I am losing fat, but gaining weight. Why?!


Question: I am a fifteen year old male. I am six feet, three inches tall and I weigh 240 pounds.

In July, I weighed 280 pounds. I knew it was time for a change, so I started playing Dance Dance Revolution. A few months later, I was down to 220.

Just today, I looked at the scale, and it said 240 pounds. How could this have happened?

I moved from XXL in shirts to Large. I am on a strict 2,500 calorie-a-day diet. I only drink water. I exercise for an hour a night. I do not see how this happened.

I know someone will suggest muscle mass, and you may be partially correct, but do you honestly believe I gained 20 pounds of muscle in 2 months?

Does anyone have any recommendations as to what I could do differently? Do you have any new exercises I could try to lose weight?


Answers: I am a fifteen year old male. I am six feet, three inches tall and I weigh 240 pounds.

In July, I weighed 280 pounds. I knew it was time for a change, so I started playing Dance Dance Revolution. A few months later, I was down to 220.

Just today, I looked at the scale, and it said 240 pounds. How could this have happened?

I moved from XXL in shirts to Large. I am on a strict 2,500 calorie-a-day diet. I only drink water. I exercise for an hour a night. I do not see how this happened.

I know someone will suggest muscle mass, and you may be partially correct, but do you honestly believe I gained 20 pounds of muscle in 2 months?

Does anyone have any recommendations as to what I could do differently? Do you have any new exercises I could try to lose weight?

Muscle is heavier than fat, but don't stop!

You need to reevaluate your calorie intake. It was sufficient to let you drop weight for awhile, but there comes a point where it evens out and you have to either:

1) Increase your exercise, or
2) Take in less calories, or
3) Both

Muscle mass also helps you burn calories so don't shy away from it. The object isn't the lowest scale number, it's a good body fat percentage...

Did you know muscle weighs more than fat?

Muscle weighs more than fat...

Muscle weights more than fat.

If you convert the fat to muscle, yes, you will gain weight.

swimming as it uses all your muscles.

muscle weighs more than fat....don't measure your sucess by weight.....measure inches lost.

Maybe there is an enormous amount of crap growing in your colon that needs to be released.

LoL

Hi, I agree it is probably muscle mass. It weighs much more than fat. If you're concerned try taking a look at wieght watchers diet. Load of info on there
http://www.weightwatchers.co.uk/Util/lnd...

You're losing fat and gaining muscle. Muscle weighs more than fat. So you can be getting smaller and heavier at the same time. My advice is don't weigh yourself. Just go by how you feel and how your clothes fit. It could also be water retention. Cut back on sodium.

yo yo weight loss. Your body thinks it is in 'starve' situation so it is reserving 'energy'. Goes back to our ancestral roots where the body can naturally store energy in the form of fat for when there where periods of food shortages.

couple things maybe, you might be retaining water so you have to drink more of it...yes I know this sounds stupid but if your body does not recieve enough water it will start to store it. Also, per volume muscle wieghs more than fat. And what are your calories from?

By playing that you lose fat but you gain weight because you are getting leg muscle and muscle weighs more than fat.

I do honestly believe that,(muscles weighs 18% more than fat) however, it is possible that your weight loss has plateaud, and you have gained a little. Cut it back to 2250 calories, and up the intensity of your workout.

Muscle weighs a great deal more than fat... and even if you have not seen yourself bulking up with a lot of muscle... if you are building muscle tone and tightening and strengthening muscle tissue... that will add to your weight....
if you are healthy... dont sweat it...it sounds to me as if you are right where you need to be weight wise... and you are only 15 so you are still growing in height...height adds weight too remember... bones are heavy stuff.
Good luck
Kimberlie

You burned off a lot of fat and water weight in the beginning, now with your diet and regular work outs you've built a lot of muscle, which of course weighs more than fat. It's not a bad thing, especially if you're losing inches. Keep up the good work :]

I think what happened what you hit a plateau. Meaning your body got used to the same workouts. You may want to switch up a bit. Below is the website that will be very beneficial to you. In the month of August I was 215 pounds and I stand at 5'7. Today I am 160 pounds. Check out the website and see for yourself what I did.
www.leehaney.com

go see a doctor to ask whats up,because that dosent seem right!(you sound sexie though)

be cause when you exercise you build muscle. and could cause weight

If you look good and feel good and continue with the exercise, don't worry about the scale. If you stop the exercising, drop the calorie intake.

You can stop exercising and eat the same, the scale won't change for awhile, then all of a sudden WHAM. I know from experience. It takes the body awhile to catch up.

Muscle is more.

Well I agree with the other answers you could be gaining muscle but only drinking water might cause you to retain some of it so some of the weight is water maybe try eating grapefruit in the morning it helps stop water retaining.Don't stop drinking water just try and eat grapefruit it really helps.

Hope you found this helpful!

your gaining it in muscle.

Don't weigh yourself anymore. Just keep to measuring your body size in the waist, chest, wrist, arms. It's probably a combination of both gaining mass and losing fat. But it's your body's measurements that are the only valid thing you need worry about. So, keep pluggin away and stop worrying.

Go on the internet and find a test to measure your fat to lean body mass ratio. The test are free and you can do it with a tape measure. Lots of luck, dude!

muscle weighs more than fat, and that's a good thing - so keep up the good work!!!

the reason why you're losing fat but still gainig weight is because you're now building muscle which weighs more than fat also you're drinking only water and water becomes very heavy if there is enough of it in one area (i.e. your stomach). I would say you're doing good for the weight you've lost and the regimen you are on. Don't worry if all the exercising and healthy eating is making you "buff up" Girls like big strong men anyway! lol

Are you lifting weights consistently? If so, I'd expect you to gain considerable muscle mass. If you want to be sure, you could go to a hospital and get your body percentage calculated. You are really tall for your age, but it could be that your body is naturally adding muscle, as you are still a growing boy. Ever thought about playing basketball? Or tight end, maybe? If you have any athleticism at all, you really ought to give sports a go. I'm sure coaches would love to have you on their team. If you aren't seeing any more fat build up like before, I think you have added some solid muscle.

I know i am just repeating what the other posters said but it sounds like muscle to me. The exercises you are doing seem to be working fine.

yes you could have put 20 pounds of muscle in two months. for a start exercise every other day varing what exercises you do and if you're not start cycling or rowing machine stuff enough to leave you out of breathe but not to the point of collaspe. plus try cutting down slighty on calories and vary what you eat so you don't get bored

Your calories should be 1200 cal. a day, exercise, diet and weight control program and good luck.

Because muscle weighs more than fat. As you build the muscle you will start to burn off the fat buildup. You just have to give it time. Also be careful not to over do it on the vitamins as the fat tissue stores some types of vitamins and as you burn the fat they are released back into your system. You are on the right path don't quit now because of "weight". Remember muscle weighs more than fat and as you replace the fat with muscle you will have a temporary weight gain but your Body Fat Index will keep going down. But don't let it drop too much as 18% body fat is healthy for a male and 15% body fat is heathy for a female.

This may related to Hormonal situation in your body (Endocrinology),but maybe related to muscle mass too,because you are making some kind of exercises that help your muscle to be hypertrophied and gain weight ,i think the best one how can diagnose this problem is you and your doctor .this is just suggestion.

It is true about the Muscle. Muscle weighs more then fat, so the scale won't always be true. Start doing body fat % with a doctor or so, and you will see the difference. I am sure if you take a picture of you once a month, on the same day, You will see the difference, regardless of what the scale says!

Congrats on losing all the weight, I hope I can do that too!





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