i've been trying to put on as muscle as possible, but am finding that as the weeks progress i'm adding body fat as well. on march 9th i was at 17% body fat, now i'm at 19.9%. i eat six clean meals a day and 1.5 grams of protein per lbs of body weight. i write down everything that goes in my mouth, and calculate my calories, carbs and protein for each day. i consume about 1800-2000 calories, 70-100 carbs per day. i've also gained a total of 7 lbs since march 9th (right now i'm 5'4'' 132lbs). i lift six days a week and do cardio almost everyday. i also do heavy construction labor 9 hours a day... for example today i shoveled for over three hours among other things.
ok, so what gives, what am i doing wrong? why am i gaining body fat??????
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04-08-2009, 06:57 PM #1
Gaining body fat while trying to gain muscle
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04-08-2009, 07:28 PM #2
To point out some things off the top of my head...
~Cardio almost every day is not a good idea (keep it to 3 days a week)
~The intensity of your exercises + cardio may mean that your "maintenance" is higher than you think and maybe you aren't eating enough cals in general and/or your macros are off. Think about it... you work a labor intensive job, you lift weights and you do cardio almost everyday! That's A LOT of work you are doing and therefore, your maintenance will be high.
~There are also other factors like body fat readings aren't always accurate and neither are scales. You should get your bodyfat reading done by the same person each time at the same time of day. Progress pictures are one of the best ways to track your progress.
~Keep in mind how long you have been at it and keep track of your progress in writing or on your bodyspace. Body recomposition takes awhile so patience is key.ΛΣΣ Squat Booty Society~
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04-08-2009, 07:33 PM #3
Well the first thing I would do is cut out the cardio completely. You have an active job, you don't need the cardio, and you are going to burn yourself out.
I'd also be sure you are tracking your calories accurately and not guesstimating. 1800-2000 calories should not be enough to cause a 7 lb weight gain in a month. Try a program like www.nutridiary.com if you aren't using another calorie counter. Also, I agree with sexychic, it doesn't necessarily look like enough calories.
Did you just start weight training recently? Some of that gain could be glycogen, although it is less likely with your low carb intake.
Also, if you want to gain lean body mass, I HIGHLY suggest increasing your carbs. I suggest doing either 40/40/20 (carbs/protein/fat) or 40/30/30 (c/p/f).31-26-36.
Mother of 3
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04-08-2009, 08:11 PM #4
thanks
thank you for the support. i just went on the nutrition diary page, it's great!
i'll try using that instead of writing it, see if it helps.
terra- you're absolutly right, how could i gain that much weight with those calories? doesn't seem to make sense... i guess that's why i asked the question in the first place.
i've only been training for about three months... so i guess, you're right... i need patience. it's just disheartening to see those bodyfat numbers go up and not down.
thanks again.
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04-08-2009, 10:17 PM #5
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04-09-2009, 04:27 AM #6
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04-09-2009, 05:30 AM #7
You will always gain a little fat while trying to gain muscle..worth it in the long run though
http://www.mens-total-fitness.com/weight-loss-2.html"Faith is to believe what you do not yet see; the reward for this faith is to see what you believe. ": Saint Augustine
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04-09-2009, 05:54 AM #8
Another thing I should mention. Make sure you are weighing our your portions using an electronic food scale. Do NOT guesstimate any portions (except maybe something like broccoli). Some foods can be measured using measuring cups.
31-26-36.
Mother of 3
www.hotnfit.com - need help with fat loss, muscle gain, or having a healthy pregnancy? Visit my site! Yes safe for work and mobile friendly :)
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04-09-2009, 06:41 AM #9I am, after all, a heavenly blessed beauty, whose inner beauty and beauty is simply divine and everlasting.
Harry: Erica, will you be my flesh friend?
Erica: What the hell is that?
Harry: Phucicngbuttholemonster!
Erica: WTH?
My Insanity Experiment: http://forum.bodybuilding.com/showthread.php?p=495939921#post495939921
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04-09-2009, 06:48 AM #10
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04-09-2009, 06:55 AM #11
Well it depends on how good your nondigital scale is. I bought one before and it was both really hard to zero, and measured to an accuracy of about 1 oz.
Also with a digital scale, you can add more food and just press a button to re-zero it, which I find very handy. It is a lot easier, and they only cost about 20$.31-26-36.
Mother of 3
www.hotnfit.com - need help with fat loss, muscle gain, or having a healthy pregnancy? Visit my site! Yes safe for work and mobile friendly :)
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04-09-2009, 07:04 AM #12
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04-09-2009, 07:16 AM #13
I don't see the benefit of this. For 1, it can't have all the foods. For 2, my foods are not just "plain chicken" or "plain rice" or etc, I use recipes. And 3, I would still be using an online calculator to add it all up and get information on my dietary composition, so it would be a waste.
31-26-36.
Mother of 3
www.hotnfit.com - need help with fat loss, muscle gain, or having a healthy pregnancy? Visit my site! Yes safe for work and mobile friendly :)
www.********.com/hotnfitcom
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04-09-2009, 07:38 AM #14
I have one and luv it! I cook quite a bit and usually my ingredients change from one time to the next in recipes so this is great for me. The gram to ounce conversion is a great tool for me also. I have put my recipes in nutritiondata.com but its clunky to tell the truth it's time consuming and hard to update easily. I also have the MasterCook Software but my scale is invaluable to me.
Last edited by Butterfly09; 04-09-2009 at 07:43 AM.
***"Fibro & lifting = "I still hurt but I hurt better"***
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04-09-2009, 08:41 AM #15
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04-09-2009, 09:15 AM #16
Thanks, y'all! (My old school scale appears to be dead on. I may grab a $20 digi and compare. That would be kind of cool. LOL. Thanks, ladies!)
I am, after all, a heavenly blessed beauty, whose inner beauty and beauty is simply divine and everlasting.
Harry: Erica, will you be my flesh friend?
Erica: What the hell is that?
Harry: Phucicngbuttholemonster!
Erica: WTH?
My Insanity Experiment: http://forum.bodybuilding.com/showthread.php?p=495939921#post495939921
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