To be getting really confused about my weight?

[extremepie]

Ok, sounds stupid but I'm trying to lose weight and have recently decided to start doing some exercise, watching what I eat etc.

I weighted myself and was horrified to see my weight has gone up over 13st! I'm 5ft 4 so not especially tall and this seems like way too much to me!

However, I have also measured myself recently (hips, waist, bust etc) and am I pretty much right on size 14 measurements so below average. My sister is 5ft 2 and fairly 'petite' in frame (I am not!) but she weighs 8 and a half stone! And she's recently put on half a stone! She's a size 10-12 so only 1-2 sizes smaller than me but almost 5 stone lighter!!

Why am I so heavy! Now I know people say muscle weights more than fat but I'm not a bodybuilder, don't do huge amounts of exercise (yet :D), so what's going on! I tried using one of those body fat measure thingys and it said that my body fat was 40ish% (ashamed face :( )

Aibu to find this all very confusing? From what I've heard if I start doing exercise and stuff I'll put on weight rather than lose it?

Help!

I'm the same, no idea why, but same size clothes as mates but I weigh heavier, also same height as well.

I tend to put weight on evenly all over so a stone can not make much difference whereas my friend puts it straight on her belly so half a stone means she goes up a dress size we are both petite sizes. I would say I am petite in height but a medium to large build, I could never go below a size 10 as bones do not shrink.

forget the crap about muscle weighing more than fat, and no, you won't gain weight if you start to exercise.
Sizing varies, you are the same height as me and weigh a bit more but I am a size 16.
I'm not really sure what you are confused about, you have gained weight through consuming more calories than you burn, you have a certain amount of body fat and that weighs what it weighs. You need to reduce your calorie intake if you want to lose weight, combined with exercise ideally.

You should not gain weight if you exercise.
Move more, eat less.
If you are joining a gym, they will give you a programme for what you want.
So if you want to lose weight then the programme will be designed around that.
Body shapes and sizes are all a mystery to be honest.
Everyone carries weight differently.
Set yourself a goal based on you. Don't worry about anyone around you. Your body, your journey.
Good luck.

It's very confusing!

I've been doing the 5:2 since last year but have really stuck to it since January, sometimes managing a 4:3 week. I've also ramped up the exercise and am doing something 4-5 times a week. I've found that my weight had stayed the same (around 72kg, I'm 5' 8") but I've definitely changed my body shape as I've dropped a dress size and am feeling slimmer than I have in years however I've not lost weight. Go figure!

It might be better to focus on your clothes size rather than the pounds and stones. What does it matter that you've gained half a stone if you've dropped a dress size at the same time?

I just find it really weird :/ I would say I have a medium/large build, unlike my sister but does that really make that much difference? I mean if I lost 5 stone I would look ridiculous and waaaaay too skinny, if my sister put on 5 stone she would look huge and defiantly larger than a size 14! I don't get it :/

As Ehric said, forget about muscle weighing more than fat.

What exactly is the exercise you do and what is your typical day in meals & treats?

What is ":/"?

I know I the whole weight thing shouldn't really matter as it's the size and how you look/feel that is more important but it's just bothering me :( Ideally I'd like to tone up and improve my fitness/shape, would like to be the same dress size as my sister but no idea how much weight I would need to lose to achieve that.

Can't afford a gym so just doing more exercise at home (weights etc) and walking/cycling more plus the odd kickboxing class :D

I'm the same height as you, slightly heavier and a size 16/18. It's mostly to do with where you carry your weight. I'm an apple, so most of my fat is on my stomach and around my middle, therefore I need a bigger size. My arms and legs are relatively slim.

Well my diet before would include a lot of fizzy/sugary drinks, the odd takeaway, usually no breakfast, large portions but generally healthy food (not a lot of crisps, chocolate, sweets and I don't eat cakes or biscuits).

Since Monday I've been having stuff like scrambled egg on toast, soup and a roll for lunch, fish and rice for dinner with only small glasses of fruit juice or water to drink and fruit/yogurts for treats :)

Oh and much smaller portions than I would normally have, about half the size!

Walking and cycling are good for toning up the lower body, but they won't really lose you much weight.

Jogging is more helpful and since the weather is getting nicer, perhaps you could do that?

I've been on a diet since last week and upped my exercise to 5x50 minute sessions. My calorie intake is around 1000 a day and I've put ON a pound !!

Are you sleeping well? I've heard that broken nights can cause weight gain due to cortisol or something sciencey

I'm 5'3" and currently weigh 12 st 3lb and am a small size 14. Two years ago, before getting pregnant, I weighed 11 stone 4lb and was a size 10-12. And yet that's still far too heavy for my height, apparently.

WRT exercising - you will retain water for a while when you start to exercise, this could be contributing to your weight. And for the record - muscle does weigh more than fat; however you'd need to lose a HELL of a lot of fat and gain LOADS of muscle for this to be in any way relevant.

In any event - exercising is good for you so well done and keep it up! Take your eyes off the scales and focus on your dress size, as PP have said.

Extremepie, I'm the same, I think it's just how you carry your weight, it's spread, your frame, etc. I'm 5'7/8 and weight 14stone, which I'm quite horrified about, although I'm a size 14-16 which I'm happy enough with as long as it's more 14. Even when I've got significantly smaller through diet and exercise, I've never weighed all that much less (a comfortable size 12).
I've mentioned this to my gp etc who even seemed surprised how much I weigh when I've said I'm concerned about my bmi etc.
I think we all know when we're eating and exercising well and when we're kidding ourselves, so don't get too hung up on weight or dress size alone, just use it as a guide to whether you are going up or down. If something which used to fit me is tight or I notice my weight go up I know to take action.

People do wear weight differently - but also, a 'size 14' is fairly meaningless - it can vary hugely, so we could all be talking about different measurements as risky. I have about a 29 inch waist atm and have just ordered a size 14 dress I know will fit me; my mum can also wear size 14s, but her waist is into the risk zone at nearly 35 inches.

Urigeller you need to up your calories to between 1200 and 1400, you're are confusing your body and it's clinging to anything you give it instead of burning it off, also not all calories are created equal.

Oh forgot to say, get a tape measure and track your inch loss. Sometimes it shoes that way and not on the scales and vice versa. It really needs to be a combination of everything, not one measurement.

"Can't afford a gym so just doing more exercise at home (weights etc) and walking/cycling more plus the odd kickboxing class"

Start running with a Couch to 5K program. I like BUPA's. For support and general companionship as you up your running, there is a C25K thread in the Exercise topic, as well.

It is perfectly fine if you "can't run" in the beginning. I started running at the age of 38 and clearly remember thinking I was going to die any minute after 2 minutes of it Your body develops the necessary muscles very quickly. You will be amazed at how you will be able to run for 10 minutes non-stop in just a few weeks, and how the weight will just drop off you.

I find it quite surprising you can be size 10 at over 11 stone and 5'3"! I was 5'8", 9.5 stone and size 10. I know that it's not the same across shops, but still

I don't think you should use 'average' dress sizes as a guide, since the 'average' woman is overweight heading towards obese, and the measurements used for various sizes get ever more generous. To be the top end of healthy BMI for your height you'd have to weigh 10 stone 6lb, a healthy body fat percentage for a woman is

"I've been on a diet since last week and upped my exercise to 5x50 minute sessions. My calorie intake is around 1000 a day and I've put ON a pound"

That is not possible, unless:

(1) You are spending less than 1000 kCal energy per day - i.e. your "exercise" isn't hard enough

Or

(2) You are eating more than 1,000 kCal per day

Or

(3) You have discovered a way of creating energy out of nothing (so you can spend it without burning fat in your body) and should claim your Nobel Prize

Dress sizes go on certain measurements. I tend to gain weight evenly so 'carry it well'. Others may just put weight on round the middle but continue to have slim arms and legs so their torso looks bigger and they need bigger clothes sizes.

My trainer always maimed her weight but said she knew when she was slacking in exercise as she'd go up a dress size despite being the same weight. That's as a result of the muscle vs fat weight for volume point mentioned earlier.