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Dr. Bob is Robert Hsiung, MD,
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Posted by CareBear04 on March 24, 2005, at 14:21:34
i know it's normal for one to initially gain a little weight from added muscle when beginning an exercise regimen. since starting to exercise regularly in early february, i've gained about five pounds and, what's more, my body fat percentage has risen by about 3% (measured by my scale/body fat percentage analyzer).
it's a little uncomfortable to see the scale numbers rising so fast, but i know that it has been good for me. my muscles were deteriorated from having been sick a long time, and i had lost a lot of weight. for about three months, i ate as much as i could and drank lots of protein shakes and ensures, but weight gain was slow. i've been doing both aerobic and strengthening stuff, and i've been in physical therapy to strengthen the muscles in my legs. i can now feel and see a lot more muscle definition, and i can see real changes in strength. i also feel a lot more alive. the doctors are really pleased and say that i look a lot better.
i'm just confused because this is not what i thought exercise is supposed to do. i put on a pair of my jeans yesterday, and i thought i was going to split the seams because the butt and thighs were so tight. i figured i would gain some weight from muscle, but that i would just look more toned, not grow too big to fit in my pants. and i don't understand why my body fat percentage has gone up-- even with muscle weight gained, shouldn't body fat decrease with all the exercise, especially since muscle burns fat? the other question concerns appetite. i read that exercise should suppress your appetite, but for me, it has been the opposite. i exercise mostly at night, and then i'm starving at 10 or 11, right before i go to bed. the doctors say it's a good thing, but it's another of those happenings that go against my intuition.
i'm trying to accept the happenings up to now as good for me, but i don't want to continue to gain weight from exercise indefinitely. i'm about back to my baseline weight now, and i'd like to stay this way, otherwise i'll have to buy new clothes. does anyone have theories as to why i've been gaining weight AND fat? since i had mostly bones and little muscle before, is it inevitable that exercise has made me a little bigger, especially in butt and thighs? and will the weight gain taper off, or do i need to change my exercise routines?
thanks everyone!
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