@nataliem True and the mentality I shared with the example of the fat vs muscle in terms of space it takes up helps stop the demoralizing feeling of weighing and expecting a bs number to show a lower bs number. Both are true: you aren't always putting on muscle AND muscle takes up less space than equivalent weight of fat. It takes time to put on weight and takes time to take off weight. 15% can be a lot of change in how clothing fits and how a person feels. It's better to measure the progress in terms of how one feels and how clothing fit changes than it is to step on a scale. I used a picture and simplistic math to help the person have a foundational understanding of "muscle takes up way less space than fat". Simple concepts followed by increasingly complex concepts make understanding easier.
I did my first push-ups after failing for months
- Thread starter annmarkerls
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@vanztyn Yes, 15% can make a big difference, but 15% of what? If that’s 15% of 1 pound, I don’t think it’s even noticeable. Even 15% of 5 pound won’t make that much of a difference.
The only reason I emphasize that difference is not that big and it takes a lot of time to build muscles, so that people don’t think that 1 month of exercise will replace all fat with muscles. The difference is negligible. You still have to weight yourself to track changes. That’s why many who lost extra weight say that’s losing weight is 80% about diet and only 20% about exercise.
The only reason I emphasize that difference is not that big and it takes a lot of time to build muscles, so that people don’t think that 1 month of exercise will replace all fat with muscles. The difference is negligible. You still have to weight yourself to track changes. That’s why many who lost extra weight say that’s losing weight is 80% about diet and only 20% about exercise.
@nataliem The same cup that’s filled with flour will not be as heavy as when it holds dough. The dough, made with that flour , is denser because it also contains water and whatever else you put in it. There’s simply more “stuff” in the cup.
Fat and muscle are similar- the “stuff” that makes up fat is less dense than that which makes muscle.
Fat and muscle are similar- the “stuff” that makes up fat is less dense than that which makes muscle.
@nataliem I think you're a dipshit who is downvoting all my comments and wants me to google shit for you. To use a different source:
So for a 168 lb adult like OP who likely has a body fat percentage ~30% replacing even 5-10 lbs of that fat with the equivalent weight of muscle would have a pretty dang drastic impact on their appearance given the volume differences
So for a 168 lb adult like OP who likely has a body fat percentage ~30% replacing even 5-10 lbs of that fat with the equivalent weight of muscle would have a pretty dang drastic impact on their appearance given the volume differences
@thomm Whoa, did your squirrels bite you?
I want YOU to google shit FOR YOU instead of making claims you don’t have proof for.
Again, I don’t know how big your tangerine and how small your grapefruit are from example, but 15% is not “way less”.
I think OP has more than 30% body fat, but that goes beyond our discussion. Also, for female to build 5 pounds of lean muscle would take at least 5 months, and I don’t know whether it’s even possible on low calorie intake.
I want YOU to google shit FOR YOU instead of making claims you don’t have proof for.
Again, I don’t know how big your tangerine and how small your grapefruit are from example, but 15% is not “way less”.
I think OP has more than 30% body fat, but that goes beyond our discussion. Also, for female to build 5 pounds of lean muscle would take at least 5 months, and I don’t know whether it’s even possible on low calorie intake.
@annmarkerls Very likely you're still at a caloric surplus if you're still gaining.
It'll be tough for a week or two, but try sticking to 1800 even on days you work out.
1800 is roughly your maintenance. Which means if you eat 1800 without much exercise that'll see you through most days. I don't think you're going through 500 calories on your workout days. You're certainly going through more than 1800, but an extra 500 is a decent amount.
Just as a comparison. I'm a 6'4 male. I ran a 10k this morning and that's about 800 calories extra I get today.
If you're not losing at 1800 after a couple of weeks. Knock down your rest day calories to 1600 but keep the workout days at 1800.
It's all a bit of just working out what works. Biggest thing for me is skipping breakfast. I then have a light lunch (a 300-500 calorie meal, maybe a piece of fruit too) and that means I get a nice 1300-1500 calories to play with for my dinner.
Huge congratulations for the push up though! Never easy. The more you do the more calories you'll burn, the more weight you lose which will mean you'll find them easier so do more etc etc. It's a nice circle!
It'll be tough for a week or two, but try sticking to 1800 even on days you work out.
1800 is roughly your maintenance. Which means if you eat 1800 without much exercise that'll see you through most days. I don't think you're going through 500 calories on your workout days. You're certainly going through more than 1800, but an extra 500 is a decent amount.
Just as a comparison. I'm a 6'4 male. I ran a 10k this morning and that's about 800 calories extra I get today.
If you're not losing at 1800 after a couple of weeks. Knock down your rest day calories to 1600 but keep the workout days at 1800.
It's all a bit of just working out what works. Biggest thing for me is skipping breakfast. I then have a light lunch (a 300-500 calorie meal, maybe a piece of fruit too) and that means I get a nice 1300-1500 calories to play with for my dinner.
Huge congratulations for the push up though! Never easy. The more you do the more calories you'll burn, the more weight you lose which will mean you'll find them easier so do more etc etc. It's a nice circle!
@annmarkerls You’re crushing it! If you’re new, just do.
Don’t overthink it. Just focus on recovery and keep the momentum going.
Don’t overthink it. Just focus on recovery and keep the momentum going.