Trying to lose weight, working out but gaining ( I believe muscle).

wifeofpepsiguy

I know we have all heard, when working out we build muscle as we lose fat. My issue is I want to lose the scale weight also. It's not happening yet. Can anyone give tips?
Iam trying my best to watch what Iam eating again and I do a 30 min circuit 3-4 times a week. I am just starting to put walking into my excersize routine again also.
Thanks!

MichelleSilverleaf

If you're not weighing all your food, start.

cwolfman13

Building muscle is an extremely slow process. A natty woman can gain anywhere from .12 - .25 lbs of muscle per week...but this assumes eating in a calorie surplus (ie not dieting to lose weight) and a progressive lifting program specifically designed for putting on mass...basically optimal conditions.

Even if you were gaining muscle, it wouldn't outpace fat loss...it's incredibly slow.

How long have you been trying to lose weight? When did you start the circuit training? New exercise or an increase in intensity will result in your muscles holding onto more water for repair and that shows up on the scale and can mask fat loss.

AliceDark

Gaining muscle is a slow process for women. Are you also eating at a deficit? It's highly unlikely that you are gaining muscle so quickly that it's nullifying your weight loss.

The far more likely explanation is that the exercise is new to you and your body is retaining water to aid in muscle repair. This happens to nearly everyone anytime we start a new exercise plan or drastically increase our exercise. If this is the case, you're still losing fat -- it's just that the water retention is temporarily masking it. If you give it enough time, the water retention will go away and you'll see the loss on the scale.

It's also possible (or likely) that the exercise is making you hungrier and you're unintentionally eating more to compensate. This happens pretty often, especially if you're not logging your food.

This thread talks more about the many factors that influence your scale weight: http://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/discussion/10634529/why-did-the-number-on-the-scale-go-up-this-week-heres-why

mitch16

cwolfman13 wrote: »

Building muscle is an extremely slow process. A natty woman can gain anywhere from .12 - .25 lbs of muscle per week...but this assumes eating in a calorie surplus (ie not dieting to lose weight) and a progressive lifting program specifically designed for putting on mass...basically optimal conditions.

Even if you were gaining muscle, it wouldn't outpace fat loss...it's incredibly slow.

How long have you been trying to lose weight? When did you start the circuit training? New exercise or an increase in intensity will result in your muscles holding onto more water for repair and that shows up on the scale and can mask fat loss.

This.

wifeofpepsiguy

Thank you for the replys. I will check out the thread thanks. I have been doing good the circuit for about 2 months now. Just started the eating plan this week....in hopes to really crackdown and see results. I feel better overall and can see a bit of difference in mirror bit I just would like to see it on the scale.

HoneyBadger302

Start taking measurements (I measure 8 areas of my body) and photos weekly. Quite worrying about the scale, it's seriously just a number. Yes, one we'd all like to see at a certain spot, but seriously, if our bodies are where they should be, who cares what that device you stand on says!

middlehaitch

Watching what you eat doesn't necessarily mean you are in a calorie deficit.
Get a food scale and start counting your calories accurately.

At the top of each sub-forum there are announcement threads, highlighted in orange, spend some time reading through them. They are choc-a-block with insightful, useful information that will guide you on your way.

Continue with your circuit training etc. Exercise is good for your health, and will help you retain and strengthen the muscle you have.

Cheers, h.

StevefromMichigan

A good way to tell is how certain pairs of pants that you wear regularly fit. I went through a spell where the scale wasn't going down, but my pants were definitely getting looser, so I knew I was continuing to lose fat.