Scared Of Weight Lifting And Weight Gain

[reboundstudent]

All right, back ground information. When I first joined Nerd Fitness, way back in January 2012, I was about 122 pounds (I am 5'.) In the last calendar year, I have done a horrible yo-yo of dropping down to 110 pounds from May to September (with no exercise and eating horribly, I should add), and then September to January 2012 ballooned back up to 125.

 

In January I started working out again. I am much stronger than I've been over the past year. Originally I couldn't bench press 6 reps of 3 sets of the bar. Now, I can do 9-10 reps of 3 sets with +10 pounds added. So, yes, much stronger.

 

I am also now much heavier. I have shot up to about 133 pounds, which is the heaviest I've ever been in my life. I think this is muscle, as I still wear mostly the same pants size as I did when I weighted 122 pounds, and my measurements are more or less the same (my waist has added about 2 inches.) 

 

But I admit that I am really scared by the number. I've started skipping breakfast and dinner to try to get my weight back down. I see the fact that I now have a BMI of 26, and freak the heck out.

 

Even worse, they've announced at my company that they will be changing our health insurance. In order to have a low deducible, you must meet 4 out of 5 of the criteria on the list. One of the criteria is having a normal BMI, which I currently do not.  

 

I've stopped weight lifting, in addition to eating as much as I did, because I am terrified of having to pay for a higher deducible. However, I haven't dropped any weight.

 

What should I do? Is the weight lifting responsible for my weight gain and if so, how can I keep lifting without gaining weight, to stay in an acceptable BMI range? Or am I just fooling myself and the issue is really I'm getting fatter? Help!!  

  

[kyo]

First of all, try not to stress about what you see on the scale.

Yes, muscle does weight more than fat.  Skipping meals like that so suddenly is not good for your body.

 

You say you stopped lifting weights?  What else do you do exercise wise?  And how is your meals?  

[Wolverine]

To answer your questions... You're lifting more so you're definitely stronger, and stronger means more muscle mass.  More muscle mass means heavier.  That's not the end of the story, however.  More fat also means more weight, and it's a lot easier to put on fat along with muscle than it is to put on muscle alone.

 

Any chance you can post a picture of yourself (pref. in your skivvies)?  That would be really helpful in figuring out where you actually stand physically.

 

If not, you can use measurements to estimate your bodyfat... or a pair of calipers... or pictures (click here and scroll down to the section about women)...

 

Weight is not the end of the story, only a piece of the puzzle.  It's important, but not in and of itself.

 

Also, what are the 5 criteria you must meet (other than BMI)?

[I-Jo]

I wouldn't think you would put on 2 inches on your waist line from muscle.  

 

Skipping breakfast is a BAD idea.  like really bad. So don't' do that. 

 

Start tracking your food- don't change anything for the first week- keep a journal- sign up for myfitnesspal.com whatever fits your bill (I dislike tracking- but I use myfitnesspal because it's just easier and I can track 5 out of 7 while I'm at work- which is where I eat the most (something to note) and where I do the least)

 

After you get a baseline- figure out what you are eating- then you can start to adjust it.  

 

Muscle doesn't weight more than fat- it's more DENSE than fat- meaning you may lose in size measurements but go up or stay the same measurements. 

 

You can fight that BMI shit too with appropriate doctor/fitness professionals support.  BMI charts were mostly based off sedentary people- so someone who is athletic or quiet fit- will have a BMI that's really off the chart weird and "fail"  (happens in the army all the time) despite the fact physically they are in excellent shape and pass all fitness requirements with flying colors. 

 

Agreed about the questions above- so you stopped lifting- what else do you do? 

 

 

You shouldn't stop lifting really- 45 + 20 lbs isn't enough to make you bulk up as far as bench is concerned- you really need to be EXTREMELY aggressive and particular about your lifting/eating habits to bulk in a manner that will throw you off.  

 

 

Get specific about tracking food and work outs- it'll help you understand what's going on more.  

 

My very very first suggestion would be cut out crap foods once you figure out what your meals look like.  

[Katinka]

Stop everything you're doing and read the NF article on Spezzy's transformation.

 

If you don't feel like reading the whole thing (I've probably read it 5 times), just scroll to the bottom where it says "Staci Now". She weighs 11 pounds more on the right than the left. This is all you need to know.

 

Also, I'd ask your insurance company if they'd accept a body fat measurement from a doctor or other professional in place of a bmi measurement.

 

Don't stop eating - clean up your diet as much as possible, consider doing a whole30 or going fully paleo, but don't skip meals!

 

And keep lifting. I find for myself that the more I lift, the better I feel about myself, which in turn leads me to make better choices towards what I put in my body.

[reboundstudent]

Lifting weights was my main exercise. In the spring, summer and fall I walk a lot, but this winter has been so long and cold I haven't been able to. I really *hate* cardio, which is why I was excited about lifting. 

 

@Wolverine

I'm..... really not sure how accurate that picture chart is. My gym uses one of these, and the machine sticks me at about 25%-27% body fat. But by those pictures, I look like I'm in the 35%-40% body fat range. I tried the measurement calculation, but it gave me a really strange number. (For reference, my waist is 32 inches.)  

 

I've been eating mostly Paleo since January. 

 

PS: Why is skipping meals bad if it helps me stay under a specific calorie count?

[I-Jo]

Breakfast gets you started- intermittent fasting is TOTALLY a thing- you do not HAVE to eat 6 small meals a day.   But it is VERY good for you to eat breakfast (and I'm a huge sinner in this department- my solution- smoothies and protein shakes- easy to make and eat on the run))

 

cardio?  I feel that you may have a preconceived bad notion about cardio.

 

 

Might I suggest to you HIIT training.  Or even plain interval training (most people use this method with running/biking- but it's not SET for cardio- or for any specific activity- it's just a WAY of doing that activity)

 

angrytrainerfitness.com has some great articles and workouts

 

Lovingfit.com (probably my favorite)

 

***NSFW****

thedailyhiit.com (loved their old stuff from zuzuka was their host and it was bodyrock.tv... now- not so much- but that doesn't mean the workouts aren't good... 

 

and here on nerdfitness there are some great interval workouts as well. 

[Harleytrypp]

PS: Why is skipping meals bad if it helps me stay under a specific calorie count?

 

First, breakfast specifically is "the most important meal of the day".  It starts the daily fuel supply after a night of hopefully at least 8 hours of no fuel.

 

Second, skipping meals in general puts you body into a "famin" mode where it conserves rather than burning fuel.

 

The optimum is to have several smaller meals throuout the day, but if you are stuck with a 3 meal schedule, breakfast should be the best, and dinner should be the lightest.

[Wolverine]

Lifting weights was my main exercise. In the spring, summer and fall I walk a lot, but this winter has been so long and cold I haven't been able to. I really *hate* cardio, which is why I was excited about lifting. 

 

@Wolverine

I'm..... really not sure how accurate that picture chart is. My gym uses one of these, and the machine sticks me at about 25%-27% body fat. But by those pictures, I look like I'm in the 35%-40% body fat range. I tried the measurement calculation, but it gave me a really strange number. (For reference, my waist is 32 inches.)  

 

I've been eating mostly Paleo since January. 

 

PS: Why is skipping meals bad if it helps me stay under a specific calorie count?

 

 

Those types of bodyfat percentage trackers are notoriously inaccurate.  If it's consistent it can provide you with useful information (e.g. "Is my bodyfat going up or down?"), but I wouldn't base your actual bodyfat measurement off of it.

 

If you are female and 5 ft. tall and have a waist of 32" and think you fall under the 35%-40% bodyfat range based on that link, then you need to lose bodyfat.  Do NOT stop lifting weights and exercising.  You need to adjust your diet.

 

It's time to make an initial guess as to how many calories and macronutrients you should be getting per day, and start tracking what you're eating and how much.  Then, after a couple of weeks you need to decide based on your results whether or not you are meeting your goals and adjust (or not) your nutrition targets accordingly.

 

 

First, breakfast specifically is "the most important meal of the day".  It starts the daily fuel supply after a night of hopefully at least 8 hours of no fuel.

 

Second, skipping meals in general puts you body into a "famin" mode where it conserves rather than burning fuel.

 

The optimum is to have several smaller meals throuout the day, but if you are stuck with a 3 meal schedule, breakfast should be the best, and dinner should be the lightest.

 

This is incorrect.  Please Google intermittent fasting for LOADS of research about this topic and nutrient timing/frequency.

 

That being said, different things work for different people.  If you find that skipping breakfast works for you... do it.  If not, don't.

 

I am not a hard "IFer" by any means, but it is definitely a good tool to have in the toolbox.

[reboundstudent]

I admit I really don't get the food side of fitness. Last year, from January to March, I ate a very strict 1500 or less calorie diet, as strictly Paleo as I could manage (I had two cheater meals a week where I'd have a sandwich.) I lose absolutely no weight, and no measurements. 

 

In April I became severely depressed. I'd skip meals, OR I'd eat giant cheeseburgers and have a slice of chocolate cake a day. I was taking walks, but my food intake was about as far from Paleo as you can get. I lose 10-15 pounds from May to September. Then in September I magically started gaining again. 

 

In January I went back to strict Paleo, but I haven't been tracking my calories, just eating when I'm hungry. I then gained 6-8 pounds. 

 

If what you guys are saying is true, then how the heck did my body do all of that?? I really am not sure what else I could adjust in my diet.... like I said, I'm eating pretty strict Paleo! (I am doing dairy, but a lot of the Paleo articles I've read say that's okay if I'm doing things like whole milk and Greek yogurt.) So I don't get it....

[kyo]

Are you tracking down what you eat?  I understand you're doing paleo but how much of what are you eating?

 

And in terms of lifting weights, what have you been doing?

[Wolverine]

Paleo isn't some magic weight loss diet on which you can eat whatever and however much you want and still lose weight.  How much you eat still matters.  It doesn't matter how nutrient dense the food is... when you're eating too much of it your body is still going to store it.

 

If you were, in fact, eating 1500 calories a day and maintaining your weight/bodyfat/etc. then it stands to reason that in order to slim down you'd need to eat less than 1500 calories a day OR increase your activity level.

 

My advice still applies.  However you choose to eat (Paleo, Primal, IIFYM, whatever) set reasonable calorie and macronutrient goals for yourself (most average people who are looking to lose weight benefit from keeping carbs relatively low) and track what and how much you eat.  After a couple of weeks, evaluate your progress and adjust accordingly.

[I-Jo]

Please remember weight doesn't just climb on board over night while you were sleeping... which means guess what- it takes the same outbound slow train (many times even slower) to leave- in order for it to be healthy and SUSTAINABLE.

 

(meaning you might drop 15 lbs doing the fruit detox cleanse whateverfad diet- but odds are you are not only going to put it back on- you'll put back more- and the next time you try to "diet" or whatever- it's even HARDER to come off. 

 

Slow steady and sustainable = success

[This is Seth]

(I am doing dairy, but a lot of the Paleo articles I've read say that's okay if I'm doing things like whole milk and Greek yogurt.) .

 

That's Primal, not Paleo. Perfectly acceptable. 

 

So, the root of your problem is that you're at 26 on the BMI. If you lost 6 lbs you'd be under 25, which is considered "normal". (I personally am 30, which classifies me as obese). That's just a number, one that is easily gotten around. If you were to not drink water for 12 hours before your weigh in, you could probably drop that 6 pounds, to make it through that legal loophole. 

 

That's it for the horrible advice. Now for the good stuff. Like what Kyo said, track what you're eating. I took a few guestimations and have mathemagically figured out that you should be eating somewhere between 1400-1700 calories. Boom. What are you eating? Don't know? Jump on myfitnesspal.com for a few weeks and track it. It will show you if your weight gain is calorie in vs calorie out based. 

 

As for your training, if you stopped now it wouldn't be enough. Your body is already in the groove. It'll want that food still that it needed during training. If you don't give it that food, it's gonna eat your muscle first and turn it into fat. That's no good. What we need to look at is your training itself. Your example was that you were hitting 3 sets of 10 reps at 65lbs for bench press. Good numbers for a specific goal. 

 

The 10+ rep schemas are great for hypertrophy, aka getting bigger. You may want to switch up your routine to look at low rep lifts. Staying between 3-6(do 5, it's a nice number) is going to train you for strength. It allows for the easiest path to linear progression, the big buzz word that means that you can get stronger every week for a very long time. It also will keep you from getting bigger, which is exactly what hypertrophy means.

[reboundstudent]

Then why did I suddenly drop 10 pounds by eating supposedly the worst foods imaginable? And I thought the point of Paleo is that you DON'T have to track calories.... if you have to be absolutely uber careful with calorie intake, then what the heck is the point of Paleo?

I guess if I have to drop below 1500 calories to lose weight..... then I guess I'll just stay fat. When I was under 1500 calories, I was constantly starving and irritated. People kept telling me it would get better, but after 3 months of not losing a single pound and being constantly on the edge of an emotional break-down, It's a big reason I went Paleo.... because I thought I'd be able to actually feel full and still manage my weight.

I just don't think I can keep it up. If being skinny means feeling like I'm starving for the rest of my life.... I just can't do it. So I guess that's all there is.

[guest439437484421]

Photos.  Have you been taking any photos of your progression?  The numbers can go all over the place, but ultimately its the photos that tell you how you're doing, good or bad.

 

As for bmi, it sucks that they're using such a janky system to judge your insurance off of.  someone asked what all of the criteria was, but you didn't answer.  i'm curious what the others are.

[This is Seth]

Then why did I suddenly drop 10 pounds by eating supposedly the worst foods imaginable? 

 

Malnutrition? 

 

People say you don't have to track calories on paleo because you should be eating enough high quality proteins and fats that you will always be full, which makes you eat less. It's not a scientific thing, it's a feeling. When it comes right down to it, you need to know how many calories you're eating if you want to monitor your weight. 

[guest439437484421]

Then why did I suddenly drop 10 pounds by eating supposedly the worst foods imaginable? And I thought the point of Paleo is that you DON'T have to track calories.... if you have to be absolutely uber careful with calorie intake, then what the heck is the point of Paleo?

I guess if I have to drop below 1500 calories to lose weight..... then I guess I'll just stay fat. When I was under 1500 calories, I was constantly starving and irritated. People kept telling me it would get better, but after 3 months of not losing a single pound and being constantly on the edge of an emotional break-down, It's a big reason I went Paleo.... because I thought I'd be able to actually feel full and still manage my weight.

I just don't think I can keep it up. If being skinny means feeling like I'm starving for the rest of my life.... I just can't do it. So I guess that's all there is.

 

as for the sudden drop and then regaining, it could be a number of things. our bodies act strange when we are stressed, and it sounds like you became pretty stressed at that time (depression).

 

 

honestly, i think the best thing you can do is take a step back and take a deep breath.  worrying about everything is going ot make you stressed, which doesn't help.

[I-Jo]

There is a difference between tracking calories so you don't eat to much... and wanting to eat healthy because you like the way it makes your body function and a difference if you are getting into specific goals-

 

 

you are a what we like to refer to as a clean eater (paleo/primal fall into this category)- and you have specific goals- you STILL need to track what you eat- how can make adjustments if you don't know what you are putting in your body?

 

People go paleo/primal because eating healthy is good for them- it fuels their body and makes them feel better.  I did that- I wasn't trying to lose weight- I just wanted to be a better version of me.  Now that I'm on a more aggressive training regimental with more specific goals- I am not only tracking but weighing my food. 

 

Ultimately it doesn't matter WHAT you are putting in your body- if you eat to much of it- you're more likely to put on weight, but you best be putting good healthy foods in there if you want a good healthy body. 

[reboundstudent]

as for the sudden drop and then regaining, it could be a number of things. our bodies act strange when we are stressed, and it sounds like you became pretty stressed at that time (depression).

 

 

honestly, i think the best thing you can do is take a step back and take a deep breath.  worrying about everything is going ot make you stressed, which doesn't help.

 

.... Unless it helps me lose weight?

 

I dunno. I'm feeling incredibly hopeless right now. Are my only choices be fat, but at least feel like I'm not starving constantly, or obsess over food, lose weight, and be constantly hungry and miserable?

[I-Jo]

Being healthy isn't about losing weight- you are massively confused on that subject. 

 

the answer is NO.

 

I eat a butt load of food and I eat great super tasty clean food- and I don't obsess over every calorie.  

 

and ps- I'm the worlds biggest uber bitch when I'm hungry- so yeah- I don't play that game.

[This is Seth]

...Are my only choices be fat, but at least feel like I'm not starving constantly, or obsess over food, lose weight, and be constantly hungry and miserable?

 

No.

 

You need to find what works for you. You're going to read a whole ton of stuff about how each diet is supposed to work but until you find the one that works for your body, you're going to fluctuate. I've been through cuts where I ate 1800 calories a day and bulks when I ate 3200 calories a day. There are ways to stay satiated at either end of the spectrum. 

[Wolverine]

For reference, I'm a small dude and my current calorie target is 1750 calories per day (I'm cutting... and I've spent A LOT of time tracking and logging what works best for me).  Most days I eat less than this so that I can have two "cheat days" over the weekend, but on average, over a 7 day period, I aim for 1750.  Yesterday, for example, I ate 1403 calories.  It was a rest day and a low cal day.  I wasn't starving... and I have a big appetite.

 

So I guess what I'm saying is that I think there was something else going on. Not sure if it was food choices or activity level or what, but something else was probably going on.  It's impossible to say, though, because we can't see what you were eating and how you were training.

 

I would suggest a clean slate.  Start today as if you never did the 1500 calorie/Paleo experiment before.  Don't start with a calorie goal, just start tracking.  Find out how much you're eating NOW to cause weight gain.  Once you've got a handle on your current situation (a week would probably be sufficient), create a target for yourself that's a little bit lower than what you are getting now.  Give it a couple of weeks and re-evaluate.  Did you lose weight?  Did you maintain?  Are you still gaining?  Make adjustments accordingly.

 

As an aside, many people don't have to track their food forever.  When you've taken the time to do it for awhile, you start to get a really good handle on what things "cost" nutritionally and can stop being so anal about tracking it (unless you end up like me and start enjoying it!!!).

[kyo]

Take the time to hear everyone out and don't hesitate to ask questions.

Check out myfitnesspal.com if you want a free way to add up what you eat through the day.

[cline]

You have received a ton of great advice here.

 

The most important (I know broken record) is to honestly track what you are eating and how much - doesn't have to be calories.  But you are getting jumbo soy lattes every morning, log them they count.  If you are drinking OJ, log it.  If you are eating 6 oz of steak, log it.  We are notoriously good at fooling ourselves about what we are eating and how much.  Most people cannot accurately guess calories or portions.  NOTE:  I'm not saying count calories necessarily.  But when I got really serious about all of this, I kept a food journal and you know what?  3 glasses of wine are a hell of a lot of carbs that my body will process and burn before anything else - including anything "clean" I'm eating.  Weight loss stalls, etc.  Re-read these posts.  They are very good.

 

The next most important thing is that working out is not your enemy.  Given your eating and your workout, you are not packing on muscle at a rapid pace.  I'm reminded here of the people at Lift Big Eat Big (who are big and who lift a shit ton) that a 3 egg breakfast is not eating big.  I loved that when I read it and I cling to it all the time.  They are right.  Also, as other posters said, your exercise is reasonable and keeps a burn going.

 

If it's this important, track your weight in the a.m. after you pee, etc.  every day.  for two weeks.  I know major suckage. BUT look at how much it varies - by a lot, right? it will.  It does.  Then look at your food journal.  Hmmmm... seems that jerky w salt and 2 gallons of water you had for dinner last night make you appear 3 lbs heavier this a.m. but tomorrow you'll be down 2 of those pounds b/c you didn't slam water all night.  See?  The other posters are right. 

 

Finally, I suspect there is some other stuff going on besides the work thing.  If BMI is only one of the things, then yeah, you can make weight easily.  Fighters do it all the time.  It's only one of the things and probably not worth focusing on since you can easily just not slam water all night and probably make weight. 

 

I've lost a bunch of weight by lifting really heavy weight and building a ton of muscle.  I did it on primal/paleo without counting calories (I did food journal and I did follow macros for a while to make sure I was getting what I needed).  And I was never hungry.  AND I wasn't miserable.

 

What else is up?