Hello all,
I've been eating healthy and working out consistently for over three years now and have been able to maintain weight at around 153 and even lose weight at times. This time last year I weighed 146 pounds. However, since then I've been slowly gaining weight although Ive been eating MUCH healthier (switched to vegetarian diet with limited carbs/sugar) and working out harder than ever. I recently started cardio kickboxing, which has made body feel so slim and fit, but I now weigh a whopping 159 pounds. Could it really be 13 lbs of muscle? Being 5' 2" and weighing almost 160 pounds does not sound right to me. Any advice would be much appreciated.
I feel slim, but weigh more than ever, whats up?
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Re: I feel slim, but weigh more than ever, whats up?
Hi there
.
What you may have done is resticted your calories and possibly lost a bit of muscle. An added lb of muscle burns an extra 45-50 calories per day, but losing muscle could have the opposing effect, particularly if you had increased the exercise on the back of a calorie cut, as you may then be burning muscle during exercise.
Some people who have undergone this process in the past, have reported an ammonia like smell eminiating from their bodies, which is basically because the body is undergoing exercise related catabolism / atrophy, by scavenging muscle for sustenance, in the absence, or severe lack of, dietry fuel sources.
Also although your diet may have changed, some of your foods may now contain more salt content than they used to. Excess salt can lead to water retention, edema, (excess fluid in the legs), and increased hypertension risk.
You may have cut carbs and sugar as you say, but if you attempted to replace those with fat sources, healthy or otherwise, you may have possibly increased your calories with realising it, as carbs are 4 calories per gram, except alcohol ones which are 7 and fats are 9 calories per gram.
What food choices do you currently eat and what tiems do you eat them?

What you may have done is resticted your calories and possibly lost a bit of muscle. An added lb of muscle burns an extra 45-50 calories per day, but losing muscle could have the opposing effect, particularly if you had increased the exercise on the back of a calorie cut, as you may then be burning muscle during exercise.
Some people who have undergone this process in the past, have reported an ammonia like smell eminiating from their bodies, which is basically because the body is undergoing exercise related catabolism / atrophy, by scavenging muscle for sustenance, in the absence, or severe lack of, dietry fuel sources.
Also although your diet may have changed, some of your foods may now contain more salt content than they used to. Excess salt can lead to water retention, edema, (excess fluid in the legs), and increased hypertension risk.
You may have cut carbs and sugar as you say, but if you attempted to replace those with fat sources, healthy or otherwise, you may have possibly increased your calories with realising it, as carbs are 4 calories per gram, except alcohol ones which are 7 and fats are 9 calories per gram.
What food choices do you currently eat and what tiems do you eat them?