Gaining weight with diet and exercise...
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| Wed, 02-16-2005 - 10:23am |
Hey, all...
I'm Barb, a 38yo woman who is trying to get fit and drop 30 lbs.
I cut out sugars, most fats, increased proteins. I'm taking in about 1500-1600 cals a day, with about 20% fat, 50% carbs, 30% protein. I'm taking multivitamins. I average 2 liters of water per day.
I started slowly, worked my way up to 30 min's on the elliptical, and in the first 2 weeks, I lost 2 lbs a week.
Then, I added resistance training on the weight-curcuit at the gym. I do 15-20 reps with medium weights... it's about a 15-minute program.
I started gaining weight again. I've gained 3 lbs.
OK, I know muscle mass weighs more than fat. But, it's been three weeks, and I'm still going up!
I am one of those rare women who really bulks-up with muscle (that's why I'm doing high reps). It didn't bother me when I was younger, because I didn't have a fat-layer over it, and I just looked muscular. Now, I look even fatter, because the muscles are buried under a layer of fat. I have been told that if could lose the fat, I'd be a natural at body-building. I've had guys ask what my calf routine is, because I have such large calves (I don't do anything for my calves... they're already so big that I cannot wear boots or ski boots, literally).
So, now I'm getting discouraged. I don't want to get bigger, and the fat is not coming off at the same rate as the muscle is going on! I feel huge, and with the combination of muscle and fat, my upper arms are as big as most women's thighs!
WHEN can I expect the fat-loss to increase?? Should I increase my reps, and lighten the weights to stop some of the muscle growth? Or, should I grin and bear it, and the fat will start to melt, eventually?
Thank you for any advice!!
Barb

First of all welcome to the board!!