Muscle vs fat

without knowing you or taking body fat measurements i dont suppose anyone will know, 5lbs of muscle in a year is quite possible, like you say, if your clothes are the same size, waist etc, and your body shape has remained the same except bigger legs, (if they are toned/hard when tensed and pressed) then i would suspect it probably is muscle gains.

Marc ....... read again, its not 5lbs in a year ....... its 5lbs in 2 months

So no thats not possible and yes you are kidding yourself (well do you want an honest answer or do you want me to blow smoke up your a??)

And yes you should cut down. If you are training hard as you say you are, and STILL gaining weight, then something is wrong. 

Because lets face it, if we remove all the cardio stuff youve been doing that has helped burn through the calories,then what have you got left? about a 10lb weight gain minimum in two months ......so your actual question is, do you think its possible to put on 10lbs of muscle in 2 months. Answer: No.

if you've been training well for a couple of months and not eating like an absolute nutter, you may not have put on 5lbs of anything.  Some of it may be down to day-to-day weight variation. I agree with DF3 that you are unlikely to have put on 5lbs in muscle no matter what's happened.  But maybe you've put on 2-3 pounds in a combination of muscle, fat, and water.  Exercising the muscles not only builds muscle but also can increase their glycogen-carrying capacity, which in turn requires more water for storage.  (I'm getting slightly out of my depth here to say whether this can and does actually occur over such a short period of time, but it's an indication of how body weight composition is less than straightforward!)

Bottom line: keep training consistently, fuel well but don't overcompensate for marathon training fuel demands by eating too much, or thinking you can get away with eating more bad things.  If anything, the increase in exercise makes it more important that the food you eat is good quality and nutrient rich.  But do keep using clothing sized as a guide to whether you're putting on any lard.

My thighs are massive (years of riding a really rubbish bike with no gears) but if that's the main area that's got bigger it should be pretty easy to tell if it's muscle or fat based on whether it's squishy or not and what shape they are.

Also, re. what PhilPub says about day-to-day weight variation, if you are a woman it might be hormonal too. My weight fluctuates by up to 5lb depending on the time of month. And not just because I crave pizza.

literatin wrote (see)

My thighs are massive (years of riding a really rubbish bike with no gears) 

A bit like this guys you mean?

Yeah, pretty much like that, give or take an inch or two.

same happened to me...i was eating too much carbs! we tend to over eat and forget that running doesn't really burn all that much calories!

David Falconer 3 wrote (see)

Ah, freaky German sprint cyclist Robert Forstemann.  If you want to see his thighs in the flesh, word has it he will be taking part in the Good Friday meeting at Herne Hill Velodrome.  (In case anyone was interested.)

I think DF3 should post a picture of his legs for comparison..