How do I work out and not gain weight?????

brittanygibson1426

I have noticed that on nights that I work out my weight seems to be up the next day. I know everyone says im probably gaining muscle but at this point I really just want to get some weight off first before I worry about muscle! I follow my calorie plan and try to stick to mostly cardio at the gym but my scale is still the enemy! What am I doing wrong???

Raeontherun

Stop weighing......

shadow2soul

It's water. Your muscles hold on to water to repair. It is only a temporary gain. If what the scale says bothers you that much, try to only weigh once a week or less. It is also normal for weight to fluctuate several pounds throughout the day and from one day to the next.

My weight from April 10 to June 4

sexymuffintop

I have noticed that on nights that I work out my weight seems to be up the next day. I know everyone says im probably gaining muscle but at this point I really just want to get some weight off first before I worry about muscle! I follow my calorie plan and try to stick to mostly cardio at the gym but my scale is still the enemy! What am I doing wrong???

It's not muscle. Unless you are lifting like a beast....even then, you would be lucky to add 0.5 lbs of muscle a month as a female. Just stop weighing yourself after exercising. Not hard really lol.

Raeontherun

I have noticed that on nights that I work out my weight seems to be up the next day. I know everyone says im probably gaining muscle but at this point I really just want to get some weight off first before I worry about muscle! I follow my calorie plan and try to stick to mostly cardio at the gym but my scale is still the enemy! What am I doing wrong???

It's not muscle. Unless you are lifting like a beast....even then, you would be lucky to add 0.5 lbs of muscle a month as a female. Just stop weighing yourself after exercising. Not hard really lol.

....... What she said.....

ssdivot

I think when people say you might be gaining muscle they mean that your muscles are repairing themselves after a workout, as I've read that if your muscles are sore they are holding water to rebuild themselves, resulting in a temporary weight gain. In the long run you are better off to work out than you would be to avoid working out because it gives you a temporary gain on the scales.

chatogal

I have noticed that on nights that I work out my weight seems to be up the next day. I know everyone says im probably gaining muscle but at this point I really just want to get some weight off first before I worry about muscle! I follow my calorie plan and try to stick to mostly cardio at the gym but my scale is still the enemy! What am I doing wrong???

It's not muscle. Unless you are lifting like a beast....even then, you would be lucky to add 0.5 lbs of muscle a month as a female. Just stop weighing yourself after exercising. Not hard really lol.

I agree!!

phjorg1

what's more important to you. how a number on a scale looks, or how you look...

leebesstoad

I think the suggestion to stop weighing yourself is the right one. The body can fluctuate so much from day to day and intra-day it can drive a person crazy. Water gain alone will drive you whacko. Choose the same day of the week, same time of the day, preferably when you can wear the same thing (like nothing or nearly next to nothing) and weigh yourself. Once a week is more than enough.

Want an example of how your body can change weight quickly? For ships and grins, I weighed myself before stepping into a nice bath (I was treating myself to a nice relaxing soak after a hard day). I weighed 169. After a nice 20 minute soak, I got out. 20 minutes later I weighed 172. Obviously I didn't eat a thing. But my skin absorbed 3 pounds of water. Maybe your skin was dry and absorbed moisture from the air. Who knows. But don't sweat day to day fluctuations.

popemich

Just look in the mirror for progress. Get off the scales. Takes a lot of time and hard work. Don't get discouraged!

MarineCodie

It's not muscle (yet :flowerforyou: )

You're having too much sodium in my opinion. I bet you're retaining water like crazy.

EmilyMcD84

Don't go by the scale, go by your measurements. Don't do that everyday either, its like waiting for water to boil.

StrongFitSexy

Weighing yourself will drive you crazy and will get you discouraged especially for us as females that weight changes constantly due our monthly menstruation and with our hormones, retaining water etc...
Go by your bodyfat percentage and progress pictures do this monthly and you will notice a change only IF you are exercising and eating right:)

NSMustanggirl

One suggestion I was given was to only weigh yourself on the morning after a rest day. Your muscles will retain water after strength training... Also, look more at the bigger picture - your measurements and how your weight is trending over time. You'll drive yourself nuts weighing yourself every day!

Mrsallypants

I don't think it's even possible for someone doing a HUGE amount of steroids to gain an appreciable amount of muscle mass in one day.

goodtimezzzz

Cardio is your problem!

Liz_Mfp

What am I doing wrong???

You're assuming something is wrong and you are doing it
I think thats what is supposed to happen
So you're doing great
:-)

kara2

I can only speak for what is helping me. I looked at your diary and it looks like you are eating a lot of fast foods and food high in sodium. When I do this I hold on to the weight. You may want to try and eat more fruits and vegetables. You might want to track your water intake too. That helped me.

I hope you can figure it out because nothing is more frustrating than not seeing the scale move.

LuciaLongIsland

You eat a lot of "junk". You need to eat cleaner.

jennifer_417

When you exercise, your muscles hold water to repair themselves, which can account for a small gain after a workout.. Also, don't weigh yourself every day. It's a good way to make yourself crazy. There will be daily fluctuations that you can't do anything about. Try weighing once a week or less.

mariuscheek

I don't think there's anything wrong at all. Try not to concentrate so much on your weight, but focus more on your personal fitness and body shape. I am pushing 6'3", and I've always put on weight when I've been fit, and lost a couple of stone (and looked bigger) when I was unfit. I'm 43, and I know that when I'm eating well and getting exercise I have a sub 34 inch waist and weigh at least 17 stone! When I'm flabby and unfit, I wear 38" jeans and weigh about 15-16 stone.
Think more about the health benefits of diet and exercise, and remember that good quality muscle is a fair bit denser than fat, so you can change shape dramatically without actually making any net weight loss.
If you want to restrict muscle gain in the gym, either use lighter resistance (but slower movement), or reduce your protein intake (your body just won't have the building blocks to make you bigger - sort of!).

mjl54

You eat a lot of "junk". You need to eat cleaner.

nonsense

herblackwings39

Avoid weighing so much would be my only suggestion. Eat what you want as long as it fits your calorie goal for the day, but try to stay off the scale. As others have said your weight will fluctuate quite a bit just over the course of a day, not to mention your muscles holding on for repairs.

jojo86xdd

It's best to go by measurements. I measure myself once a week and only weigh myself once a month. I always see progress. Don't stress the scale so much.

jennifershoo

It's water retention to repair your sore muscles.
But you're not gaining muscles.