You didn't gain 4lbs of muscle in a month. That's just crazy and impossible anyway. I read one time that it takes a woman about 6 months of regular lifting to gain 1lb of muscle. And really think about it, a steak is muscle imagine what 1lb of steak looks like. I used to not really understand how muscle gain worked, but now that I do I cringe everytime someone says, "You probably just gained muscle." No offense to anyone, you just don't understand how it works either.
I agree with what's been said, it's probably some water, and than there is the possibility that you're not tracking what you eat as well as you could. If you have a food journal I would definitely go over it and if you don't already you might want to try calorie counting for a while so you can really understand how much you're putting in your body.
I would be interested to learn where you read that it takes a woman 6 months to gain one pound of muscle... while I understand the frustration of the phrase, "it's probably just the fact that you're gaining muscle", sometimes it's true. I work out at a local gym and the fitness instructor has told me several times that it's possible to gain 1lb of muscle a month, for women who are constantly active and working out with weights regularly.
Normally, gaining muscle is very difficult but there is a honeymoon phase where you can gain muscle in the first 6 months of weight training more easily than any other time. Gaining a pound of muscle is quite a feat overall. Usually weight gain associated with weight training is water retention though.
I would be interested to learn where you read that it takes a woman 6 months to gain one pound of muscle... while I understand the frustration of the phrase, "it's probably just the fact that you're gaining muscle", sometimes it's true. I work out at a local gym and the fitness instructor has told me several times that it's possible to gain 1lb of muscle a month, for women who are constantly active and working out with weights regularly.
I read that quite a while ago and didn't bookmark the article. Everyone is different for sure and I imagine it is possible that some women could gain a pound of muscle in a month. I know we can agree that the OP didn't gain 4 in one month though. =)
1. Have your measurements changed? Really, this is the BIGGEST question here because it's impossible to really give you good advice one way or another without knowing this.
So. A. You're losing inches. Then congrats what you're doing is working! I've had the same thing basically, I maintained/gained for a bit while lifting but lost inches. Your body tends to retain quite a bit of water in your muscles when they tear/repair during lifting so that's why right after a workout you might even look "inflated". Don't worry, it doesn't stick and it goes away over time. The weight does come off eventually but it can be slowly. However, you will look quite different even at a higher weight so it's worth it to stick with it.
Or B. You've gained inches/are the same. Then the first question is if it's your time of the month because of that's the case all bets are off and you'll probably weight more and/or even have gained inches. Note, this can also happen when you're ovulating OR right after a big/salty dinner. Are you weighing yourself daily? Did your weight just shoot up at the end of the month or has it been gradual? What is your meal plan like? Are you eating enough protein. Basically, I would need way more info here too...
Another question that's important...are you using the same scale to weigh yourself, are the batteries working and have you moved your scale to a different part of the house?
Now, about your boyfriend.... I have to answer that because this set off a pretty big red flag for me. Why is he so caught up with your weight loss? Why is there a time limit on your weight loss? Does he watch too many weight loss shows like the Biggest Loser? Is he a naturally slim person that does not understand how weight loss works.
Unlike what you might see on TV weight loss is NOT fast, it is NOT consistent, and it is NOT easy. We ALL have our bad days, or slow months/weeks/YEARS, we ALL struggle. Honestly, I would've said something not very nice to your bf's comment and it makes me wonder if he says these sort of demeaning comments to you in other areas too.
The thing is about weight loss is you always need to be working in the right direction. Some days are off, same for me too! Some days are easy but you have to stick with it and just keep trying new things if what you're doing isn't working. You can read quite a bit on 3FC and find that what works for one body does not work for another so it's not something as simple as pointing to person X and asking, "well, she can do it, why can't you?". There are an infinite number of factors that go into the female body: height, weight, metabolism, work environment, stress levels, sleep, exercise levels, general activities you do during the day, body frame, muscle tone. It's amazing we can compare AT ALL!
ETA: because I can't help it. People it's just a matter of semantics about the whole muscle "weighing" more than fat thing. Muscle is denser than fat, just that. For whatever reason the phrase "muscle weighs more than fat" has entered into the English language so even though everyone KNOWS that 1lb muscle weighs the same as 1lb of fat we also know that the volume of each of those 1lb's is quite different. There's really no reason to fight over it because it's just a phrase and I have a hard time believing someone out there actually believes that 1lb muscle>1lb fat...
Last edited by runningfromfat; 07-01-2011 at 09:35 AM.
I think most girls have pretty much answered responded quite well.
It is darn near impossible to gain 4lbs of muscle in a month, let alone for a female, although beginners can make some beginner gains.
Water retention is pretty much guaranteed when you begin any exercise program, especially weight training.
The "several small meals" per day thing to increase metabolism is a common myth perpetuated in amateur bodybuilding and has since been debunked - keep eating like that if you choose, but keep in mind it is not necessary. Some people actually end up overeating with this method as they find small meals unsatisfying.
Scale weight, over the long-term with weight training, is not as important. I was once 5'5 and 109lbs, started lifting weights consistently and heavy for 7 years, and now I am 5'5, 129lbs, and look far more fit/healthy.
And finally...
Your boyfriend sounds rather cruel. You have been losing weight, you have taken on a healthy exercise regime, you are preventing future problems such as osteoporosis, and he makes you feel like a failure.
Don't give your heart to someone who does not deserve it. Good luck.
Like the rest of the ladies said, there's very little chance you gained 4 lbs of muscle in one month. Weight training and water retention go hand in hand and most likely one of your main culprits.
I would be more worried about your boyfriend. I don't really know too many men who would even think about saying one word about their woman's weight. You've lost 46.5 lbs, so please tell me how you're not doing something right?
there seems to be a lot of confusion with the "muscle weighs more than fat" theory. Muscle is MORE DENSE than fat. Therefore if you have a container of muscle and a container of fat, in identical containers the muscle will weigh more. This can apply to your body as well. identical containers (you) and a pound of muscle will take up a smaller area than a lb of fat.
just throw some cut up chicken in a container and then fill the other container with fat from the chicken...and you will see the difference.
I weight 2x per DAY to see the natural fluctuations of my body. I take the 1st thing in the morning weigh-in as my "true weight" and that's what I record.
I recorded 165.4 yesterday morning. I ate my regular day's worth of food, logging everything into FitDay, as is my normal routine... then I weighed again at 6:00pm. Scale said 168.4!!!!!!! - Now, I KNOW I didn't eat 10,500 calories (3,500 calories = 1 pound, and according to the scale, I gained three pounds from 6am to 6pm... so that's 3,500 x 3 = 10,500.... I say PISHAW!!!!!)
This morning, scale says back down at 165.4 .... so according to the scale, I "lost" three pounds over night.
Now then...let's use our common sense... DID I GAIN/LOSE THREE WHOLE POUNDS in that little bitty-bit of time? Uh-uh! NO WAY.
What your body is doing is most likely retaining some water. Don't stress! It's natural and it's OK. Keep doing what you're doing; monitor your food intake & exercise. YOU ARE GETTING HEALTHY, you have lost over 40 lbs already, and you're feeling much better - right??
As for your boyfriend's comments... 'twere it me, I believe I'd have to smack him upside his pointy head for such foolishness! Tell'm him to keep his NEGATIVE COMMENTS to himself! As my niece would say "what a goober!" :
Thank you all for your comments! I'm going to take your advice and start measuring instead of depending on the scale. I was truly freaking out because i'm a beginner at weight training and I had thought it will make me lose weight instead of gain weight, but obviously I had no idea!
I work 4 hours Mon-Thurs weight training + cardio. I had stop counting calories, but I am going to do that again and keep a journal.
As for the water retention it may be just that. I've been sore like crazy this entire month! I work different areas of my body like Mondays I do arms Tues legs, etc.
As for my bf, sadly he is not that supportive as he says he is. His a basketball player, fit and athlentic. To be honest I'd rely on his opinions and suggestions for my weight loss journey, but all he suggest is for me to workout EVERY chance I get and to eat healthy. He does get on my case a lot and pressures me. He wants me at my goal by August or October. So he gets mad when he sees I'm gaining rather losing.
Today I weight 168.5 lbs. Still gaining. My weight goes up slowly too.
Thank you all for your comments! I'm going to take your advice and start measuring instead of depending on the scale. I was truly freaking out because i'm a beginner at weight training and I had thought it will make me lose weight instead of gain weight, but obviously I had no idea!
I work 4 hours Mon-Thurs weight training + cardio. I had stop counting calories, but I am going to do that again and keep a journal.
As for the water retention it may be just that. I've been sore like crazy this entire month! I work different areas of my body like Mondays I do arms Tues legs, etc.
As for my bf, sadly he is not that supportive as he says he is. His a basketball player, fit and athlentic. To be honest I'd rely on his opinions and suggestions for my weight loss journey, but all he suggest is for me to workout EVERY chance I get and to eat healthy. He does get on my case a lot and pressures me. He wants me at my goal by August or October. So he gets mad when he sees I'm gaining rather losing.
Today I weight 168.5 lbs. Still gaining. My weight goes up slowly too.
One thing that may help with your BF is taking him to a doc appointment where the doctor is familiar with both weight loss AND the woman's body. Men loser quicker and if he's a basketball player I'm assuming he's fairly tall so he can eat a lot more calories in general than you. I've known more than one couple where one person is just naturally more lean/athletic and the other has weight issues. It's really hard for the leaner/athletic one to really "get" the other's problems. It's not just genetics either, if you were raised in a family that always ate well, was very active and it's just become a part of your lifestyle that you don't think about it's really hard to understand someone who was raised on junk food and whose family never demonstrated a healthy active lifestyle (I'm just giving an example here, obviously there are people who struggle with weight from active families and visa. versa but this is just one thing that I've seen with some couple friends that I've known in the past).
I'd say even DH and I struggle with this to some extent. For me it is very easy to exercise but eating well is something that I struggle with. For him he's better at watching what he eats (sometimes) BUT finding time to exercise for him is a real struggle. A very important part of a relationship is trying to put yourself in the other's perspective and being sympathetic and understanding. It sounds like your bf needs some help in that regard and it would be better to be upfront with him that his goals are INSANELY optimistic (especially since the closer you get to your goal weight, the harder it is to lose).
As for my bf, sadly he is not that supportive as he says he is. His a basketball player, fit and athlentic. To be honest I'd rely on his opinions and suggestions for my weight loss journey, but all he suggest is for me to workout EVERY chance I get and to eat healthy. He does get on my case a lot and pressures me. He wants me at my goal by August or October.So he gets mad when he sees I'm gaining rather losing.
This is just such a sticking point in my head.
Why does HE care when YOU reach YOUR goal? This is such an enormous confusion for me. When you reach your goal is, quite frankly, none of his business. You'll reach your goal when your body is good and ready to reach your goal.
In the meantime, you work out and watch your food intake FOR YOURSELF, and no one else.
To the OP, this excerpt taken from the weight watchers article may help you...
If you only have a small amount of weight to lose, then you may feel like the weight training is not helping you move down on the scale. In fact, the number may even go up, but you will look thinner. This is due to an increase in lean body mass (muscle, bone, blood volume) and a decrease in body fat. In other words, even if the scale doesn't change much, you will probably see a difference in how your clothes fit.
As I stated originally, don't worry about the scale. There are other (and better) ways to measure your fitness success.
I work 4 hours Mon-Thurs weight training + cardio. I had stop counting calories, but I am going to do that again and keep a journal.
As for the water retention it may be just that. I've been sore like crazy this entire month! I work different areas of my body like Mondays I do arms Tues legs, etc.
If you stopped counting calories, it could mean that you are eating more than you think you are. You legitimately *could* have gained some of those 4 lbs by increasing your calories without realizing it. I'm not saying this is definitely what is happening, but it's really common when people start exercising more.
I think it would be useful to start being vigilant about calories and make sure you are intaking what you think you're intaking, just to rule out a possible reason for the increased weight!
Regarding soreness, if you are sore all the time then take a few days off!!! There is nothing wrong with giving your body a well-deserved break. Your muscles and joints will be able to repair themselves to be stronger and more able for future exercise. And you may see a drop in a couple of pounds if your body is holding on to water weight.
and it makes me wonder if he says these sort of demeaning comments to you in other areas too. 
'twere it me, I believe I'd have to smack him upside his pointy head for such foolishness! 
Tell'm him to keep his NEGATIVE COMMENTS to himself! As my niece would say "what a goober!" 
: 
This is such an enormous confusion for me. When you reach your goal is, quite frankly, none of his business. You'll reach your goal when your body is good and ready to reach your goal. 
