weight the same but look fatter?

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janeanray3 wrote: »

everyone says its because I've lost muscle and gained fat instead but it doesn't really make sense in my case. I've been maintaining for 2 years now but I never exercise. I lost weight by cutting down on calories and now I maintain by eating 1450 cal a day (weekly calorie counting). for the past month or so, Ive been really busy with school so my intake varies a lot. so some days where i have classes from morning till 10pm, I can only eat about 300 calories but other days i'll eat 2300 calories, but it always averages at 1450 a day. I never even had an exercise habit that would explain this muscle loss so its just my eating habit thats changed a bit. oh and I'm really stressed out these days and don't really get enough sleep. so could someone tell me why I look fatter?

Maintaining weight and losing fat is just as hard as losing weight.

• Proper Diet + Calorie Maintenance + Exercise = RESULTS

The above equation only works when we do our part. Keep learning, gather your energy and make adjustments until you find your way.
Good Luck!

Open your diary.

Soo on your 300 cal days your body burns fat and muscle to function and on your 2300 can days your body stores the excess cals as fat. This cycle slowly reduced your muscle mass and increased your fat mass while maintaining your weight.

RunRutheeRun wrote: »

I would have thought if you're the same weight you can't look fatter, we get used to our new bodies quickly and maybe it's just a notion?
Theres some good feedback above ☺

People can look VERY different at the same weight depending on their ratio of lean mass to fat mass, so theoretically, yes, it is possible that OP is the same weight but carrying more fat. However, my money would be on stress, lack of sleep, and cortisol levels causing the issue, and not so much a significant change in body composition.

My weight fluctuates up to 5 to 7 pounds over any given week and I still consider it weighing the "same" because I've tracked my weight long enough and consistently enough to be familiar with how that works. While she says she's been in maintenance for two years, she's only been fluctuating her calorie intake for a month.... it takes a bit longer then a month to significantly change body composition.

Bottom line OP, de-stress, get more sleep, try to get more exercise. If you're concerned that you're doing something that's causing you to change your body composition, start tracking your intake, take some measurements and take some progress photos over the next month or two. There are any number of things that could be going on here, but without any hard numbers all we can do is give you our best guess.

Although you may have not have exercised to lose the weight initially, muscle loss is unfortunately a normal part of aging. So whatever muscle you may have had 2 years ago without some sort of regular use will start to go away - some muscles more noticeable than others.

SOURCE: greatist.com/fitness/how-stay-strong-and-prevent-muscle-loss

"There are several factors that can lead to muscle atrophy:

Age: Regardless of how often we make it to the gym, the natural process of aging can cause muscle loss. Sarcopenia, or muscle loss due to aging, kicks in as early as age 20 . The rate of sarcopenia picks up as we age; by the time we get to age 50, a person can lose 0.4 pounds of muscle every year .
Diet: While it's generally thought not eating enough causes muscle loss, recent studies have found rats that were fed fewer calories over the course of 30 months showed improved protein synthesis and muscle activity compared to their cohorts that were placed on a higher calorie diet . While calorie restriction might not support optimum performance, this research suggests it could preserve greater function as we age. What you eat also matters, as malnutrition can contribute to sarcopenia .
Sleep: Because sleep debt decreases the rate at which the body builds and repairs muscle, skipping sleep to hit the weight room can neutralize results . Full recovery from workouts is critical to making (and maintaining) progress."

I don't think it's your eating. I think you need to incorporate some form of regular physical activities. You don't have to do anything crazy or become a gym rat by any means, simply walking at a moderate pace 2-3 times a week will work one of the largest muscle groups on the body.

Try passion flower tea before you go to bed (drink it about 45 minutes before). It will help you sleep better. My nutritionist told me that lack of sleep and stress may cause belly fat...Which is probably what the cortisol levels are all about. The tea works awesome!

High sodium diet makes me look puffy in my stomach and chest area...and I am a man. It is awful despite it not being too noticable. Are you monitoring your sodium well? Try keeping it low for a while and see if the "extra fat" appearance goes away.

It's possible that you've lost some muscle and gained some fat. It's also very possible that the stress in your life is affecting what you see in the mirror. How do your clothes fit? Do you take measurements? Out of all the tools you can use to monitor your weight (mirror, scale, tape measure, etc.), I would trust the tape measure to tell the most objective story.