Hi,

I am 25 year old female. I joined this forum in July after finding out that I was over weight by a few pounds and deciding to lose it by jogging.

Given below are my measurements...

Weight in July: 52.8 kgs or 116 pounds (Ideal Weight: 46.2 kgs-57.5kg)
Fat Index: 28.7% (Normal Fat Index: 17-24%)
Fat Mass: 15.1 kgs or 33 pounds (Normal Fat Mass: 7.7-11.9kg or 16-26 pounds)

I started jogging and had to stop because I injured my knee. I also started going for swimming classes once a week. In total, I exercised for a total of 9 days in July (swimming included). In August, I exercised for a total of 14 days (swimming included). During these two months I have let my diet slip, I have been eating a lot more than normal.

My usual diet consists of rice, bread, pasta, white meat and potatoes. I try to avoid fried food and desserts.

I kept checking my weight regularly at home and the scale showed that I was a couple of pounds lesser than 116 or stagnant at 116. I thought that this was normal as I wasn't following a rigorous exercise routine.

I checked my weight yesterday at a pharmacy and found that I had gained 5 pounds!!!! I could not believe what I was seeing, as even though I had not stuck to my exercise or diet plan, I was exercising for the first time ever and I had hoped that I had lost atleast half a pound or at the very least not gained any weight! On closer inspection I found that even though by weight had increased, my Fat Index and my Fat Mass had reduced... Is that a reason for joy or more sorrow? Am I gaining muscle and losing fat?

Given below are my latest measurements...

Current Weight: 55.2 kgs or 121 pounds (Ideal Weight: 46.2 kgs-57.5kg)
Fat Index: 23.5% (Normal Fat Index: 17-24%)
Fat Mass: 12.9 kgs or 28 pounds (Normal Fat Mass: 7.7-11.9kg or 16-26 pounds)

I know that I need to stick to a more rigourous exercise and diet plan to lose weight. I know that I need to be more committed to see more favourable results.

What I hope someone can sort out is if a reduced Fat Index and Fat Mass is an indication that I am doing something right...!

Thanks in advance!

I think it's pretty obvious, no?

If you "eat a lot more than normal" you're going to gain weight.

And I'll be honest, a diet that consists mostly of "rice, bread, pasta ... and potatoes" is a surefire way to pack on the fat pounds. There's nothing wrong with carbs in healthy amounts, but when the bulk of your diet is carbs - and especially simple carbs? Weight gain.

I can't stress it too much DIET IS KEY. And I don't mean diet as in "go on a diet". I mean diet in the holistic sense of what you eat every day as a part of your life plan.

At your weight and height, you probably will have to cut back to 1200 calories a day to lose weight - and when you're eating so few calories, you MUST make sure that every calorie counts, nutritionwise. That means veggies, fruits, lean proteins, complex carbs (not more than 40% of your diet in carbs), and healthy fats like olive oil, nuts and seeds, and avocados.

As far as the muscle/fat thing:
When you eat in a calorie surplus (that's more calories than your body needs to maintain it's current weight) you gain fat and some muscle (but more fat than muscle).

If you're eating in a calorie surplus, and you're currently overweight, and you're starting to exercise, it's entirely possible that you'll lose fat, while gaining a little (very little) muscle. But eventually you'll balance out the amount of muscle you can gain (muscle gains are VERY slow) and if you continue to eat in a calorie surplus at that point, you'll start gaining back fat.

Either way, the bottom line is that if you eat in a calorie surplus, you gain weight. Period. There's no way around it. You can exercise until you fall over, but if you eat too many calories, you'll gain.

Also keep in mind that gaining muscle is a VERY SLOW process. It's not a one-for-one swap like some people think it is and you don't "turn" fat into muscle. A woman who is really working at building muscle might be able to gain around 10-12lb of muscle in a year - and that's with concentrated ass-kicking work and a proper diet (lots of protein, minimal carbs).

There is no way that 14 days of working out (out of 31 days) is going to cause you to gain 5 lb of muscle. Especially if the majority of that work is cardio.

Get control of your eating, and you'll control your weight. Guaranteed.

Thanks Kara!

Everything kara has said is pretty much spot on.

To add on, as for your 5lbs and a lower fat %, that sounds like water weight to me. A lil while back, I was researching how scales calculate fat% with small electric currents (I'm assuming thats what you're using). What I found is that it measures the resistance of your body, and the main factor of the resistance number is water. It said that your muscles contain more water than fat, and thats how those scales can give you an estimate of your fat and muscle %'s. Naturally then, it seems like if you're body is holding onto a few more lbs of water, I'm guessing to a scale it would interpret that extra water as muscle and not fat, and thus the reason you saw a lower fat%.

Hi Kara...

Thanks so much for taking the time to send me a long reply...!

Rice is my biggest weakness...! I would be the happiest if I can eat rice thrice a day and not worry about the pounds piling on!

July was my first ever serious attempt at losing weight and I thought that as long as I do some sort of physical activity, then I can let my diet slip...! It is a pity that I had to gain 5 pounds to realise that I need to watch my diet and exercise 'EVERYDAY' to see serious weight loss.

I have worked out a low carb diet plan which I hope is going to help me lose the extra pounds. I have also made up my mind to go out and jog no matter what! I went out today even though it was cold, miserable and drizzling and exercised. I have to say I felt proud about myself...! I only hope I can keep this going!

Also, I read a couple of other posts of yours and in one of them you had mentioned how to calculate the calories needed to be consumed everyday in order to lose weight. My calculations showed that I have to eat 1270 calories per day to lose weight. Is that too low or is it ok?

Kara, thanks so much for all your help. You are my mentor. Thanks again!

Hi Mar,

Thanks so much for your reply .

I was so confused when I saw the numbers after the weigh in. So the weight that the scale showed that I have gained could be water weight, right? So this means that I must be retaining a lot of water in my body, which means that I need to drink lot more of water and consume less of salt.. Mmmm...! More points to include in my diet...!

Thanks again!

I'm glad I can help!

The figure I use for calculating calories is based on an average - obviously calories are just an estimate. Everyone is a little different and the numbers will fluctuate from day to day. You just have to find a happy ground.

The number I use is 14 calories per pound of body weight for a moderately active woman. So for you:

121 * 14 = 1694 calories to maintain your current weight

Then subtract 30% from that:

1694 * 70% = 1185 calories to lose.

Keeping in mind that you really should not eat fewer than 1200 calories unless under the care of a doctor and participating in a medically supervised diet - I come up with a flat 1200 calories a day. You can eat 1280 and still lose - that would be fine.

The other thing is that while jogging or running is fine, you really NEED to include weight lifting or body weight work of some kind in your routine. This will help you to maintain lean muscle and burn more fat. W/out exercises that work your muscles in this way, you'll lose lean muscle as well as fat.

Thanks again! I will try my very best to stick to the 1200 cals/day diet.

Kara, you mentioned weights, I can't afford to go to a gym right now. What I have with me are a couple of dumbells (1.5-2.5kgs). Are they enough to meet the weight requirements?

They'll do to start.

Try to do more bodyweight stuff, then - your body weight should be sufficient when first starting out. Squats, lunges, stepups pushups, dips, burpees, all those kinds of things can be done with the help of a sturdy dining room chair and a little bit of open space.

Thanks Kara..! You have been a great help!