How did building muscle effect your weight?

I never weigh when lifting, inches are what I look at.

throw out your scale with constant fluctuations even more pronounced with lifting, it's useless.
use measuring tape.

I think that would drive me nuts. I've gotten so used to being proud of how many pounds I've lost. And not knowing...UGH!

I am lifting. I still weigh myself, but I do measurements too. I like to see ALL the numbers, even if the scale is inaccurate and doing weird fluctuations from lifting. haha
I know everyone says to chuck the scale, but I can't do that yet. Plus it's a pretty orange color.

If you are serious about bulking (building muscle) you would want to increase your weights, increase your calories/day and decrease the cardio

What you're doing now is more weight loss orientated.

If you want to bulk, check out mark rippletoe's "starting strength" or his sections on bodybuilding.com.

EDIT: I should say check out sections devoted to his type of programs, it's a beginners bulking program.

throw out your scale with constant fluctuations even more pronounced with lifting, it's useless.
use measuring tape.

I think that would drive me nuts. I've gotten so used to being proud of how many pounds I've lost. And not knowing...UGH!

Then do both, but a measuring tape should be part of the equation. Every month or so I measure around both arms at the biceps, waist at the belly button, hips, and both thighs.

Sometimes when your weight hasn't changed, your body composition has and those measurements will change. It helps keep you focused on the bigger picture and not solely your weight, which is counterproductive.

If you gain a pound next week but it's because you lost a pound of fat and added two of muscle, that is not a bad thing!

If you are serious about bulking (building muscle) you would want to increase your weights, increase your calories/day and decrease the cardio

What you're doing now is more weight loss orientated.

If you want to bulk, check out mark rippletoe's "starting strength" or his sections on bodybuilding.com.

I don't want to bulk. I want to lose weight and tone.

It's almost impossible for a woman to get bulky. You just don't have the mix of hormones that men do that lead to us gaining muscle.

And there is no such thing as "getting toned." You are either gaining muscle or losing it. there is no in-between.

the scale is completely unnecessary to check your progress so far, and if anything it will emotionally derail you.
I'm almost always up by 2-5 pounds in water weight. I try to only weigh myself after 2 consecutive rest days when I also
feel 'flat'. this is a term body builders use meaning when you feel completely unbloated and you're not retaining water at all.
Very often we are retaining water, especially as beginners.so weighing more often than once or twice a month is just
torturing yourself. i was very used to my own fluctuations before lifting, but if i do it too often, it messes me up too.

Instead, measure your progress by how your progress is going with your program.
consistent training? rest? nutrition? meeting all your macos and calorie goals? are you still increasing strength?
stalls? how do you FEEL?

these are much better indicators in the short term how you are doing and what to improve on.


your goal should be to make linear progress without getting injured or sick as long as possible.
if your weights are still going up, your nutrition and rest is on point, then eventually the tape measure will move too.


it also sounds like you're doing way too much cardio. if this is a heavy lifting program, you need to limit your cardio
to 2 days. You need days in your schedule that are just rest days. if you must exercise everyday, make some of it walking or light exercise. REMEMBER, losing fat is NOT about burning lots of calories in our workout. what we burn in the cardio workout is a shadow of what we actually burn throughout the day from muscle, or the calories we eat.

rest is important. muscle is rebuilt on rest days. with the right recovery, your lifting and any other workouts will be better than ever, and you'll appreciate them more. More is not better. Focus on being effective. Sustainable.

My weight loss has gone flat since I started lifting - I've lost some inches, but I now fit a size smaller than before and I really do feel muscles where I once didn't (thighs and even abs - OMG, I have abs O_O was quite a shock).

Everyone keeps telling me to STOP the lifting and loose more weight first and as of now, I've ignored them. I do understand than to loose I need a deficit, to gain I need a surplus. So I've been keeping my calories lower and added more cardio.... but I'm NOT STOPPING LIFTING

thats what I am aiming for too, to shift the fat that is sat on top of my muscles... I am doing small amounts of resistance to help build muscle to help with the fat burning process, when I am happy that I have lost the fat gained from my meds, then I will bury my scale in the cupboard and start training properly...
today I was tiold the difference could be seen but according to my scale I have lost absolutely nothing...
persevere, you will get there but do not rely on the scale, like the others have said, rely on what the tape says