Getting Bigger Before Getting Smaller

hokiemom14
hokiemom14 Posts: 105 Member
in Health and Weight Loss
Anyone have any experience in this? I am not an overweight person at all and I am very active with long distance running. However, a few months ago, I started weight training a bit more (taking classes and doing p90x at home). I feel stronger, but I am also bigger...as in my jeans are tighter than they used to be. I've gained several pounds and just feel bulky. This was not my goal. Jean and shorts that I wear all the time are now MUCH tighter. Has anyone else experienced this? Did you eventually even out and begin to shed the extra bulk? How long did it take?

Replies

  • BeYouTiful94
    BeYouTiful94 Posts: 289 Member
    Yes, I don't remember how long it took, but it won't always be like that. Your muscles are simply holding extra water to repair themselves since you just started a new exercise :)
  • CherylG1983
    CherylG1983 Posts: 294 Member
    Pick up some BCAAs to help with muscle repair if you haven't already. You could also lower the amount of weights you use.
  • hokiemom14
    hokiemom14 Posts: 105 Member
    Thanks. I've been doing this for a few months, can you really retain water that long? I don't use heavy weights so I'm not sure I could adjust that too much. I've never taken bcaa's so I'll look into that. Thanks :)
  • terbusha
    terbusha Posts: 1,483 Member
    How many calories are you eating? People usually lose inches while doing that amount of work. If you're gaining weight and inches, then you're probably eating too much.
  • trigden1991
    trigden1991 Posts: 4,658 Member
    You won't have gained a noticeable amount of muscle if you are eating in a deficit. If you are eating at maintenance or above, you might have gained some muscle.
  • hokiemom14
    hokiemom14 Posts: 105 Member
    I'm eating in around 1400-1500 calories a day. I'm not starting over weight by any means and I am well within the range I should be in. I eat clean...lots of lean meats and fruits/veggies and some nuts. I make my food 95% of the time and do not cook with preservatives. I'm not new to being active at all. I run marathons and ultras. This is just very strange to me and I can not figure out what is going on. The only change that has been made is that I'm doing more strength training on a harder level than I had previously been doing.
  • peaceout_aly
    peaceout_aly Posts: 2,018 Member
    I went from 102 lbs. to 114 lbs. (which fluctuates from 110 lbs. to 114 lbs. on a regular basis and look leaner than ever. Remember, muscle is heavier than far. Do not depend on a number on the scale.
  • MynameisChester
    MynameisChester Posts: 107 Member
    If your jeans are tighter due to larger quads or glutes, then you're gaining muscle which is good. If the jeans are tighter due to a larger waist, then it's likely you're gaining fat. That's why I think it's imporant to measure your waistline and extremities to track your progress more appropriately.
  • singingflutelady
    singingflutelady Posts: 8,736 Member
    As a woman not on steroids you can gain 1/2-1 lbs of muscle a month on a calorie surplus and using a progressive overload lifting program. You can gain some muscle in a small deficit but it is slower. You could be retaining fluid in your muscles. This often happens when you up your exercise routine.
  • hokiemom14
    hokiemom14 Posts: 105 Member
    I am not weighing out my food, but I am tracking everything. I also know serving sizes because I have weighed my food in the past. Food is typically not my issue, but I have been keeping a much closer eye on it the past couple weeks. My diet is very clean and lean. I eat basically a paleo diet with many more greens than anything else. I do not eat dairy and very minimal carbs overall unless they are in a potatoe form every once in a while. No perservatives. This changed specifically started a few months back when my workout changed. If I were looking leaner, I would not complain about the gain, however, that is not my case:(
  • MynameisChester
    MynameisChester Posts: 107 Member
    hokiemom14 wrote: »
    I am not weighing out my food, but I am tracking everything. I also know serving sizes because I have weighed my food in the past. Food is typically not my issue, but I have been keeping a much closer eye on it the past couple weeks. My diet is very clean and lean. I eat basically a paleo diet with many more greens than anything else. I do not eat dairy and very minimal carbs overall unless they are in a potatoe form every once in a while. No perservatives. This changed specifically started a few months back when my workout changed. If I were looking leaner, I would not complain about the gain, however, that is not my case:(

    Not weighing your food is most likely the culprit which is causing consumption of excess calories. The body always wants to stay in homeostasis so the increased activity causes your body to naturally stimulate a bigger appetite. You're not the only one though as tons of people overeat despite their best efforts not to (myself included). Additionally, you can eat clean but still overconsume on calories.
  • kshama2001
    kshama2001 Posts: 28,052 Member
    hokiemom14 wrote: »
    Thanks. I've been doing this for a few months, can you really retain water that long? I don't use heavy weights so I'm not sure I could adjust that too much. I've never taken bcaa's so I'll look into that. Thanks :)

    My scale did go up seven pounds when I started lifting weights again last fall, BUT it was off again in a few weeks AND I was lifting moderately heavy.

    Try weighing your food again and see how close your estimates have been.
  • Francl27
    Francl27 Posts: 26,371 Member
    Eating too much or just normal bloating due to your cycle.
  • Dove0804
    Dove0804 Posts: 213 Member
    To be short and sweet- preservatives and eating "clean", whether or not you eat dairy etc. have nothing to do with it. BCAAs are going to be a waste of money. You're likely eating more or have water retention, so if you're concerned you should probably weigh out your food and accurately log for a while to see if it makes a difference. It sounds like you're more guesstimating-logging than actually logging. It's the biggest downfall of us all- humans are notorious for being under-estimators when it comes to food. You can't eyeball something to guess a serving size and thus just know how many calories are in it. All of that inaccuracy throughout the day adds up to a significant amount of difference from what you think you're getting.
  • robininfl
    robininfl Posts: 1,137 Member
    edited May 2016
    When I switched to heavier workouts I went from 125lb (I'm 5'9") to over 135lb, mostly muscle in legs and butt, arms some too. Yes I had to buy bigger pants, it's startling and I don't like it but I am still very lean. Proportions are better, Hips grew by 1-2" and legs by 3" each. Waist is 1" bigger too. This took a couple of years, not a couple of months, though.

    You can't really gain muscle without, well, gaining muscle. It takes up space. You can gain muscle and then lose fat to end up with more weight but less volume, if you have enough fat to do that.

    Were you skinny to begin with?
  • hokiemom14
    hokiemom14 Posts: 105 Member
    Yes, I'm skinny in general in comparison to most people. I'm very fit overall. I run marathons and 24 hour runs take cardio and strength classes and walk/run with my double stroller often. I'm very good with nutrition as it's something I've been aware of for many years. I do have to disagree with the eating clean topic because it does make a good bit of difference as I have been on both sides, but I do agree with weighing out food again. I'm going to do it, but I know portion sizes like the back of my hand. I'll have to update after I weight it out tonight. I'm going to do the chicken for my salad tonight and make sure I'm still on track :)
  • robininfl
    robininfl Posts: 1,137 Member
    hokiemom14 wrote: »
    Yes, I'm skinny in general in comparison to most people. I'm very fit overall. I run marathons and 24 hour runs take cardio and strength classes and walk/run with my double stroller often. I'm very good with nutrition as it's something I've been aware of for many years. I do have to disagree with the eating clean topic because it does make a good bit of difference as I have been on both sides, but I do agree with weighing out food again. I'm going to do it, but I know portion sizes like the back of my hand. I'll have to update after I weight it out tonight. I'm going to do the chicken for my salad tonight and make sure I'm still on track :)

    If you are already lean, then yes any muscle you add will take up space. If you don't have excess fat to lose, think about it, the muscles have to build up and there is nothing to shrink to compensate. That's the situation I was in. You are bulking, basically. If you don't want to add muscle you will have to eat less, but it's not wrong or bad to add muscle. There's a very good thread somewhere called "relatively lean people trying to get leaner", you could post there.
  • girlwithcurls2
    girlwithcurls2 Posts: 2,281 Member
    Is there any chance you're pregnant? That would take a "few months" to show up...
  • jessiethe3rd
    jessiethe3rd Posts: 239 Member
    Do you know your Lean Body Mass?

    So important... scales really are not your best friend. By knowing your LBM you can really pinpoint the cause. Outside of that you are literally lost shooting in the dark. Get an Omnicrom bf machine on Amazon. They are fairly cheap and reasonably accurate.

    You take your bf% x your weight and subtract the result from you weight to get you LBM. Then you can determine what type of weight you are gaining.

    Sodium intake... Check it in MFP.
    Calorie deficit... Are you below your goal?

    Get away from the myth that lifting weights is going to bulk you up... Especially in a week or even 3. That is just not going to happen.

    Keep lifting weight and track your body composition to understand where you are.

  • hokiemom14
    hokiemom14 Posts: 105 Member
    robininfl wrote: »
    hokiemom14 wrote: »
    Yes, I'm skinny in general in comparison to most people. I'm very fit overall. I run marathons and 24 hour runs take cardio and strength classes and walk/run with my double stroller often. I'm very good with nutrition as it's something I've been aware of for many years. I do have to disagree with the eating clean topic because it does make a good bit of difference as I have been on both sides, but I do agree with weighing out food again. I'm going to do it, but I know portion sizes like the back of my hand. I'll have to update after I weight it out tonight. I'm going to do the chicken for my salad tonight and make sure I'm still on track :)

    If you are already lean, then yes any muscle you add will take up space. If you don't have excess fat to lose, think about it, the muscles have to build up and there is nothing to shrink to compensate. That's the situation I was in. You are bulking, basically. If you don't want to add muscle you will have to eat less, but it's not wrong or bad to add muscle. There's a very good thread somewhere called "relatively lean people trying to get leaner", you could post there.

    I do a have a bit of fat I could lose in the thighs, but nothing crazy. I'm trying to restrict just a few hundred calories a day to see if that makes any difference. Thanks for the reference to the thread you mentioned. I'll try to find that :)

  • hokiemom14
    hokiemom14 Posts: 105 Member
    girlwithcurls2 wrote: »
    Is there any chance you're pregnant? That would take a "few months" to show up...

    No change :) But at least that would have been an explanation lol.
  • hokiemom14
    hokiemom14 Posts: 105 Member
    jessiethe3rd wrote: »
    Do you know your Lean Body Mass?

    So important... scales really are not your best friend. By knowing your LBM you can really pinpoint the cause. Outside of that you are literally lost shooting in the dark. Get an Omnicrom bf machine on Amazon. They are fairly cheap and reasonably accurate.

    You take your bf% x your weight and subtract the result from you weight to get you LBM. Then you can determine what type of weight you are gaining.

    Sodium intake... Check it in MFP.
    Calorie deficit... Are you below your goal?

    Get away from the myth that lifting weights is going to bulk you up... Especially in a week or even 3. That is just not going to happen.

    Keep lifting weight and track your body composition to understand where you are.

    Thanks. I'll check into getting an omnicrom. I've never had to literally watch things so closely before. If I wanted to lose weight or tone up more I just did it by watching what I eat and exercising. Maybe my metabolism is starting to slow down...that's actually what I feel may be happening. I'm having to try even harder now than I've ever had to try before. I guess it's a good time to figure out my lbm.

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