Haven’t we all been there? Anxiously checking the scales every day to see whether or not you’ve gained or lost any pounds. For some of us, gaining weight is the ultimate goal, for others, losing it is what matters the most, and of course, there is a certain group of people that just want to maintain their current weight without too much change. For the last two groups of people, gaining even the smallest amount of weight can build up a lot of insecurities and questions about their bodies. And this is the exact same reason why I get asked this question a lot: Is gaining 5 pounds of weight Noticeable?
Whether or not 5 pounds of weight gain will be visibly noticeable largely depends on your build, height, and where your body distributes weight. But for most cases, 5 pounds of weight gain is hardly noticeable.
In this article, we’ll talk more in-depth about if 5 pounds of weight gain is noticeable on the body, and if it’s normal to gain it.
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Is 5 Pounds of Weight Gain Noticeable?
Before answering this question, I’ll tell you a little story about a female friend of mine that is closely related to this topic.
I remember one day, she called me on phone and told me to come to her right at that instance because it was an urgent matter. Since I was a good friend, I panicked and went straight to her home without giving it a second thought. She opened the door, and to my surprise, she seemed fine, I asked her if she was okay and I remember her saying “Everything is fine don’t worry, I just wanted to ask you a question”. It’s not the first time she pulled this move on me so I’ve got used to it.
She asked me: “Do you notice any change in me?”, this question caught me off-guard since I didn’t know what she was expecting to hear so I just went with a simple “No, you look great!”. She somehow seemed relieved and told me afterward that she had gained almost 8 pounds since I last saw her which was surprising for me because I seriously didn’t notice any difference in her body or her face. The main reason behind that is because she was a little bit taller than most girls I know so a small weight gain of 8 pounds will hardly be visible. This got me thinking, that in order for a weight gain to be noticeable, there are many factors that play a role. And here they are:
Build
When I say build, what I really mean is the amount that you used to weigh before gaining those extra pounds. If you were skinny before, then, of course, an extra 5 pounds will be visible on your body. However, if you were a bit overweight, then 5 pounds will mean nothing and will hardly get noticed by you or everyone around you.
And this is the exact reason why most overweight people continue to add on pounds since, after a certain point, they barely notice any change and think that they’re maintaining the same weight but what’s really happening behind the curtains, is that the pounds are piling up slowly but surely.
If you’re skinny and want to maintain that, make sure to not ignore the extra pounds that you gain even if it’s a small amount. That’s because, before you even know it, you’ll start gaining some serious weight that will be too hard to lose.
Height
Just like in the little story that I mentioned earlier about my female friend, the main reason why those extra 10 pounds weren’t noticeable to me is her height. She was taller than most girls so a mere 10 pounds will not be visible.
According to this graph from United Nations University, weight gain velocity is heavily influenced by height velocity. In other words, the taller you are, the harder it is for any weight gain to be visible unless it’s more than 10 pounds.
And if you’re wondering what could be considered “tall”, in the case of my female friend, she is 5 feet 7 which is fairly above average in terms of height. This means that if you’re under 5 feet 5, small fluctuations in weight will be visible.
Here is an illustration that explains this, if you’re more of a visual learner:
Weight Distribution
When I say weight distribution, it pretty much means how your body decides to distribute weight across its different body parts. For example, there are some people that can gain 10 or even 15 pounds of weight and it will hardly be visible since their bodies distributed that weight evenly throughout every body part. There are others that just a mere 5 pounds weight gain will be visible on them because their body distributed that weight into one specific spot like the face, belly, legs, and so on.
How can you control this you say? Well, unfortunately, you can’t. It all comes down to genetics which can’t be controlled. The only thing that you can control is to prevent your body from distributing weight, well… By not gaining it in the first place.
Is It Normal To Gain 5 Pounds?
Gaining 5 pounds of weight, in particular, is totally normal since body weight tends to fluctuate on a daily basis. As a matter of fact, the average weight fluctuation is about 5 to 6 pounds per day which is essentially affected by what you eat, drink, and how often you exercise.
So even though it’s normal to gain 5 pounds of weight, the best way to make it go unnoticed is to not gain it in the first place, especially if you’re not tall enough, your body doesn’t distribute weight evenly, or you have a large build. In fact, having a large build doesn’t necessarily mean that it’s too late to cut it, on the contrary, losing your first 5 pounds could be the first steps that you take towards transforming your body.
How can you do that you say? I know it sounds cliché but it’s the truth, the best way to cut down those 5 pounds is to avoid eating too much (always maintaining a calorie deficit where you eat less than what your body needs), follow a healthy diet that’s full of essential nutrients, and doing some form of physical activity like resistance training, cardio, or even a sport.
Conclusion:
If you ever wake up one day, weigh yourself, and find out that you’ve gained 5 pounds, don’t panic, that’s not gonna happen every day and it’s totally normal. In addition to that, people will hardly notice any difference, especially if you’re tall, have the right build, and your body distributes your weight evenly throughout every body part.
And if you ever decide that you want to cut those extra pounds and maintain your old weight, make sure that you’re not overeating, following the right diet, and doing some form of physical activity.