Weight Lifting and Weight Loss

gr8xpectationz

I lost 30 pounds last summer, and feel like my weight loss is at least somewhat predictable, (i.e., I generally know that if I stick within a specific calorie goal, I can expect to lose around x pounds per week).

This time around, I'm trying weightlifting, alongside cardio. I've been lifting weight at the gym for a few weeks now, and I'm absolutely getting stronger already.

I totally understand that there are many ways to measure progress, and the number on the scale isn't the only one, or even the best one, but I'm definitely not hitting the weight loss numbers I was expecting. Could this be because I'm building muscle tissue?

So if, in the short term, weight lifting can slow down the weight loss, but muscles also burn more calories so over time having more muscles leads to weight loss... at what point does the shift happen to where being stronger and lifting weights accellerates weight loss instead of slowing it down?

TeaBea

I lost 30 pounds last summer, and feel like my weight loss is at least somewhat predictable, (i.e., I generally know that if I stick within a specific calorie goal, I can expect to lose around x pounds per week).

This time around, I'm trying weightlifting, alongside cardio. I've been lifting weight at the gym for a few weeks now, and I'm absolutely getting stronger already.

I totally understand that there are many ways to measure progress, and the number on the scale isn't the only one, or even the best one, but I'm definitely not hitting the weight loss numbers I was expecting. Could this be because I'm building muscle tissue?

So if, in the short term, weight lifting can slow down the weight loss, but muscles also burn more calories so over time having more muscles leads to weight loss... at what point does the shift happen to where being stronger and lifting weights accellerates weight loss instead of slowing it down?

Building muscle while eating at a deficit is difficult (at best) .....likely you are just holding onto existing muscle......but that's still a good thing.

If you are sore from working out....your muscles could be holding onto water (for repair).

Yes, muscle does burn more calories than fat......for every pound of muscle you gain....it's like 6-8 calories in a 24 hour period....but I suppose over the period of a year and a half, you might lose an extra pound.

Strength training should be about fitness goals.....eating is where most of your calorie deficit will come from.

RGv2

I started weight/resistance training last June. I had lost 10 easy pounds in the couple weeks before joining the gym. I work out 3x a week with weights and cardio. It took me 7 months to lose the next 14 pounds! I WAS building muscle though and In that time, I lost 5 inches off my hips and 2-3 inches from everywhere else. I went down 2 pants sizes and had to get smaller uniform shirts for work. At the end of January, I decided it was time to focus on weight instead of building muscle for a bit. I've lost 7.5 pounds in the last month since starting to use MFP. It's very difficult to do both at the same time. The extra muscle will eventually increase your natural metabolism, but it's a long road. I'm glad I did the strength training first because now I feel much better in general. I still work out exactly like I was before; but with a calorie deficit, I expect I'm only maintaining the muscle I recently built. I'm not saying you can't lose weight and build muscle at the same time, I'm just sharing my experience to give you an idea of what it was like for me. Good luck!

It's doubtful that you were building appreciable muscle in that time, especially eating at a deficit. When you lose weight you lose fat, water, and muscle. When you lift in a deficit, you are trying to MAINTAIN that muscle mass so you lose mostly water and fat. This is why the scale moves slower, but you lose inches.

When you went back to focusing on "weight" you went back to dropping fat, water, and muscle.... thus the scale moving again.

Can there be some noob gains, sure, but putting on muscle weight is extremely hard....for guy, and exponentially harder for women... Even harder when you're talking about weight that will affect the scale.

dixiewhiskey

You have decide at some point (hopefully sooner than later) what you care about more - body fat weight or perceived # on the scale?

Doing weight loss (and by that I mean fat loss) the right way means periods of time where the scale doesn't move but inches are lost and you become stronger. When you do weight lifting - esp for the first time in a long time, you will either put on water weight or stay at the same weight for 1-3 weeks. I can tell by your post that you understand a lot of this, now you just have to stay the course!

I can't really tell you how long it will take before you see the scale moving 1-2lbs per week.. everyone is different. It took me months after starting at 181lbs (101lbs of lean muscle) to start losing a lb consistently every week. At that point, I put on 23lbs of lean muscle but lost over 20lbs of fat.. The scale fluctuated like mad for a long time but the number did go down.

Best advice I can offer is ONE, stay the course, to weigh yourself once a month after your cycle and use a camera and measuring tape to track your progress. Don't give up!