FAT PERCENTAGE AND MUSCLE INCREASE

by monica

I am exercising now, and my trainer gave me a really strict routine, which I follow every day.

Last week I went to check with the Doctor, and he test my BMI, since my goal was to decrease my fat percentage in my body.

I found that after that effort I did not lose anything, my fat percentage is the same. And I have gained a pound even though I am eating healthy.

So I have a doubt about exercising, why is not working for me. I know I am getting healthy but I want to know if its true that what could happen its that the body fat did transform in muscle, does the reason for gaining that pound?

Do you need a little more help with your weight?

Comments for FAT PERCENTAGE AND MUSCLE INCREASE

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Give it some time
by: Tina

Dear Monica,

I was facing exactly the same problem as you. What worked in my case was "Patience". It's a great virtue and in the case of getting fit it's a necessity. Most of us have bodies that don't respond to the fitness regime as we want. I was fed up after a month of disciplined gym schedule, for I didn't get the curves I desired. I was feeling fit internally and my stamina had grown tremendous but my fat reduction was almost zero. But after 3 months my body started to respond and it started shedding fat at a decent rate. Within a few weeks I was ecstatic to see the reactions of my boyfriend at my new figure. I learned a lesson for lifetime that no matter how long it takes, you need to be persistent to achieve your goals. If you trust your trainer, I think you should keep hitting the gym regularly. Sooner or later, you will see the difference.

Regards
Tina

Entirely True
by: AlwaysHopeful

It is entirely true that if you are exercising after a long period of not being physically active that you are indeed shedding pounds, but adding muscle mass.

A good way to tell this is how your clothes fit. You may not lose actual numbers on the scale, but do your clothes fit better?

Another way is to take your measurements every week. Measure the key parts of your body, your upper arms, thighs, stomach, and hips. You can measure everything if you like but these are the key points. You will notice a decrease in inches, even if it is slight at first.

It is also entirely possible that if you were decently active before hand that it is going to take you longer to lose weight as you already have some muscle mass built up.

If you don't want to strength train (although this helps you lose weight faster as muscle burns more calories than fat), talk to your trainer and tell him about your concerns.

you are making improvements!
by: Garrett Brooks

BMI does not directly measure body fat, it just measures your height in relation to your weight. You cannot tell your body fat percentage from calculating BMI.

I would ask your trainer if he is able to actually take your body fat percentage to get accurate readings.

You are correct that muscle has probably taken the place of some fat. If you are strictly following his diet and workout plan, even if you are not losing weight you are still getting healthy and increasing your quality of life.

If you are just striving for a more healthy looking body I always recommend to check the mirror rather than check the scale.

Good luck with your program, and stick to it!

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