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!

Just double checked and it's 30in now, last time I measured it was in cm so I had to convert it!

eurochick - Water retention in particularly hard worked muscles can happen after strenuous exercise but not a whole pound of it, and certainly not for over a week.

OP, I am very jealous of your waist. Mine is still bigger than yours, even though I have lost weight and got fit. I have never had a nice curvy waist, even when I was very slim.
Where do you carry most of your weight?

I have a 'mummy tummy' which is pretty nasty but my 'waist' is quite high up so hence why it's smaller :D

Mostly it's in my bum, I have a big ass and chunky thighs!

My waist is 33 inches. I am 5ft 2 and a size 10/12 at 11 stone. (which I know is still a couple of stone overweight)

I think that's your answer Op, you are just differently proportioned to other people.
I wouldn't worry about what the scales say for a couple of weeks. If you continue to stay the same then you might want to reassess your diet.
Another factor might be TOTM.I never used to lose anything the week before my period because I retained fluid. Then it would all start to come off by the 2nd or 3rd day.

Is that still the case if you don't have periods anymore? I have a mirena :)

Cote, wish I knew what was going on. Maybe my scales are broken

I don't know OP. I think some people find that weight gain can be a side effect of the mirena coil (as with any hormonal contraception) so you might want to read the info on that.

Weight can be really surprising, I think where you gain it (eg all over versus belly) makes a difference - I tend to gain all over, but not on my waist much at all. I'm 5"6, have a 26" waist but hover around the 10 stone mark (sometimes a couple of pounds over/under) and wear size 8-10 (should be 10 - vanity sizing!). people think I weigh a lot less, more like 8.5-9 stone (I wish!) and I'm similar size to a friend who weighs about 8.5!

The good thing is you've recognised you're overweight, regardless of your dress size, and are doing something about it, good luck!

I just don't get it I'm 5'10, 10st12 just measured my waist at 30 inches and am wearing size 12 jeans. How do you get into a 10 with a 33 inch waist?

and its worth mentioning I don't actually have a waist so my hips are slim

I don't think you can really asses this objectively. Women, especially, lie a lot about their clothes size/ measurements/ waist so I couldn't compare. I have to say I think there are very few women who wouldn't be overweight at 13 stone, especially at 5ft 2z

Also size 16 might be average but that's in a overweight nation and can realistically be based on average height, which you're below. So you shouldn't be average anyway.

It is weird. I'm 5'4, 11 stone and I'm only just getting into size 14 trousers. My waist is 28inches but my lower body is heavy. There are plenty of people my size and weight who are a size 12 and lots with the same measurements who look toned, and yet to look at me it's obvious I'm at least 1.5 stones overweight, if not 2 stones. It's very strange!

When I exercise and go on a diet, I lose weight, but then the numbers go up because I'm gaining muscle. It's frustrating to see the scale go up though. I had to get rid of my scale because it was causing me too much grief and focused on getting toned.

Why do people persist in saying that muscle weighs more than fat? It doesn't. A pound of muscle weighs the same as a pound of fat. By volume though, the pound of fat will look bigger. The more muscle that your body develops, the more your metabolism will burn off (and be able to eat without putting on weight) as muscles need food to repair and grow.

It takes a lot of work to put muscle on, it doesn't happen as a by-product of dieting. People don't stack on the weight by building muscle, they drop dress sizes. Would you really care what you weighed in a smaller dress size?

OP, have your tried kettlebells? You can get a fantastic workout and there are lots of exercises on YouTube.

Haven't yet but they do look interesting, need to upgrade to some heavier weights as my home ones are not really heavy enough anymore :(

Did try a kettle bell in my kickboxing class today and I liked them! Just a bit pricey?

Kickboxing is fab, really excellent for calorie burn. I'm envious, I don't have a local class. Kettlebells don't have to be expensive, 4 - 12kg, anywhere in that range will give you a great workout and you'll tone up. It's the different exercises that you do that give you the benefits.

What weight are you lifting at home?

Yeah I really enjoyed it, first class today and I know I'll be aching tomorrow!

At the moment just 1kg weights, lots of reps, that's all I have until I can get some bigger ones, my bf has 8kg ones but they're too heavy I'll do myself an injury if I try and lift them!

Are your scales broken OP? Or are your bones made of lead?

I'm 5 foot 7, a12 to 14 and weigh about 11 stone 7, so much taller, about the same size, but nearly 2 stone lighter. I do have small waste but big hips and thighs though.

You don't gain muscle on a regular low calorie, occasional cardio type regime. You won't gain weight on a diet because you are gaining muscle, it doesn't work like that. Only people deliberately gaining muscle will actually grow new muscle, and that involves a high protein, high calorie diet and a LOT of weight training.
Muscle doesn't get heavier through exercise, it gets leaner and more efficient.

Hi there. Just a quick heads up to let you know that we're going to move this across to our 'weight loss chat' area shortly.

I have no idea BahTwat, it seems like it! Pretty sure my scales aren't broken though, at least not by much, I weighted myself on my sisters scales and I was even more on there, 13st8!

Both digital scales btw :)

Just to update you, have been don't want to call it dieting monitoring my eating, making healthier choices and doing more exercise for 2 weeks now....and it's bloody working! So far at least :D

3kg lost, 1in off bust, waist & 1&1/2 off hips - yay!

Nice one!
Well done - that's great weight loss.
Keep it going.
I now need to get back in the zone!