Puzzling weight gain

[donheff]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Rambler At 5'11" and large framed, ideal weight is 185 according to: Ideal Weight

Humm, maybe I can start viewing myself as "ideal" - 6'0" and 185. But those skinny wrists and ankles continue to betray me, darn!

[Midpack]

You've gotten good info here.

Muscle does weigh more than fat so it's not unusual. Your clothes fitting better is much more significant than what the scale tells you. Your waist size and body fat % are better measurements to watch.

Measuring body fat is best via the displacement method, something none of us have easy access to. Calipers are next best, usually done at gyms, university/high schools - so still not easy access. The Tanita scale is a decent/cheap third best alternative. It may/may not be absolutely correct, but it's relatively correct from day to day. The methodology it uses works fairly well for men, more variable for women, but effective in most cases. It's important that you weigh/check body fat at the same time of the day each day. For whatever reason most people get higher body fat numbers in the AM, so it feels better to check each day before bed. But as long as it's the same time each day it doesn't really make any difference, what you are looking for is change, not the number so much. And you will fluctuate ± 1% each day anyway so you just have to keep watching. Good for you, you're on the right track.

As some people here have suggested, you can eat too much (we all know that) but you can also eat too little and actually gain weight. While some people like to believe they're metabolism is inherited and fixed, it's not. Eating too little, especially by skipping meals, slows your metabolism! With your metabolism slowed, once you start eating normally again you will gain weight much faster than before - this is the yo-yo effect you hear about, one of the most common weight loss/gain phenomena around. Anyway if you've been relatively sedentary and you start working out, you will burn more calories and even at rest muscles burn (noticeably) more calories than fat. You have to find a middle ground, but it's not that hyper sensitive.

Your next challenge will probably be 'plateauing,' but hopefully that will be a long ways off...

[zoey]

Yeah, it's probably the muscle weighing more than fat thing like everyone has already mentioned.

Just one other thing, watch out for high fructose corn syrup. I didn't realize just how bad that stuff is and didn't know that it was in lots of foods I was eating. In particular, Power Bars. I thought I was eating something good for me, but that wasn't the case.

Anyway, when I cut HFCS from my diet, I lost over 20 pounds in 2-3 months. I had been wondering why I was gaining (a little over a lot of years, but weight was on the way up) and HFCS was the culprit. Anyway, I don't eat any HFCS now and my weight has stayed at 120 (down from a high of about 145). So, just something to watch out for since it's really nasty stuff.

[brewer12345]

Quote:

Originally Posted by zoey Just one other thing, watch out for high fructose corn syrup. I didn't realize just how bad that stuff is and didn't know that it was in lots of foods I was eating. In particular, Power Bars. I thought I was eating something good for me, but that wasn't the case.

HFCS is a huge pet peeve of mine. Its in everything! I'll eat sugar in some form when I want it, but HFCS is in products that don't need it. Kids' food, granola bars, pasta sauce, try to find salad dressing that isn't loaded with it, etc. I very carefully read labels to avoid the stuff, but it is effectively impossible to completely eliminate it from your diet.

[Dawg52]

Quote:

Originally Posted by brewer12345 But here's the odd part: I have put on almost 5 pounds since the start of the year. I definately have had an increase in my appetite, but nothing overboard and I have been focussing on portion control. I don't seem to be putting on fat, since my clothes fit a little better (not doing the "fat man's slide" between a couples of belt notches) and some things (man boobs, etc.) are shrinking. My upper body has definately started to bulk up muscle, which is the likely source of the weight gain.

Well if your boobs had increased in size I would recommend seeing a pediatrician. Did y'all see that guy(former woman) on the news the other day that is pregnant?

Congrats on your exercise routine. Very difficult to make yourself get up that early to exercise. I'll think about you early birds exercising as I roll over in bed.

[rgarling]

Quote:

Originally Posted by bots2019 I have a body fat monitoring scale and have had wildly varying results over the course of a couple of days. I believe this is due to varying hydration levels. It was only like 50 bucks, so I guess you get what you pay for.

Also, you need a very good electrical "connection" to the scale. Try wetting the bottoms of your feet, or mixing a salt solution that you can spray on. You should get much more consistent readings

[TromboneAl]

Muscle density is 1.06 g/ml and fat density is (about) 0.9
g/ml. Thus, one liter of muscle would weigh 1.06 kg and one liter of
fat would weigh 0.9 kg.

Five pounds of muscle = 2.14 liters of muscle. So if your added weight is all muscle, it would mean you've added about a half-gallon's worth of muscle volume to your body. That sounds feasible to me.

[brewer12345]

Quote:

Originally Posted by TromboneAl Muscle density is 1.06 g/ml and fat density is (about) 0.9 g/ml. Thus, one liter of muscle would weigh 1.06 kg and one liter of fat would weigh 0.9 kg. Five pounds of muscle = 2.14 liters of muscle. So if your added weight is all muscle, it would mean you've added about a half-gallon's worth of muscle volume to your body. That sounds feasible to me.

For some reason, "a half-gallon's worth of muscle volume" brings to mind an image of a meat smoothie, possibly served up by Master Chef J. Dahmer.

No idea whatsoever if its a half gallon, not even sure how you would even tell. Probably the right answer , though.

[FinanceDude]

Quote:

Originally Posted by brewer12345 HFCS is a huge pet peeve of mine. Its in everything! I'll eat sugar in some form when I want it, but HFCS is in products that don't need it. Kids' food, granola bars, pasta sauce, try to find salad dressing that isn't loaded with it, etc. I very carefully read labels to avoid the stuff, but it is effectively impossible to completely eliminate it from your diet.

It's EVERYWHERE......I had to go through TEN different kinds of iced tea to find one that just had regular sugar in it...........

I also quit all diet drinks almost 3 months ago. New studies point to Aspartame causing you to be hungrier than on regaular soda..........

There's a study that says high fructose corn syrup in almost ALL foods is a leading cause of obesity in the USA. Plus, HFCS magnifies insulin reistance, raising the risk of adult onset diabetes...........

[Notmuchlonger]

"New studies point to Aspartame causing you to be hungrier than on regaular soda.........."

wow really? Do you remember where you read that study at? I use quite a bit of Aspartame!

[FinanceDude]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Notmuchlonger "New studies point to Aspartame causing you to be hungrier than on regaular soda.........." wow really? Do you remember where you read that study at? I use quite a bit of Aspartame!

I found one thing, I don't think it's very qualified research........

Caring Medical - Media and Print - Aspartame Makes You Hungry

[SecondCor521]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Notmuchlonger "New studies point to Aspartame causing you to be hungrier than on regaular soda.........." wow really? Do you remember where you read that study at? I use quite a bit of Aspartame!

Anecdotally I experienced this. Diet soda (specifically CF Diet Pepsi, the nectar of the gods) was my nemesis for a while.

2Cor521

[TromboneAl]

I used to drink 2 CFDC's per day (caffeine free diet coke). I no longer drink any at all. I have to say I didn't notice a change in weight.

[Leonidas]

Quote:

Originally Posted by bots2019 I have a body fat monitoring scale and have had wildly varying results over the course of a couple of days. I believe this is due to varying hydration levels. It was only like 50 bucks, so I guess you get what you pay for.

Hydration does play a role. I use mine right after I shower and if I go back and weigh myself again ten minutes later I will have a half to a full percent more fat reading. Also, I drink a lot of water usually, but I find when I have slacked off a little that the body fat content goes down. I made a simple spreadsheet and input the daily numbers but pay attention to a ten day moving average.

[Notmuchlonger]

In regards to the earlier sweetener discussion.

Do Sweeteners Help or Hurt Weight Control? - MSN Health & Fitness - Weight Loss

[Orchidflower]

This is so simple, but here is a real life example: When I was in high school I was a size 10 in women's clothing. When I hit 143-45 I had to go into a 12.
When I was in my mid-50's and lifting weights and walking 3 miles 4-5 times a week, that same size 10 fit perfectly--even wearing a size 8 occasionally--at 165!
MUSCLE WEIGHS MORE THAN FAT! So screw the weight and concentrate on your size.
Nobody, by the way, believed I could weigh 165 and wear an 8-10. I actually had to let them go to my bedroom and check my closets. Can you believe that? But, then again, none of them had ever lifted weights, so how would they know.
And I just saw on tv this morning one of the morning shows flashed on the screen that a woman who weighs 155 should wear a size 16. Are they nuts or am I a freak sizewise? I don't even look muscular either, but that's my body type; so, guess I won't be able to be a World Champion bodybuilder posing on a stage ever. (I'm an average height, too.)

[HFWR]

Ah, the old "come into my bedroom and check my closet" routine...

[FUEGO]

Update - I went back to the dr's office and found out I had lost 4-5 pounds from my last visit. Back to pre-exercise weight. So hopefully that means I gained ~10 pounds of muscle and lost 10 of fat.

[Orchidflower]

Aw, HFWR, it wasn't that fun. Just some women. Bleeeech!

[brewer12345]

Speaking of bedroom weight lifting antics, DW is certainly appreciative of my newfound stamina and improved physique.