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So towards the end of July 2017 I joined a gym. I started going fairly regularly (maybe around 3-4 times a week, that number did fluctuate depending on the week), in the interests of gaining muscle, getting stronger, and generally acquiring a more athletic body. Beforehand I had already been an active person, having picked up the hobby of running long distance in 2015 as a way to lose weight. I did, around 30lbs of it (when I was at my lowest weight). Weighing myself for the first time in a good while in January 2018, I realised that I have gained quite a substantial amount of weight since joining the gym- which seems entirely opposite to what people aim to do when joining a gym. In fact, it does seem to be different to what I was aiming for as well. Did I want to gain muscle? Yes! Of course. Have I noticed muscle gain since joining? Yes. Did I want to gain more fat? Definitely not. And there's my problem; I cannot deny that I've gained a lot more fat too since joining the gym- and I wasn't particularly "slender" to start off with. So, I feel as though I am in a predicament. I want to gain muscle. I want to be STRONG. But I'm not entirely sure ive been going about it the best way. Whenever I was maybe eating too much food before, I would always just think "its okay boo, you're just feeding those swole muscles lurking beneath that layer of fat" - had the idea that I was maybe on a "bulk". I also think possibly I had been using weights that weren't challenging enough the muscle growth I was wanting. Undoubtedly, I have gained muscle since July 2017 (for one thing, if nothing else, I can do a fair few push ups on my toes now), but I really need to refine both my nutrition and the way in which I workout in order to hit my goals. So, for the moment ive decided to focus on losing weight again, rather than continuing to eat the way I was previously, I will be more mindful of the foods I am putting into my body. Additionally, I will increase the cardio in my workouts, which I reduced whilst in the process of my ill-informed "bulk". I am definitely not giving up on my strength/ muscles goals. Those are still as solid in my mind as ever. But something needs to change in the way I'm working at these goals. Hey, fitness is a journey, and not a linear one right? (Female, 18)