Weight gain or slow loss after starting resistance training?

chriscm70

Hi all,

I've been progressing pretty well with my weight loss for the past 6 months, averaging a little over 2 pounds per week. (about 50 pounds) I lost it just by controlling my diet and doing some light cardio 3-4 times a week.
To put this in some context, I'm a male, 5' 9", 42 years old. I started on MFP at 261, now I'm around 210. For most of this time I was eating 1700-1800 calories a day and eating most of my exercise calories back.

So then about a month ago I started resistance training (with a trainer). I've been doing pretty basic beginner routines I think... legs, arms, chest, back, and core exercises... a mix of machines, dumbbells, and body-weight exercises like lunges and push-ups, planks, etc.. I'm basically doing full-body 3x/week. I still do cardio too, including spin class once a week now.


Anyway, a couple of weeks into this I started to notice my scale results changing. Two weeks in I lost 1.6 (ok, still good). Three weeks in I lost 1 (ok, still not bad, I am getting smaller after all).
But then today, about a month in, the scale said I GAINED 0.6. I know this doesn't sound like a big deal and it probably isn't, but it's my first week with ANY gain since I started.

I'm not freaking out (not yet anyway). Actually I measured my waist and was happy to find that it's down an inch from about a month ago.


I guess I'm wondering if anyone else has noticed this, and what happened as you stuck with it and got further along.
The thing is, I still have A LOT of weight/fat to lose, conservatively at least 20-30 pounds.

If I keep at it will I start losing again?

My diet isn't perfect, but it's pretty good. I weigh, measure, and count every single thing I eat, even the bad stuff.
I'm currently aiming for 40/30/30 for macros.
I'm fairly confident from my food numbers alone that I really shouldn't be gaining any weight.
I did recently increase my calories by a few hundred a day because I feel like I'm working a lot harder now. (and I've had a few days recently where I've felt a little light-headed)
I was previously trying to hit 1800, and now I'm shooting for around 2100. 2100 should still be well below my TDEE. (which I believe, from various calculators, to be somewhere in the range of 2600-3100)


Some questions I have...
Is this weight gain possibly muscle, because I'm a "newbie"? Many seem to say that this ISN'T possible and others say it is, especially when you first start out.
If it is muscle, how much is normally gained early on? (If you've done your BF% right before and during, what were the results compared to your weight?)
Or, is this just water retention as my muscles heal themselves after being surprised that they're actually being used? If so, does that eventually pass so I start losing again?
Or, is it a little bit of both, combined with upping my calories?
Or something else??


I like lifting and will keep at it. I feel stronger and I like that. It's just frustrating to not see that loss!

I'd be interested in hearing what you think and what your experiences were when you started out.
Thanks for any feedback and support :-)
Chris

trelm249

My weight loss did slow after I added strength training. I went from losing 4 to 5 pounds a month to losing about 2 pounds a month. There are some weeks when I actually gain a pound.

It doesn't freak me out. My body composition continues to improve. I have still lost 40 pounds in the past year. In that time I have gained about 6 pounds of muscle on a deficit. My waist keeps getting smaller. I feel and look better and am far more fit.

So I keep doing cardio 2 days a week, and I lift 3 days a week. It is working.

MrsBully4

My weight loss slowed after I started weight training, but I started losing rolls and my double chin instead of just shrinking overall.

mmapags

Some small part of it may be newbie muscle gain but the rest is probably water and glycogen. A couple of other things to note with begining strength training. It affects lots of things in a positive way. It improves muscle density (with your existing muscle tissue). It improves bone density. It has a whole bunch of positive hormonal effects. Initially that can appear to slow done weight loss but as you've seen, inches can continue to go down and that means fat loss. I'll take not losing weight but losing fat all day long.

Congrats on your progress so far!! Great going!! You are on the right track with the strength training. Stay the course!

chriscm70

Thanks!