Working out but gaining weight

bynonmurrayc

Hi everyone, just wondering if you guys have ever experienced similar problems as me... I would like to preface this post with the fact I use the same scale to weigh in. I am 5'3 in height.

I used to be a highly competitive gymnast, i never looked at the scale always looked incredibly in shape. I had to quit before university but went to the gym almost 6 days a week and ran a minimum of 30 minutes every time. My weight always stayed around 125. Then in 4th year it spiked up to 131 due to the business program I was enrolled in and the fact I wasn't going to the gym as frequently and was not conscious of the food i was eating. I still looked okay but decided to start ripping it at the gym and got down to 121 mainly by an extreme amount of running doing around 8kilometres a day under 50 minutes.

Over the summer it creeped back up to 131 so I got a personal trainer. I've been working out like a maniac for 3 months with this trainer, doing weight training. I've also cut down on my running because my trainer said running is a waste of time for the most part so I usually just warm up for max. 20 mins on the treadmill and focus my workouts on weight training.

I am a very healthy eater. I don't eat gluten of any kind, don't drink alcohol very often and essentially all of my meals are a salad wiith some form of protien. The worst thing I eat is the maple syrup i put in my coffee to sweeten it. I know my metabolism isn't that fast, so i really do need to eat around 1200 calories a day even when working out, so I guess sometimes its possible I eat too much.

point of the story I WEIGHED IN THIS MORNING AT 137.5! I can't believe it! I don't know why my weight is so high, I honestly feel like i look a lot better but how can you look better when you weigh significantly higher?!?!

I guess my question is how much more does muscle really weigh than fat? I find it incredibly hard to believe I've gained 6.5 pounds of muscle, especially being a girl.

Let me know if you guys have experiened this, and if that's even possible to put on that much muscle.

AliMariesDad

Welcome.
I experienced the same thing. My trainer told me that running is better for keeping the weight down - that lifting weights tones the body, but builds more muscle mass which weighs more. So if you lift a lot, you'll gain a little weight, but still look great. Weight-lifting doesn't help with losing weight as much as cardio-exercise does.
Good luck!
Feel free to add me as a friend if you want support and encouragement.

bushidowoman

The scale can LIE! I use it as *one* tool to evaluate my health, but I put more emphasis on measurements, the fit of my clothes, and the way I look in photographs (because the mirror can lie, too. )
If you feel you look better (and feel better, right?) when working out...don't worry too much about the numbers on the scale. Nobody else can see those.

ninerbuff

Hi everyone, just wondering if you guys have ever experienced similar problems as me... I would like to preface this post with the fact I use the same scale to weigh in. I am 5'3 in height.

I used to be a highly competitive gymnast, i never looked at the scale always looked incredibly in shape. I had to quit before university but went to the gym almost 6 days a week and ran a minimum of 30 minutes every time. My weight always stayed around 125. Then in 4th year it spiked up to 131 due to the business program I was enrolled in and the fact I wasn't going to the gym as frequently and was not conscious of the food i was eating. I still looked okay but decided to start ripping it at the gym and got down to 121 mainly by an extreme amount of running doing around 8kilometres a day under 50 minutes.

Over the summer it creeped back up to 131 so I got a personal trainer. I've been working out like a maniac for 3 months with this trainer, doing weight training. I've also cut down on my running because my trainer said running is a waste of time for the most part so I usually just warm up for max. 20 mins on the treadmill and focus my workouts on weight training.

I am a very healthy eater. I don't eat gluten of any kind, don't drink alcohol very often and essentially all of my meals are a salad wiith some form of protien. The worst thing I eat is the maple syrup i put in my coffee to sweeten it. I know my metabolism isn't that fast, so i really do need to eat around 1200 calories a day even when working out, so I guess sometimes its possible I eat too much.

point of the story I WEIGHED IN THIS MORNING AT 137.5! I can't believe it! I don't know why my weight is so high, I honestly feel like i look a lot better but how can you look better when you weigh significantly higher?!?!

I guess my question is how much more does muscle really weigh than fat? I find it incredibly hard to believe I've gained 6.5 pounds of muscle, especially being a girl.

Let me know if you guys have experiened this, and if that's even possible to put on that much muscle.

One of the few people who can actually put on muscle while on a calorie deficit are FORMER competitive athletes returning to exercise after a long lay off.
Look at this logically: if you look the way you want to look, fit the clothes you want to fit and aren't starving doing it, then why worry about what a scale says about weight?

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

fbmandy55

Don't worry about a number on the scale. How you feel and how your clothes fit is a better way to judge your progress!

suenewberry81

Cardio workouts only burn calories while your doing it, weights burn calories upto 48hrs after you've done them, maybe you need to eat more, your body needs the right amount of fuel to burn fat, so up your food on the days you workout drink lots of water and see how you go, good luck

bynonmurrayc

It's INCREDIBLY discouraging. Especially on this website where I have to track my progress. Thanks everyone. I guess i know my body type, and if i actually want to shed pounds i have to do an INSANE amount of cardio on a daily basis. I've never weighed this much in my life it's so crazy! Do you think I should start tracking my progress based on inches vs pounds?

fablevins

Yeah, I would be upset if the numbers on the scale were going up too, but if you are able to wear a smaller size then that is something to be happy about. I'm not sure why your trainer woud tell you that running is a waste of time. Cardio is important for more than just weight loss. Maybe you should look into getting a new trainer or at least try adding in more cardio for a week and see what happens. Good luck!

jennjay523

Exactly!!!! Quit looking at the scale!!!

HOT_ROD

Muscle weighs more than fat does. So if you're trying to lose weight, weight training is not the answer. Lots of cardio with minimal weight training to sculpt the body and keep your weight down. However having a toned body and looking healthy should be the goal. No matter what the scale says! You're looking good, so keep up the good work!

Phenoxyethanol

I too used to get very frustrated looking at the scales, but then I invested in ones that tell you your body fat percentage instead. Now, even though I am still trying to lose weight, body fat loss is my goal. It's a shame this system won't let you track it.
As others have said, it's how you feel, more than what you weigh.

Regards

Bob

suenewberry81

I worry what the scales say until someone sent me 2 photos one girl was 125lbs the other was 138lbs the heavier one was the smallest because she was more toned, measure yourself don't weigh

bynonmurrayc

Yah I NEED one of those body fat percentage scales. That's ACTUAL progress. Where can you get one of those? I'll just die if it tells me I increased.

rileysowner

First of all, if you are getting smaller, that is all anyone sees. No one knows the number on the scale except for you. Secondly, weight gain can happen for a bunch of reasons that have nothing to do with adding fat. The most common one is water retention. This is especially true if you are doing a new exercise program or ramp up the intensity of your program as you can read about here http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/200544-why-do-you-sometimes-gain-weight-when-starting-a-new-exercis This is yet another reason scales are not a good measure of success, even though this site focuses on the scale (too much in my opinion).

Third you need to look at what happens when a woman lifts heavy weights. Check out this http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/712335-ruined-my-body-lifting-heavy-sadly-with-pics or this http://www.nerdfitness.com/blog/2011/07/21/meet-staci-your-new-powerlifting-super-hero/

Weight is really not that important. Instead you want to focus on body recomposition which is what your personal trainer is attempted to achieve with you. Stay the course as use a measuring tape instead (chest, waist, hips at the very least).

hiddenaudacity

You can get body fat % scales anywhere, just check the box. Tanita is the best brand imho.

Also, your personal trainer sounds a little dodgy to me...

AlyK47

Hey, don't worry about it! Muscle is heavier than fat, so if you've been working out and you're looking better than before, it just means that you've become more toned and gained muscle!

phoennix3

Hello there!... To answer your questions directly. Muscle weighs twice as much as fat. The heavier the weights at a low rep increases muscle mass. The lighter the resistance at a faster pace increases muscle tone. If you want to lose weight, you would have to be mindful of these facts. Try adding swimming and cycling to your exercise regime. These are both low impact, and will give great tone without causing damage to joints, and will mean that muscle mass will be minimised.

donuts08

When i first started training i was 54kg and wanted to lose weight i started training weights and ended up putting on 5kg muscle weighs more so throw scales away and just keep training hard.

nithinmuktesh83

Buy yourself a good body composition machine. Omron or Tanita. they are not that expensive. You seem to have just added more muscle to your body...

yasminara

It's okay! One, it could be temporary, you could be building muscle and not losing fat right now, but as you continue you will drop the fat soon. Second, that trainer should be telling you to mix cardio in....like your hard cardio 3 times a week. I don't know why he/she isn't. But don't worry---it's not about numbers, it's all about how you look in the mirror!

leonghk12

The mirror is the best gauge! also could it be due to water weight? If u really wanna use the scale then do u weigh in at consistent timings of the day? Like in the morning before breakfast is a good time IMO.