Weight Training and Weight Loss

fdny9943

Sorry if this is a repeat topic but I'm new here and didn't see any recent posts.

I have not been losing weight for the last 2 months I have actually gained 10 pounds which is freaking me out! I joined a gym 2 months ago because I had hit a plateau for a few months where I wasn't gaining but I wasn't losing (this is after losing 125 pounds over the last year).

I saw a trainer who gave me a routine of 2 days of upper body workouts and 2 days of lower body workouts and a day of cardio. I have been doing it for two months and now I find myself up 10 pounds!

She saw me yesterday and asked how much more had I lost? I said none, I gained and she said well it doesn't look like it she can see a change.

Could I be adding muscle at the expense of gaining on the scale? I don't really want muscle mass, I needs to drop some more body fat. I know lean muscle burns more calories than fat so its not a bad thing but seriously we all look at that damn scale and mine is going up and it's real depressing.

Anybody have any thoughts? Cut back on weights and add more cardio? Could you some ideas. Thank you.

Sox90716

I would increase the cardio to 2-3 times a week. Good luck!

aj_31

I've gained 6 pounds since lifting in Feb. I also do cardio like the elliptical, stairclimber, jogging and haven't lost a pound. I haven't lost much in inches either. Very fraustrating.

I would take pictures and take measurements if I were you. That might be a better way of tracking your weight while you are lifting.

jamiesadler

That would be a lot of muscle in two months but I guess it is possible. I would agree with the other posters and take pictures and lots of measurements. I gained 5 pounds lifting my first month but lost over 6 inches.

wonderkitten711

Take measurements and progress pictures. Ultimately while we want the scale to go down, thats because we want the amount of fat we are carrying to get lower. If you're getting way smaller even while adding 10 pounds, you're building muscle hardcore, and losing fat since muscle is denser/takes up less space for the same amount of weight. I've stayed the same weight the past two weeks but lost like four inches overall. In the end, the added muscle you're building will increase your metabolism and help burn away that fat even faster and the scale will go down. Just don't let it be your only marker of success.

erickirb

You could have gained some muscle but not 10 lbs of muscle. That amount of muscle would take months of heavy lifting in a caloric surplus to achieve. Most of the 10lbs is probably water weight. Muscle tend to retain more water when new to a lifting routine, as it helps protect the muscles from the damage caused by lifting and to aid in recovery.

stick with it for a while. and re-evaluate your diet portion as this is where gains and losses would be made. Others are saying to increase cardio, but cardio does not lean to weight/fat loss, it allows you to eat more and achieve the same caloric deficit.
Cardio has other benefits but fat loss is not one of them, that comes from a caloric deficit that can be achieved with no exercise.

MB_Positif

I personally have been trying to stop caring what the scale says. Since January of this year I have only lost somewhere between 1 and 2 pounds, but you would think I have lost 20 the way people have been complimenting me...and it's not just random people who I haven't seen in forever. Some of these people I see every single week and they keep saying things like, "how much more have you lost?" and "you just keep losing and losing!" I just look at them and say, "I haven't lost much more...it's just weight training. Everything is changing!" Though I haven't been gaining like you are, I have pretty much been maintaining even though I still have fat to lose, which I do believe I am doing considering the way my body has changed in 5 months. I've gone down 2 sizes since then as well, with only 2 pounds of weight loss. I hope my rambling makes some sense to you! It is clear that you are losing fat even though you are up on the scale. Find a new way to track your progress, measurements, a certain shirt or pants...Congrats on your success so far!

Dragonwolf

Losing fat does not necessarily mean losing weight, especially if you're strength training. You very well could be losing fat and if you're not tracking your measurements and body fat %, then you're not going to see it.

I use this to keep track of my BF% - http://www.healthcentral.com/cholesterol/home-body-fat-test-2774-143.html and it has worked well for tracking purposes (BF% measurement methods tend to be hit or miss on accuracy, but I've found this one to be pretty consistent, so even if it's not 100% accurate, you should still be able to see trending).

Don't get too hung up on the scale. Just use it as a means to get other measurements, otherwise it will drive you nuts.

PLUMSGRL

First you can only gain 1-1.5 pounds of muscle/month, so it's not all muscle....

Here's a blog for you to read, it's about how to lose weight by eating more and gives you links to figure it out (very easy with the links).

http://www.myfitnesspal.com/blog/lillebanon/view/my-take-on-eating-more-to-weigh-less-254554

She also gives a a link to a group here Eat more to weigh less...click on that and read the red pinned articles, that will answer your questions.

Good luck~

catpow2

I would increase the cardio to 2-3 times a week. Good luck!

Yeah, probably more cardio and less strength training. Seeing your Diary might also be useful. Did the trainer have any other suggestions?! Not to sound nasty, but I mean, that's what they do for a living. I would be really annoyed. If she can't offer an explanation and give you a plan for achieving the results you want, then I would hire someone else.

Amyla30

I would def do more cardio or running.

erickirb

I would def do more cardio or running.

everyone saying more cardio, my question to you is why?

Cardio only allows you to eat more and have the same deficit that you can get from diet alone, cardio in and of itself does not burn fat, and if OP is following MFP for every calorie he burns from cardio he gets to eat back, which mean there is no net effect on weight loss. Cardio is great for endurance and heart health but completely unnecessary for weight and fat loss.

I am currently cutting, and I do cardio once/week (Thursdays) for 20 minutes, but I do 4 days of strength training.

tryinghard71

I agree. Don't weigh. Measure. I measure weekly and log it. For the past 4 weeks I have NOT lost a pound but lose a half to an inch a week. I have even seen my scale go up but I lost and inch that week. So now I try not to weigh but once a month but concentrate on measurements.

smlamb33

I know that a friend of mine, who is a fitness trainer, recommmended 3 days of strength training alternating with 3 days of cardio. It seems to have worked so far and it gives your muscles a break on cardio days. I just changed up my routine, which also helps, because it causes muscle confusion. Today I my cardio was 5 minutes on the treadmill, then 5 on the elliptical and I just kept alternating every 5 minutes for a total of 60 minutes. That was a butt kicker!! Also, look at your daily caloric intake. Are you eating enough to compensate for your strength training?

So my suggestion would be to look at your calories and see if you've been eating enough to compensate for the strength training and also consider changing up your cardio routines and maybe adding an extra day of cardio. Also, be sure to get your water in. I find that makes a big difference for me too. However, I am not an expert, I am just sharing what works for me, that my supportive friends have shared with me.

If in doubt, ask your trainer. This way you will feel confident about whatever changes you make. Congrats on your amazing loss of 125 pounds!! That's fantastic!!!

jacksonpt

I COMPLETELY disagree with the suggestions to reduce weights and increase cardio.

You say you're gaining, but you make no mention of your diet. A little weight fluctuation is normal, and it's possible that you've gained a little muscle (certainly not 10lbs though)... but if you're talking about 10lbs over 2 months, my guess is it's diet related, not exercise. Changes in weight are, first and foremost, related to caloric intake - too many cals and you gain weight, too few and you lose.

jadedone

I've gained 6 pounds since lifting in Feb. I also do cardio like the elliptical, stairclimber, jogging and haven't lost a pound. I haven't lost much in inches either. Very fraustrating.

I would take pictures and take measurements if I were you. That might be a better way of tracking your weight while you are lifting.

^^^^
This is the best advice to confirm. And also check in on your calorie consumption to see if you are overcompensating.

BigBoneSista

I personally have been trying to stop caring what the scale says. Since January of this year I have only lost somewhere between 1 and 2 pounds, but you would think I have lost 20 the way people have been complimenting me...and it's not just random people who I haven't seen in forever. Some of these people I see every single week and they keep saying things like, "how much more have you lost?" and "you just keep losing and losing!" I just look at them and say, "I haven't lost much more...it's just weight training. Everything is changing!" Though I haven't been gaining like you are, I have pretty much been maintaining even though I still have fat to lose, which I do believe I am doing considering the way my body has changed in 5 months. I've gone down 2 sizes since then as well, with only 2 pounds of weight loss. I hope my rambling makes some sense to you! It is clear that you are losing fat even though you are up on the scale. Find a new way to track your progress, measurements, a certain shirt or pants...Congrats on your success so far!

This!! I'm experiencing the same thing.

OP. We've been programmed to measure our success by the scale. Please do not rely on that evil machine. As others have said. Take your measurements. Keep notice on the way your clothing is fitting. That scale going down doesn't mean anything in the long run because a person could be losing 8 lbs of muscle a month and not fat while thinking they are doing a amazing job according to that wretched machine. But guess what? They are doing just the opposite. If you are noticing a change in your body then you are doing well. More than likely your muscles are retaining water. You will release it soon when your body gets use to the abuse

BigBoneSista

I COMPLETELY disagree with the suggestions to reduce weights and increase cardio.

I agree with this statement. Continue to strength train a minimum of three times a week. Do not over do cardio. You are changing your body composition and burning that fat.

squishycow7

assuming it is indeed muscle... it will burn away your fat more effectively than just cardio.

what you need to ask yourself is what's more important: the number on the scale, or your body composition?

if it's body composition, keep doing what you're doing.

Heidi252

I'm going to recommend the internet book, "Burn the Fat Feed the Muscle" by Tom Venuto. It's a book you buy pdf form from his website. I believe it's about $30 for the latest edition. Best $30 I ever spent. It's the hows, whys, ifs of burning fat. The author is/was a professional body builder so if anyone knows about fat loss it's a professional body builder, right? But it's not written for just body builders/fitnesscompetitors, it's for everyone. It talks about diet, exercize, motivation, lean body mass etc etc.

I didn't carefully read all the posts, so if someone already recommended this, my bad. Good Luck!

ninerbuff

IF your diet has been right and you've stayed on calorie deficit, then I would attribute the gain to water, glycogen and probable lean body weight gain from a little muscle, bone density increase, and just your hormones trying to keep your body anabolic.


A.C.E. Certified Personal and Group Fitness Trainer
IDEA Fitness member
Kickboxing Certified Instructor
Been in fitness for 28+ years and have studied kinesiology and nutrition

dlwyatt82

Take a week off from the weights once every couple of months. You'll probably see a silly amount of weight come off (according to the scale) as your body flushes all the water it decides it doesn't need to recover your muscles.

Heidi252

I am going to add that by taking his advice I went from 30% body fat to 16% at my lowest. I tracked my body fat % and lean muscle to make sure I wasn't losing muscle mass. He talks about that in the book. It took me about 9 months to get that low, but I really started to lose when I (oddly enough) cut my cardio in half and upped the protein grams.

My routine is 3 days of weights - legs, shoulders/ triceps, chest/biceps,back so that every six days I work the same muscle group. I work out heavy too. I do 2 hours of cardio crunched into 1 hr on the weekends.

tigersword

I know that a friend of mine, who is a fitness trainer, recommmended 3 days of strength training alternating with 3 days of cardio. It seems to have worked so far and it gives your muscles a break on cardio days. I just changed up my routine, which also helps, because it causes muscle confusion. Today I my cardio was 5 minutes on the treadmill, then 5 on the elliptical and I just kept alternating every 5 minutes for a total of 60 minutes. That was a butt kicker!! Also, look at your daily caloric intake. Are you eating enough to compensate for your strength training?

So my suggestion would be to look at your calories and see if you've been eating enough to compensate for the strength training and also consider changing up your cardio routines and maybe adding an extra day of cardio. Also, be sure to get your water in. I find that makes a big difference for me too. However, I am not an expert, I am just sharing what works for me, that my supportive friends have shared with me.

If in doubt, ask your trainer. This way you will feel confident about whatever changes you make. Congrats on your amazing loss of 125 pounds!! That's fantastic!!!

There's no such thing as muscle confusion. That's just a marketing gimmick.

strikerjb007

First of all, get a set of calipers. Guessing if you gained some muscles doesn't help and it doesn't tell you the truth.

Next, if you are trying to lose weight, you need to increase your cardio. It seems to me that with that routine, you would (if eating at a surplus) gain muscle but also a lot of fat. You need to track your body fat and determine whether you are getting leaner or fatter. That's it.

Whether you workout 4 or 6 days, you need to alternate weights and cardio. Do not exercise the same muscle groups consecutively.

By alternating weights and cardio, you will be able to lose fat and keep whatever lean muscle mass you have now.

erickirb

Next, if you are trying to lose weight, you need to increase your cardio. It seems to me that with that routine, you would (if eating at a surplus) gain muscle but also a lot of fat. .

Why increase cardio when cardio only allows you to eat more while having the same deficit you can achieve from diet alone?

That is not true even in a surplus cardio does not determine how much fat vs. muscle you add. that comes down to the strength training program you are on, the size of your surplus, and the amount of protein you are getting. Cardio does not have to be part of the equation, and if you do cardio you need to eat more as the energy that would have gone in to building larger muscles would be diverted to cardio activity, meaning your muscle may not get the calories they need to grow.

fdny9943

Thanks everyone. Seems to be a lot of great advice. I may try to shake things up and do 3 days cardio and 3 days weights and see if that has any effect. I do have to eat leaner and cleaner and that does account for some of the gains.

I'm 48 years old and I'm not a little person (6'2" and now 335) but I haven't lifted since high school but I do make big gains when I lift. I have been doing the traditional powerlifting lifts. I have just been really hitting it hard (for me that is) for over an hour at a time with big weights and I can feel the difference in my chest, arms and quads.

I am sure as some of you have said its not 10 pounds of muscle but can you help me out with the water? Why does the muscle hold more water? Is that what is causing the weight gain? I always seem to show the most weight gain after a hard lower body, leg workout.

Thanks for the great advice!

mangohead100

Hi all,

I've had a similar problem. I started a lifestyle overhaul last year that involved working with a personal trainer and a naturopath to overhaul my exercise and eating habits. My weight didn't budge from 142 lb for 8 months but I dropped 2 pant sizes (Hooray!).
For some reason, I suddenly lost 4 pounds in the ninth month and kept them off for another 6 months. I started gaining the weight back about a month ago, so started keeping a food diary again, in addition to adding another cardio day to my workouts (2 cardio, 2 weight training sessions/week). Even then I gained 7 lbs in two weeks, which was weird; it was too much too quickly to be explained by water retention, fat gain, or muscle gain. It's now dropped back down to 142lbs, but I'd like to get back to under 140 lb (I'm 5"5).
My trainer has suggested experimenting with cutting different types of food from my diet to see which is affecting my weight. For example, dropping dairy for two weeks to see if this is the variable causing weight gain. If not, then I add it back in and try dropping nuts. Any other ideas would be great!

jacksonpt

I am sure as some of you have said its not 10 pounds of muscle but can you help me out with the water? Why does the muscle hold more water? Is that what is causing the weight gain? I always seem to show the most weight gain after a hard lower body, leg workout.

When you work out you damage the muscle tissue. Your body increase blood flow to the muscle to protect/repair it.

mes1119

I know it is frustrating, but you need to remember that weight loss is MOSTLY diet, not exercise. So maybe you need to take a look at your intake and adjust some things?

Abells

OPEN YOUR DIARY. you can work out all you want but diet is your key to increasing and decreasing weight
Or friend people that can help you.

Also take photos. Cardio is NOT the only way to lose weight.