is this normal?

[lyndzyaRunner]

I know things take time and i'm willing to be patient for good results, but I just wanted to check up with you guys to make sure everything i'm experiencing is normal. I've upped my water intake to about 1 and 1/2 gallons, and i've been doing hiit 3x a week and this is the first time i've really done heavy lifting (its about 4 weeks now). i've actually gone up a size in clothes b/c my thighs wont fit in the smaller size, i definatly feel like i've gained weight-haven't used a scale, i'd rather not, i know this could be muscle and not fat but i'm just checking... before i get discouraged I just wanted to make sure i was going in the right direction. I know a lot of you have said that lifting has actually decreased your size as you gain muscle.. Soo.. is this normal?

 

[lyndzyaRunner]

anybody??

 

[jhonj]

If your diet has not changed since you start lifting and you're not taking roids or supplements that causes water retention so you can be sure you've gained mass

 

[beachdog]

I know exactly how you feel! Hate that too!!
You may be putting on muscle but not exactly burning the fat off at this point, and maybe there's some water weight. Each body is different and reacts to different types of exercise differently.
It's only been a month, if in two months it's still doing the same for results, maybe it's time to try something else.
Example: when I was training for a marathon, I was running all the time and thought I would be a lean bean pole, but instead, my body held on to all its mass and then added some more in order to accomodate my running/training regime. Later when I was wasn't training and not doing marathons I lost a ton of weight and actually looked like what i thought i should have looked like before....lean and thin and all.
Just a thought

 

[Sassy69]

It usually takes about 3 weeks to see the results from a change in diet. Also because you have started training heavily in a way that your body isn't used to, it may take a little while for it to adjust. It's hard to say exactly when & what sort of changes you should see -- usually if you change your diet, especially dropping your carbs, would result in some water weight loss initially. Then the loss will probably stop & level off a little & switch to the actual fat loss. This seriously takes a solid three weeks of consistent diet to get that result. Then if you throw in heavier lifting, your body may be a little freaked out at the change in its "regular" life and decide it needs to hang on to the bodyfat it has in case it is encountering a "famine" or a period where it needs to reserve all the energy sources (fat) it has to manage the demand. But as it adapts to the change in lifestyle, you should start seeing the fat loss happen.

 

[lyndzyaRunner]

Thanks for the reassurement! I just keep looking at my old jeans (the one's I dont fit into anymore) and reminding myself to be patient. I've ignored my body for so long that I've forgotten how it adjusts to everything and that things take time.

 

[FitFossil]

Fat loss and muscle gain don't happen at exactly the same rate. As you train, there'll be times you feel "bulky" and be tempted to cut back on your weights or food. But DON'T! That's the deadly trap of no-progress.

As long as you're eating clean and you're making progress in your lifts, that means you're on your way to gaining muscle. Very soon this muscle will help raise your metabolism and get the extra fat off.

You have to give it a chance though. It's unlikely that in only 3 weeks you've gained a ton of muscle though. Your body is probably still in an adjustment period, maybe holding some water or residual swelling in the muscles because they're doing new things.