Weight Loss & Muscle Gain

[SuzanneML]

I started to lose weight in Oct. 2019 after having a nasty bout with iron-deficient anemia and lost 15 lbs in 3 weeks. It fueled me to want more weight loss, so when I got better, I started WW (Weight Watchers). My weight in Oct. was 242, my starting weight with a goal of 130. I started walking in the spring and it slowly turned into a "walking workout", I call it. I have a very long driveway and I do laps on it. For the last two months, I carry 1.5 lb weights and make it into an aerobic activity, hitting every muscle group along with jogging bursts. Yes, I can now jog! I do 30 min. 5-6 times a week. I hate missing. I was a morbidly obese couch potato with health problems. I have permanent SI joint damage with 4 bulging discs and stenosis. A severe car accident in 2009, left me unable to do anything for a very long time. Now, I'm down 3 top sizes and one bottom size. My breasts have shrunk in half (good thing)! I see major changes in my body. I have so much more muscle now! I am literally transforming! I get that muscle weighs more than fat, but I busted hump this week in workouts and being active, my steps have never been higher. With all the activity my appetite wasn't there and I came in low on my food intake on several days, but generally, I'm right on target there. I got on the scale for my weekly weigh-in and my weight stayed the same! I totally expected at least 2 lbs off. Now, to my question. Could I have gained that much muscle in a week? How does that work? Any other suggestions would be great. 

[Heybales]

1 lb of muscle weighs the same as 1 lb of fat. Doesn't weigh more.

Perhaps you meant by volume, the muscle takes up less space indeed.

Great job on what you've done - finding a routine that doesn't hurt you and you enjoy. Keep it up, well that and more!

Now, your muscles in body may indeed be carrying 3 lbs more in these weights you carry during the walk - but you are carrying how much less weight on your body now since you started doing the walking?

That makes it less of a workout on generally the biggest muscles in the body (lower) - the jogging helps increase the intensity to compensate somewhat - but perhaps not enough.

Weight loss is not linear.

https://community.fitbit.com/t5/Manage-Weight/What-weightloss-looks-like-in-a-graph/m-p/4426546

If you have actually managed to constantly lose the same amount weekly so far since Oct - count yourself very lucky and very unusual.

1 week isn't long enough to determine anything, especially as a woman - you know if you still need to wait a month to discern anything, but even outside hormones - you can't base anything on 1 week.

Too many other variables.

A guy would be so lucky to gain 2 lbs of muscle in 1 week eating in surplus and doing a progressive weight lifting routine.

It's not that easy to gain muscle, especially not for a woman.

Sadly you did not gain 2 lbs of muscle that fast in a diet - if any in a diet actually.

How much more weight do you have to lose to be at healthy weight?

I'm wondering if your 2 lb weekly deficit has become unreasonable and stressful on the body now.

Stress increases cortisol, which can easily increase water weight.

Or just stress from a more active week and eating less creating even bigger deficit making it worse.

Or sore from some new exercise or increased and retaining water for that purpose.

You should probably start now getting several measurements too, since scale weight is not the best nor should it be only figure to rely on.

[DavideFitbit]

Hi, it's great to see you around the Community forums for the first time, welcome @SuzanneML! 

Thank you for taking the time to share your experience with weight loss and muscle gain. My sister recently had a similar experience to what you mentioned. She did start to feel more muscle and definition in her arms, but the most important thing that she did is that she never stopped her diet and exercise, and seeing her body transforming encouraged her to continue until  she eventually got to her ideal weight! 

Don't forget to keep us posted on your progress here on the Community! 😁