Water Retention or Fat?

for the past 3 weeks i’ve upped my carbs and have been attempting to clean bulk. i’ve noticed that my weight has stayed the same but my strength has gone up, which to me could possibly mean i’m gaining muscle and losing fat. also, my caliper measurement in my abdomen has gone from 11mm to 10mm.

so it seems like i’ve lost fat i guess. however, i look like i’ve gained fat. i’ve gained a half inch on my waist and my definition in my chest and stomach has gotten worse over the past 3 weeks.

my question is, can water retention do this to you or is it just fat?

No one can really tell you but could be either a combination etc. If you were low carbing it prior then sure could be your now properly glycogen filled and you store I think it was 3 grams of water for every gram of glycogen

Phill

[quote]tfhut987 wrote:
for the past 3 weeks i’ve upped my carbs and have been attempting to clean bulk. i’ve noticed that my weight has stayed the same but my strength has gone up, which to me could possibly mean i’m gaining muscle and losing fat. also, my caliper measurement in my abdomen has gone from 11mm to 10mm.

so it seems like i’ve lost fat i guess. however, i look like i’ve gained fat. i’ve gained a half inch on my waist and my definition in my chest and stomach has gotten worse over the past 3 weeks.

my question is, can water retention do this to you or is it just fat?[/quote]

In addition to what Phill said, I’d add that people deposit fats in different areas preferentially. Although men typically deposit fat around their lower back and lower abs first, depending on your biochemical make-up you might deposit more around your chest, relative to other areas.

Regardless, if you’re noticing this, try adjusting your calories slightly downward to see if you alleviate the problem while still progressing towards your strength and size goals. If you’re not already doing so, adjust your carb timing as well, with the majority of them being taken in the morning and peri-workout.

Adjust, evaluate, continue forward or adjust again.

Also make sure you’re training harder or more frequently to put those extra kcals to good use.