started high intensity fitness regime - GAINED WEIGHT!

water retention

Esq88,

I'd like to help you. I'm not a fitness expert, but I can see that you're frustrated with the answers you're getting. I don't know whether or not the glycogen is permanent; I'll leave that answer to other MFPers, your coach/gym teacher/personal trainer, or Google. I think the reason you're getting these replies is that people can't figure out your motivation for losing five (now 10) pounds. Are you interested in a career or activity where you specifically need to be below a certain weight? It's none of our business anyway...but it's why people can't understand why someone who says she looks better still needs to lose that weight. It may seem to some like the problem is not your weight, but your view of yourself, which I've also seen in some of the replies; if you're already at a healthy weight, it'll probably be more difficult for others to understand why you want to lose this weight (which, again, isn't their business 'cause it's not their body).

My suggestion to you is to drink more water. If it is some variety of water weight, then drinking water should help. The other thing is, try eating a little more for a few days. Stay under your Basal Metabolic Rate so that you don't gain weight (to find your BMR, look under the "TOOLS" tab in MFP), but increase your calories some. I know this seems like the last thing you'd want to do, but there are two reasons I say this: (1) the body gets used to what we do to it. If you do the same workout and eat the same amount of calories all the time, your body adjusts to living that way, and stops losing weight. To "confuse" your body, you can try eating extra calories for a little bit (so that your body gets used to eating more), and then drop your calorie count again so that it knows to lose weight. (2) It's possible that you're not eating enough and you're slowing your metabolism down. I know muscle burns more calories than fat, but if you're not eating enough, your body is going to do its best to stay at its current weight.

If you want some straight, accurate answers, you should try talking to a personal trainer, or better yet, a dietician. My research online can't compare to years of specialized classes. Also, if you want, you're welcome to add me!

im 5'7 i weighed 125 and since i started weight training went up to 129-130
i want to be 120

Again why would 120 matter if you look and have the body you want?

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

Seriously, you need to ignore your scales. It's just a unit of weight. It reflects very little about the appearance of your figure at your stage. I understand that it's ingrained in us to worry about the numbers but when your lifting it's just not helpful.

Esq88,

I'd like to help you. I'm not a fitness expert, but I can see that you're frustrated with the answers you're getting. I don't know whether or not the glycogen is permanent; I'll leave that answer to other MFPers, your coach/gym teacher/personal trainer, or Google. I think the reason you're getting these replies is that people can't figure out your motivation for losing five (now 10) pounds. Are you interested in a career or activity where you specifically need to be below a certain weight? It's none of our business anyway...but it's why people can't understand why someone who says she looks better still needs to lose that weight. It may seem to some like the problem is not your weight, but your view of yourself, which I've also seen in some of the replies; if you're already at a healthy weight, it'll probably be more difficult for others to understand why you want to lose this weight (which, again, isn't their business 'cause it's not their body).

My suggestion to you is to drink more water. If it is some variety of water weight, then drinking water should help. The other thing is, try eating a little more for a few days. Stay under your Basal Metabolic Rate so that you don't gain weight (to find your BMR, look under the "TOOLS" tab in MFP), but increase your calories some. I know this seems like the last thing you'd want to do, but there are two reasons I say this: (1) the body gets used to what we do to it. If you do the same workout and eat the same amount of calories all the time, your body adjusts to living that way, and stops losing weight. To "confuse" your body, you can try eating extra calories for a little bit (so that your body gets used to eating more), and then drop your calorie count again so that it knows to lose weight. (2) It's possible that you're not eating enough and you're slowing your metabolism down. I know muscle burns more calories than fat, but if you're not eating enough, your body is going to do its best to stay at its current weight.

If you want some straight, accurate answers, you should try talking to a personal trainer, or better yet, a dietician. My research online can't compare to years of specialized classes. Also, if you want, you're welcome to add me!

thank you for that!

No! Jesus.

OP -Do your own experiment. Put the weights down for a while and hit the treadmill/elliptical machine. Take lots of pictures from today on. After you lose the 10lbs see if you like your body better that way. If you do, win. If not, maybe you can live with the water weight for a tighter body from lifting. Good luck!

So why exactly do you think you *should* weigh 120...or *want* that?

i dont mean to be rude but the "reason" i want to be 120 is IRRELEVANT. that is just the goal i set for myself.
Reading through everyones replies i now understand im focusing on the wrong thing and that i could have very well lost fat while gaining "weight"

i guess ill stay more focused on my measurements then the scale (although i doubt ill be able to give it up)

Well, i wish you well. 120 is pretty underweight for your height. You probably look much better than you realize right now at your current weight. Its just a number

I weigh 182 in this picture. I am 5'11". I dont think I look that weight, and I believe its due to the weight training.

If you're losing inches while you're scale weight is going up, you've discovered the Holy Grail of fitness.

but for a 20 something girl whos just trying to tone out her arms legs and abs its not the goal to see the scale go up

Ok. If you are really interested and serious about lifting, please do yourself a favor and read "New Rules of Lifting for Women." The author does an amazing job of explaining why scale weight isn't a big deal, and how lifting works and benefits you. You cannot really "tone" muscle without actually building some muscle. If you gain muscle THE SCALE WILL GO UP. That DOESN'T mean you haven't lost your 5lbs of fat.


Think of it this way, for an example:

Let's say someone starts out at 135 lbs with the goal of "getting leaner and building muscle" (i.e.: Losing fat and looking more toned). She LOSES 5 pounds of fat, but GAINS 10 pounds of muscle (Obviously over time; this wouldn't happen quickly at all for a woman, but this is for example purposes). The scale is going to say she weighs 140. But she actually has 5 pounds LESS fat on her body than she did before.

You are way, way too caught up on what that scale says. Have your body fat measured.

can you please link me to this article?

It's actually a book: http://www.thenewrulesoflifting.com/nrol-for-women

There is a group on MFP, as well. I really, really recommend this book.

ADDITIONALLY,

i wanted to lose the last 5 lbs before i started 4 weeks ago. (now that im 5 lbs up from that im trying to lose 10 lbs total) how do i lose that weight + keep getting lean muscles

This! Me too! I tried going by measurments, but it's all over the place. Waist and hips, smaller, bicep and calf, bigger...grrrr

Use a site like this - http://www.scientificpsychic.com/fitness/diet.html - to calculate an estimate of your body fat percentage. It's not exact science or anything, but it will put you in the ball park.

For me, at 134 pounds and approximately 20% body fat, I have about 107 pounds of lean mass. That's my bones, organs, muscle, etc. That means I have 27 pounds of fat.

Ideally, you want to keep as much lean mass as possible if you lose weight. Some loss is inevitable. Let's say I wanted to get to 120 pounds. If I kept all or most of my lean mass, I'd have to have around 10% body fat at 120 pounds. That's not sustainable or healthy. I can't weight 120 pounds now without losing muscle. And I worked too damn hard for this to lose it.

On the other hand, about 10 years ago, I had a jaw joint problem and couldn't eat normally, and lost a lot of weight. I was only about 120 pounds then. I also didn't have as much muscle then, and lost more of it in the process. Any article of clothing I have from that time period fits me now at 134 lbs.

I'm about 15 pounds heavier, and the same exact same frickin' size. But much better shaped and less jiggley.