How'd I gain all this?

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ivylaurenolsen
ivylaurenolsen Posts: 56 Member
in Health and Weight Loss
About a year ago I weighed around 128. I went to the gym once or twice a week and didn't eat very well. Now, I am at 146, I eat a little better than I used to (still workin on it) and I work out 6 times a week. I don't feel like I look that much different, but stepping on the scale is always so shocking. Where did this weight come from and why won't it go away?

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  • ncboiler89
    ncboiler89 Posts: 2,408 Member
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    ivylaurenolsen wrote: »
    About a year ago I weighed around 128. I went to the gym once or twice a week and didn't eat very well. Now, I am at 146, I eat a little better than I used to (still workin on it) and I work out 6 times a week. I don't feel like I look that much different, but stepping on the scale is always so shocking. Where did this weight come from and why won't it go away?

    You are eating more calories than you are burning. Call me captain obvious.
  • Dnarules
    Dnarules Posts: 2,081 Member
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    Yes, you're eating too much. Happens to the best of us. But this is a great place to get it under control. You can start logging and see where the issues are. It is eye-opening.
  • glortard
    glortard Posts: 67 Member
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    What height are you
    Do you know how many calories you take per day?
    Do you drink a lot?
    Is the weight muscle gain?
  • snowflakesav
    snowflakesav Posts: 647 Member
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    Did you change jobs or move? Do you spend more time sitting and less time out and about?
  • strong_curves
    strong_curves Posts: 2,229 Member
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    Eat too much, the only way it will go away is eat less than you burn.
  • bwogilvie
    bwogilvie Posts: 2,130 Member
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    ivylaurenolsen wrote: »
    I don't feel like I look that much different, but stepping on the scale is always so shocking.

    Do the clothes that you had a year ago still fit comfortably? Have your workouts included lots of heavy weightlifting, and have you gotten stronger? If the answer to both of those questions is yes, then it's possible that some of the additional weight is muscle. Some might also be stored glycogen in your muscles, which is stored with 3-4 times its weight in water. A lot of MFP members pooh-pooh the idea that if you gain weight, it's because you have put on muscle, but it does happen. It's just a lot rarer than people think, and it takes hard work to do. But you may be the exception. If, however, your clothes don't fit as well, then it's likely not muscle weight.

    As to why it won't go away: it won't go away unless you eat less than you expend. More exercise in itself won't reduce your weight, nor will eating "better." In 2012, I bicycled around 3,000 miles, and walked quite a lot too, and I gained ten pounds. In 2013, I lost 47 pounds by counting calories and ensuring that I ate less than I needed to maintain my weight.

    But whether you need it to go away depends on whether you're content with how you look. The number on the scale isn't exactly meaningless, but it's not worth a lot. Scale weight is a very crude metric of fitness and health; its main advantage is that it is easy to measure. If you think you look good, you feel healthy, and you are strong and have stamina, that's what matters. You might find Staci's story at NerdFitness.com to be of interest; scroll down to "Staci Now" about 40% of the way down the page, and you'll see that she looks trimmer at 141 lb. than she did when she was 10 pounds lighter.
  • GaleHawkins
    GaleHawkins Posts: 8,159 Member
    edited May 2015
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    ivylaurenolsen wrote: »
    About a year ago I weighed around 128. I went to the gym once or twice a week and didn't eat very well. Now, I am at 146, I eat a little better than I used to (still workin on it) and I work out 6 times a week. I don't feel like I look that much different, but stepping on the scale is always so shocking. Where did this weight come from and why won't it go away?

    Weight gain often starts because for some reason we feel short on energy and start eating more to feel better. Have you had a physical in the last few months. Insulin going high can cause weight gain and prevent the burning of body fat.

  • ivylaurenolsen
    ivylaurenolsen Posts: 56 Member
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    bwogilvie wrote: »
    ivylaurenolsen wrote: »
    I don't feel like I look that much different, but stepping on the scale is always so shocking.

    Do the clothes that you had a year ago still fit comfortably? Have your workouts included lots of heavy weightlifting, and have you gotten stronger? If the answer to both of those questions is yes, then it's possible that some of the additional weight is muscle. Some might also be stored glycogen in your muscles, which is stored with 3-4 times its weight in water. A lot of MFP members pooh-pooh the idea that if you gain weight, it's because you have put on muscle, but it does happen. It's just a lot rarer than people think, and it takes hard work to do. But you may be the exception. If, however, your clothes don't fit as well, then it's likely not muscle weight.

    As to why it won't go away: it won't go away unless you eat less than you expend. More exercise in itself won't reduce your weight, nor will eating "better." In 2012, I bicycled around 3,000 miles, and walked quite a lot too, and I gained ten pounds. In 2013, I lost 47 pounds by counting calories and ensuring that I ate less than I needed to maintain my weight.

    But whether you need it to go away depends on whether you're content with how you look. The number on the scale isn't exactly meaningless, but it's not worth a lot. Scale weight is a very crude metric of fitness and health; its main advantage is that it is easy to measure. If you think you look good, you feel healthy, and you are strong and have stamina, that's what matters. You might find Staci's story at NerdFitness.com to be of interest; scroll down to "Staci Now" about 40% of the way down the page, and you'll see that she looks trimmer at 141 lb. than she did when she was 10 pounds lighter.

    Thank you! Yes I still wear all of the same clothes and they fit exactly the same, and like I said, I eat better (and probably less) than I did before...definitely not enough to gain 20 lbs, so maybe some of it is muscle. But I'll keep working out and logging my calories and see what will happen, thanks
  • SezxyStef
    SezxyStef Posts: 15,268 Member
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    ivylaurenolsen wrote: »
    bwogilvie wrote: »
    ivylaurenolsen wrote: »
    I don't feel like I look that much different, but stepping on the scale is always so shocking.

    Do the clothes that you had a year ago still fit comfortably? Have your workouts included lots of heavy weightlifting, and have you gotten stronger? If the answer to both of those questions is yes, then it's possible that some of the additional weight is muscle. Some might also be stored glycogen in your muscles, which is stored with 3-4 times its weight in water. A lot of MFP members pooh-pooh the idea that if you gain weight, it's because you have put on muscle, but it does happen. It's just a lot rarer than people think, and it takes hard work to do. But you may be the exception. If, however, your clothes don't fit as well, then it's likely not muscle weight.

    As to why it won't go away: it won't go away unless you eat less than you expend. More exercise in itself won't reduce your weight, nor will eating "better." In 2012, I bicycled around 3,000 miles, and walked quite a lot too, and I gained ten pounds. In 2013, I lost 47 pounds by counting calories and ensuring that I ate less than I needed to maintain my weight.

    But whether you need it to go away depends on whether you're content with how you look. The number on the scale isn't exactly meaningless, but it's not worth a lot. Scale weight is a very crude metric of fitness and health; its main advantage is that it is easy to measure. If you think you look good, you feel healthy, and you are strong and have stamina, that's what matters. You might find Staci's story at NerdFitness.com to be of interest; scroll down to "Staci Now" about 40% of the way down the page, and you'll see that she looks trimmer at 141 lb. than she did when she was 10 pounds lighter.

    Thank you! Yes I still wear all of the same clothes and they fit exactly the same, and like I said, I eat better (and probably less) than I did before...definitely not enough to gain 20 lbs, so maybe some of it is muscle. But I'll keep working out and logging my calories and see what will happen, thanks

    Were you eating in a surplus or at least at maintenance? Do a progressive load lifting program? Were you getting in at least 0.8 grams per lb of bodyweight in protein?

    If you answered no to those questions than it's not muscle....it is very hard for a woman to gain muscle on a bulk let alone "by mistake".

    I've been heavy lifting for 2 years...ate at maintenance for 9 months and if I gained 1lb of muscle I would be lucky and genetically special and gifted....
  • bwogilvie
    bwogilvie Posts: 2,130 Member
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    Caitwn wrote: »
    I have to agree with others who are pointing out that this weight gain is extremely (underlined and in caps =P) unlikely to be muscle-related gain, given the fact that you aren't training.

    OP did say that she had gone from occasional workouts to working out six days a week. If some of those six days involve weight training, then I'm not sure how you conclude that she isn't training.

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