Maintaining the same weight but gaining inches

sonichauu
sonichauu Posts: 2 Member
edited December 2024 in Health and Weight Loss
I am 20 years old, around 5'1, and I've maintained the same weight (100-103 lbs) for (at least) the past 4 years. However, I know I have been gaining inches (starting 2 years ago), as my clothes are a lot tighter than they used to be, and my face is also a lot chubbier (as seen in photos). Can you please provide your input as to why this might be happening, and how to resolve this issue?

Replies

  • StealthHealth
    StealthHealth Posts: 2,417 Member
    Either:
    • Your scales are broken
    • Your clothes have shrunk in the wash
    • You are wrong about weighing the same
    • You are wrong about getting bigger

    how to resolve (assuming that you have gained fat) is to:
    • Eat at a slight calorific deficit
    • Weigh and measure your foods and log them in MFP
  • Ferzssima
    Ferzssima Posts: 9 Member
    Are you doing weight lifting or any type of exercise which can give you more muscles? And the face changes with time. With little weight gain, my face got more rounded from my 20`s to my 30`s. This is a fact.
  • SezxyStef
    SezxyStef Posts: 15,267 Member
    StealthHealth wrote: »
    Either:
    • Your scales are broken
    • Your clothes have shrunk in the wash
    • You are wrong about weighing the same
    • You are wrong about getting bigger

    how to resolve (assuming that you have gained fat) is to:
    • Eat at a slight calorific deficit
    • Weigh and measure your foods and log them in MFP

    NOt so much I don't think. I've seen this with other women...until they started to exercise...
  • KorvapuustiPossu
    KorvapuustiPossu Posts: 434 Member
    Is it possible that you lost some muscle mass? Since fat occupies more space than muscle it is possible to be same weight but look bigger because of higher body fat %. That would be my guess.

    This pic shows it well...with a lot of muscle you can weigh more and look smaller...so vice versa...with more fat you can look bigger.

    cxcfbgsa9x19.jpg
  • sonichauu
    sonichauu Posts: 2 Member
    I am already eating at a slight deficit. Around 1330 calories on most days, as MFP recommends 1450 to maintain my weight. I am also sedentary most days. So do you recommend I do more strength training exercises?
  • StealthHealth
    StealthHealth Posts: 2,417 Member
    SezxyStef wrote: »
    StealthHealth wrote: »
    Either:
    • Your scales are broken
    • Your clothes have shrunk in the wash
    • You are wrong about weighing the same
    • You are wrong about getting bigger

    how to resolve (assuming that you have gained fat) is to:
    • Eat at a slight calorific deficit
    • Weigh and measure your foods and log them in MFP

    NOt so much I don't think. I've seen this with other women...until they started to exercise...

    Good point: I forgot about the concept that OP may be losing muscle but adding fat and so remaining the same weight.
  • itsbasschick
    itsbasschick Posts: 1,584 Member
    sonichauu wrote: »
    I am already eating at a slight deficit. Around 1330 calories on most days, as MFP recommends 1450 to maintain my weight. I am also sedentary most days. So do you recommend I do more strength training exercises?

    abolutely - strength training is a good idea!
  • LPflaum
    LPflaum Posts: 174 Member
    sonichauu wrote: »
    I am already eating at a slight deficit. Around 1330 calories on most days, as MFP recommends 1450 to maintain my weight. I am also sedentary most days. So do you recommend I do more strength training exercises?

    You may want to start focusing your workouts on strength training (to build muscle mass, tone, shape) and some HIIT (to reduce body fat) or Circuits (does both). It sounds like your body composition is changing and you may be gaining fat where there once was muscle.

    I found that this was an unfortunate reality of getting older. When I was 18 I could eat pretty much anything, work out, and look the way I wanted. By 25, i noticed that the types of calories I was putting in (fat vs protein vs carbs) was seemingly affecting my body comp- the more fat and carbs I ate, the curvier I got. Now that i'm in my 30s, I can't keep the look I want without strength training... I end up "skinny fat"
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