I think that often people overestimate muscle gains. Sometimes we'll read a post by a member who's just started an exercise program or walking and they'll see the scale go up a few pounds a few days later. Always someone will post to say "don't worry, you're gaining muscle!" If only it was that easy!
It probably would take a typical woman about six months of spot-on nutrition and heavy weight training to gain 4 or 5 pounds of muscle. It's not going to happen after a week of walking. It's takes a lot of really hard work to gain muscle!
Without weight training, up to 40% of our pounds lost during weight loss will be muscle. Our goal during to the weight loss process is simply to minimize the amount of muscle lost. So muscle maintenance, rather than muscle gain, is probably a more realistic goal for most of us during fat loss.
I am wondering how this will work for me. About 8 years ago, I built quite a bit of muscle and was very lean (130lbs, 5'1", 12% BF). Then, I gained weight. Now that I am losing again I am wondering how much of it is still in there. There are parts of my body that never got too huge that I swear I can still see the muscles "in there." But, I really don't want to get to goal and find myself skinny fat. I have been doing some weight training, but I have a different life now. I don't have 2 to 3 hours a day to spend in the gym. I would imagine that I won't have that body back regardless of what I weigh when I get to goal, but I am hoping to see most of those muscles I worked so hard for. Any thoughts on what I should expect?
Sorry, I seem to be drifting off topic....In the past, when I was weight training, I wore a 14, and even squeezed into twelves. I stayed at 200 lbs for about a year, and the whole time, I was gaining muscle, and didn't understand why I couldn't lose weight. I know the goal should be to lose FAT, not WEIGHT, but I can't bear the idea of getting stuck like that again. I know it isn't logical, but I'm going to reduce my weight a little more, before I get serious about building muscle.
I don't do heavy weight training. I lift 4 times a week rotating between legs and abs then arms and abs. But I do 15 reps, 2 sets. I usually get tired by the 12th rep. If I were losing weight consistently I would focus on the scale but since I'm not I go by how my clothes fit or if I lost inches or not. I definitely understand why this wouldn't work for others but for me it keeps me motivated instead of giving up because the number on the scale barely moves. Plus I'm really happy that I can start running again, right now I walk/jog but I am seeing progress fitness wise and have faith that the scale will start to show it eventually. Am I gaining muscle I don't know but I'm definitely keeping most of my muscle that I have now. I weigh myself once a month now, so I haven't abandoned the scale completely but its not my morning ritual anymore to hop on the scale when I wake up.
Last edited by 19Deltawifey; 03-02-2010 at 12:05 PM.
I've never seen any science to back it up, but I totally believe that former fat chicks have heavier infrastructures that normal weight persons. Our bones are dense and we have higher muscle masses due to all the weight bearing exercise we did while we were heavy. Every step we took when we were heavy was strength training -- like a normal weight person doing our daily activities with a 100 pound backpack on (for instance).
I do think there is something to this.
When I was an early 20-something who had never been obese but also never strength trained nor formally exercised - I was I guess what you call here "skinny fat". I had NO muscle definition - I had little skinny arms and a soft belly thighs & butt. I was active doing things I liked - dancing, swimming, bicycling (sometimes long distances, but not consistently) - but not a "work out" person or a runner.
After my first child at age 28 - my weight hit 200 during the pregnancy and I was still 24 pounds more than my starting weight after delivery -- I went to my first aerobics class and I was uncoordinated, unbalanced and absolutely SPENT after every workout.
Fast forward - I eventually became a fit person who hit the gym 3-5 times a week for years, did power walking, eventually even weight training. I dare say that even now - in my 200+ obese condition and age 50 and not having worked out seriously in five years - I could walk into a gym or pull out my step & my step videos, and do a one hour aerobics session and be BETTER at it and and not as tired as I was after those first few months of post pregnancy workouts at age 28.
And I believe it is due to the cumulative effects of getting fit, building muscle and yes, probably the weight bearing exercise of conveying an obese body around for a few years now. I am more "solid" and carry my weight better than I did at younger ages.
As for sizes being different if we go back to our high school years - well, I may be older than most of you posting here so I know in MY high school years the sizes were most definitely different! But all that aside, if you wore junior sizes in high school and now you wear misses sizes - junior sizes ARE different. A junior size 11/12 might comparable to a misses size 8 or even a 6. So if you were a junior 12 in high school and now you're a misses size 12 at a higher weight - the misses-jr difference has to be taken into account.
I stayed at 200 lbs for about a year, and the whole time, I was gaining muscle, and didn't understand why I couldn't lose weight. I know the goal should be to lose FAT, not WEIGHT, but I can't bear the idea of getting stuck like that again.
This is where I'm at, and it's heartbreakingly frustrating. My clothes are getting looser, my rings are spinning on my fingers, my watch is droopy, etc. but the scale is NOT budging. I'm totally replacing my fluff with muscle and while it feels great, I'm obsessed with that number on the scale. I'm just sooooo lucky to have a supportive DH who knows to say all the right things (a pound of feathers takes up a lot more room than a pound of bricks, he compliments me many times daily, makes sure I have time to exercise, does stuff with me, and so on) that keeps me keepin' on. Also, having NSVs is better than no victories whatsoever.
I am wondering how this will work for me. About 8 years ago, I built quite a bit of muscle and was very lean (130lbs, 5'1", 12% BF). Then, I gained weight. Now that I am losing again I am wondering how much of it is still in there. There are parts of my body that never got too huge that I swear I can still see the muscles "in there." But, I really don't want to get to goal and find myself skinny fat. I have been doing some weight training, but I have a different life now. I don't have 2 to 3 hours a day to spend in the gym. I would imagine that I won't have that body back regardless of what I weigh when I get to goal, but I am hoping to see most of those muscles I worked so hard for. Any thoughts on what I should expect?
Muscle atrophies when we don't use it. So if you no longer are doing a similar workout, some of that muscle may remain but 8 years is a long time and I would expect it to be atrophied by now. That of course doesn't mean you have no muscle but the muscle you have currently is dependent on the type of physical activity you are doing at the current time.
I guess I'm getting off topic myself, but I have a fancy body fat scale at home.
Since December, I've really upped my exercise level-- added running and lifting, and working with a PT. I'm strong and I lift quite heavy weights, and my weight loss has slowed considerably. However, according to my body fat scale, my body fat % (a charming 44%) hasn't budged. My weight has gone down about ten pounds over two months, but my body fat has not.
So, I always wonder when people say they are so worried about "gaining muscle..." are we really gaining as much as we think we are?
I was hiting the gym for at least two hours six days per week. I know for a fact that I gained significant muscle, because I became very toned, lost the cellulite (that I had even at 125 lbs), and went down a few sizes....all while maintaining between 198 and 202 for at least 10 months. I have always had good muscle tone to start with, so that could could be the reason. Anyway, I am keeping the exercise light until I get to a weight I don't mind being stuck at (lol).
That's what I thought, Nellie. Thanks for taking the time to answer. I will make sure to incorporate some strength training in my workouts through this journey. I am slowly accepting that unless I want to re-prioritize my life, that physique is probably a thing of the past. Who knows what will happen. Thanks again!
Uber, I just read a blog post on exactly this topic that you might want to check out: BMI: Tool Or Tyranny
It says in part:
Quote:
When we gain weight, the body has to manufacture new fat cells to store the oily triglycerides which are being created. These cells are supported by a scaffolding of connective tissue and muscle. After weight loss, the fat cells are emptied, but some of the tissue may remain. Many POWs (what she calls previously overweight people) find that they simply cannot lose enough weight to reach the white area of the BMI chart. This may well be because the BMI chart is based on the weights of those who have never been heavy, in other words, the weights of NOWs (never overweight people). Since they have never manufactured new fatty tissue, their baseline weights are lower.
It goes along with my theory that we POWs have heavy infrastructures that were created to carry around our many excess pounds.
As background, Refuse To Regain is one of the only blogs I know of that's devoted to weight loss maintenance. One of its authors, Dr. Barbara Berkeley, wrote a book about maintenance called Refuse To Regain that is well-worth checking out. It's a great blog to follow.
Uber, I just read a blog post on exactly this topic that you might want to check out: BMI: Tool Or Tyranny
It says in part:
It goes along with my theory that we POWs have heavy infrastructures that were created to carry around our many excess pounds.
As background, Refuse To Regain is one of the only blogs I know of that's devoted to weight loss maintenance. One of its authors, Dr. Barbara Berkeley, wrote a book about maintenance called Refuse To Regain that is well-worth checking out. It's a great blog to follow.
Thanks for the reference. The blog does look interesting!
