Is it normal to gain weight doing weights?

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PositiveOne8925
PositiveOne8925 Posts: 10 Member
in Introduce Yourself
I'm frustrated I just started Jillian Michaels90 day challenge I am on day 5 & I have gained 4 pounds and I have been eating healthy and under my 1200 calories is this normal? I am very frustrated but I am NOT going to give up.
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  • Wolfjam13
    Wolfjam13 Posts: 5 Member
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    Muscle does weigh more than fat. You may find yourself gaining weight but shredding inches and re-defining your shape. Make sure you are measuring your neck, bust, waist and hips to see where you are losing inches instead of just focusing on the scale number. Another way to gage is how your clothes fit.
  • Branstin
    Branstin Posts: 2,320 Member
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    Yes, it is normal for your body to hold onto water, especially when you first begin to exercise or use different muscles. It will pass.

    More importantly, if your doctor or other health professionals didn't advise you to eat under 1200 calories, you should up those to compensate for your exercise.
  • PositiveOne8925
    PositiveOne8925 Posts: 10 Member
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    thanks for the input....I will keep at it and yes I did measure myselfso hopefully I will see the inches falling off soon :)
  • emilysinny
    emilysinny Posts: 7 Member
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    Muscle weight is good weight! Pay attention to how you look and feel more than what the scale says. I have a friend who weighs 190 and is skinnier than me (I'm 30 pounds lighter) because hers is all muscle weight.
  • rollng_thundr
    rollng_thundr Posts: 634 Member
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    $.02

    You need to base your daily nutritional requirements on your basal metabolic rate (the rate at which your body burns calories at rest or without moderate exercise). That may be 2700 calories/day, or whatever. You can do your research to find out what is normal for your age/weight/body type/activities.

    Then you eat to maintain a slight deficit. If your basal metabolic rate is 2700 calories/day, and you exercise, you've just bumped up your basal metabolic rate, and if you're eating only 1200 calories/day, you may be under-nourishing your body and causing it to adapt and store nutrients, which is defeating what you are trying to accomplish, and that is for you to release fat stores to burn as fuel and reduce weight.

    Some will argue that it's strictly a calories in/calories out thing.. but the body isn't a machine... it adapts to whatever environment you expose it to, but it does so to protect. Think about how the body deals with shock, etc. It protects the core.

    So find a diet that puts you at a slight deficit, say 400-500 calories per day. 5-6 small (300-350 calories/meal), balanced proteins and carbs (complex, not sugars), and you should be fine.

    Also, understand, as you lift weights, you are increasing your lean muscle mass. As stated before, muscles weigh more than fat, so while you may slightly gain overall weight, if your diet is sufficient, you will start losing size in time.

    What ever you decide, or works, just stick with it, you might have to adjust to other plans or eliminate something, but don't give up.
  • wilmnoca
    wilmnoca Posts: 416 Member
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    MUSCLE DOES NOT WEIGH MORE THAN FAT! 1 lb of muscle weighs the same as 1lb of fat! However, 1 lb of muscle takes up MUCH less space that 1lb of fat. Also, it takes about a yr for a woman to gain roughly 5 lbs of muscle (give or take), and that's if the diet is in point and she consistently lifts HEAVY in the gym.
  • QuietBloom
    QuietBloom Posts: 5,413 Member
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    Could be water weight from the workouts. Or you may be eating more than you think. Do you use a food scale?
  • shmerek
    shmerek Posts: 963 Member
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    MUSCLE DOES NOT WEIGH MORE THAN FAT! 1 lb of muscle weighs the same as 1lb of fat! However, 1 lb of muscle takes up MUCH less space that 1lb of fat. Also, it takes about a yr for a woman to gain roughly 5 lbs of muscle (give or take), and that's if the diet is in point and she consistently lifts HEAVY in the gym.

    I wish there was a "like" button to agree with sensible posts like the one above.
  • rollng_thundr
    rollng_thundr Posts: 634 Member
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    MUSCLE DOES NOT WEIGH MORE THAN FAT! 1 lb of muscle weighs the same as 1lb of fat! However, 1 lb of muscle takes up MUCH less space that 1lb of fat. Also, it takes about a yr for a woman to gain roughly 5 lbs of muscle (give or take), and that's if the diet is in point and she consistently lifts HEAVY in the gym.

    That's the better way to say it.... a pound of muscle is much smaller in area that an pound of fat (more dense). I do think there's a lot more going on here than just lifting weights, but I was hoping to shed a little light on the possibilities. I didn't mean to insinuate that in 5 days she could put on 5 lbs of muscle... :happy:
  • eslcity
    eslcity Posts: 323 Member
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    if you are doing weight training and you are not gaining weight your doing something wrong....^^

    I found this information: Theoretically, it’s possible to gain about a pound of muscle per week -- at least during the initial phase of a strength training program. Many variables affect your ability to do so, however. If you decide to try a new eating and workout regimen, always consult a doctor before beginning.
  • fultimers
    fultimers Posts: 153 Member
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    Exactly--I wish people didn't keep saying that muscle weighs more than fat.
  • fivethreeone
    fivethreeone Posts: 8,196 Member
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    if you are doing weight training and you are not gaining weight your doing something wrong....^^

    I found this information: Theoretically, it’s possible to gain about a pound of muscle per week -- at least during the initial phase of a strength training program. Many variables affect your ability to do so, however. If you decide to try a new eating and workout regimen, always consult a doctor before beginning.

    OP is eating under 1200 calories.

    It's not possible to gain appreciable muscle mass on a deficit, period. That information assumes a caloric surplus.

    OP, the reason you are gaining weight is likely twofold: You're not eating enough and your muscles are retaining water to heal themselves. Eat more. Try this link to see how much you should be eating. http://scoobysworkshop.com/accurate-calorie-calculator/
  • chrisdavey
    chrisdavey Posts: 9,835 Member
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    JM Dvd's are not structured resistance training.

    If you are new to exercise, it is water weight NOT gaining muscle.
  • eslcity
    eslcity Posts: 323 Member
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    if you are doing weight training and you are not gaining weight your doing something wrong....^^

    I found this information: Theoretically, it’s possible to gain about a pound of muscle per week -- at least during the initial phase of a strength training program. Many variables affect your ability to do so, however. If you decide to try a new eating and workout regimen, always consult a doctor before beginning.

    OP is eating under 1200 calories.

    It's not possible to gain appreciable muscle mass on a deficit, period. That information assumes a caloric surplus.

    OP, the reason you are gaining weight is likely twofold: You're not eating enough and your muscles are retaining water to heal themselves. Eat more. Try this link to see how much you should be eating. http://scoobysworkshop.com/accurate-calorie-calculator/

    oops...didn't see the >1200...sorry.
  • LiftAllThePizzas
    LiftAllThePizzas Posts: 17,857 Member
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    Exactly--I wish people didn't keep saying that muscle weighs more than fat.
    I wish people would stop misreading it and inserting "one pound" on their own and acting like this is automatically the unit of comparison between two things. Especially when using "one pound" as a unit of comparison completely nullifies the whole point, so clearly that is not what is being compared.

    If someone said "gold is more valuable than silver" would you tell them that $1 worth of gold is just as valuable as $1 worth of silver?
  • michybeans
    michybeans Posts: 106
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    MUSCLE DOES NOT WEIGH MORE THAN FAT! 1 lb of muscle weighs the same as 1lb of fat! However, 1 lb of muscle takes up MUCH less space that 1lb of fat. Also, it takes about a yr for a woman to gain roughly 5 lbs of muscle (give or take), and that's if the diet is in point and she consistently lifts HEAVY in the gym.

    I love this post. I guess it's too long to print on a t shirt. But really sums it all up. :)
  • rollng_thundr
    rollng_thundr Posts: 634 Member
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    Exactly--I wish people didn't keep saying that muscle weighs more than fat.
    I wish people would stop misreading it and inserting "one pound" on their own and acting like this is automatically the unit of comparison between two things. Especially when using "one pound" as a unit of comparison completely nullifies the whole point, so clearly that is not what is being compared.

    If someone said "gold is more valuable than silver" would you tell them that $1 worth of gold is just as valuable as $1 worth of silver?

    I understand what the person who posted this was going after, and that is that the comparison isn't weight related, it's density related, which is quite different. So to say "muscle weighs more than fat" is not a true or accurate statement, without a relative comparison (volume/surface area). 1lb. of feathers weighs the same as 1lb. of metal, but the volume or surface area of each will be markedly different. :)
  • pepotchkiy
    pepotchkiy Posts: 9 Member
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    MUSCLE DOES NOT WEIGH MORE THAN FAT! 1 lb of muscle weighs the same as 1lb of fat! However, 1 lb of muscle takes up MUCH less space that 1lb of fat. Also, it takes about a yr for a woman to gain roughly 5 lbs of muscle (give or take), and that's if the diet is in point and she consistently lifts HEAVY in the gym.


    like. *thumbs up!
  • Sarauk2sf
    Sarauk2sf Posts: 28,072 Member
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    if you are doing weight training and you are not gaining weight your doing something wrong....^^

    I found this information: Theoretically, it’s possible to gain about a pound of muscle per week -- at least during the initial phase of a strength training program. Many variables affect your ability to do so, however. If you decide to try a new eating and workout regimen, always consult a doctor before beginning.

    Not for a female, and new gains only last so long. Even guys, in optimal circumstances (overweight/eating at a surplus, new to training, doing a good progressive loading hypertrophy focused resistance training routine, genetically responds well to stimulus and high test) will not gain 1lb a week for long.

    She is a female, at a deficit and not doing a progressive loading hypertrophy routine.

    OP: its not because you are gaining muscle, its not because you are not eating enough (although I would suggest eating more as there are other issues with not eating enough), its because of glycogen/water weight from starting to exercise and it will settle down (assuming you are eating that many calories).
  • rollng_thundr
    rollng_thundr Posts: 634 Member
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    if you are doing weight training and you are not gaining weight your doing something wrong....^^

    I found this information: Theoretically, it’s possible to gain about a pound of muscle per week -- at least during the initial phase of a strength training program. Many variables affect your ability to do so, however. If you decide to try a new eating and workout regimen, always consult a doctor before beginning.

    Not for a female, and new gains only last so long. Even guys, in optimal circumstances (overweight/eating at a surplus, new to training, doing a good progressive loading hypertrophy focused resistance training routine, genetically responds well to stimulus and high test) will not gain 1lb a week for long.

    She is a female, at a deficit and not doing a progressive loading hypertrophy routine.

    OP: its not because you are gaining muscle, its not because you are not eating enough (although I would suggest eating more as there are other issues with not eating enough), its because of glycogen/water weight from starting to exercise and it will settle down (assuming you are eating that many calories).

    Werd.....

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