JUST STARTED LIFTING WEIGHTS

It's very normal to show gains on the scale in the first weeks of a new lifting program. Your muscles retain water as they repair, and that's most of what the added weight is.

I am also hungrier after lifting. Make sure you're getting plenty of protein (1 g per lb LBM is a good guideline, so for you probably 100-120 g daily), it helps your muscles repair as well as sating that hunger. But carbs aren't bad either (although it would be better to go with fruit, grains, etc than candy!) Eat at maintenance of a very slight deficit for a little while, then you can see how you need to adjust things.

Lifting is AWESOME!!

Are you still eating at a caloric deficit? If so, then most of the gains and size changes can simply be attributed to water being stored in your muscles as they repair (and also to normal weight fluctuations). The hunger is definitely par for the course - you may actually find that the lifting allows you to eat a little more than usual (this was the case for me). If you're still at a caloric deficit (and confident about that - weighing/measuring food etc.) then you're pretty much just dealing with water. Totally untrained/new lifters can can a lb or two of muscle initially, but that's about it unless they're bulking (eating above maintenance). If your eating is in check, I wouldn't panic just yet Give your body a couple of weeks to settle down (but don't be surprised if you see small temporary increases on the scale the day after lifting - again with the water retention).

It's very normal to show gains on the scale in the first weeks of a new lifting program. Your muscles retain water as they repair, and that's most of what the added weight is.

I am also hungrier after lifting. Make sure you're getting plenty of protein (1 g per lb LBM is a good guideline, so for you probably 100-120 g daily), it helps your muscles repair as well as sating that hunger. But carbs aren't bad either (although it would be better to go with fruit, grains, etc than candy!) Eat at maintenance of a very slight deficit for a little while, then you can see how you need to adjust things.

Lifting is AWESOME!!

This. It's unlikely that you're gaining much muscle mass. That takes time and normally a calorie surplus. In the beginning, gains in strength are due to other things (training your neurons to recruit muscle more efficiently and so forth).

So yah, the weight gain is most likely water retention due to swelling in the muscle tissue because the micro-tears in the muscle.

OP- if your clothes fit then ditch the scale and pay more attention to your body changes. Take progress photos, the scale is not always a good judge of progress

Muscle weighs more than fat.

No, :grumble:

a pound is a pound, a pound of muscle weighs the same as a pound of fat. Muscle takes up less space, but still weighs a pound

A cubic inch of muscle takes up the same space as a cubic inch of fat.

If you just started lifting, your muscles are retaining more water for repair which is normal. You have increased your activity level by incorporating lifting...so yeah...being hungrier goes with the territory. To boot, your muscles require more fuel to repair themselves so you burn more calories at rest which in turn makes you hungrier.

If you are in a calorie deficit, you cannot build muscle. When people say they're muscles look bigger, it is largely the result of the "pump" which is attributable to the water retention I mentioned above. Also, overall fat reduction reveals the muscle underneath...so a lot of people think their muscle is growing when in reality, they're just cutting fat.

It is extremely difficult to build muscle...a male with good genetics and a spot on bodybuilding diet (surplus) and strict routine might be able to put on a pound or so of muscle per month...it is even harder for women because you don't have the testosterone necessary to build muscle like that...and it is impossible if you are in a calorie deficit (save for minimal noob gains if you're extremely large to begin with).

What program are you doing? If you're just doing your own thing, I would strongly advise you to get on an actual program to reap the most benefits from the time you're putting into this. It takes a lot of knowledge and experience to put together your own routine with proper programming.

I am a 5'7" female and I usually weigh between 134-145 pounds. At my lowest this past summer, I was 134 pounds. I run several days a week, and I just started lifting weights last month. I am serious about it, and I really want to continue. I have already upped in weights and I have noticed that my arms have become bigger. I have noticed that I am gaining some weight. I also get more hungry. Are these things normal? Yesterday I weighed 144 pounds. My clothes still fit the same, but, on some level, I feel like I am going backward! It makes me a little nervous. I know that a few pounds are attributed to my normal winter weight gain (no matter what I do, I seem to gain a smidge of weight every winter, and then it just falls off in the summer, which is probably because I am more active in the summer.) Basically, I just want to know if it is normal to gain some weight and feel more hungry when adding in weight training.

If you "JUST" started lifting chances are it is water being retained in the muscle for repairs...no worries.

It will go away...in 2-3 weeks...

As well unless you are eating a surplus chances are it's not muscle gain...noob gains can happen but not big amounts.

As for the hunger yah that happens...make sure you are eating enough protien and you wont find yourself being as hungry. I just added in HIIT to my weight lifting this week and thought I was gonna have to buy a grocery store I've been so hungry..it is calming down now...but I have upped my protien this week trying to get in an extra 20g last night.

If you gain muscle, you may gain weight.

Muscle weighs more than fat.

In summer I lost 2-3kg of fat, but then ended up 1-2kg heavier after getting back into my strength training routine.

Measure your fat, not your weight!

No.

The OP gained 10lbs in a month. A professional body building female might be able to put on 10lbs in a year. When you start a new exercise regimine (especially lifting), or increase the intensity of your current one the body will retain water for muscle repair. This is where your "pump" comes from. I can gain 6lbs after a heavy lifting session.

Agreed with watch the tape measure and not the scale if you're lifting though. Your BF% should lower, but your weight may not change much, if at all.

Muscle weighs more than fat.

No, :grumble:

a pound is a pound, a pound of muscle weighs the same as a pound of fat. Muscle takes up less space, but still weighs a pound

Sorry - seems this is derailing the thread, but that's a ridiculous comment and I keep hearing it so I needed to vent.

It's like saying gold weighs more than styrofoam. A lb of gold weighs the same as a lb of styrofoam, but gold is still g.d. heavier than styrofoam.

With your logic, everything in this world weighs the same because a lb of x weighs the same as a lb of y.

--

To answer to the original question, in addition to what's already been said about water weight gain, I am in the same boat as OP. Weight lifting for me makes it difficult to lose weight. I get really hungry when I lift heavy and I tend to gain weight unless I'm paying very very close attention to what I eat.

However, this doesn't mean you should stop lifting. As you said, your clothes will likely feel the same even though you may be going up in weight. If you do manage to get back down to 134lbs while lifting, you'll see that you look so much better than you ever did.


Also, with regards to your BMI, are you talking body fat percentage? If not, and you do mean BMI, it is based solely on height and weight and doesn't take body composition into consideration at all.

and even at 145 your BMI is smack in the Healthy Range... so what are you worried about?

Because BMI is a useless metric for individuals. And because someone might have a personal physical goal that is different from yours.