Exercise making me put on weight?

[Flamingolegs]

Hi everyone

I am looking for a bit of advice. Since the new year I have embarked on a proper fitness regime.

I have been a member of a gym for years but freely admit I have just used it for a bit of swimming, fannying about in the gym and yoga/ Pilates.

I am in my 40's and have decided the time is now to get properly fit and toned. I am slim but have zero muscle. Bit flabby round the middle (where all my weight goes) - skinny-fat. I find it almost impossible to build muscle.

At my last health checkup I was 26% fat and was under where my muscle mass should be, I am 1.67m and at the start of Jan I weighed 54kg and this morning I am 57kg!!

my workouts are:
2 x HIIT (David lloyd Blaze) a week
1x bodypump class a week
1x yoga/ pilates class a week
10,000+ steps most days walking

I don't feel I have eaten more although I do feel more hungry on my HIIT days and I have been trying to eat more protein (I am vegetarian).

I definitely haven't lost or gained any inches, my DH says I look more toned (maybe my arms and thighs do a bit) but the skin on my stomach has gone all saggy and wrinkly 🤢 it looks worse than before (I have 2 DC).

I am feeling good in other aspects - more energy and sleeping better but I am a bit alarmed at the relatively rapid weight gain. I have pretty much been the same weight for 20 years bar having kids. There is one of those fat measuring machines at the gym (although I am not convinced of their accuracy) so maybe measuring muscle mass/ fat percentage would be better?

Is this normal?

It sounds likely that you're gaining muscle which will be more dense than any fat lost. Tired muscles often increase water retention.

You're a healthy weight and doing healthy things, so don't sweat the small stuff.

If you increase exercise you need to be very careful that you don't eat a little more and that you don't rest a little more the rest of the day

It's really easy to eat / rest and regain the calories lost through exercise ( which is never as many as you might think )

You don't want to lose weight at those figures though - maintain and swap blubber for muscle it seems

If I intensify my exercise my body seems to retain more water.

Muscle is denser and more compact than fat - so it weighs more but looks like less. IYSWIM

Yes, the aim wasn't to lose weight just to be healthier and tone up but I don't feel I have gained much muscle (still can't do a proper press up 😂) and so I was surprised when I weighed myself today.

My clothes don't feel tighter which I assume they would if I put on weight so maybe it is just muscle?

Interesting about the water retention too.

I will keep on because I am actually enjoying it and hope that I see some results in a month or two.

Love this response! I'm going to remind myself of this when I'm sweating over a small scale increase or a day where I'm not able to get to the gym. Thank you!

It's pretty hard to build muscle, especially if your in a calorie deficit. Its taken me 8 weeks to gain less than 1kg of muscle, training 6 times a week (but in a calorie deficit, so muscle gain wasn't the goal) It's probably water, if you track your weight across a month it will vary greatly. Keep up the training OP the results will come, put the scales in the bin.

Muscle gain x

It's definitely not muscle gain, or at least it'll be minimal in this length of time. It takes a lot of effort to gain muscle.
It'll be water retention in the muscles you've been using

There is absolutely no way that it will be muscle growth over this short a period. Its very very hard for women to grow muscle, I'm a powerlifter so know all about this.

Hmm, I know it isn't muscle. I have never, ever been able to put on muscle.
Gym machine says I am 28% fat.

I feel fat and disillusioned. What is the point of exercising if all I get is fatter and a spotty back from the sweat (I shower straight after each class).

That amount of exercise is not going to produce 3kg of muscle. If you are the same size then why are you worried?

My stomach looks awful! It's all saggy and wrinkly - before it was a bit pudgy but firm.

I am going to keep it up, track my food intake a bit more closely and see where I am in 6 weeks or so.

Hey, any updates? I'm in a similar situation

Still the same - almost 3yrs of regular workouts (even got a PT for a few months) - I just do not build muscle.
The extra weight was most likely water according to the PT.

My husband thinks I look good but I really see no change.
I think I would have to really limit what I eat to show any muscles/ lose the belly and I am just not prepared to do that. I once got down to 24% body fat but I think that was a glitch on the machine 😂

Still, I guess it is better than getting worse and I have made a great bunch of friends at the gym. I definitely feel healthier.