what happens when you put on muscle

[pranayamamama]

Good Morning to all!

Im new to bodybuilding. Last year my weight dropped very low, i was eating pretty little and very stressed out with school. My weight hasnt changed too much since then but i decided i wanted to put on some muscle so ive increased my caloric intake, started eating 6 small meals a day, eating LOTS of protein and lifting weights 3 times a week. The thing is though, that my clothes are starting to fit tighter. I was wondering if anyone knew if when someone underweight starts to put on muscle, will their clothes fit tighter? I havent been doing too much cardio so im afraid i may have put on fat or something but i dont know how i can tell. Really appreciate the responses, Blessings to all!

[Amanda76]

Yup your clothes are going to get tighter, even if you stay pretty lean. Built up muscle simply takes up more space. I 've passed tons of old clothes down to my daughter. Old shirts I can't wear because my back, shoulders and arms are too big and old jeans I can't wear because my glutes and legs grew. My waist is still small though...and that is key. We can talk about how sad and really kinda gross it is that as an adult I was wearing clothing that my daughter was starting to fit into in elementary school later. LOL

Starting from being underweight, you'll go through times you feel a little fatter and times you feel a little leaner as you grow. After newbie gains over the first couple of months, you'll be extremely lucky to continuously gain a pound of muscle a month as you train and gains in lean mass will be irregular. Keep that in mind when considering how much weight you can realistically believe are mostly lean gains.

Expect recomposition to take months to years, not weeks to months and it will keep you from being frustrated with the process.

[heidismommy]

It depends on how underweight you are and how much you put on, but in general clothes will fit differently as you put on weight, even if you gain mostly lean mass. I've put on 20 lbs and I still wear the smallest sizes (00 where available, but usually a size 1---I still cannot wear anything except for Juniors), but those sizes actually fit now whereas they were hanging on my frame before. If I had gained 20 lbs of primarily fatty tissue I'd probably wear a larger size. That's the great thing about muscle, it doesn't take up as much room as fat. Good luck to you as you put on some weight. I certainly feel so much better now that I have .

And as Amanda has pointed out, you'll go through times throughout the gain where you'll feel leaner, then other times you won't feel as lean. It takes time, so just have patience.

[Amanda76]

It depends on how underweight you are and how much you put on, but in general clothes will fit differently as you put on weight, even if you gain mostly lean mass. I've put on 20 lbs and I still wear the smallest sizes (00 where available, but usually a size 1---I still cannot wear anything except for Juniors), but those sizes actually fit now whereas they were hanging on my frame before. If I had gained 20 lbs of primarily fatty tissue I'd probably wear a larger size. That's the great thing about muscle, it doesn't take up as much room as fat. Good luck to you as you put on some weight. I certainly feel so much better now that I have .

And as Amanda has pointed out, you'll go through times throughout the gain where you'll feel leaner, then other times you won't feel as lean. It takes time, so just have patience.

Hot new avi, heidismommy.

You need to check out her bodyspace profile, pranayamamama.

[heidismommy]

Hot new avi, heidismommy.

You need to check out her bodyspace profile, pranayamamama.

Thank you so much ! I never thought I'd feel okay with gaining weight, but I must admit I look much better now than when I was lower.

[pranayamamama]

Thank you both for your respsonses! Heidismommy and Amanda, you both look AMAZING! I suffered from an eating disorder too heidismommy. My main goal now is to put on muscle and look like you! how long did it take you to look that way? Some days i feel like "fattie" when i put on my pants and they are tighter. Im seeing muscle definition when im lifting or flexing but otherwise im not. I wonder if im doing everything right? I too have been wearing 00 that are now just fitting tighter as opposed to a little loose like before. What you both responded with really helps alot! Blessings

[kimm4]

You should't really go up too much in size if you're adding lean muscle to your frame Good luck with your progress!!

[heidismommy]

About 2 years ago I weighed 80 lbs and was really quite ill. I had put on about 5 lbs in the first year because I was still hesitant about recovery, but was able to put on the rest in the past year or so. I like that I can still wear all my old clothes, they just fit now instead of falling off. I'm healthy now and feel good, but I'm still 'petite' by most standards (I look smaller in person than in photos I'm sure). Just keep doing what you're doing because when you're underweight you need that extra weight. You may gain some fat, that is inevitable, but you can keep it to a minimum with healthy dietary intake and a good strength program. Keep it up!