My scale went up after weight lifting weights.. HELP!

marianpp

:sad: OK here is my question for the day.. i started on Monday to lift weights now i see that i have gained 4lb i know that is impossible i have gained 4lb of fat or muscle is 2 soon.. i spoke to my trainer and he told me the reason is because as i am working my muscles i have water and glycogen(what ever that mean) and that is why i see the scale up! to no give up and after my swelling goes away i should be back in track... now the question i have for you guys is... has anyone else that started lifting weights has gain water weigh for a little while and if you have how long for this to be back to normal.. My trainer said not to give up as lifting weights is part of weight loss. What do you guys think? Thanks

taiyola

I would listen to your trainer...

erickirb

It is water retention. When starting out or increasing intensity your muscles retain water to protect them from damage and to aid in recovery. Once you get use to the exercises and intensity your muscles will shed the excess water. My advice would be to stay off the scale for the next 2-3 weeks until the water works its way out.

4theking

Its just normal flucutation. Has nothing to do with body mass wether it be fat or muscle, gained. Stick to your plan and you will see the results you are after. In other words, ignore it!

emoyeno

That happened to me once. I was only a 10lbs short of reaching my goal weight. I was sooo motivated I started to do weight training + cardio and was really into it. Then I started to gain!! I was frustrated, but I noticed that even though I had gained weight my clothes were very, very loose (it took me 2 weeks to see the difference in the clothes). Everyone was saying I was skinny, but when I weighed myself, the pounds were still there. It was all muscle.

So yes, please listen to your trainer and be patient.!!!

yanicka

Forget the scale!!!! You didn't gain 4 pounds of fat!!! That is the important thing. When I do not train for a few days, I lose about 2 pounds.....and they come back when I start again. I do not care what the stupid scale say. I am getting healthier!!! and so should you. Take a mesuring tape.

song2sing

I worked out twice yesterday and got on the scales this morning and it registered a gain of .6

Thanks for checking with your trainer for the answer! Now I can rest at ease, knowing that the numbers are not always going to reflect what I like to see because of water fluctuation!!

It's hard not to get discouraged, but don't give up and keep on going! Your body should balance itself out if you feed it well, and exercise regularly!

The best of luck! Looks like you've done well thus far!!

Mike523

Your trainer is right!!! Stay the course. You will retain water for a week or two when you start lifting, but you will shed the water as your muscles get accustomed to the weight lifting.

marianpp

Ohhh! thank you guys.. this really helped!.. no scale for 2 weeks and then we will see.

JennLifts

He's ....or She's totally right. Don't stop. It pays off!

QueenofCups

I agree with what others said. Your trainer seems to know what he/she is talking about and I wouldn't get discouraged. You are doing great, and weight training is so good for fat loss. Keep it up, the results are coming!

susanswan

Maybe that was my problem, too. My eating is 100% spot on. I am walking once or twice every single day. I am working with weights but only 3, 5, and 8 pounds. I got off to a good start losing over a pound a week for the first few weeks and then it stopped for a couple of weeks. I had sore muscles in the beginning, but now I am getting used to the 8 pound weight, and I am breezing through my crunches now. I only have 30 pounds to lose. Finally yesterday I lost about a pound and today I lost about a pound. Before I would lose that pound and 2 wouild come back! I am hoping that I am used to it now. DO NOT GIVE UP. That is my new slogan. Our bodies don't like all of these changes, so they don't cooperate as we'd like them too. Water is heavy. If you drink a couple of glasses or even weigh a couple of glasses on a kitchen scale, you'll see. Holding a quart of water on board is probably not even enough to notice because it is distributed throughout. Hang in there, it will pass. I can't wait to measure in a few days because my pants are hanging on me now! = D It's just been 5 weeks or so since I've been faithfully doing my weights. You'll love your new body if you keep it up! 've done it before and let it slide away. This time is for keeps! Can't wait for my new body!

nirsky

4lb. difference can be seen even when you weight yourself in the morning and in the evening. All the water and we food we take in.

Lifting weight will increase your metabolism and will make your body burn calories up to 48 hours after you finish working out even if you sit and do nothing.

The combination of weight lifting and cardio is the best combo you can get.
If you only do cardio, you will burn fat and muscles.

ColoradoRobin

Glycogen is a type of starch made by your body to store energy for short term use. It tends to be stored in your liver and muscles. Hungry muscles demand food! It's not fat, so that's all that matters. Your trainer sounds like a good one. Best of luck!

lizzycomp

Be sure to take your measurements. It's sometimes a better way to gauge your progress when the scale isn't being friendly. Keep up the good work!

lesliemk

For sure!!! The scale was up 4lbs on me for 2wks and then it was gone. And I've lost an addt'l 20+ pounds w/ strength training and cardio. You will too! Keep at it!!!

danny2123

I lost 16lbs thru diet and cardio in 6 weeks , then started weight training 4x a week and dropped
Only 2lbs over next 4 weeks , but lost inches off my waist. My chest , abs , arms and legs looked better , I was also worried about why am I not losing weight anymore but thru much research and talking to trainers and nutritionist the simple answer is muscle weighs more than fat but takes up less space . Eventually the number on the scale will go down , might take even a few months but then you will look and feel a lot better than just losing weight and having flab or being soft like a marshmallow . So keep going with both weights and cardio , will pay off in the end , even though though number on the scale will take longer to come down

Vavettes

That's the best news I've heard all my life! I was always afraid of of any strength training for fear I would bulk up as a woman. Your trainer definitely has shed some light to all my fears. Every time I would start gaining weight from strength training I would get discouraged and stop working out all together not understanding the chemistry of it all. Now I'm more eager than before to continue on with my journey to a healthier new me thanks to everyone's comments and encouragement.

SamZ10

I was so stressed this morning! I weigh once a week and Saturday I started adding a more hardcore workout routine, including weight lifting.. I weighed myself yesterday and was up 6 pounds. I figured it was water weight & would come off through the day but weighed again this morning and no change. I know it's impossible to gain that much in a week but I have been working so hard I really was expecting to see a loss. Thank God for this post, made my day!

gabbygirl78

Muscle weighs more than fat... don't stress. If your gonna lift then its better to track using measurements rather than a scale. This way you dont get discouraged when you gain muscle and loose fat

suzmedder

Forget the scale and start with the tape measure....you'll lose inches rather than pounds lifting weights

shelbelw

What the others have said about the tape measure: USE IT instead of the scale for a while. Lifting may cause weight gain, but you are building muscle and losing fat. Monitor your progress in inches instead of pounds and you'll be happier.

DesiRocks

:sad: OK here is my question for the day.. i started on Monday to lift weights now i see that i have gained 4lb i know that is impossible i have gained 4lb of fat or muscle is 2 soon.. i spoke to my trainer and he told me the reason is because as i am working my muscles i have water and glycogen(what ever that mean) and that is why i see the scale up! to no give up and after my swelling goes away i should be back in track... now the question i have for you guys is... has anyone else that started lifting weights has gain water weigh for a little while and if you have how long for this to be back to normal.. My trainer said not to give up as lifting weights is part of weight loss. What do you guys think? Thanks

Thank you for asking this question, I'm struggling with the weight gain thing even though my clothes are getting smaller. This helps me understand what is going on!

rnkalyan

Thanks for posting this question and all for the replies. Hoping to get continuing in my weight loss regime...

pietro7050

I've been tracking my weight religiously for about 4 months and I see a spike in my weight after every visit to the gym. Eventually it goes back down if you stick to your plan so do not worry. I am convinced the human body (as a means of survival) does not want to lose weight, must go back to our caveman days. So what they say is true DO NOT try to starve the weight off your body will fight you and win.

sportysmurf

Yep - try not to stress out about it. You're doing great, keep going

bettersusan

I am SO relieved to read this post!! I have been working harder than ever to stay on track. I have been doing GREAT on my eating, and working out HARD. I've been doing mostly weight lifting/muscle building training with a trainer three times a week, but doing loads of cardio on the other days. I have been doing this for 3 weeks and have been incredibly sore. My body is starting to feel more fit, but the scale!! :"( I lost almost two pounds the first week, and was happy with progress. THEN, I weighed the 2nd week and I was UP 2 pounds! I thought it HAD to be a fluke! There was just NO WAY! I waited over a week and now I am up ANOTHER 1.2 pounds this morning!! I could CRY. I haven't weighed this much in years, and I KNOW I'm doing the right things!! I even thought of giving up the muscle building. Maybe I should give it another week or two. It's just really freaking me out!

nicolemaguire1

I'm so glad to have found this thread. Over the past 9 months I've lost almost 30 pounds. Everything I tried would not budge the scale - until I went low carb. 3 weeks ago I started lifting weights. I got on the scale 20min ago and have gained 4lb. I wanted to cry also. I ran to google what I was doing wrong. It seems from what I gather it is water retention. I eat very well, as well as a protein shake for breakfast and whey isolate for pre-lunch and protein through out the day - and minimum 12 glasses of water most days. After reading the previous comments I think I need to stay off the scale(which I look at 2-3 times a week - argh) - and continue to 'measure' and keep lifting - which I'm really loving.

How long should it take for my body to feel like I'm actually loosing - or seeing change?

nkovacs1954

Throw your scale away….it doesn't measure anything except you and your pull on gravity. Enjoy your workouts, enjoy getting bigger and toned arms, enjoy that you look better in clothes….

TheKoreanVegan

Seriously, cannot echo enough the gratitude and relief already expressed by other posters. I started adding much more intense strength training in the past week and was dumbfounded/deflated upon finding that I'd not only NOT lost weight, but GAINED .6 lbs in the past two weeks. Will continue eating and exercising as I am, and happily drink a gallon of water.

Danny_Boy13

I say just throw out the scale and just use the mirror. What does it matter if one would weigh 130 or 140lbs if they like what they see in the mirror.