceries every week. Almost 90 percent of the time I never go beyond what MFP has told me. Even with adding more. It says to eat 1410 and I eat a little over 1200 maybe 1300.

    more than likely you are eating right about at maintenance - even though you are trying to overestimate calorie count - the reason is that you have no idea of the ingredients that the school cafeteria...so even if you have a cup of chicken soup if they make it with more caloric ingredients it is going to be higher even if you assume it an extra serving....

    I would keep doing what you are doing and maybe try to shave like 50 calories a day off what you are eating...

    I also think a little less cardio will help with the water retention..something like..Monday - lift heavy; Tuesday cardio; wens - lift heavy; thurs cardio; Friday - lift heavy...sat/sunday rest days...or maybe some light abs...
  • LaurenDanielle014
    LaurenDanielle014 Posts: 88 Member
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    im not seeing any diff on the scale either (Started Jan 1, lost 8 Lbs first month and now at a 3 week stand still) I also notice a huge difference in how clothes fits and my measurements - I am losing inches weekly....

    I am confused because I do measure every single thing I eat and almost everything I eat is "Clean" natural/organic and homemade. I have no idea why the scale isn't moving -- I am also working out 5 - 6 times a week for 45 - 60 minutes a day.....

    Anyone know what my deal could be? I feel your pain - we just have to remember how far we have come and that we look and feel better regardless of the number on the scale......*It does drive you crazy though because it doesn't make since!

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