Dear people that say large weight gain is muscle..

d2footballJRC
d2footballJRC Posts: 2,684 Member
edited December 18 in Chit-Chat
To those that say that. Please just stop it... just stop.. I see tons of posts on here daily where someone has gained 5-8lbs in a couple days to a week and the answer people give is "You've gained muscle" No... Not even likely if they are on a prohormone/gear(steroids)

This extra weight is usually water.

When you start doing more exercise, your body begins storing more fuel in your muscle cells, where it can be used easily and quickly to fuel your workouts. The process of converting glucose (carbohydrates) into fuel that your muscles actually store and use (glycogen) requires three molecules of water for every molecule of glucose. As your muscles are building up glycogen stores, your body has to retain extra water for this purpose. That's what causes most of the initial weight gain or lack of weight loss. This is a good thing—not something to worry about.

However, despite what the scale says, you are actually losing fat during this time. The extra water retention will stop once your body has adjusted to its new activity level.

Other reasons if they aren't working out included:
•Sodium intake
•Food weight (especially if eating more heavy proteins than usual)
•If they had ate low carb for a few days then carbing up.
•They aren't measuring their food right and estimating wrong.
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Replies

  • budhandy
    budhandy Posts: 305 Member
    your telling me my 5 pound weight gain in a week isnt muscle...you lie. no no no no no no....crys in the corner
  • momma2Lulu
    momma2Lulu Posts: 74
    thank you :) both hubby and are are new to this and while we are losing weight he isn't losing as fast as he expected to since he cut out all soda cold turkey... that might explain... he went from 6-12 cans a day to lots of water, i wish he tracked it better so we would know for sure how much but we think the average is 6 refills of his water bottle which holds probably around 16 ounces or so.... if not more :)
  • BigMike915
    BigMike915 Posts: 112 Member
    Glad you posted this. I actually laugh out loud whenever I read, "don't worry you are gaining muscle." Oh how I wish I could gain 8 pounds of muscle in two weeks.
  • d2footballJRC
    d2footballJRC Posts: 2,684 Member
    Glad you posted this. I actually laugh out loud whenever I read, "don't worry you are gaining muscle." Oh how I wish I could gain 8 pounds of muscle in two weeks.

    You and me both!
  • IpuffyheartHeelsinthegym
    IpuffyheartHeelsinthegym Posts: 5,573 Member
    no no no, the fat turns INTO muscles.... and it WEIGHS more!
  • d2footballJRC
    d2footballJRC Posts: 2,684 Member
    no no no, the fat turns INTO muscles.... and it WEIGHS more!

    Oh snap, if that is true when all my fat turns I'm going to need a bigger scale!!!
  • terri0527
    terri0527 Posts: 678 Member
    To those that say that. Please just stop it... just stop.. I see tons of posts on here daily where someone has gained 5-8lbs in a couple days to a week and the answer people give is "You've gained muscle" No... Not even likely if they are on a prohormone/gear(steroids)

    This extra weight is usually water.

    When you start doing more exercise, your body begins storing more fuel in your muscle cells, where it can be used easily and quickly to fuel your workouts. The process of converting glucose (carbohydrates) into fuel that your muscles actually store and use (glycogen) requires three molecules of water for every molecule of glucose. As your muscles are building up glycogen stores, your body has to retain extra water for this purpose. That's what causes most of the initial weight gain or lack of weight loss. This is a good thing—not something to worry about.

    However, despite what the scale says, you are actually losing fat during this time. The extra water retention will stop once your body has adjusted to its new activity level.

    Other reasons if they aren't working out included:
    •Sodium intake
    •Food weight (especially if eating more heavy proteins than usual)
    •If they had ate low carb for a few days then carbing up.
    •They aren't measuring their food right and estimating wrong.
    104p0f5.jpg
    this pic is hilarious
  • mustgetmuscles1
    mustgetmuscles1 Posts: 3,346 Member
    beefcake-cartman.bmp
  • scapez
    scapez Posts: 2,018 Member
    This should be copied and pasted in the forums every day from now until the end of time...
  • ShmiSkywalker
    ShmiSkywalker Posts: 33 Member
    no no no, the fat turns INTO muscles.... and it WEIGHS more!

    I love this one! HAHAHAHA!
  • 2143661
    2143661 Posts: 566 Member
    I totally agree with this post!
  • n_unocero
    n_unocero Posts: 445 Member
    no no no, the fat turns INTO muscles.... and it WEIGHS more!

    this is just common sense.
  • clobercow
    clobercow Posts: 337 Member
    Muscle gain, for hardcore body builders, naturally, is about 1lb per month MAX. That's someone who eats and trains perfectly.
  • Trail_Addict
    Trail_Addict Posts: 1,340 Member
    To those that say that. Please just stop it... just stop.. I see tons of posts on here daily where someone has gained 5-8lbs in a couple days to a week and the answer people give is "You've gained muscle" No... Not even likely if they are on a prohormone/gear(steroids)

    This extra weight is usually water.

    When you start doing more exercise, your body begins storing more fuel in your muscle cells, where it can be used easily and quickly to fuel your workouts. The process of converting glucose (carbohydrates) into fuel that your muscles actually store and use (glycogen) requires three molecules of water for every molecule of glucose. As your muscles are building up glycogen stores, your body has to retain extra water for this purpose. That's what causes most of the initial weight gain or lack of weight loss. This is a good thing—not something to worry about.

    However, despite what the scale says, you are actually losing fat during this time. The extra water retention will stop once your body has adjusted to its new activity level.

    Other reasons if they aren't working out included:
    •Sodium intake
    •Food weight (especially if eating more heavy proteins than usual)
    •If they had ate low carb for a few days then carbing up.
    •They aren't measuring their food right and estimating wrong.

    You forgot to add... "holding back a monster poop!"
  • SirZee
    SirZee Posts: 381
    OP you are right. Gaining muscle is very hard, especially when you are trying to lose weight at the same time.

    Its just another excuse for people who need it. The math is really simple. Intake > expenditure, you gain weight. Intake < expenditure, you lose weight. Gain and lose are measured in months.. days are useless fluctuations, weeks are slightly better, but still too close to fluctuation noise.

    Everything else is an excuse. And if you disagree, you don't need to convince me, you already convinced yourself, and that is fine with me :)
  • CookieCrumble
    CookieCrumble Posts: 221 Member
    A very pertinent post. I still see 'muscle weighs heavier than fat' here on MFP and I see calls of muscle gain within days of a diet starting. People really seem to struggle with seperating fact from fiction. I'm quite new (January this year) and have learned an awful lot but there's so much more to learn and implement.

    One thing I would like to know, if it isn't a daft question - where do you find out how much muscle mass you have? It would be useful to be able to measure the improvements month on month as I lift weights and find myself toning up.
  • hebenn01
    hebenn01 Posts: 43 Member
    Some people just loooove false hope!
  • sk2775
    sk2775 Posts: 699 Member
    Totally agree!!!!
  • 2kidzlater
    2kidzlater Posts: 134 Member
    bump
  • LindaCWy
    LindaCWy Posts: 463 Member
    You forgot the other one "She's just bigger boned"
  • SirZee
    SirZee Posts: 381
    A very pertinent post. I still see 'muscle weighs heavier than fat' here on MFP and I see calls of muscle gain within days of a diet starting. People really seem to struggle with seperating fact from fiction. I'm quite new (January this year) and have learned an awful lot but there's so much more to learn and implement.

    One thing I would like to know, if it isn't a daft question - where do you find out how much muscle mass you have? It would be useful to be able to measure the improvements month on month as I lift weights and find myself toning up.

    You can't really measure it that much without specialized gear. It took me 2-3 months or longer to see noticeable change. I have seen noticeable change since I started this journey in January, but that's more because of loss of fat covering muscles that I built up over a decade, than new muscle growth. Growing muscle is a good way to learn patience in body changes :)
  • dbratton87
    dbratton87 Posts: 55 Member
    To those that say that. Please just stop it... just stop.. I see tons of posts on here daily where someone has gained 5-8lbs in a couple days to a week and the answer people give is "You've gained muscle" No... Not even likely if they are on a prohormone/gear(steroids)

    This extra weight is usually water.

    When you start doing more exercise, your body begins storing more fuel in your muscle cells, where it can be used easily and quickly to fuel your workouts. The process of converting glucose (carbohydrates) into fuel that your muscles actually store and use (glycogen) requires three molecules of water for every molecule of glucose. As your muscles are building up glycogen stores, your body has to retain extra water for this purpose. That's what causes most of the initial weight gain or lack of weight loss. This is a good thing—not something to worry about.

    However, despite what the scale says, you are actually losing fat during this time. The extra water retention will stop once your body has adjusted to its new activity level.

    Other reasons if they aren't working out included:
    •Sodium intake
    •Food weight (especially if eating more heavy proteins than usual)
    •If they had ate low carb for a few days then carbing up.
    •They aren't measuring their food right and estimating wrong.

    104p0f5.jpg

    Thank you!! I hate when people tell me that if I complain that I gained a couple lbs. No, there is no way I am building that much muscle that fast. Plus, I have so much weight to lose. I STILL need to be getting lighter. I would have to build a ridiculous amount of muscle to weigh 180 and have a healthy percent body fat.
  • susieq101178
    susieq101178 Posts: 305 Member
    However, despite what the scale says, you are actually losing fat during this time. The extra water retention will stop once your body has adjusted to its new activity level.

    This would certainly explain my sudden drop from 158 to 155 in 3 days. Only took the bod three solid weeks of fully-focussed diet and and exercise to adjust. :tongue:
  • keegannati
    keegannati Posts: 114
    fat-mac-250.jpg
    I'm cultivating mass, bro!
  • Donnacoach
    Donnacoach Posts: 540 Member
    Thanks for sharing.
  • d2footballJRC
    d2footballJRC Posts: 2,684 Member
    Muscle gain, for hardcore body builders, naturally, is about 1lb per month MAX. That's someone who eats and trains perfectly.

    Most of the people on here aren't hardcore body builders and with noob gains you could expect 2-3lbs most likely in a month if you did everything right first starting out. 1lb per month MAX is a good goal though. It really comes down to genetics, training, sleep, and diet. You got to eat to build on average.
  • Rayman233
    Rayman233 Posts: 51 Member
    I'm going to triple my calories for :laugh: the next 5 days and see if i can get me some big guns !!
  • DoubleE615312
    DoubleE615312 Posts: 173 Member
    So what is it if your BF% goes down and your weight stays the same, but according to calculations your LBM goes up by 5 lbs within about a 5-6 week period? Along with all measurements going down?
  • d2footballJRC
    d2footballJRC Posts: 2,684 Member
    fat-mac-250.jpg
    I'm cultivating mass, bro!

    I love the burrito's in the trash bag episode!!.. Burritos are awesome dude.. I think we need some crack...
  • Zumbagurl64
    Zumbagurl64 Posts: 155 Member
    that's great to hear, and explains alot. I've been doing more weight lifting lately and am in that gaining zone with no logical explanation when lookung at my food diary..... i feel heavy and bloated, i drink tons of water, muscles are sore.....

    thanks for sharing, makes sense! love jabba too! :-)
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