Group: General Fitness & Exercise

Created: 2011/12/31, Members: 379, Messages: 54577

Various general exercise related discussions. Find out what it takes to reach your fitness goals through daily effective exercise. With so many options we try to find out what works best.

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Am I getting fatter from working abs?

RyannnTM
RyannnTM
Posts: 4
Joined: 2009/04/12
United States
2009/04/13, 02:51 PM
Hello.

I've just recently started working out yesterday.

I'm an ex-annorexic so I don't have very much muscle mass, but it seems like my stomach has gotten bigger since I've worked my abs yesterday.

I don't have much fat at all on my stomach, maybe like an inch, but it doesn't feel like more fat is covering the muscles.

So, why does my stomach look bigger?
shaunbroyhill
shaunbroyhill
Posts: 115
Joined: 2006/12/30
United States
2009/04/13, 02:52 PM
Its all in your head.... Unless you have super sight and can see extremely small increases in size over the difference in a day...
RyannnTM
RyannnTM
Posts: 4
Joined: 2009/04/12
United States
2009/04/13, 03:17 PM

Well, like I said, I was an ex-annorexic.

I could suck in my stomach and grab a hold of my ribs.

I'm not sure if the muscles in my abdominal area have become tighter, making my stomach seem bigger.
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Quoting from shaunbroyhill:

Its all in your head.... Unless you have super sight and can see extremely small increases in size over the difference in a day...
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returnofplex
returnofplex
Posts: 801
Joined: 2007/10/26
United States
2009/04/14, 11:13 AM
I think what you've got going on is the same thing that happens to a person after a long absence from the gym. This is in layman's terms: Think of your muscles as being like a balloon. When your body uses then on a constant basis they stay "inflated" to a certain degree. When it doesn't use them regularly(no strength training just inactive day to day) they "deflate" to a certain degree. This may not sound plausible but a perfect example is the guy who takes a two month absence from they gym, and within a week of coming back has put an inch back on to his arm measurement(which in any other circumstance is impossible to do in a week).

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Quoting from RyannnTM:

Hello.

I've just recently started working out yesterday.

I'm an ex-annorexic so I don't have very much muscle mass, but it seems like my stomach has gotten bigger since I've worked my abs yesterday.

I don't have much fat at all on my stomach, maybe like an inch, but it doesn't feel like more fat is covering the muscles.

So, why does my stomach look bigger?
=============
massie12
massie12
Posts: 2
Joined: 2009/04/16
United States
2009/04/16, 03:07 PM
the same thing happened to me! i felt the same way when i was done doing crunches one night, i woke up in the morning and iwas shocked, i felt like my stomach had gotten bigger ! :D thanks for posting this because i wondered the same thing! :D
smiling1
smiling1
Posts: 24
Joined: 2009/05/03
United States
2009/05/03, 11:36 PM
It's due to lactic acid plumping the muscles that have been stressed, but it is temporary. Just part of the process of tearing the muscle, and it rebuilding. Google lactic acid to get a fuller explaination. And stick with the ab work! No matter the age, we all need a strong core. Flat tummies are a side benefit. I'm hooked on the incline bench for sit-ups.
2009/05/03, 11:40 PM
maybe you ate your pillow.

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