Most Active Now - But Gaining Weight?
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| Sun, 01-20-2008 - 5:56pm |
I'm 31 (5' 5'' and 138) and over the last 6-8 mos I've been the most active and eating the most healthfully consistently than ever before. I do yoga, run or go to the gym 4-6 times a week. But I have noticed that my pants sizes have increased when buying new clothes and I've gained about 10 pounds. I do have somewhat of a more "athletic" natural body from my dad's genes, but is it possible/likely that exercise can increased my muscles so much that my clothes may have shifted in fit? I feel great and don't want to stop working out, but it is somewhat frustrating to not fit into things from a year ago. I was concerned enough about the gain that I went for a physical at my GP but all my numbers were fine (chol, bp, etc.) Sorry if this sounds all "pathetic" when there are clearly more important things to worry about in life, but if anyone has any insights/similar issues, I'd appreciate it.

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Hi, and welcome to the 30's board!
First off, well done on becoming more active, especially now that you're in your 30's-- it's even more important for us at this age than in our 20's, the ol' metabolism isn't what it used to be!
One of the first things I'd assess is if the weight you've put on is fat or muscle, muscle weighs more than fat... actually it takes up less room. Have you been measuring? Next time you go to your gym see if they can test your body fat.
If it is fat, there are a couple of things to look into:
Hope you
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Welcome to the board! And I think IG has given you some great tips. Is it a particular area that your pants aren't fitting? Are you shopping at the same shops?
I would track your weight gain, fat percentage (either from a trainer test with calipers, or weigh scale) and measurements over a few weeks and see what you see.
Then definitely use a log to track exactly what you are eating. Sometimes we think "oh I'm eating healthy" and it's true, but we can still eat too much of a good thing! LOL
At any rate, you sound like you have a great attitude, and the question isn't pathetic at all!
hi...
u gotta understand something.it's nothing but muscle gain.let me jot down som imp points for u ...
1.u should not worry abt pounds.u should worry abt being fit.
2.u might have been a size 4 before but...u
Hi Anishka,
I was so glad to see your post because I've had the same experience, I worked really hard by eating less & healthy & finally got down to my goal weight & was happy. But I started doing more Yoga & working out more & I gained 5 lbs & could not get it off! In fact I've noticed whenever I exercise I put on weight - it is a catch-22 because working out makes me feel great & gives me energy, but I hate putting the weight on & my clothes fit tighter.
I think its the combination of muscles getting bigger & tighter (muscle weighs more than fat right?) and that your appetite increases. I'm not a health pro but IMHO, and I hope no one gets mad at me for saying this, I think maybe you should cut back on working out, maybe to 3 times a week. You'll probably eat less & have less bulk and that would help maintain a lower weight, it worked for me anyway.
thanks & good luck!
g
I'm in the same situation as you. I'm 32, 5'2 and 183. I've been "being healthy and fit" for one year and when i went to weigh myself on the scale, it read that I only lost ONE pound since June. I was p#&*off. Apparently I put on so much muscle that I gained weight. I know that I look like I lost more then I did. I saw someone on Wednesday that I haven't seen in about 10 months and she couldn't believe how much weight I lost. So other people see it to.
I don't know what you do at the gym, but if your working out on a machine I would lower the reisistance and just try to burn calories. Also, you will probably need to get rid of your scale and scales all together, because they're just going to frustrate you. Hope I helped!!!!!!!!!
Hi,
I'm not in my '30s but I saw this message and I am having the same problem. I joined a gym in August and have been the best, most disciplined in my life with exercising. I go about 4x a week, sometimes even 6x and I work out for 45 minutes. I have gained weight.
Thanks to all for your responses, advice and shared frustration. I did meet with someone at my gym to get my body composition done - it did confirm that I have a decent amount of lean mass (love that term...) with body fat of 22.4% which, from what I've read, seems to be pretty good. My BMI was 23, which is more weight and height (and sorta begs the question shouldn't body fat be considered in BMI??), and that's normal as well. So I've stopped weighing myself cause I truly don't care about my weight - it's my overall look and my pant fit that I care about. And pretty much my problem area is my butt and muffin tops (yet another great term...) I am meeting with someone at the gym next week to guide me regarding weights. I was told that I should mix cardio with weights consistently and so far I've only done cardio. I also plan on tracking body fat and waist circumference vs. scale. Not sure if this makes sense or if others who had similar issues may benefit from thinking similarly, but would welcome any additional insights. Thanks!
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