The more I lift the heavier I’m getting!!

[AllAboutTheWrinkles]

Can I ask for some advice/reassurance please. I’m a 68 year old woman and till last year never felt the need to bother a gym. Never lifted anything heavier than a laptop or a baby in my life. Got a fright about how fragile and unbalanced I seemed to be getting so started working with a PT three times a week from last July. Last week I deadlifted 90kg and I can sled push 150kg and back squat 30kg. Lat pull down currently at 70kg and bench press is only 20kg (I find upper body really hard still) I’ve no real idea if any of this is good or not although my PT says I’m doing great and I’m trying just to trust. But on Friday I had a check up with the practice nurse and got a real telling off about the fact I’ve put on a stone in a year and now have a BMI of 27. I do look different - broader shoulders and bigger thighs and bum but I don’t think I have more fat than before but she said ‘at your age’ I needed to lose the weight because ‘it’s a slippery slope’. I’m pretty sure my diet hasn’t changed that much - it was always pretty healthy - but I have added in breakfast which I never used to eat, simply because I’m hungry. That amounts to two eggs, one slice of sourdough and a glass of milk. I’m not really sure what to do - I actually feel healthier and stronger than I ever have and I’m loving my sessions with the PT plus cardio by myself on another three days. But am I just going to get bigger and bigger? I’ve always had a problematic relationship with food and the thought of having to go back to restriction and calorie counting is really upsetting me.

Sounds like you're doing BRILLIANTLY and the practice nurse doesn't know anything about weight training! If you were putting on weight and doing no exercise then the 'slippery slope' comment might make sense but it's the opposite for you. I'm much younger and can't lift anywhere near as much as you so be proud and keep going

Well done! Those are awesome results. Please don’t be discouraged. Like everyone else has said, it sounds like your body composition has changed if clothes are fitting differently. If your waist is smaller that would suggest you’ve lost fat too.

You are doing your health now and for the future the most incredible favour ever by being strong. Do you use Instagram? There’s some amazing women on there to follow. 💪🏼

I recently had a health check, my BMI was 30 which puts me in the obese category.
I'm 5'8", size 12, eat healthy and weight train.
The nurse said BMI was "a load of bloody rubbish"
I'd ignore it if I were you, you're doing great

You are doing brilliantly!!

BMI does include a wide range within the categories to take account of different factors and I think it is probably only really eg elite rugby players that should discount it altogether.

BUT I wouldn't worry if everything else is fine. I am 58, lift heavy and my BMI is 27/28. My other stats are all fine and at every check up they tell me to crack on and not worry. I find it hard to lose weight and train as hard as I do.

I do keep an eye on it though and try to lose a bit when it seems to be creeping up - but my fighting, happy weight does put me just into the overweight category.

I do find with weight lifting, my weight does vary, and it is important to take the long view for a strong and healthy body. If your diet is "pretty healthy" I wouldn't consider calorie counting, just keep an eye on it and enjoy your gym success!

Good for you OP and as others have said actually being a little "overweight" on the BMI when you are older can be beneficial. Its hard to build muscle, I would stay away from the scales for a while, and just focus on function and chronic pain as indicators of fitness.

BMI is a quick and dirty method for assessing health at extremes so as long as you are under 30 and over 18 you will be fine!

Muscle weighs more than fat

No it doesn't. I wish people would stop saying that. 1lb of muscle weighs the same as 1lb of fat. It just takes up less room.

OP it's long been said to stay off the scales once you start gaining muscle. Use a tape measure instead and ignore that nurse and their ruddy BMI crap.

This! I work in epidemiology and BMI is increasingly discredited. If your waist circumference is less than half your height then I wouldn’t worry. Also - you sound awesome! Well done 👏🏻

By comparing lbs or kg you're just comparing weights, so of course they're the same. A pound of anything weighs a pound, whether it's feathers or lead. But no one would say lead and feather weight the same. You need to consider density.

A kg of muscle has a smaller volume than a kg of fat - therefore per unit of volume muscle is heavier than fat.

Yeah just go by your waist to height ratio. It’s more reliable, as others have said. The nurse sounds like a computer says no kind.

you sound impressively strong, I can’t lift anywhere near that.

OP, first of all, massive kudos to you for your amazing achievements…you should be so proud of yourself!!

Second, might I suggest you have a chat with your (clearly very capable) PT about this? They might be able to help with understanding the seeming disconnect between what you’re experiencing in real life and the numbers on the chart which resulted in such a disconcerting experience?

BMI is such a blunt tool. Bear in mind many super fit sportspeople have “ unhealthy” BMI scores for the same reason. What matters so much more is your muscle density, the amount you move, and how you eat. All of which sound like they are a zillion miles better than most people!!

Your numbers are impressive and you sound committed to strength training. Come and join us on the Lifting Support Thread if you’d like.

A practice nurse ought not give someone a telling off for their BMI in any case. What a strange thing to do which suggests she does not understand weight changes and/or has some sort of issue herself. I agree with others on this thread: taking measurements could be an appropriate way to monitor your body changes. If your other health indicators are alright and you feel great then I don’t think a weight such as the one you described warrants concern and it certainly doesn’t warrant a telling off(!) or you feeling as if you have to justify fuelling your workouts such as by eating breakfast.

I think you're fantastic.
I feel inspired.

Thank you so much for your reassurance and encouragement everyone. I’ve been lurking on this board for months, admiring you all, but first time I’ve posted. I threw out my own scales 5 years ago but unfortunately need an annual blood check for an entirely unrelated condition and the nurse is determined to weigh me every time and I dread it (a lot more than I dread the blood test, if I’m honest!). At home, I just focus on being comfortable wearing the same pair of rigid jeans regularly, rather than scales.

I have been amazed at what I’ve been able to achieve, considering I couldn’t even lift the trap bar at my first visit and I’d never have achieved it on my own, I wouldn’t have known where to start and would probably have stuck with the smallest dumb bells out of fear. My PT specialises in post menopause and she’s just been a revelation to me. And after about 6 months I suddenly realised that all those tiny incremental increases had all added up to something, that for me anyway, was major. My secret dream is for 100kg deadlift and a pull up but suspect the latter especially might always be out of reach, but who knows. Guess it’s about just continuing to do the work and see what happens.

I'm 56 and what you are doing is my goal. Strength and mobility as I age is what I told my PT. Does your gym have a body comp system? I do mine once a month and I can see my lean mass increasing gradually from when I first started.

Nothing to add that hasnt already been said except - You're bloody strong, those weights are impressive. I'm 37 and DL my bodyweight at 60 and thought i was doing ok! (Even though my PT never flatters me and says 1.5 x BW is actually impressive).

Just dont get on scales at GP it’s OK to refuse! Let them do BP which is way more important, routine bloods/ urine checks/ go to all screening appointments breast/ bowel etc and keep going
you can tell when you are healthy. I have been weight training for a year at 55 and my body is so different and I feel strong and confident. No Idea what I weigh but expect it’s the same or more then when I wasn’t training and felt overweight or

If you can deadlift 90kg and lat pull 70 kg (by the way, that’s an insane number for lat pulldown) you can probably already do a pull up. It’s just technique at that point - try working with resistance bands to get the feel of it.

If you’ve got a 90kg deadlift it’s likely you can get 100kg. Keep going. Once you’ve got 100kg you’ll want 120. That’s the way of things.

Getting one pull up took me eleven months training pull ups weekly. It’s worth persisting.

You can choose not to be weighed at the GP - or be weighed backwards and ask the health practitioner not to comment.

You're doing amazingly OP, I'm so impressed! I've recently started lifting weights, 90kg is a long way off for me but you're a real inspiration.

As you're so hungry maybe increase the amount of lean protein you eat? Eggs are obviously fab but for a change maybe have some yoghurt (O% Fage is delicious and high protein) with a spoon or two of low-sugar granola? Your PT sounds amazing so maybe discuss your diet with her in order to support your body getting stronger.

When I say I can deadlift 90kg that was a one rep max during testing last week. Don’t want to give the impression I’m throwing that around all the time. My weight for reps is only 72.5kg although I’ll be moving that up this week. The lat pull down is a new weight we’ve just started on and I can atm only do 3x3 at that weight and it’s hard! There are some real heavy lifters at the gym so I always feel like I’m the geriatric baby - not in a bad way, everyone is really encouraging - but I’m probably lifting lighter than anyone else I see there. I guess though I’m also coming to the end of the newbie gains, I can feel it slowing down a bit now. But yes, still can’t really believe what was possible. I spent the first 5 months of last year at a chain gym, faffing around with machines and 3kg weights before I got the courage to get serious. I was terrified initially.

BMI is a pile of pants, especially if you're muscular!!
Ignore it, going to the gym frequently has to be helpful!

Did you try the smart BMI calculator? Google it. Includes your age and I reckon will say you are healthy. Practice nurse is being silly: strength is so important to keeping active and well as an older woman.

Yes I don’t mean you’ve got 100kg deadlift already. I mean: many women could not deadlift 90kg untrained. To have reached that level of strength you have likely got access to the relevant attitude, kit and coaching. Unless you are extremely petite, 90kg is unlikely to be the limit for you. Especially if your back squat is really only 30kg. Relative to a 90kg deadlift, a 30kg squat is low. If you get your squat up your deadlift will likely improve too as there is a degree of carryover between squat and deadlift in both directions.

Take what I say with a pinch of salt though as I compete in powerlifting and tend to be of the mindset that squat, bench and deadlift are the numbers that matter (these are the lifts that one does to compete in powerlifting). My lat pull-down is way lower than yours, and I’ve never trained with a sled.

Your workouts and fitness are inspiring, OP! Your BMI is slightly higher because you’ve put on muscle, which will really help as you age more. I’d ignore any exhortations to lose weight as this advice isn’t helpful for your specific context.

As PP said, BMI is great population metric but a rubbish individual one. You are strong and I promise you won't regret it. My Dmum is only a few years older than you, she's fallen twice in the last year. Both times breaking something. She's slender and has no muscle. I would rather she was like you and she regrets now that she's neglected weights and strength her whole life