working out? ganing weight?

MissGorgeous

so i see everone warning that you might gain weight
but ive lost 11pounds since i started the gym 4days a week JAN first
i do 50mins of cardio sometimes an hour
along with 45mins strengh training
and crunchs and reverse crunchs

but i haent gained weight???
i now have firm muscular arms
and my legs are ALOT more toned
but....if i haent seen a gain am i doing enough???

basically im asking...
DO I HAVE TO GAIN IN ORDER TO BE MAKING PROGRESS????


i started at 260 and today im 188
id like to be about 150

MissGorgeous

so i see everone warning that you might gain weight
but ive lost 11pounds since i started the gym 4days a week JAN first
i do 50mins of cardio sometimes an hour
along with 45mins strengh training
and crunchs and reverse crunchs

but i haent gained weight???
i now have firm muscular arms
and my legs are ALOT more toned
but....if i haent seen a gain am i doing enough???

basically im asking...
DO I HAVE TO GAIN IN ORDER TO BE MAKING PROGRESS????


i started at 260 and today im 188
id like to be about 150

mrsyac2

this is my theory! if it isn't broke don't fix it. You already said your losing weight so keep doing what your doing- and congrats on the weight loss.

plm209

You won't necessarily gain weight, its just a warning to those aren't in shape at all. It simply means that if you're building muscle, you might notice a gain it weight. Also, are you eating your exercise calories? That's very important because your body is going to be taking up nutrients to build the new muscle. Make sure you're ingesting a high level of protein if you want to tone up a little more since that's what your body uses to build new muscle.

MyaPapaya75

I have to agree with the above posts..if you are seeing results I wouldnt alter anything...Just challenge yourself every now and then and boost up only when things seem to easy...Congrats

LovePasta

As an exercise physiologist I just wanted to throw in a little input on gaining weight when starting to exercise. If you do see a weight gain it should be a flux between 1-2 lbs that may be converting from body fat to lean body mass. If you're gaining 4+ lbs you should take a look at the type and amount of calories you're consuming....

Congrats everyone on you're weight lost/attempts!!!

NikkiDerrig386

Yes an no. Usually if you body % is not that high you will see the lbs added instead of lost. Muscle weighs a lot more than fat. So when You have little to loose you notice weight gain a lot more. Now if your extremely over weight your fat % is very high thus your loosing a lot of weight but canceling out some weight loss with the muscle; so your not going to see the weight of the muscle just yet. If you weren't gaining muscle weight, your weight loss would be more drastic but your body wouldn't look as toned and healthy.

yellow_pepper

BeGorgeous,

The effects of higher muscle composition are usually not seen on the scale until you are pretty close to your goal weight. And your 150 sounds very reasonable, even after accounting for the higher muscle mass. So, you're doing great! Keep it up. Your results are what everyone WANTS!

MissGorgeous

okay thanks everyone for theimput
i was just thinking...hmmmm im not gaining and i should???
but thanks all the advice sounds about right

no i do not eat excersise calories
i typically eat 1200cals
at the gym i tend to burn about 650 in cardio
not including weights
and thoes 4days at the gym i give my self a little more leway
like ill have a extra snack that day or something
but i try to stay between 1200 and 1350 even on work out days

drewzaun

Women do not typically gain a lot of weight when strength training because the way most women work out is more designed to burn subcutaneous fat and tone muscle, as opposed to bulking up. What little weight you do gain will be all lean muscle, and this will be offset by the fact you are toned and a smaller dress size than a "fluffier" but lighter person your height.

It is also offset by increased performance as well. A lot of men believe it or not are afraid to lift for similar reasons. Most endurance athletes do not think carrying a few extra pounds around the course is good for speed. They are of course wrong, as the increased muscle mass helps propel them faster than before.

purpleparadox

If you're not gaining extra weight, that's okay. When new members come in to work out at Curves, we tell them that if at first you gain weight instead of losing it, it's because you're building muscles at first (muscles you didn't have originally, if you're out of shape). Then, once you've been working out more, the weight will come off. Even if you gain some weight, take your measurements- it's quite possible that you will have lost some inches in your overall measurements!

jessmomof3

okay thanks everyone for theimput
i was just thinking...hmmmm im not gaining and i should???
but thanks all the advice sounds about right

no i do not eat excersise calories
i typically eat 1200cals
at the gym i tend to burn about 650 in cardio
not including weights
and thoes 4days at the gym i give my self a little more leway
like ill have a extra snack that day or something
but i try to stay between 1200 and 1350 even on work out days

If you're trying to gain muscle, you will not with your calories that low. Burning 650 in cardio and then not eating your exercise calories, you're going to be *burning* muscle.(which you don't want!) I would recommend at least adding in half of your exercise cals. It's harder for women to gain muscle than men anyway and you will not get *bulky*. HTH!

yellow_pepper

In theory, you should only gain weight if you go above your maintenance calories plus exercise calories. If you're not, there's no reason why you should gain weight.

That said, just as Jess says, if you're really burning 650 calories at the gym, you should probably eat more like 1500-1800 calories, not just 1200. Otherwise you risk doing damage to your metabolism.

Imagine never being able to eat more than 1200 calories a day again without gaining weight! To me, that sounds pretty awful.