Feeling fatter after stomach exercise change up.

tacticalcraptical
tacticalcraptical Posts: 20 Member
edited November 24 in Health and Weight Loss
I have lost 140 lbs in the last year and a half by exercising at home. In the last week and a half I have switched to the gym because I had out grown my home equipment. It generally is going well but I have started really pushing myself with ab exercises using the ab machine and ab rotation machines. I feel like the work out is good. However, since starting, I just feel fatter, like my stomach bulges out more. I know I am losing weight, I have gone down 4 pounds since switching to the gym I just feel fatter in the mid section. The only other change I have made is cutting out the low-fat string cheeses I used to eat with meals for fat-free cottage cheese. Is this normal or am I doing something wrong?

Replies

  • CasperNaegle
    CasperNaegle Posts: 936 Member
    Hard to say, but I would guess your mid section is sore from the ab work out. Sounds like to me you are moving in the right direction and doing good.
  • jemhh
    jemhh Posts: 14,261 Member
    It could be a coincidence that this happened right after switching ab exercises. Sometimes people feel more jiggly right before having a big weight drop and then it takes a bit for that jiggliness to settle down. I think that a 4 lb drop in the past week and a half qualifies as a big weight drop.

    Good job on the 140 lb loss, by the way.
  • Thanks for the information and encouragement. It still just feels weird to me that I feel so flabby this week. Thing is my stomach is the only thing that doesn't really feel sore after my workouts...
  • jemhh
    jemhh Posts: 14,261 Member
    Well, soreness isn't really indicative of getting a good workout or even overdoing a workout. Pain indicates a problem but soreness varies from person to person.

    I'm sitting here and wondering if it's so abnormal for men to feel flabby once in a while. Maybe another man will pipe up to answer that. For me, feeling flabby a couple of days a month is normal so I guess I never considered that.
  • ahoy_m8
    ahoy_m8 Posts: 3,053 Member
    jemhh wrote: »
    It could be a coincidence that this happened right after switching ab exercises. Sometimes people feel more jiggly right before having a big weight drop and then it takes a bit for that jiggliness to settle down. I think that a 4 lb drop in the past week and a half qualifies as a big weight drop.

    Good job on the 140 lb loss, by the way.

    I was thinking this, too. See if this describes what you're experiencing. http://www.bodyrecomposition.com/fat-loss/of-whooshes-and-squishy-fat.html/ I'd be curious from other posters if they think the "squishy fat" is more or less noticeable at lower BF%'s in general. Sounds like you are doing really, really great.
  • CasperNaegle
    CasperNaegle Posts: 936 Member
    jemhh wrote: »
    Well, soreness isn't really indicative of getting a good workout or even overdoing a workout. Pain indicates a problem but soreness varies from person to person.

    I'm sitting here and wondering if it's so abnormal for men to feel flabby once in a while. Maybe another man will pipe up to answer that. For me, feeling flabby a couple of days a month is normal so I guess I never considered that.

    Sure I feel more fat sometimes over others.. I think it's perfectly normal. I don't think soreness is always a sign of problems, though.
  • I know soreness isn't a sign of problems but it seems odd that my stomach hasn't been sore just feeling flabby when every other muscle I work does get sore. That was an interesting article Ahoy_m8 and does sort of make sense.

    It seems I just need to keep doing what I am doing and I will get there. Though I am no longer technically overweight according to BMI, I still feel like I need to do more.
  • stealthq
    stealthq Posts: 4,298 Member
    ahoy_m8 wrote: »
    jemhh wrote: »
    It could be a coincidence that this happened right after switching ab exercises. Sometimes people feel more jiggly right before having a big weight drop and then it takes a bit for that jiggliness to settle down. I think that a 4 lb drop in the past week and a half qualifies as a big weight drop.

    Good job on the 140 lb loss, by the way.

    I was thinking this, too. See if this describes what you're experiencing. http://www.bodyrecomposition.com/fat-loss/of-whooshes-and-squishy-fat.html/ I'd be curious from other posters if they think the "squishy fat" is more or less noticeable at lower BF%'s in general. Sounds like you are doing really, really great.

    I find it more noticeable when I'm leaner. My %BF hasn't varied a huge amount (~23% to ~29%), and I've not gotten super lean, so take it for what it's worth.
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