Help-muscle vs. fat??

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Rubes
Rubes Posts: 28 Member
in Health and Weight Loss
Hello all,

I have been using MFP for about 2 weeks now and my weight hasn't changed. I had a few days (2 to be exact) where I fell off track and went over my calories but I didn't think that would totally halt any progress.

I used to just use stepping/walking as my workout and I added swimming a month ago. I know that my arms/legs/core are getting stronger and I can feel my muscles becoming more defined under all the fat!

Is it possible to maintain around the same weight but be gaining muscle and loosing fat when you first start out? I know that muscle is more dense than fat.

Any advice is more than appreciated!

Replies

  • kandyjo
    kandyjo Posts: 4,648 Member
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    I would love for you to check my post out...

    http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/58094-just-a-word-of-encouragement


    :happy: STAY WITH IT. DON'T GIVE UP!!!
  • brainey100
    brainey100 Posts: 27
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    Have you tried measuring yourself or testing your body fat? Sometimes these are better indicators of progress than just weight alone.
  • MacMadame
    MacMadame Posts: 1,893 Member
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    It's really hard for women to build up muscle, especially while in a calorie deficit, so I would look to something else first.

    Some things to look for:

    -are you drinking enough water? Fluid helps flush out the waste products of burning fat.

    -are you eating your exercise calories and, if so, how are you calculating them? The online databases are based on averages. Individuals may not burn as much as the formulas say. z(I burn more for running, but less for everything else.) Even a HRM, which can be very accurate, won't be 100% accurate. I always round my exercise calories down when I'm working out my calorie requirements.

    -are you tracking absolutely everything? If you tend to graze, it can be easy to pop a handful of something in your mouth and forget to write it down and those can add up.

    -is it that time of the month? Some women really retain water at various times in their cycles (while others aren't as impacted)

    -do you drink alcohol? Alcohol inhibits fat burning all out of proportion to its calories

    -is there something you eat regularly that you aren't recording properly. For example, I used to drink these bottles of OJ at company breakfast meetings and was writing them down as 8 oz when it turns out they were 10.5 oz. Sometimes the user-entered foods on MFP have mistakes in them too.

    -are you insulin resistent? If you are, you probably have to do more than limit calories; you'll have to limit carbs too.
  • skinnykate
    skinnykate Posts: 3
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    You should measure yourself and also give yourself some time to lose the pounds. If you think of this a life style, then you won't be so disappointed everytime you weight yourself. I would go with measuring your thighs, hips, waist, arms, and neck. And make sure you only weigh yourself once a week, in the morning. Hope this helps.
  • omid990
    omid990 Posts: 785 Member
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    unfortunately, i would say this is unlikely. Gaining muscle is difficult, especially if your not lifting weights.
    Gaining muscle weight takes a long time and serious effort.

    I would say its more likely that your body is being stubborn and holding onto the fat for dear life.
    Don't give up! keep up with what your doing and your scale will have no choice but to respond eventually.
    :heart: aisha
  • blindrn
    blindrn Posts: 12
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    I've been using MFP for just over 8 weeks now. I started using it at the same time I started working out with a personal trainer twice a week. My trainer put me on 1400 cal/day which was quite a bit less than what my body was getting before. I'm doing weight training twice a week and 1-2 days of cardio of about 30 minutes each - all beyond what I was doing previous to working with a trainer. I went from 138 to 136 pounds in the first month and have not lost ANY this second month. I have, however, lost body fat and increased my lean body mass during this time. I know I'm much stronger and I feel like clothes look better on even though the size hasn't changed at all either. I know the changes are good, even if it's not being reflected in weight loss at this point. Hang in there. I know how it feels.

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