Am I over weight?

by Sachini
(London)

Helllo, my name is Sachini from London, UK. I'm 5'2' and I weigh 9 stones. I go gym once a week and I've noticed since I started gym I have started to weigh more.

Before I join the gym I weighed 7 stones and felt weak because I didn't have a good diet so I joined the gym to get stronger and started eating better. So, do you think I weigh 9 stones because I'm tonning up or am I actually over-weight for my height?

I've also started exercising to your videos hoping to tone up as I don't want to lose weight.

Please, give me advise.

Thank you so much,

Sachini Perera



Answer

Hallo Sachini,

You asked me very difficult question because it is very hard to value whether somebody is overweight or not just by reading e-mail. Any way I will explain you how toning (or going to qym) works, so you can answer alone (with my help) to this question.

When you start doing exercises you start developing your muscles. I don't mean that you become bulky but you underline your muscles.

The first result from doing exercises could be a little gain in weight, because muscles weight more than fat, but at the same time muscles take less "place" in your body.

This means that you transform your body to thinner, tightened and not jelly looking (this is the result after burning fat and tightening muscles).

In your case it seems that you gained more weight after starting exercises. In my opinion it is not too much weight and you are definitely not over weight.

But you gained more than 20% so my question is: how you feel - you gained fat or you gained muscles?

If this weight is from more muscles it seems too much for me, except if you want to have bigger muscles.

If this weight is from fat, I think this is not healthy to gain 20% more fat.

Any way, you are not over weight, in my opinion, and I would ask to send us your diet and if possible pictures of you when you were 7 stones and now when you are 9 stones.

I have a question for you - when you felt better - in the past or now when your weight is 9 stones? I ask you this because the most important thing is to feel good and to like yourself.

If you send me more detailed information I could answer more precisely.

Wish you all the best,

Rumi