Trying to understand

What kind of cardio are you doing? I trained for a half-marathon last semester and my pants got tighter- probably because I was working my quads out so much. I think how you feel is really important. If you feel energized and stronger, that's really important right?

Also, if you were also changing your diet- I added more fruits and vegetables and since this was effectively more carbs, my body retained some more water until it got used to it... but that was only temporary for a week or so.

If you are looking to get concrete feedback on your progress though, I would recommend getting your body fat measured regularly! My gym does it for next to nothing every month.

If you aren't eating more calories than usual, and started working out, I doubt you're gaining fat. It's pretty much impossible. Sometimes when people start working out they retain a lot of water.

If you don't have much fat to lose, ditch the cardio and start strength training. You'll be happier with the way you look in the end.

Verify that you are not eating more calories than your TDEE (Total Daily Energy Expendature, which is your BMR+plus active calories needed) and stick with the workouts. Read the article posted below and stick with it...temporary weight gain and swelling is normal when you start a new workout routine... but your nutrition still has to be correct..

Why the Scale Goes Up When You Start a New Workout Plan
By Chalene Johnson

Probably the most common question I get when I release a new exercise program is, "Help! I'm gaining weight! Am I doing something wrong?" This is a common phenomenon with any new exercise program, such as Turbo Kick, Turbo Jam, Hip Hop Hustle, or others! It's especially common (and temporary) with intense strength training programs like ChaLEAN Extreme or Tony Horton's P90X.

The motivation to start a new exercise program is almost always to lose weight. However, what most personal trainers know--and most at-home exercisers do not--is that a new exercise program often can cause an immediate (and temporary) increase on the scale. (Notice I didn't say weight gain! I'll explain.) This common increase in the scale is also the reason why perhaps millions of people start and then quickly quit their resolution to get fit.

The temporary weight gain explained:
When someone starts a new exercise program, they often experience muscle soreness. The more intense and "unfamiliar" the program, the more intense the muscle soreness. This soreness is most prevalent 24 to 48 hours after each workout. In the first few weeks of a new program, soreness is the body trying to "protect and defend" the effected or targeted tissue. Exercise physiologists refer to this as delayed-onset muscle soreness, or DOMS.

This type of soreness is thought to be caused by tissue breakdown or microscopic tears in muscle tissue. When this happens, the body protects the tissue. The muscle becomes inflamed and slightly swollen due to fluid retention. This temporary retention of fluid can result in a 3- to 4-pound weight gain within a few weeks of a new program. Keep in mind that muscle soreness is not necessarily a reflection of how hard you worked. In fact, some people feel no signs of muscle soreness, yet will experience the muscle protection mechanisms of water retention and slight swelling.

Most people are motivated enough to put up with this temporary muscle soreness. Yet, many, especially those who really need immediate weight loss to keep them motivated, become discouraged and quit!

When I worked with a group of 70 test participants during the development stages of ChaLEAN Extreme, this happened. Who was the most upset and discouraged? You guessed it... the women! I'm happy to report absolutely for every single woman (and man) in our group, the weight increase was temporary and never lasted more than two weeks before they started to see a major drop in the scale. However, these people had the advantage of working with someone who was able to explain to them why this was happening and assure them the weight would come off if they stuck to the nutrition plan and stayed true to the program.

If you follow a multi-phase exercise plan, such as ChaLEAN Extreme, keep in mind that when you start each phase, your body will be "in shock" again. Don't be surprised or discouraged if you experience a temporary gain on the scale the first week of each phase.

My own personal example of this is running 10Ks. I don't do it very often, maybe once or twice a year. Even though I run on a regular basis, when you run a race, you push much harder. It's natural for me to be insanely sore the next day. It’s also very common for me to see the scale jump 4 pounds the next day from forcing fluids post race and the resulting DOMS. Even though I know the cause of it, it's still a bummer. We're all human and hard work should mean results. Hard work equals results, but our bodies are amazing machines and they know how to protect us from hurting ourselves. Soreness forces you to give those muscles a break. Ultimately you will lose the weight and you will change your metabolism in the process.

The key is understanding that this is a normal and temporary and stick with the program!

start lifting more along with some cardio.

I have been going at it for about a month and a half and I already lost 2.5inches off my hips and 1.5inches off my waist.

you can do it, it takes time.

If you aren't eating more calories than usual, and started working out, I doubt you're gaining fat. It's pretty much impossible. Sometimes when people start working out they retain a lot of water.

If you don't have much fat to lose, ditch the cardio and start strength training. You'll be happier with the way you look in the end.

^^ This - Strength train to lose fat.

Cardio is great for burning calories & building endurance ....... you said yourself that you are not looking to lose that much.

The fastest way to lose inches is strength training..... right now (close to goal) .... you should focus on inches not pounds. The scale lies anyway..... get a tape measure.