Question about squats

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rose313
rose313 Posts: 1,146 Member
in Fitness and Exercise
Hi, I have been doing 100 squats per day (either with no additional weight or 5lbs) since this summer. Since I have been doing that I have been eating under the amount my Fitbit tells me I burn, but I have not lost inches- I have GAINED them. I was under the impression that you cannot "bulk" if you are at a deficit. My thighs have increased by about an inch and my butt has increased 2 inches. My thigh muscles now kind of pop out the front and I still have as much fat as I did before. So I'm wondering, does that mean I was counting calories wrong and I was not really at a deficit?

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  • TavistockToad
    TavistockToad Posts: 35,719 Member
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    How much weight have you lost since the summer?
  • rose313
    rose313 Posts: 1,146 Member
    edited November 2016
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    Zero pounds, because I haven't been careful with my eating. I recently started being careful on Monday and have committed to "starting over". I was eating less than I burned most days, but it was processed junky food and alcohol.
  • tulips_and_tea
    tulips_and_tea Posts: 5,716 Member
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    The type of food you eat doesn't matter as much as the quantity and the calorie intake. I think you answered your own question though, and that is needing to be more careful about logging and food intake. It takes practice. Just stick with it and be consistent.
  • Chieflrg
    Chieflrg Posts: 9,097 Member
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    Types of food don't make you gain weight, it's a surplus of any food you consume.

    If you were gaining weight, you were eating more calories than you thought or not burning the amount of calories you thought. Both are possible in your case as a fitbit is just a gadget to get you close hopefully.
  • rose313
    rose313 Posts: 1,146 Member
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    I think that is what probably happened. I wasn't careful enough with logging and could have easily eaten much more than I logged, just by carelessness and rushing. So if that is the case, did I accidentally "bulk"?

    I assume as long as I keep exercising and continue my new changes that I made 2 days ago in my eating, the muscle will still be there and the fat will come off eventually instead?

    Any exercises I can do to lessen the inner thigh jiggle that's still there? I know they say you can't spot tone, but I want to try anyway.
  • jessiferrrb
    jessiferrrb Posts: 1,758 Member
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    lol, you can try, but it's 2 different processes. keep up the squats and try to hit your protein goals to maintain the muscle you have, keep your deficit to lose the jiggle, but it may not be the first place you lose fat. i wish we could control that. my bras would still fit and my pants would be loose instead of the other way around.
  • rose313
    rose313 Posts: 1,146 Member
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    I understand! Thanks!
  • tulips_and_tea
    tulips_and_tea Posts: 5,716 Member
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    As far as inner thighs, sumo squats work well for me.
  • TavistockToad
    TavistockToad Posts: 35,719 Member
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    rose313 wrote: »
    Zero pounds, because I haven't been careful with my eating. I recently started being careful on Monday and have committed to "starting over". I was eating less than I burned most days, but it was processed junky food and alcohol.

    So no, you weren't in a deficit
  • Leadfoot_Lewis
    Leadfoot_Lewis Posts: 1,623 Member
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    rose313 wrote: »
    Zero pounds, because I haven't been careful with my eating. I recently started being careful on Monday and have committed to "starting over". I was eating less than I burned most days, but it was processed junky food and alcohol.

    Well I think you have your answer. :) Don't blame the Squats! ;)
  • Chieflrg
    Chieflrg Posts: 9,097 Member
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    rose313 wrote: »
    I think that is what probably happened. I wasn't careful enough with logging and could have easily eaten much more than I logged, just by carelessness and rushing. So if that is the case, did I accidentally "bulk"?

    I assume as long as I keep exercising and continue my new changes that I made 2 days ago in my eating, the muscle will still be there and the fat will come off eventually instead?

    Any exercises I can do to lessen the inner thigh jiggle that's still there? I know they say you can't spot tone, but I want to try anyway.

    No you didn't bulk, because your weren't lifting in a progressive overload. Not saying what you did was nothing, just didn't add significant muscle.

    When you eat in a deficit you will lose fat and muscle. By doing resistance training, you will retain more muscle than if ypu didn't.

    No, try all your want. You can remove jiggling my exercising a certain area. Eating in a deficit is what loses fat.
  • rose313
    rose313 Posts: 1,146 Member
    edited November 2016
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    Got it, thanks everyone!
  • lorrpb
    lorrpb Posts: 11,464 Member
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    Just a note to encourage you to add more weight to your squat and go down as deep as you can. If you can do 100 per day with bodyweight or 5 lbs, try increasing by 5 lbs each week and do fewer reps. Leg strength is a good thing!
  • jessef593
    jessef593 Posts: 2,272 Member
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    rose313 wrote: »
    Zero pounds, because I haven't been careful with my eating. I recently started being careful on Monday and have committed to "starting over". I was eating less than I burned most days, but it was processed junky food and alcohol.

    So where was this deficit that you were speaking of? Also why just body weight squats? That progression will halt very fast. Chances are your legs are slightly inflamed due to working out and you may have added some muscle but I highly doubt you've added an inch of muscle without gaining weight.

  • SamMarriottPT
    SamMarriottPT Posts: 33 Member
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    Although its very unlikely that you can effectively gain muscle in a deficit, its still possible. Because you're stimulating the muscle group every single day and putting it through a certain amount of volume, your body will have to respond to that and adapt in order to cope with the physical demands, especially if you've been doing it for a while. My advice really would be to cut back on the volume (EG maybe squat every other day, not every single day) and take a look at your macros again to make sure you're in a 300-500kcal deficit!

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