[peachie]

i've been working out more intensely/consistently for a month now - i used to barely go to the gym at all. now its usually 5 times a week. how can you tell if fat is turning to muscle, and how long does this usually take? my weight has stayed the same, though i feel as if i've lost some inches. and i want to be able to tell if i am making progress, or if i should change my routine much.<br><br><br><br>
yea, some people will probably say not to worry about it if i'm losing inches. but since i've lingered with an ED a while back, even though i'm fully healthy and recovered now, i don't really trust my perception of myself.<br><br><br><br>
thanks!

 

[GhostUser]

fat doesn't "turn into" muscle. you either lose or gain fat or lose or gain muscle.<br><br><br><br>
have your body fat percentage done by someone in the gym, and then again 6 weeks from now.

 

[peachie]

yea i know, sorry for wording it strangely. i meant lose fat and have that replaced by muscle. and that was a good idea, but i don't know if my gym can do that for me.

 

[TreeManEarthSteward]

<div class="quote-container"><span>Quote:</span>
<div class="quote-block">Originally Posted by <strong>peachiePIE </strong> <a href="/forum/post/0"><img alt="View Post" class="inlineimg" src="/img/forum/go_quote.gif" style=""></a><br><br>
don't know if my gym can do that for me</div>
</div>
<br><br><br>
thats because <b>you</b> will do that for <b>you</b> <img alt="" class="inlineimg" src="/images/smilies/smiley.gif" style="border:0px solid;" title="">

 

[TreeManEarthSteward]

<div class="quote-container"><span>Quote:</span>
<div class="quote-block">Originally Posted by <strong>peachie</strong> <a href="/forum/post/0"><img alt="View Post" class="inlineimg" src="/img/forum/go_quote.gif" style=""></a><br><br>
don't know if my gym can do that for me</div>
</div>
<br><br><br>
thats because <b>you</b> will do that for <b>you</b> <img alt="" class="inlineimg" src="/images/smilies/smiley.gif" style="border:0px solid;" title="">

 

[LisaP]

Are you doing a combination of aerobic and anerobic exercise. Weight training is very important. Usually when someone starts working out with weights, they gain muscle before they lose fat, so at first you might feel bigger. When you increase your muscle mass, your body needs more fuel and burns more, thus increasing your calorie demand. If you watch your portions and stay away from junk food completely, you should see results. Are you able to increase the weights? That is an incidcation of more muslce. Are you able to do more reps? If you're losing inches and doing weight training, don't get preoccupied with body fat percent, etc. Just keep doing it and you'll be buying smaller clothes and feeling better.

 

[peachie]

<div class="quote-container"><span>Quote:</span>
<div class="quote-block">Originally Posted by <strong>VA~goth~UK</strong> <a href="/forum/post/0"><img alt="View Post" class="inlineimg" src="/img/forum/go_quote.gif" style=""></a><br><br>
thats because <b>you</b> will do that for <b>you</b> <img alt="" class="inlineimg" src="/images/smilies/smiley.gif" style="border:0px solid;" title=""></div>
</div>
<br><br><br>
i meant check my body fat percentage.

 

[TreeManEarthSteward]

just do what LisaP says, <img alt="" class="inlineimg" src="/images/smilies/smiley.gif" style="border:0px solid;" title=""> don't know who she is but hi you, lol. <img alt="" class="inlineimg" src="/images/smilies/hi.gif" style="border:0px solid;" title=":hi:">

 

[laurie15]

what's your routine you speak of?

 

[MissGarbo]

<div class="quote-container"><span>Quote:</span>
<div class="quote-block">Originally Posted by <strong>peachie</strong> <a href="/forum/post/0"><img alt="View Post" class="inlineimg" src="/img/forum/go_quote.gif" style=""></a><br><br>
i've been working out more intensely/consistently for a month now - i used to barely go to the gym at all. now its usually 5 times a week. how can you tell if fat is turning to muscle, and how long does this usually take? my weight has stayed the same,<br></div>
</div>
<br>
Most important: You are doing your body tons of good by working out. Are you feeling better? Losing weight just icing on the cake if you are taking good care of yourself.<br><br><br><br><img alt="" class="inlineimg" src="/images/smilies/carrot.gif" style="border:0px solid;" title=":vebo:">

 

[peachie]

laurie- my routine includes 45 minutes of cardio, either elliptical, bike, incline walking, or jogging... or a combo. then i do the nautilus weight machines for about 20 minutes, and end with some crunches and abwork.<br><br><br><br>
missgarbo- your right. i am feeling better. =]

 

[Thalia]

I think other people here have more info on this, but people who are more serious about body building go through stages so sometimes they emphasize muscle building and make sure they are eating a lot of calories to build muscle, and then other times when they focus on losing fat. My understanding is that this is necessary to some degree because usually when one is losing fat, some muscle is lost as well and when muscle is gained, there is a tendency to either gain a little fat or at least not lose any because you can't build muscle without enough calorie intake. This is something I hope someone with more knowledge will post on bc I don't totally understand.