I'm confused...

Living_Barefoot

So I recently started incorporating strength training into my work outs (yay!!) and upped my calories from 1200 to 1300 a few weeks ago with plans to get to 1350 soon but within the past 3 weeks I've gone from 146-149 and stuck whereas before my plateau was 146 for two months which royally sucks. Anyway since adding strength and upping my calories I've gained an inch in my waist and an in around my belly button which sucks EVEN MORE!! I though strength would help shrink my inches not add to them I don't get it, before I was a cardio queen and it was working until my plateau. So any ideas on what's happening? I'm not very happy with this recent development, not like it's going to slow me down, but I am just so so confused.

Any insight would be SUPER helpful Thanks!

Living_Barefoot

bump?

cjv428

I have no idea, but maybe try asking in the exercise forum? I'm really curious about this as well!

gseburn

Strength training does not shrink anything, it develops muscle. Controlling calories helps burn fat and thus reduce the "Size" of things.. But, if you waist is getting larger, it is likely fat storage? Have you taken othe measurements - arms, legs etc. How are they doing?

Living_Barefoot

Strength training does not shrink anything, it develops muscle. Controlling calories helps burn fat and thus reduce the "Size" of things.. But, if you waist is getting larger, it is likely fat storage? Have you taken othe measurements - arms, legs etc. How are they doing?

I know it develops muscle, I'm terrible with wording things it normally comes out in gibberish lol. I took measurements of my legs and arms at the beginning (last year) haven't really kept up with it...my bad :grumble:

gradrun

well, a lot of people gain some amount of weight when they first start to incorporate strength and weight training in their workouts. The number itself would not concern me if I were you. But the change in measurements would make me take a second look at a couple of things. Before everything else, are you sure that you are not just bloated or something due to being those days of the month or you have eaten too much salt for some days in a row? If not, are your workouts as challenging as they are supposed to be? I mean do you lift to your capacity or are you choosing too low weights? Personally, I don't think that the amount of calories is the problem, if nothing else they might be too low, but the type of calories might be. I took a look at your diary and it looks like you do not eat enough protein, that your diet is almost exclusively based on carbs and that you rely on processed foods. If you tried more greens and vegetables instead of only fruit, more lean meats and protein, less processed whole grains, in conjunction with your workouts and strength training, might just be the jumpstart your metabolism needs to get rid of your plateau.

Living_Barefoot

well, a lot of people gain some amount of weight when they first start to incorporate strength and weight training in their workouts. The number itself would not concern me if I were you. But the change in measurements would make me take a second look at a couple of things. Before everything else, are you sure that you are not just bloated or something due to being those days of the month or you have eaten too much salt for some days in a row? If not, are your workouts as challenging as they are supposed to be? I mean do you lift to your capacity or are you choosing too low weights? Personally, I don't think that the amount of calories is the problem, if nothing else they might be too low, but the type of calories might be. I took a look at your diary and it looks like you do not eat enough protein, that your diet is almost exclusively based on carbs and that you rely on processed foods. If you tried more greens and vegetables instead of only fruit, more lean meats and protein, less processed whole grains, in conjunction with your workouts and strength training, might just be the jumpstart your metabolism needs to get rid of your plateau.

Thank-you!

sapalee

all great advice ^^^ I'd also look at your sleep and stress levels, not enough sleep and high stress in addition to strenuous exercise can up cortisol and the "tire"

Kenzietea2

How recent? Your muscles swell and retain water for repair when you lift, especially when you are new to it. Definitely keep up the strength training! You won't regret it long term.

RmYWarrioR

Keep in mind that muscle tissue has about twice the density of fat tissue. If you are strength training alone that could be a reason that you gained inches back as well. Strength training alone will not burn enough calories to effectively induce good weight loss. You need to do quality cardio work if you are wanting to continue to trim and lose the fat. Do not necessarily look at the numbers on the scale if you are losing inches and toning while strength training. Always watch sodium intake and remember those frozen healthy meals are not always so healthy.

jnh17

How recent? Your muscles swell and retain water for repair when you lift, especially when you are new to it. Definitely keep up the strength training! You won't regret it long term.

Ditto, and if you're wanting the benefits of weight lifting to show, you better get some protein. I'm not sure how much you weigh but at LEAST 100g a day. A protein shake is a great start.

zsaoosh

OK I lost 17 lbs eating better and working out but started weight lifting about 2 months ago...thats when I stopped loosing weight. WELL I just went down another pound after those 2 months today because I stopped counting and just listoned to my body. I eat when I am hungry and dont eat when I am not. I know what to eat and not to eat now so I know I cant be doing too bad. I am going to stick to listoning to my body from now on. Good luck to you!

wareagle8706

So how long have you been weight training now?

Weight training might make you gain "weight" but it's not going to be fat, so when it comes to weight training you might have to ignore that scale and start checking body fat percentages. I weight 125 but at 5'1'' the "ideal weight" for someone my height is 115 or so according to calculators. But I'm 18.6% body fat. I will never be 115 again unless I lose muscle mass which I don't want to do.

I tried 1200 calories for about 10 consecutive months. I lost from 127 down to 119 but my inches didn't budge one bit. And that was because I lost muscle mass, not fat. All I was doing was cardio, no weights. My body fat percentage went up (to around 20%) even though I lost that weight. That isn't a good thing.

I started weight training again and my scale hasn't budged from 124.5 to 125 and yet I look more toned. My waist is still at 26.5 to 27 but it's flat and toned.

I'm just giving you some of my results so you can get an idea of what my happen when you incorporate weight lifting when all you've generally done is cardio. Try checking your body fat. Keep up the weight training checking your body fat % regularly (once every 2-4 weeks) and see what kind of results you get. Don't give up on weights yet! It takes a long time to see results but they're worth it, I promise!!

wareagle8706

OK I lost 17 lbs eating better and working out but started weight lifting about 2 months ago...thats when I stopped loosing weight. WELL I just went down another pound after those 2 months today because I stopped counting and just listoned to my body. I eat when I am hungry and dont eat when I am not. I know what to eat and not to eat now so I know I cant be doing too bad. I am going to stick to listoning to my body from now on. Good luck to you!

Sounds like a really good plan. Good for you!! I'm trying to figure out the "I'm hungy" vs. "that cake looks good" hahaha. I'm doing pretty well at it!

janeite1990

You have a really interesting food diary. You have some good fruits and veggies, but definitely not enough clean protein. Look for fish, chicken breasts, and lean meats.

You have nice - and - honestly logged your oopsie foods: 400+ calories on Twizzlers! Hey, we all need a break and something that tastes nice and indulgent now and then. The leaner you want to be, the more you'll have to watch those, though. Maybe try to keep those treats closer to 100 calories?

Living_Barefoot

Thank-you all so much! I have to admit I haven't eaten beef in over 4 years and buying quality foods on a tight student budget is hard but I'll definitely be trying to add lean protein to it. And I actually haven't been sleeping because I've had exams a few weeks ago and I'm graduating in 3 weeks so life has been stressful.
I was actually in the middle of slurping a delicious frozen coffee beverage loaded with unhealthy calories when I saw all the replies and I stopped. So once again, thank you!!