Because of my training, my clothes are starting to no longer fit

[countrygurl32]

This is part vent, part practical. I imagine other women on this sub can relate.

I noticed recently when I bought some new workout pants, in the size I usually do, that they seemed tighter than they should be. I suppose my older workout pants must have slowly stretched with me by the time I decided to invest in some new ones.

Just something about it made me feel bad about myself.

At one point in my life, I was wearing size 0. As I started to work out more, my jeans went up to a size 2, but that felt fine because I just had a bigger butt (which is generally seen as attractive). Now in certain brands, based on measurements I just took, it seems like I might be between a size 8 and 10 (in pants, at least). I've gained about 20 lbs in the last several years, mostly in muscle around my butt/thighs.

It just feels bad to try to put on my clothes and have them not fit, to be too tight (not to mention, it hurts my wallet). Even though I'm supposed to be doing something good for my health. I signed up for personal training to fill in the gaps of my weaknesses that I don't always get from my yoga classes.

I saw a guy on YouTube talking about how he stopped lifting because he was getting too big to function the way he wanted to in yoga. Supposedly, when he stopped lifting, he eventually was able to become lithe enough to do all of those things again. Is that sort of thing true?

My goal was never to get deep into lifting. I just wanted to be stronger for my yoga practice. So while this question is inevitably tied to body image, I'm also asking from the practical perspective of,

1. Is it reasonable that I could be too heavy to do inversions and special balancing poses as efficiently?
2. Is it necessary to take protein, creatine, etc. after all of my workouts, yoga, running, and/or lifting (i.e., might there be a nutritional component to this)?
3. Are there certain lifting workouts that are most useful to yoga? (e.g., do I need to work on my deadlifts for yoga or does my trainer just like doing them?)

If it's relevant, I'm 28F and I've been lifting for 6 months or so. I'd say I'm intermediate in yoga; I can do standard poses with minimal struggle and certain advanced ones. But I want to get more advanced. If anything, my lower body is pretty strong, it's my upper body and back that need the most work.

 

[georgieporgy12]

@countrygurl32 I posted a question about “where do I find clothes? My office clothes don’t fit anymore” on bodyweightfitness subreddit two months ago.

Instead of stop lifting / gaining muscles, the general consensus there was: good job putting on muscles! Now get plus size clothes and take tailor classes to make them fit.

The key is to have shoulders and armpits (upper arms) comfortable/mobile. Everything else can be adjusted easily.

 

[dawn16]

@countrygurl32 OMG SAME. I’ve been struggling with this too! I’m more active and feel stronger than I ever have but I came across a photo of me from 2018 and I looked so much skinnier…granted my head also looked too big for my body LOL, but it sort of made me spiral into calorie counting and obsessing over my weight. Then one day I tried fasting/cutting calorie count and my body did NOT like it. Granted, I probably went overboard but I realized I’d much much rather be curvy and strong than thin and weak (not to say thin people can’t be strong). This is the form my body is happiest in and I’m going to embrace it.

My boyfriend also asked me if i was happy with what i ate and how my body felt and i said yes- it sort of surprised me and made me rethink why i was even trying to lose weight.

I also went through my closet and pulled out anything that didn’t make me feel good in it/was too tight.

I used to run in those typical Nike running shorts, but my thighs have been rubbing together and it became super annoying and distracting. It made me start to feel like I needed to slim down. So- I started wearing tight bicycle shorts instead when I run and I feel so much more comfortable and therefore, more confident, powerful, and sexy.

 

[osvaldo]

@countrygurl32 I'm going to speak to the subject header and the concerns about money and clothes not fitting...

I've had similar gains and size changes (went from about a 4 to a 10-12ish). Part of it is pandemic pounds (siiiigh I discovered mixology) and gains from the decreased activity from working from home, but also part of it is lifting and rowing more seriously, and getting some serious gains in my shoulders/delts, glutes and quads.

My attitude is this: It is NOT reasonable for me to expect that clothes that fit five years ago now fit. Like, sure, I spent a lot of money on them five years ago, but that doesn't mean that clothes and bodies can never ever change in the meantime. But that also doesn't mean I can't be sad about things that don't fit.

I'm starting to clear things out, BUT with some careful evaluation. If it's tight only in the bust/waist, it stays, because I am working on losing that weight, and those are areas where I didn't see lifting gains.

If it's tight on the shoulders, or won't even go past my thighs? That shit is out of here. My body shape CHANGED for the BETTER over the five years, and just because I could wear an XS button down in 2017/2018 doesn't mean I need to wear it now. Likewise, skinny jeans that won't go over my quads now? Fuck that. I'd rather have the strong quads and hamstrings.

I'm passing it along to friends who work in more business/professional settings than I do, since my workplace is more casual than business casual. And for things no one else is claiming or wants, I'm just donating it.

Life is too short to get pissed because I grew my shoulders and quads.

 

[countrygurl32]

@osvaldo Thank you for sharing this perspective!

I like your system for deciding on what clothes to keep. It makes a lot of sense!

 

[hopeville]

@countrygurl32 At 20, I gained 50lbs of what I called “happy weight”. I was getting/got married and felt like nothing could go wrong so I stopped being concerned about myself. I almost didn’t fit my wedding gown. Now, almost 9 years, a few mental diagnoses, a thyroid issue, and a whole lot of learning how to love/accept myself later and I lost ~45 of those 50 lbs, by doing acro yoga, and mostly by dealing with severe mental health episodes for years on end. Now, as I’m finally healing, I’m starting to gain again…. I’m not thrilled about it. But I also recognize this girl… I taught myself how to love every curve of her. And if being healthier means there’s more of her to love, then by golly, welcome aboard!!! I know it’s not the same…. But the point stands

Also it sounds like the weight/size you’ve gained is predominantly muscle…. Dude that’s badass!!!! If you’re still concerned about sizes, you could focus on toning your lower muscles now as opposed to exercises that help with building muscle, but seriously it sounds like you just added a seasoning of badass … I say go, You, go!!!

 

[tiomergaru1989]

@countrygurl32 I’ve been lifting regularly for about 3 years now and have gained a bit in weight and clothing sizes.

First point - lifting has only helped my yoga practice. I’m now strong enough to do balances and inversions, never was before. This is anecdotal but I think many people experience it!

Second point is that if you keep lifting, you aren’t going to keep growing muscle until you’re so large you can’t put a hat on. It just doesn’t work like that (especially for women). So don’t stop lifting out of fear you’ll get too big!

Third point is that the pants struggle is real. Lol. You’re at the six months mark and I’d say any more dramatic weight changes would have to be deliberate on your part. Your body composition will probably continue to change, for instance my thighs proportionally compared to my waist means nothing fits right off of the rack.

Last point which others have made is that “smaller”does not always mean “healthier”. Society has imposed this on women, and a lot of us are battling this mindset with you

 

[dawn16]

@countrygurl32 I don’t have much helpful to say about clothing but absolutely no you do not need a protein and/or creating supplement after every workout. I’d suggest backing off creatine if you want to slim down.

 

[7circles]

@countrygurl32 As a fellow yogi who got really into lifting in 2020, I get where you’re coming from. I wanted to become stronger to get better at yoga, plus I wanted to make sure I age as healthily as possible (I’m only 30 but want to be proactive lol) and strength training is crucial for that.
However, after about a year of lifting consistently I noticed two things: I went a few sizes up and my yoga practice stalled.
I wasn’t crazy about these changes. The size issue wasn’t so bad because I knew it was mostly muscle growth with a little cushion that is inevitable when you’re eating at a surplus. But the fact that I stopped being as flexible as I used to be in yoga really bummed me out. I guess the more your muscles contract the less easily they stretch, which makes sense.
At the end of the day it’s all about balance for me. You need to decide what training is the priority for you - lifting or yoga? You should still do both but adjust your training so that your priority is supported by the other training rather than impeded by it.
For me, yoga is my passion, so that’s what I decided to make my priority. That meant cutting down on my lifting sessions from 4x a week to 1-2x a week. It meant doing more advanced yoga classes (the ones that challenged me and also provided a “different kind” of strength training). I also started exploring more Pilates type workouts which can help strengthen those smaller supporting muscles that are so important for balancing and inversions.
Anyways, long story short, I lost some of the extra weight, gotten better at yoga, and am enjoying my training a lot more now. I also like the way my body looks now.
I know this isn’t a popular opinion on this sub, but that lifting isn’t the only way to gain strength, and it’s not the answer for everyone. So much of it depends on your goals. Hope this helps!

 

[countrygurl32]

@7circles Yes, it does! Thanks for sharing your story!

 

[tanujayawhite]

@countrygurl32 Regarding yoga, I just do it casually, but I know there are plus-size, very large bodied yoga teachers (with books, videos, etc) which is obviously not you but just pointing out that very large bodies can do advanced yoga. I don’t know about this guy you mentioned, but it seems like your size 8 or 10 is not anywhere near the point where you’d be limiting your practice, if that’s even a thing. My favorite yoga teacher is about that size, very strong, and does all kinds of inversions. To be fair, I don’t know if any of these teachers also lift but I’m having a hard time seeing why that would have an impact.

 

[countrygurl32]

@tanujayawhite That's fair! Maybe this is just a situation where an off-hand comment stuck with me more than it should have. And I might also just live in an area where smaller people are doing yoga, so maybe that further skewed my expectations. I'm not sure! But I definitely was not trying to make a judgment about anyone besides myself in this post. Thank you for your perspective!

 

[melissamae]

@countrygurl32 Hi, I’ve also expanded into other areas of fitness in order to support yoga as my main practice, so I relate to this post! Ive been doing some strength training mainly for lower body over the last year and I’ve for sure found it supporting my yoga practice, my legs feel stronger and better able to hold me up during balance poses

I think a well rounded fitness routine incorporates a little bit of everything, so it sounds like you may want to consider incorporating cardio in there somewhere. Would help with weight loss if that’s your goal and also your endurance during yoga - I’ve found it really helps me feel more fit during my yoga classes as well as with hiking. What kind of yoga do you do? If you want to level up you could try ashtanga or rocket, but maybe you’re doing that already.

 

[countrygurl32]

@melissamae Currently I do a combination of ashtanga, vinyasa, and pilates! But I am looking to switch to a studio instead of taking the classes at my local gym, because they're pretty easy for me (I was hoping I could save some money by getting both from the same membership!). I haven't heard of rocket, so I'll have to look into it!

I could definitely stand to do more cardio. I did recently get back into running a few days a week (just roughly following a couch to 5k program so I don't go too hard into it and focus on consistency).

 

[melissamae]

@countrygurl32 Haha we are fitness twins, those are all my favourite things too! I recently got into Pilates and love it I’ve never been to gym yoga classes but I will say my yoga studio classes are absolutely worth it, it takes it to a whole new level and they murder me in the most wonderful way lol. If you want more cardio ideas I really enjoy some of the Pilates/cardio fusion stuff I’ve found on YouTube, like heather Robertson has some Pilates HIIT videos that are really fun and so does gayatri yoga (bit harder) and move with Nicole (bit more gentle but also challenging/fun)

 

[countrygurl32]

@melissamae Ahh thank you for those recs!

I have been trying some online stuff as well, if not just because certain viruses are at higher risk right now where I live, so if I don't have to go to the gym every day before the holidays, as that would be safer for everyone.

 

[richardsonne]

@countrygurl32 Respectfully, I don’t think it’s the training. It’s probably a natural adjustment to your body size as you age. We all go through it. If anything, strength training should help you keep in shape through your 30s and beyond. With just once a week with a trainer, you are not gaining much muscle anyway. You’re doing something, yes, but to get bulky you have to train more than that and eat a lot of protein and even then most women won’t. At this point you are mostly building bone and connective tissue—super important for your health. It also takes a massive amount of strength to do some of the advanced yoga poses! Lightness isn’t everything.

 

[schrodingers_cat_lives]

@countrygurl32 I dealt with this a lot in the past two years. When I initially started working out and eating healthier, I dropped about 25 pounds and went back down to a size 0 and x small. In the past two years I’ve been lifting and climbing more and I’ve noticed my thighs and butt getting bigger. It was really hard for me to realize I don’t fit into a lot of the clothes I did before. It was hard for me to gain that weight back and go up to a size 4, but I realized it was from muscle and not fat. It’s still hard at times but having a stronger and more muscular body is healthy too.

 

[dawn16]

@countrygurl32 I also do yoga (mostly ashtanga 2-3 times/week) and lift (2-3 times/week) and in my experience the practices support each other. I’ve lifted longer than I’ve done yoga (started lifting in 2017 started yoga in 2020) and I feel like I was able to progress relatively quickly through the primary series bc I had a solid strength base from lifting. Now, I can’t imagine doing one practice without the other, they both feel so necessary to me at this point. I do not think I would be able to do inversions or arm balances at all without having lifted. I have a friend who is a much stronger yogi than me (she is also bigger/more muscular than me) who also lifts, and her handstand practice is so far beyond mine it’s crazy. You can message me privately for her yoga ig if you want!

At the start of my lifting jOuRnEy I did all the supplements (protein , creatine etc) but stopped finding joy in it and now get my nutrients from mostly food food. I do not think the supps are necessary but they might be comforting to you if you are trying to track macros easily (which is something I no longer do) and manage weight gain/weight loss.

I do not think you need to lift to support your yoga practice necessarily , especially if you don’t enjoy it. But it seeems like if you’re unhappy with your body it’s probably not 1x/week lifting for the past six months’s fault ? Try to be gentle and gracious with yourself as your body changes - it’s something bodies do! That said, you deserve to feel strong and healthy and happy, and lifting doesn’t do that for you, then I wouldn’t force it

 

[countrygurl32]

@dawn16 Thank you for your kind and supportive words!

Perhaps once I hit a good enough baseline with my lifting I can stop the personal training and do my own thing. I will say that my trainer discovered some weaknesses I didn't realize I had, so it's been helpful!