[analog]

I've no doubt at all that you're significantly stronger, but not all of that 40 extra pounds is going to be muscle. You might want to reduce the amount you're eating now so that you don't have to eat at a deficit for so long later.

[subwindow]

It's 40 pounds of muscle, give or take (at most) a couple of pounds of increased bone mass. I take weekly caliper-based readings of body fat percentage, which has fallen by over 10% in the last 6 months. Overall I've gained 20 pounds while losing 20 pounds of fat.

[enraged_camel]

Blackjack already said this, but humans can gain up to 0.5lbs of muscle per week. And this assumes perfect sleep, perfect diet, and a perfect workout regimen. A little more than that number is possible, but you have to be either genetically gifted, or use steroids. Assuming neither, the 40 pounds you gained over the past six months was mostly fat. You are probably confused because gaining muscle can make someone look less fat, as muscles are emphasized more.

[BlackJack]

I'm sorry, but caliper readings are pretty inaccurate. Losing 20 pounds in 6 months is solid and believable, but it's hard to believe that you put on 20 lbs of muscle in 6 months. Generally accepted advice is that you can gain about 0.5 lb muscle/week, so I could see you putting on 12-15 lbs tops.

It's also very difficult to lose fat and gain muscle at the same time, especially if you're not a teenager anymore. Still, congrats on your progress!

[subwindow]

Individual caliper readings have a pretty high margin of error- I've noticed up to 3% swings from week to week. But when the readings are done regularly and applied as a trend, it's pretty clear.

I've also changed my diet significantly- I eat way more protein and fat and almost no carbohydrates. I think that has as much to do with my fat loss as the exercise.

[AutoKorrect]

generally accepted advice isn't always right: I put on 17lbs of muscle in three months (Parris Island, SC). I was underweight at the time, and a teenager.

[BlackJack]

I did mention in my post that it doesn't apply to teenagers, although I should've been more explicit at that. Growing children can generally make tremendous progress, as can untrained novices.

Your post doesn't really refute my point anyways, because it's very hard to gain muscle and lose fat at the same time for adults. You're talking about one direction i.e. gaining muscle.