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.


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