Gaining weight on sides of stomach

stribor45
stribor45 Posts: 11 Member
in Fitness and Exercise
I don’t understand why i am gaining weight on the sides of my stomach even thoughr i consume less calories then needed daily
I exercise and run and it looks to me that i had less fat on stomach sides when i didnt do any exercise at all.
Can someone suggest what am i doing wrong?

Replies

  • stribor45
    stribor45 Posts: 11 Member
    I wouldn’t call this concern but rather I am curious why this is happening since I’m working out almost every day. I do not see any weigjt gaining everywhere else
  • mbaker566
    mbaker566 Posts: 11,233 Member
    eyeballing it might not be the best judge. that actual measurements might give you a better picture of what is happening
    things are shifting around and you might be losing weight around the waist making this appear to happen
  • mbaker566
    mbaker566 Posts: 11,233 Member
    they said it better than i did
  • stribor45
    stribor45 Posts: 11 Member
    Well i guess my last question would be if this is going to go away or keep getting bigger and bigger?
  • AnvilHead
    AnvilHead Posts: 18,343 Member
    If you're in a calorie deficit and losing weight, your fat stores are not going to get bigger. But they may be the last fat stores you lose, as the waist/love handles are a very stubborn place to lose from for many people. You can't choose where you lose fat from.
  • stribor45
    stribor45 Posts: 11 Member
    I am definitely on calories deficit but i am confused on why is this more visible than before when i did not exercise at all and my diet was exactly the same
  • pinuplove
    pinuplove Posts: 12,871 Member
    stribor45 wrote: »
    I am definitely on calories deficit but i am confused on why is this more visible than before when i did not exercise at all and my diet was exactly the same

    You could also be focused more on it/more critical of yourself now. Staring into the mirror is not a good way to objectively assess progress. I agree with the suggestion to starting taking your measurements, and trust the process.
  • stribor45
    stribor45 Posts: 11 Member
    sorry to be pest and ask so many questions but should I stop exercising since this is not what I wanted. Am I going to be able to lose this?
    This is definitely not looking same (even if I judge it just by looking at it) as before I started to exercise?

    Am I not doing my workouts correctly?
  • jemhh
    jemhh Posts: 14,261 Member
    stribor45 wrote: »
    sorry to be pest and ask so many questions but should I stop exercising since this is not what I wanted. Am I going to be able to lose this?
    This is definitely not looking same (even if I judge it just by looking at it) as before I started to exercise?

    Am I not doing my workouts correctly?

    If you are eating in a deficit and have started exercising, you are going to look different than you did before. And that different look is unlikely to be exactly how you imagined yourself to look, whether you're in the middle of losing weight/getting fit or have already gotten there. Your posts are pretty vague (i.e., you haven't given any actual data showing that your measurements have increased, no height, no weight, etc.) which means that it's close to impossible to give you any useful advice. This kind of post (all about feelings, no hard data, etc.) always make me suspicious that the OP has body dysmorphia or similar problems.
  • stribor45
    stribor45 Posts: 11 Member
    I am 6.1 and 192 pounds and 49 years old.
    My goal when I started to exercise was not to lose weight or look better but rather to lead more active lifestyle since I work in IT and spend all day at the computer. I was not imagining myself to look any way better then I did before but at the same time i was not imagining myself to have this side gain either. I guess what I am trying to say is that since I am working out I did expect to look at least the same as I did when I did not exercise :)
  • AnvilHead
    AnvilHead Posts: 18,343 Member
    edited May 2018
    stribor45 wrote: »
    Am I not doing my workouts correctly?
    Since you haven't said what your workouts consist of, nobody can give you advice as to whether you're doing them correctly or not.

    You also haven't said whether you're actually losing weight or not. Has there been any change in your scale weight?
  • jemhh
    jemhh Posts: 14,261 Member
    Still not clear.

    I don’t understand why i am gaining weight on the sides of my stomach even thoughr i consume less calories then needed daily

    Contradicts
    My goal when I started to exercise was not to lose weight...

    And then
    I guess what I am trying to say is that since I am working out I did expect to look at least the same as I did when I did not exercise


  • stribor45
    stribor45 Posts: 11 Member
    Honestly I don't track my weight religiously so I cant answer that but let me rephrase my question. Is it possible to gain weight in the stomach sides if 2 following conditions are met:
    • eating less calories then daily need (my case around 3000 cals daily)
    • jogging/lifting weight 3-4 times per week
  • jseams1234
    jseams1234 Posts: 1,219 Member
    stribor45 wrote: »
    Honestly I don't track my weight religiously so I cant answer that but let me rephrase my question. Is it possible to gain weight in the stomach sides if 2 following conditions are met:
    • eating less calories then daily need (my case around 3000 cals daily)
    • jogging/lifting weight 3-4 times per week

    No - but the caveat is this: You can't gain FAT if in a deficit. However, under very specific conditions you can gain a bit of muscle.

    However, let me use myself as an example. I recently cut a lot of weight and went through several phases... some where I looked much better than where I started from and close to the end a couple of weird stages. There was a point where my belly was flat and I had visible abs and my ribs/serratus were plainly visible. There was a distinct V taper to from my upper body to just past my ribs but an ugly bulge around the sides of my middle that started above the line of my belly button down to my hips. Classic "love handles". When I was much heavier they weren't visually there because the fat above them made my torso look a bit more even. Since that was the very last place I lost the fat the leaner I became the more pronounced that side fat was until they finally faded too.

    ... but if you can't answer the question about your weight how do you know you aren't actually gaining? I think I probably have above average muscle mass and I'm about 200# and the same height as you at probably 13-15% bf at the moment and I can maintain at 3K with over 5 hours of gym time a week. I cut at 2400 calories.
  • AnvilHead
    AnvilHead Posts: 18,343 Member
    edited May 2018
    stribor45 wrote: »
    Honestly I don't track my weight religiously so I cant answer that but let me rephrase my question. Is it possible to gain weight in the stomach sides if 2 following conditions are met:
    • eating less calories then daily need (my case around 3000 cals daily)
    • jogging/lifting weight 3-4 times per week

    It's not possible to gain weight anywhere if you're eating less calories than you're expending. Not the sides of your stomach or anywhere else.

    But since you have no idea if you're actually gaining or losing weight, it makes it all a guessing game.
  • Redordeadhead
    Redordeadhead Posts: 1,188 Member
    My vote is for you are just looking at yourself differently and you imagine it is bigger. Since you haven't taken any measurements, you don't know whether it is bigger or not.
  • mulch1999
    mulch1999 Posts: 30 Member
    Remember this. As you have less front belly fat there is less tension and may accentuate your "love handles". Also more fit people have more prominent obliques (muscles under the lobe handles.) Dont give up. Do more core work!
  • DX2JX2
    DX2JX2 Posts: 1,921 Member
    mulch1999 wrote: »
    Remember this. As you have less front belly fat there is less tension and may accentuate your "love handles". Also more fit people have more prominent obliques (muscles under the lobe handles.) Dont give up. Do more core work!

    I also hold weight in my love handles the longest so as my stomach goes down the love handles tend to look a bit more pronounced. As long as you're comfortable with your calorie intake, just stick with it.
  • kdbulger
    kdbulger Posts: 396 Member
    This is probably a matter of perception. As others have said, as you lose in one area, it came another area look a lot different in proportion. This is why measurements are such a strong progress indicator. I recommend taking some measurements today and then you won't have to wonder anymore.
  • stribor45
    stribor45 Posts: 11 Member
    Thanks everyone

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