If muscle weighs more than fat...

[skywalkerbeth]

I musta been pretty fat when I started!

Just a few months into this (and not even hard core riding, really) and I've gained 4 pounds BUT my clothes not only still fit they may even be slightly looser.

I was thinking that "I don't want to lose pounds so much as firm up" and now I've GAINED. Grrr. OK, I want to go back to the weight I was but firm up.

[Becky]

The number on the scale is just that, a number....how you look and feel is more important. If your clothes still fit well, then you didn't gain inches anywhere and you must have built muscle. Muscle is good

Accept it as a badge of honor

[jessmarimba]

It always makes me laugh when people are shocked at what I really weigh. As in, the number is always much higher than they expected from looking at me. Alllll muscle.

[OakLeaf]

When my mom was young she was a professional dancer off Broadway. She would sometimes amuse herself at "Guess Your Weight" carnival booths - she said she won the prize every single time.

[Dr.Doo]

A pound of muscle weighs exactly the same as a pound of fat. Muscle however is more dense, therefore when you build lean body mass you can reduce your size and weigh more.

[Becky]

It always makes me laugh when people are shocked at what I really weigh. As in, the number is always much higher than they expected from looking at me. Alllll muscle.

Same here. I'm ~20 pounds heavier than what's commonly accepted for my height and build. I have so much fun with the nurses and medical assistants at my various doctors' offices

[Biciclista]

I weigh 15 pounds more than I did before I started cycling. My waistline is so much nicer than it used to be. My thighs have definition. I admit the scale freaks me out but even my doctor said " you're perfect"

[Melalvai]

A friend of mine is losing weight/ gaining fitness and I'm encouraging her to use metrics other than weight, body fat, and circumferences. Like resting HR, and HR after 10 minutes on the treadmill at 2.5 mph.

I should probably take my own advice. I could stand to lose a little weight but more importantly I should monitor my fitness, and if I start to lose fitness, take steps (or pedals) to fix that.

[itself]

Scales are evil! I never weigh myself! I've been in a size 8/10 forever. When I started lifting weights 20 years ago, I put about 15 pounds on. At 5'5 135lbs, I am quite muscular, and am surprised at 50 that I really have not lost as much as the stats all predict. I guess I have good muscle memory.

Remember, muscle BURNS fat. Weight lifting is of huge benefit to woman as it can ward off osteoporosis. Weight lifting is an impact activity like hiking. This is why I do not exclusively focus on cycling, as it is non-impact.

If you FEEL good, that is all that matters!

[ultraviolet]

Just echoing what others have said about BMI. It really isn't the best measure of how healthy you are or aren't. It's a statistical measure meant to be applied to large populations, not to analyze individuals.

In my case, I recently had a DEXA scan to measure my body composition. From that I learned that, assuming no loss of lean body mass, even getting down to 18% body fat (in the "Athletic" range for women by most measures), I would still be categorized as Obese. I wouldn't get myself out of that category until getting down to 13.5% body fat, dipping close to the Essential Fat level and probably not very sustainable/comfortably livable. Even then, my BMI would still be 29.8...so just barely out of BMI's Obese category.

I'm not suggesting that my situation is the norm (at all). I realize that I'm something of an anomaly--with my big bones, big muscles and average height (just under 5'5"). I'm just pointing out that BMI is not the end-all be-all of body measurement or analysis.