exercising/ligting & gaining weight???

katienelson525

Hello,


I’m hoping to find some help here. I have been working out for the last year and half doing mostly cardio and I’ve lost some weight but I’ve fluctuated a bit in the recent months gaining a little bit back. In August I started lifting weights. I lift weights about 3-5 days a week and I also do cardio some days. I have been lifting what I feel like is heavy weights. In the last 3-4 weeks I have consistently been gaining a pound a week. I’m so confused. I’m making better food choices, working out 5-6 days a week, staying near my calorie goal, and burning at least 400 calories a day working out. I had my calorie goal set at 1200 but was eating near 1600 because I was eating the calories I burned. I recently changed my calorie goal to 1500 to see if that helps but so far nothing. I have been taking measurement’s almost every month this year and there isn’t a change there either. I’m 5’10, when I stated lifting in August I was 160 and now I’m 165. I just don’t get it. My goal weight is 153 and the closest I’ve got to that was 156.
I’ve read a lot about weight loss and what not but I’m at a loss right now. I’m not going to stop working out, but I’d really love to see some progress. I know I’m not supposed to judge my progress by the scale but my measurements aren’t changing. I do see definition in my arms and legs, so I guess that’s good.
Anyway, I would appreciate any helpful tips or advice that anyone has out there.

diannethegeek

Are you weighing/measuring your food? If you're eyeballing portion sizes you may be eating more than you think.

How are you measuring your exercise burn? MFP/gym machines may be overestimating your burn.

Your muscles may be holding onto some extra water weight to help cushion and repair them with your new exercise routine.

Mischievous_Rascal

You're close to your goal, which means you should be eating just slightly below your maintenance level (TDEE -5 or 10%).

Try this calculator: http://scoobysworkshop.com/accurate-calorie-calculator/

I eat 2000/day to lose 0.5/week (and it only comes off after my TOM, so I only lose "scale" weight every 4-5 weeks). I've found that the closer I get the more I just need to trust the process.

iwantniceabs

I don't really have any advice, as I'm going through the same thing - started lifting again recently and have gained some weight - but I know that the closer you are to your goal weight, the tougher it is to drop weight. Just make sure you're calculating things correctly and trust the process It'll happen!

FrankiesSaysRelax

Are you using a HRM to calculate how many calories you're burning? You're probably either over estimating calories burned (and eating too many back) or underestimating the amount of food you're eating. Do you have a food scale? Do you weigh everything? Do you log every single thing you eat?

NicLiving

Muscle weighs more than fat. Toss the scale and use a measuring tape. My guess is your losing inches and developing muscle tone.

Daws387

The weight gain could be because of muscle gain from lifting weights. If you haven't already, you should start keeping track of your body fat %, if that's gradually decreasing then you have nothing to worry about.

Also, I weigh myself once a week, always at the same time of day (Monday mornings while my stomach is empty and I have no pump from lifting weights). I find that if I weigh myself right after lifting weights the number is higher, and IMO less accurate.

So I guess try to be consistent at what time of day to weigh yourself, and maybe get one of those digital scales from wal-mart that show your body fat %

RGv2

Muscle weighs more than fat. Toss the scale and use a measuring tape. My guess is your losing inches and developing muscle tone.

:huh: 5lbs?

If you just started lifting in Aug, you could have had some noob gains, but what lifting does on a deficit is maintain muscle mass. Since you just started in Aug, your body will retain water for muscle repair until it can adjust to the increased physical activity. Also, since you are maintaining muscle mass, and retaining water, the scale will move much slower, not at all, or go up for periods of time as the inches can be coming off. The reason the scale does this is because you're losing only fat. Not fat and muscle mass as you most likely were before.

This will be where your "tone" comes from.....losing the fat that currently covers your muscle mass.

Agreed with the quoted poster where the tape is a better indication of progress, but you're not building appreciable muscle mass that will stall out the scale, it's you're not losing the mass with fat anymore if indeed you still are in a deficit.

RGv2

The weight gain could be because of muscle gain from lifting weights.

No....

Lifting 3-5 days per week (especially as a female) in a deficit or at maintenance isn't going to put on enough "mass" to stall the scale out. It is really.....really hard for a female to put on more than 1/2 lb of muscle in a month, let alone 5lbs.

Daws387

Muscle weighs more than fat. Toss the scale and use a measuring tape. My guess is your losing inches and developing muscle tone.

:huh: 5lbs?

If you just started lifting in Aug, you could have had some noob gains, but what lifting does on a deficit is maintain muscle mass. Since you just started in Aug, your body will retain water for muscle repair until it can adjust to the increased physical activity. Also, since you are maintaining muscle mass, and retaining water, the scale will move much slower, not at all, or go up for periods of time as the inches can be coming off. The reason the scale does this is because you're losing only fat. Not fat and muscle mass as you most likely were before.

This will be where your "tone" comes from.....losing the fat that currently covers your muscle mass.

Agreed with the quoted poster where the tape is a better indication of progress, but you're not building appreciable muscle mass that will stall out the scale, it's you're not losing the mass with fat anymore if indeed you still are in a deficit.

I agree with all of this

NovemberJune

Are you weighing/measuring your food? If you're eyeballing portion sizes you may be eating more than you think.

How are you measuring your exercise burn? MFP/gym machines may be overestimating your burn.

Your muscles may be holding onto some extra water weight to help cushion and repair them with your new exercise routine.

All of this ^

miqisha

Check you TDEE to make sure you are eating enough. Also, you are very close to your goal, which is usually harder to lose. Get an HRM if you don't already have one, to make sure you are calculation the right amount of calories you burn. Make sure you are drinking enough water. Also, if not, weigh and measure everything you eat, you could be over estimating or under estimation. Also, make sure you are giving your body enough protein

Good luck

Rockstar_JILL

Just peeked into your diary....a lot of creamer for breakfast and a lot of high sodium foods could be something that is affecting you. I am no expert, but that I do see right away.

Sweetmac62

I agree - measure everything, be sure you are not underestimating food or overestimating burn.

One thing - muscle does not weigh more than fat. A pound is a pound is a pound. But a pound of muscle takes up less space than a pound of fat. So keeping measurements and tracking body fat will help you see results better from the lifting.

katienelson525

WOW, thanks for all the input so far.

I use a HRM to gage my calorie burn. I do have a food scale and measuring cups that I use, but I could definitely do better.
I know I could also do better with my eating. I've tried adding more "clean foods" but this is definitely where I have the hardest time.

GymRatGirl13

[/quote]
No....

Lifting 3-5 days per week (especially as a female) in a deficit or at maintenance isn't going to put on enough "mass" to stall the scale out. It is really.....really hard for a female to put on more than 1/2 lb of muscle in a month, let alone 5lbs.
[/quote]

^^^ This. A pound a week is a little excessive, if it is sticking. If you go up AND down...normal, though. It has taken me LITERALLY 2 years to put on 5 pounds of muscle. You also said you are burning 400 calories when lifting? Is that right? If so...I would look at that too. I would be hesitant to believe you are buring that in a lift session.

It took me two years to get my own body and numbers, etc figured out and as a result of that experience, I would suggest you drop all calculators and calorie burn monitors. Look at where you are today. How many calories are you taking in? How much do you weigh and how do your clothes fit. Now do the exact same thing for two weeks. Keep calories there and workout at the same intensity for the same number of days for two weeks. Did the scale go up? OK. Do your clothes fit more snug? If so...drop 100 calories and leave EVERYTHING else alone. Repeat. When the scale stops going up and doesn't go down...you have a baseline number that works for YOU. From there on out, only make changes to one thing at a time...more or less exercise, but keep calories the same. Or, if you are changing calories, keep exercise the same, so you can attribute change to one or the other. Good luck!

RGv2

WOW, thanks for all the input so far.

I use a HRM to gage my calorie burn. I do have a food scale and measuring cups that I use, but I could definitely do better.
I know I could also do better with my eating. I've tried adding more "clean foods" but this is definitely where I have the hardest time.

All you're eating could do is cause some water retention (high sodium), but if you're in a caloric deficit (when it comes to weightloss), it doesn't matter if your food is "clean" or not.

nickyvw

Muscle weighs more than fat. Toss the scale and use a measuring tape. My guess is your losing inches and developing muscle tone.

But, she said her measurements aren't changing as well...