Work out and get fatter??

mandiibear
mandiibear Posts: 2
edited October 1 in Introduce Yourself
I have been working out all through out the summer with very little results. I have recently decided to follow a work out play and try to eat less and healthier. I weighed myself the other night and according to the little needle it says I gained more than 10 pounds from when I started? But I lost 2-3 pant sizes (Yes I know it all depends on the make of the pants)... Weird.. Everyone tells me that you always gain weight before loosing it but come on now... Kind of discouraging but I'm still working my butt off.. Literally :)

Replies

  • bprague
    bprague Posts: 564 Member
    I'm going to be super blunt here because I don't have patience right now: You already know you're losing FAT. Get over the number on the scale because that is not what is important. Gaining muscle, losing fat. What's the issue again?

    Also known as: take measurements so you can check your progress that way
  • ShaoonaRae
    ShaoonaRae Posts: 60 Member
    You're gaining muscle. :)

    FatvsMuscle.jpg

    5 lbs of fat is much, much bigger than 5 lbs of muscle.

    Also: the reason why you will start to lose weight more quickly now is because muscle burns more calories than fat does. So you gain weight at first when working work because you're building muscle, but soon it will even out and you'll drop even more.
  • cmriverside
    cmriverside Posts: 34,416 Member
    popcorn.gif
  • Valechka
    Valechka Posts: 192
    you're getting muscle which is good. the only way to raise your metabolism after your grown to your adult size is to gain muscles :)
  • audram420
    audram420 Posts: 838 Member
    I agree with the above ladies, but also want to ask if you used the same scale and if you moved it to carpet from a hard surface...
    If your clothes are smaller, then you're doing great...#'s aren't everything
  • Dawn_2013
    Dawn_2013 Posts: 170
    What I reccomend is that you buy a gift to yourself. You can purchase a scale that measures more than weight, and it is encouraging because it shows you that yes, you are working your butt off, and that one number (weight) is a poor indication of what is happening to your body. You literally are dropping pant sizes, and it is not a trick.

    When I work out (after a long break) I gain 5 - 10 lbs and want to scream! But my body is changing, so a smart scale that lets you know that is much kinder than the traditional model.

    Anyway, hang in there. It is paying off, don't let that number get you down :flowerforyou:


    Check this out: http://www.costco.ca/Browse/Product.aspx?Prodid=10330389&search=scale&Mo=10&cm_re=1_en-_-Top_Left_Nav-_-Top_search&lang=en-CA&Nr=P_CatalogName:BCCA&Sp=S&N=0&whse=bcca&Dx=mode+matchallpartial&Ntk=Text_Search&Dr=P_CatalogName:BCCA&Ne=4000000&D=scale&Ntt=scale&No=1&Ntx=mode+matchallpartial&Nty=1&topnav=&s=1
  • superhippiechik
    superhippiechik Posts: 1,044 Member
    I'm going to be super blunt here because I don't have patience right now: You already know you're losing FAT. Get over the number on the scale because that is not what is important. Gaining muscle, losing fat. What's the issue again?

    Also known as: take measurements so you can check your progress that way

    I love the way you put this and agree.
  • SeatownJ
    SeatownJ Posts: 11
    My understanding is this... when you first start working out, you may gain weight (depending on how active a person you are outside of working out) because you are working out your muscles (even if you're only doing cardio). When you workout, your muscles grow. Muscles weigh more than fat. People often have the misconception that weight equals fat... which is only partially true. Be proud that you lost fat but gained weight in muscle.
  • SunshineKisses_2012
    SunshineKisses_2012 Posts: 471 Member
    popcorn.gif

    LMAO!!!
  • Lynnseyb
    Lynnseyb Posts: 2
    I have gained weight working out too. I go to the gym 4-5 times a week and physical therapy 1 time. I do good on my calories. I hope everyone is right, you gain before you loose. I lost inches for sure not weight! UGH!!
  • kikislove2
    kikislove2 Posts: 71 Member
    first i want to make a correction to what a lot of people believe, muscle does not weigh more than fat. 1lbs of muscle weighs the same as 1lbs of fat. But getting rid of fat and forming muscle reshapes your body because that muscle takes up less room, so if you lose 10lbs of fat and gain 12lbs of muscle then you will be two pounds heavier but shaped smaller. if the clothes are getting smaller, then keep going. if you were not seeing those kinds of results then you would know you were eating too much and the exercising was not working. but since you are getting some good results, don't get discouraged. I also agree with a previous comment about getting the scale that measures more than just pounds.
  • bprague
    bprague Posts: 564 Member
    first i want to make a correction to what a lot of people believe, muscle does not weigh more than fat. 1lbs of muscle weighs the same as 1lbs of fat. But getting rid of fat and forming muscle reshapes your body because that muscle takes up less room, so if you lose 10lbs of fat and gain 12lbs of muscle then you will be two pounds heavier but shaped smaller. if the clothes are getting smaller, then keep going. if you were not seeing those kinds of results then you would know you were eating too much and the exercising was not working. but since you are getting some good results, don't get discouraged. I also agree with a previous comment about getting the scale that measures more than just pounds.

    *face palm* Muscle does weigh more than fat. You're comparing a constant (lbs) to say that one pound equals one pound... which is redundant and entirely unhelpful. Muscle is more dense than fat, true: a liter of muscle will always weigh more than a liter of fat. I HATE the lb vs lb argument, everyone likes to say it like they have made a huge discovery. *bangs head*
  • ninerbuff
    ninerbuff Posts: 48,988 Member
    Okay I'll be blunt here. Unless you've NEVER worked out or haven't consistently for a very long time, you DO NOT gain muscle on a calorie deficit diet. To gain muscle you will gain fat and will need calorie surplus.
    Weight can fluctuate 4-10lbs from just water alone. Hormones, stress, sodium, extra hard heavy workouts all affect water retention.
    Most experienced lifters and consistent exercisers would be LUCKY to gain 1lb of lean muscle in 2 weeks even if nutrition was spot on.
    Trust me, science will back this up and I've been doing this for over 28 years. The myth that you gain muscle, and massive amounts of it while being in calorie deficit is one that won't stop.
  • SeatownJ
    SeatownJ Posts: 11
    Okay I'll be blunt here. Unless you've NEVER worked out or haven't consistently for a very long time, you DO NOT gain muscle on a calorie deficit diet. To gain muscle you will gain fat and will need calorie surplus.
    Weight can fluctuate 4-10lbs from just water alone. Hormones, stress, sodium, extra hard heavy workouts all affect water retention.
    Most experienced lifters and consistent exercisers would be LUCKY to gain 1lb of lean muscle in 2 weeks even if nutrition was spot on.
    Trust me, science will back this up and I've been doing this for over 28 years. The myth that you gain muscle, and massive amounts of it while being in calorie deficit is one that won't stop.

    In this case, I'm still going with the extra weight being attributed to muscle gain. Reason being, nothing was mentioned about a calorie deficit (eating less and healthier ≠ calorie deficit), the pants size decreased, and since a work out play was mentioned, I'm assuming that is a new lifestyle addition. In this particular case, everything is in support of the weight being muscle gain.

    The first two paragraphs of this article would says it well: "http://running.about.com/od/runningandweightloss/f/weightgain.htm"
  • conniehgtv
    conniehgtv Posts: 309 Member
    wow!! thanks for the visual
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