How could this be?

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mom2ava07
mom2ava07 Posts: 186 Member
in Goal: Maintaining Weight
Long story short, I've been attempting maintenance for nearly a year. I've done pretty well, but I've managed to put on a few lbs (3-5) that just won't go away.

These pounds crept on around the exact same time that I incorporated daily exercise (nothing major..think 21 day fix workouts, jillian michaels and the occasional run). I also beGan using a new birth control.

I've continued to log and weigh my food and at at the same calculated level for me to maintain (1750-1950). In fact, I would often go over that before and still maintained 5 lbs less.

I've heard a million times it's just muscle. I just doubt these moderately challenging workouts I'm doing at home could make me gain a few pounds of muscle. People have asked if I lost weight so I know I must look toner.

Everyone keeps saying you must not be eating enough. The strange thing is, on the weekends when I "cheat" a little on the weekends and go over my usual calories by 300-500 I always drop weight (as in like 2 lbs). Is there anyway possible that I couldn't have been eating enough at 1750-1900ish calories? That seems like a lot to me.

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  • bioklutz
    bioklutz Posts: 1,365 Member
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    mom2ava07 wrote: »
    Long story short, I've been attempting maintenance for nearly a year. I've done pretty well, but I've managed to put on a few lbs (3-5) that just won't go away.

    These pounds crept on around the exact same time that I incorporated daily exercise (nothing major..think 21 day fix workouts, jillian michaels and the occasional run). I also beGan using a new birth control.

    I've continued to log and weigh my food and at at the same calculated level for me to maintain (1750-1950). In fact, I would often go over that before and still maintained 5 lbs less.

    I've heard a million times it's just muscle. I just doubt these moderately challenging workouts I'm doing at home could make me gain a few pounds of muscle. People have asked if I lost weight so I know I must look toner.

    Everyone keeps saying you must not be eating enough. The strange thing is, on the weekends when I "cheat" a little on the weekends and go over my usual calories by 300-500 I always drop weight (as in like 2 lbs). Is there anyway possible that I couldn't have been eating enough at 1750-1900ish calories? That seems like a lot to me.

    When we start exercising we hold on to water weight. How long ago did you start?
  • Veryana
    Veryana Posts: 122 Member
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    Birth control can cause some bloating and maybe you retain water because of exercising? At least for me both happened before for long times and it was same kind of weight increases.
  • Ibeachlover
    Ibeachlover Posts: 66 Member
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    I guess hearing people ask if you lost weight is good sign...either you have or good fashion :-). How do your clothes fit? That tells me as often as not if I'm losing fat and gaining muscle. I have a major issue with trying to lose weight. My problem is that I don't really know what my "muscle" weight is as I do lift heavier weights, and have built up my chest, butt, and upper legs so clothes fitting can be problem ...but generally closing my jeans is a good test. You might very well have gained a few pounds of muscle, even with moderate exercise, especially if you have kept your fat under control. When I didn't lift for even a few weeks, I would gain 5 pounds almost right away. You have a minimal amount of weight, albeit frustrating, to lose so keep up the exercise and don't over think the food.
  • dlmciver
    dlmciver Posts: 149 Member
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    I had a BOD POD body composition analysis done. Worth it's weight in gold. I know my fat is 22.3% as a baseline, so if I increase exercise and gain weight from muscle, it's okay.

  • mom2ava07
    mom2ava07 Posts: 186 Member
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    I started exercising regularly about 6 weeks ago, so it's probably been long enough for my muscles to "get over it" and quit retaining water.

    My pants are fitting more snugly. Not on the waist and the button just fine, but my skinny jeans are extra tight in my calves and my knee high boots are tighter.
  • bioklutz
    bioklutz Posts: 1,365 Member
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    mom2ava07 wrote: »
    I started exercising regularly about 6 weeks ago, so it's probably been long enough for my muscles to "get over it" and quit retaining water.

    My pants are fitting more snugly. Not on the waist and the button just fine, but my skinny jeans are extra tight in my calves and my knee high boots are tighter.

    Sounds like you gained a tiny bit of weight. I am honestly not familiar with the exercises you are doing (21 day fix and jillian michaels). If it is not a progressive lifting program you are not gaining muscle.
  • Terraforcejenny
    Terraforcejenny Posts: 47 Member
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    mom2ava07 wrote: »
    I started exercising regularly about 6 weeks ago, so it's probably been long enough for my muscles to "get over it" and quit retaining water.

    My pants are fitting more snugly. Not on the waist and the button just fine, but my skinny jeans are extra tight in my calves and my knee high boots are tighter.

    Is it possible you're gaining muscle pretty swiftly?

    I've heard that muscle gains are fastest when you're initially a novice, and slow down as your body becomes more used to the activity.

    Hearing that it's from your calves makes me wonder if this is the case (my calves were some of the first to grow).
  • LivingtheLeanDream
    LivingtheLeanDream Posts: 13,342 Member
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    it does take several weeks for exercise water weight gain to subside.
    The slight worry is that your clothes are a bit tighter.
    Keep an eye on intake for another few weeks then re-evaluate. You might need to tighten up your logging again...
  • mburgess458
    mburgess458 Posts: 480 Member
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    DItto on the water weight. I take a week or two off twice a year and always lose several pounds at that time. When I start exercising and lifting those pounds come right back.

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