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I just started working out again. Help me please? maiden
  Jul 24 2008 00:55
I used to work out everyday during the winter, but then I got uber busy. Well, I never lost much weight to be honest. Then I stopped and just cut calories and ate healthy and the weight continued to go. Well, now that I have some time I've started exercising again. And suddenly my pants are fitting tighter and I weigh 3 pounds more :(. I think I look way worse than I did before. But, I've been known to be ridiculous when it comes to how I look. I'll post a pic I took today and you can see if I look fatter.

Anyways, long story short, can exercising and weight lifting make you look bulkier? I've read that gaining muscle makes you slim down, but I don't think it's true. Help. :/

P.S sorry if this is a stupid question
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#1 cristine22 Jul 24 2008 01:25

Well, there are two possibilities that I think it could be:

1. You've started exercising, so you think you can eat a lot more. I've done this plenty of time before.  Pay attention to the number of calories you're eating.  It's true that you should eat more than usual when you exercise, but lifting weights for a while doesn't make it so you can eat a bunch of brownies (I learned this the hard way).

2. You're probably gaining muscle mass, which weighs more than fat.  Also, I took an English class with a girl to did a research project on this, and she said that as you gain muscle mass, it pushes the fat out, so you look fatter, although your fat mass hasn't changed, but that only lasts for a short time.  In the long run, gaining muscle mass is a great way to help you lose weight because it increases your metabolism because muscle requires more calories to be maintained than fat.

Keep up the weight lifting; it's a great thing to do for your body, and if you keep it up, you won't have the problem of lost muscle as you get older, which will be a huge benefit to you. 

P.S. From what I can see of you in your picture, you look beautiful; be nice to yourself about the way you look.  Be healthy and let yourself be happy; your confidence will make you look far better than your worry ;)

#2 ainla Jul 24 2008 05:37

I agree with Cristine. you look great and healthy. Enjoy the shape you have and the strength you're getting. Maybe in a bit you'll start losing more as the muscle burns more effectively...good luck!

#3 mimi_js Jul 24 2008 07:42

To be honest with you, exercise doesn't do much for me either (in terms of weight loss). But I recently started going to the gym more.. and I just like the way it makes me feel! My body's more energetic and I have greater muscle tone.

You should definitely keep working out, but that doesn't mean you can stop watching what you eat. Make sure your diet is balanced, drink lots of water to flush out toxins, and you should be fine!

#4 maiden Jul 24 2008 12:50
Well, my problem is I'm up 4 pounds now and I'm technically doing everything right. Sort of :/. I know I'm not getting enough calories. I usually get 1100 a day. But I'm just not hungry at all. I feel like if I eat anymore I'll be stuffed. (and aren't you only supposed to eat when you're hungry?) But I do drink a lot. And I make sure to take vitamins and calcium everyday. I'm not trying to lose more weight exactly, I'm just trying to get back to what I was before. I just don't feel right. I eat no junk food, no soda, no sugar (literally), no bread and it seems like I gain weight easier than people who eat crap like that. ? lol It drives me insane, actually.

Today I'm skipping the gym to see if my muscles were just retaining water and if tomorrow it goes away. I hope.

Oh, by the way, I have 13% body fat I'm just trying to make sure I maintain my muscle mass. Will I lose that if I don't eat enough calories? Or is it protien?

Thank you for your help guys!
#5 lizshuler Jul 24 2008 13:09
Let me start this off by saying, you look great. But are you sure 13% is correct.  That is extremely low for a woman, most athleties are 16%-20% and it is very common to lose your period if you are under 14%.  You may want to check that.
#6 maiden Jul 24 2008 13:25
Well, it's between 13% and 16% the tests say.

And I have lost my period. :/ For about 6 months. (it's kinda nice actually lol)
#7 lizshuler Jul 24 2008 13:26
that's very unhealthy
#8 roob26 Jul 25 2008 14:07

Maiden, listen to Liz.


One thing I see in these posts is a complete loss of the big picture.  People can't expect to see exercise results in a week or two.  The only thing you can get in a week is gratification that you are doing the right thing for your long-term health.  You mentioned that you are eating 1100 calories a day.  To me, that seems pretty low.  One day, fine.  You weren't hungry.  But on average?  Not a good idea.  You've gained a couple pounds, on 1100 calories a day.  That has to be water retention, it can be nothing else.  Put it this way.  If you were to completely shut down an average person's metabolism so they burn zero calories, to gain 2 lbs in two days they would have to take in 7000 calories over that two day period.  As Homer Simpson once said "In this house, we obey the laws of PHYSICS!!"  My guess is, your body is stressed already (no periods) and you are stressing it further by starting to exercise again.  For some reason, your body's response to that is to retain water.  I'm not going to tell you how much to eat and how hard to work out, but I'll suggest that you're not eating enough.  That's the downside to calorie counting and a common thread in these forums.  Less calories is not always better.  Listen to Liz's advice, and good luck!!!

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