Please Help... Please Read.

nukebhs83

hi joe. i know what you mean when you look on the scale and it shows an increase when you have really started eating right and exercising. i was ready to give up too. then of course, my daughter--like everyone here--told me muscle weighs more than fat. i told her that i was raised to watch the scale. i have had a hard time retraining my brain to look at the measurements not the scale. i am getting better at it. you will too just give it more time and keep up the great work. believe me--the weight will start coming off again. (dont tell my daughter but i still get on the scale at least 3 times a week--- )

lacroyx

with the excerise and now added in strength training I believe you need to up your calories. or at least make sure you eat back most of your excercise calories.

erickirb

One last one- Muscle DOES NOT weigh more than fat. However, you may put on a pound of muscle, faster than you shed the pound of fat. They weigh the same- a pound is a pound. Muscle just grows a little quicker- especially when weight training.

Eat all of your calories (as close as you can) and eat back your exercise calories- obviously with healthy food. Watch the sodium, drink plenty of water. The weight will come off. I also reccomend measuring yourself- neck, chest, bicep, waist, hips, and thigh. And keep tracking them. You may notice no weigh loss, but a loss in inches which would indicate toning. Good luck!!!

come on man, muscle does weigh more than fat, because it is more dense. The more dense something is the earth's gravitational force makes it weigh more. The responder was not comparing 1 lb to 1lb, they were comparing muscle to fat. When comparing the weights of 2 different things, volume should be kept constant. If you are comparing volume, keep weight constant.

If you agree with your argument then you would also say the carrots and butter have the same calorie content because 100 cals of carrots have the same calories as 100 cals of butter. But they don't have the same calorie content as butter is more calorie dense than carrots, if you are comparing them properly (volume or same size serving)

melcowenfitness

Hi

I have been dieting since January 7,2011. I exerciese 4 times a week starting two weeks ago I went from doing 4 days of cardio to at the advise of another MFP member now do 2 days cardio and 2 days stregnth training do John Basedow's 45 minute fat burning weight lifting cd using 10lb dumbels. I am very accurate with my calorie counting even to the point of measuring alot of items.

My problem is I gained two pounds this week and I am aving a hard time getting the weight off. I am following the calories based on if I want to lose two pounds a week and I am lucky if I loose a pound a week.

Can somebody please elp me figure out what I am doing wrong? to date I have only lost 14 pounds and I am beginning to think that it is not worth all the trouble of exercising and calorie counting only to get on the scale and see that I have gained two pounds.

My wife says it is from the weight lifting, so should I stop lifting weights and go back to all cardio?

Someone please respond as I am totally ready to quit doing all this. My diary is open to public if you think I should do something else.

Thanks

Joe

Hey Joe,

Don't give up! Two pounds of muscle is far better than 2 pounds of fat! Keep up the weight training - it helps burn body fat, strengthens your bones, among so many other great benefits.

Everyone else's comments are spot on - as long as your clothes are fitting better and you're seeing a change in your body composition (more muscle, less fat), you are headed in the right direction.

Calories are a major source of confusion for many people (me included). When I started working out to P90X, I cut my calorie intake down to 1300. I lost weight for the first few weeks and then all of a sudden, my weight loss stopped. I figured out (through the help of other Beachbody members) that I wasn't eating enough. I increased my calories to 1900/day and started losing weight again.

If you look at my food diary, you'll see that I eat a minimum of 1500 calories/day - most days I'm still closer to 1800-1900 calories and I've still maintained my 28 pound weight loss. I know it sounds counterintuitive, but it really does work. You should check out this article that explains it in more detail: www.tinyurl.com/eatmoretolosemore

erickirb

Muscle DOES NOT weigh more than fat. HUGE pet peeve!

http://www.onemorebite-weightloss.com/muscle-to-fat.html

a pound is a pound is a pound.

"Muscle is more dense than fat" is not the same as "muscle weighs more than fat." Neither is saying that the same volume of muscle weighs more than that of fat. Saying muscle weighs more than fat implies that one weighs more than other. If you mean that muscle is denser than fat, then say muscle is denser than fat. If you mean that muscle is heavier by volume than fat, then by all means phrase it that way as well. But saying muscle weighs more than fat is ambiguous and misleading at best.

You are arguing semantics, Keep volume constant and in actuality muscle does weigh more than fat,. The more dense something is the earth's gravitational force makes it weigh more. The responder was not comparing 1 lb to 1lb, they were comparing muscle to fat. When comparing the weights of 2 different things, volume should be kept constant. If you are comparing volume, keep weight constant.

If you agree with your argument then you would also say the carrots and butter have the same calorie content because 100 cals of carrots have the same calories as 100 cals of butter. But they don't have the same calorie content as butter is more calorie dense than carrots, if you are comparing them properly (volume or same size serving)

TheKitsune6

Muscle DOES NOT weigh more than fat. HUGE pet peeve!

http://www.onemorebite-weightloss.com/muscle-to-fat.html

a pound is a pound is a pound.

Your pet peeve is petty and inaccurate. If you are comparing like sizes of one thing to another they can weigh more let's say I have a bowling ball and I also have a sphere of styrofoam with the same measurements. Which one weighs more? Obviously they're comparable and one is more dense and heavy than another.

rosiedoes

Muscle DOES NOT weigh more than fat. HUGE pet peeve!

http://www.onemorebite-weightloss.com/muscle-to-fat.html

a pound is a pound is a pound.

A pound of fat and a pound of muscle are absolutely the same, you're right.

However, muscle is more dense than fat and so the same volume of muscle would logically weight more than the same volume of fat.

"Muscle is more dense than fat" is not the same as "muscle weighs more than fat." Neither is saying that the same volume of muscle weighs more than that of fat. Saying muscle weighs more than fat implies that one weighs more than other. If you mean that muscle is denser than fat, then say muscle is denser than fat. If you mean that muscle is heavier by volume than fat, then by all means phrase it that way as well. But saying muscle weighs more than fat is ambiguous and misleading at best.

I completely disagree. You're arguing semantics inaccurately. If I take a cup of fat and a cup of muscle, the muscle weighs more. No one with common sense would truly think that a pound of fat weights more than a pound of muscle, any more than they're going to think a pound of potatoes weighs more than a pound of tomatoes.

Muscle does weigh more than fat when compared by volume, because it is more dense. You wouldn't compare weight by weight, would you? That would be silly.

rosiedoes

Well, Joe - if nothing else, your post has prompted a debate on the fundamental laws of physics!

joesan563

You know what? I really felt connected to you after reading your reply to my post. I truely feel exactly how you described. I am gonna start measuring and not consintrate on the scale.

Thank you again.

Joe

joesan563

Thank you to all who posted your support is appreciated and I will use all advice that was given.

Thank you

Grabercj

You can do it! Dont give up!!!!! I dont have any answers for you, but i am in the same boat!
Your health is worth the effort. Dont give up!

sweet4keeps22

Lots of great tips mentioned. One thing I feel went unaddressed. Lots of people mentioned sodium, but no one seemed to key in on the thing which is likely causing you to go over your sodium - after reviewing probably two weeks of your diary it looks like you are eating out quite a few meals, usually once a day. You're making great choices - Subway rather than McDonalds, for example. Unfortunately, restaurant foods are notoriously less healthful than food you prepare for yourself at home. Lots of lifestyles require grab-and-go meals, mine included. But do think about some options you might be able to make (maybe the night before) and take. This might increase your fruit/veggie intake? Lean protein intake? All of those healthful things that are important to add into a healthy lifestyle above and beyond just keeping it under a certain caloric goal.

JulieBoBoo

I disagree that it's simply a matter of semantics. If I say that muscle is denser than fat, then the poster would find his explanation for his weight remaining the same only if he also saw a reduction in his measurements. If I simply say muscle weighs more than fat, then a person is duped into believing that a weight stall could be due to muscle gain and stop looking any further into possible causes even though this is only a possible answer if the person also shows a decrease in his/her measurements.

That is what I maintain that saying muscle weighs more than fat is misleading and incorrect.

leanne2376

If you are performing weight lifting now, you are possibly seeing an increase in muscle growth which will appear as an increase on the scale. This is why watching the scale is not necessarily a good indicator of progress. Body fat % and body part measurements are a more accurate way of determining fat loss, which is really the goal (not weight loss). Don't stress over the scale. Follow your other measurements. How do your clothes fit? How do you look in the mirror? Keep going. Don't give up. You will get there.

I agree - it all depends on how you look in the mirror and how you feel in your clothes.
Also speak to a professional trainer and see what they suggest - good luck !

x

funkyspunky871

One last one- Muscle DOES NOT weigh more than fat. However, you may put on a pound of muscle, faster than you shed the pound of fat. They weigh the same- a pound is a pound. Muscle just grows a little quicker- especially when weight training.

Eat all of your calories (as close as you can) and eat back your exercise calories- obviously with healthy food. Watch the sodium, drink plenty of water. The weight will come off. I also reccomend measuring yourself- neck, chest, bicep, waist, hips, and thigh. And keep tracking them. You may notice no weigh loss, but a loss in inches which would indicate toning. Good luck!!!

come on man, muscle does weigh more than fat, because it is more dense. The more dense something is the earth's gravitational force makes it weigh more. The responder was not comparing 1 lb to 1lb, they were comparing muscle to fat. When comparing the weights of 2 different things, volume should be kept constant. If you are comparing volume, keep weight constant.

If you agree with your argument then you would also say the carrots and butter have the same calorie content because 100 cals of carrots have the same calories as 100 cals of butter. But they don't have the same calorie content as butter is more calorie dense than carrots, if you are comparing them properly (volume or same size serving)

In the world of physics, he's right. The force of gravity equals mass x the acceleration due to gravity (9.81 m/s^2). Weight is another term for the force of gravity. The more mass an object has, the heavier it is. Ah, I love physics.

It does really bother me when people say a pound of muscle weighs more than a pound of fat though. Lol. (Not that I think that was what the poster originally meant however.)