Have you been working out consistently, with the aim to lose fat but instead you find yourself gaining weight and muscle instead? Are you in distress that your arms and legs are getting bigger and your favorite pair of pants or dress are tighter?
This article is dedicated to the ladies who are wondering about the gains.
Disclaimer: I am neither a doctor nor expert. This article is based on my personal experiences with my clients and anecdotal observations throughout my coaching career.
Why Does Lifting Weights Make Me Bulky and Muscular?
A cupcake is more likely to make you bulky than lifting weights. Females do not have sufficient testosterone (male hormone) to build bulky muscles. Estrogen, the female hormone alone, is not capable of building muscle. Therefore, it is difficult for women who do weight training to become bulky and muscular. There is plenty of scientific literature that shows the benefits of strength training for ladies. To read more, you can go here- https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4354895/. Ladies, start lifting those weights! I can ensure that you will never regret this decision.
Why Am I Gaining So Much Muscle?
If you are gaining muscle and the results from your hard work are visible, embrace it. The reason behind this is that not everyone on this planet is blessed with the genetics that you inherited. This usually occurs when your genetic descent is from other countries, example: Mum is from Arab and Father is from Taiwan. This happens in nature where the plant kingdom cross breed. Some ladies tend to have more masculine physical features, such as broad shoulders for example, but you will never look like a female bodybuilder unless you manipulate your hormones. The ‘muscles’ you see do not consist of pure muscle mass, but is instead a mixture of fat, muscle, and water retention. If true muscle mass is present, you would be able to see visible veins under the skin.
Why Am I Getting More ‘Flabby’?
Have you have been exercising vigorously, yet you still can’t seem to fit into some of your clothes? The likely culprit behind this is your diet. After exercising, your body needs food to repair the muscle cells that were damaged through training. Exercise also increases your overall metabolic rate, and thus people tend to eat whatever is in sight after a strenuous bout of exercise. You are able to mitigate this by educating yourself on your food choices. Do not go overboard with carbohydrates (rice, pasta, bread) and fried food consumption right after the workout. There are a variety of healthy and whole foods you are able to get from the supermarket. And don’t forget that you can easily prepare a healthy meal in 30 minutes! There are plenty of cooking channels on YouTube where you are able to find healthy recipes. You can try https://www.youtube.com/user/fitmencook. They have the widest range of healthy, quality meals recipe ever recorded!
Why Am I Not Losing Weight?
Some of the contributing factors to slow weight loss are sleep deprivation, stress, and the lack of healthy food consumption. When you sleep late, you are more likely to snack on sugary foods such as ice cream, cookies, or even fast food before bed time – I can see that grin on your face now. Singapore is a highly developed and financially competitive country and it is inevitable that some of us are stuck in the rat race on this small island. To distress from work, many of us resort to dining out with friends after work, again contributing to an unhealthy diet.
Instead of obsessing on how much weight you gain or lose, focus on the effort that you have put into exercising. That digital weight you see on the scale is merely a number, and does not present an accurate picture to your physical appearance and well-being. Believe it or not but you can easily lose 5kg in a day. While this seems impressive, it is done by losing water weight through dehydration. Feeling good about yourself and your body should be most important.
All This Information Is So Confusing. Is There A Simple Way To Understand This?
I have gone through some of the key points briefly without bogging you down with statistics and numbers. But if I were to give you three achievable measures you can take to prevent unwanted weight and muscle gain, they are as follows:
If you are exercising regularly, do not to go overboard on eating.
Reduce the times you eat out.
Lastly, cook your meals as much as possible!
For more diet related articles, please browse through the rest of my blog postings, as I have covered a variety of nutrition facts that might be helpful during your fitness journey. I have listed a few below:
https://www.amirrudinong.com/blog/how-race-and-culture-affect-your-diet
https://www.amirrudinong.com/blog/the-truth-about-eating-out
https://www.amirrudinong.com/blog/how-to-get-six-packs-in-6-weeks
https://www.amirrudinong.com/blog/how-to-get-rid-of-that-belly-fat
With that, I wish you best of health, and do not worry too much about your weight! Be confident with your body and stay happy.
Your Coach,
Amirrudin Ong
