Up pounds, down inches

MelanieCN77
MelanieCN77 Posts: 4,047 Member
in Goal: Maintaining Weight
How do you get your head around "gainz" after being in weight loss mode for so long? I've been eating at maintenance for two and a half months or so and at that time I got a gym membership and have been lifting regularly. The weights make me really hungry some days but I've tried to stay in my maintenance calories and while I've gone over here and there, nothing major or regular. For a while I was bouncing happily between 133-135 but then this last two weeks the scale has been showing 135.5, 136, back down to 134.5 and today I see 137 even though I reduced my cals to below maintenance. Now I know I'm making muscles in the gym so I measured and sure enough I am down some inches in a few places, half an inch on the bust, 1" at high waist and 1.5 at my natural waist, inch on the hips, half on the butt, my thighs are up lol.... so in my intellectual brain that sorta makes sense but I am also finding the scale very stressful. I can't tell if I am on the road to getting tubby again or if I'm just inferring it from the numbers not being where I want. I want to understand sooner rather than later, so I don't just go "oh hey muscle is denser" and lighten up, and get on the slippery slope to gaining fat again instead.

Maintenance is weird.

Replies

  • 2011rocket3touring
    2011rocket3touring Posts: 1,346 Member
    It's not that maintenance is weird, it's that your recomping.
  • MelanieCN77
    MelanieCN77 Posts: 4,047 Member
    I guess my issue is mental/emotional, it's getting in the way of properly accepting the facts of recomp. I made sure to take a photo post arms workout today to see my new definition and will concentrate on the fact that that musculature has to weigh something.
  • ashaleethomas
    ashaleethomas Posts: 2 Member
    I feel the same way. When I was losing weight, I focused on cardio a lot at the gym. But now, I do a lot more weight training, but still try to incorporate some cardio. I know I'm getting more defined in my muscles, and honestly, my weight hasn't changed too much, but I'm still constantly worrying about the scale and if the cookie I had on Wednesday is going to jump the scale back up. I feel my muscles building, and it's hard to switch my mind set from wanting to be "smaller" to focusing on getting toned and staying healthy.
  • middlehaitch
    middlehaitch Posts: 8,486 Member
    Give yourself a maintenance range.

    No ones weight is a stable number. It varies hour by hour, day to day depending on food in transit, hydration, TOM, water retention through exercise, muscle repair, salt intake, heat, travel, etc.

    I am post menopausal so have a 5 lbs range and, although I generally sit in the middle of it, I vary throughout the week. The only time I worry is if it is staying at a high or low number for over a week consistently without knowing why.
    ie: this last month I had to take a break from lifting, I dropped to the low end of my maintenance- I knew why so didn't worry.

    You may like a range of 132-140 so normal fluctuations are accounted for.
    If you are really concerned use a weight trending app like happy scale for iPhone so you can see your monthly trends.

    Women, under ideal conditions, can only gain .5-1lbs of muscle a month.

    Cheers, h.
  • STEVE142142
    STEVE142142 Posts: 867 Member
    Please don't get fixated on a number as far as your weight. What you have to remember is your body weight is going to fluctuate and there are a lot of factors that will affect that number.

    I'll give you perspective at my lowest I weighed about 204 pounds. My current weight is 208 - 210 lbs but my waist has gone down but on the other hand I've noticed more muscle development. Also what you have to remember that when you lift you're damaging muscle and your body is going to retain water as part of the healing process. What you have to really look at is how your clothes fit that's more important.

    Also look at what you're telling us. You're losing inches in your waist, butt and chest. Whether you realize it or not or you planned it or not you're going through a body recomposition where you're losing inches but you're gaining muscle mass as you stated since your legs are getting bigger. How your clothes should fit is a better indicator than your weight.

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