How does weight training affect your weight?

Mitchlou84 · June 2014

Hello,

So I recently started exercising and dieting again, after a surgery.

29 yr old female, 157cm, 88 kilos

I am doing the 5:2 diet, and have Mon and Wed at 500 cals, and the other days netting 1600, but realistically eat over 2000 as I exercise 1-2 times per day on these days and eat back most of the cals. I wear a HRM to monitor the cals.

I lost a lot of weight quickly in the first 2 weeks, going to 82.5 kilos.

In the third week I got myself a trainer, and started a program of lifting heavy, in this week I gained 0.1 kilos which I know is nothing.

In the fouth week I was in Thailand for a week and so did have a break from all exercise. I gained 2 kilos in this week and went to 84.6.

Week 5 I was back on the plan, doing both lifting and cardio along with the diet plan and did lose 1 kilo, becoming 83.6

Week 6 was the same, but I gained 0.4 kilos.

So I know that I have lost 4 kilos in 6 weeks, including a 6 day holiday, but the last few weeks have been so up and down that it has been quite disheartening. Especially the gain today when I have been so good this week.

I know that I am not going to be gainimg muscle with my lifting, and that my fat isn't turning into muscle or anything, but does lifting have an effect on the weight itself? Some part of me aches every day at the moment, and I weigh in on a Friday lunchtime, but do my chest/triceps/abs workout on a Friday morning.

I can't see how I would have gained weight this week, and my clothes feel smaller, and people have told me I look slimmer, but its just so demoralising to show a gain.

Any advice?

SutapaMukherji · June 2014

Ditch the scale.....it's not your friend.

Trust your measurements - before and after.

bunbunzee44 · June 2014

when you start exercising, you will first gain some water weight.. it'll balance off

GingerBarbie94 · June 2014

Muscle actually burns more calories than fat...don't get frustrated right away. I used to be chubby and all I did was start lifting heavy and lost around 20 lbs. I eat around 3000 calories a day and don't have to do cardio. Stick with it and it will give your body a good shape, boost your metabolism, and let you eat more in the long run

RaggedyPond · June 2014

Small fluctuations are normal.

mebepiglet123 · June 2014

After weight training next day I always gain around 1 kilo (4lbs) I'm 74 kgs

Mitchlou84 · June 2014

Thanks everyone, my PT did take measurements before my first lifting session, and she is going to take them every 4-6 weeks, so I get them done again in 10 days. That will hopefully make me feel a bit better.

I must say that I didn't consider gaining 0.4 kilo in a week that my numbers should hsave had me losing 0.5 kilo, as a small fluctuation, but maybe I am not being realistic.

However I did weight train both yesterday and today (different areas) and do ache, so hopefully my measurements will be kind to me

TheBricer · June 2014

I know that I am not going to be gainimg muscle with my lifting, and that my fat isn't turning into muscle or anything, but does lifting have an effect on the weight itself? Some part of me aches every day at the moment, and I weigh in on a Friday lunchtime, but do my chest/triceps/abs workout on a Friday morning.

I can't see how I would have gained weight this week, and my clothes feel smaller, and people have told me I look slimmer, but its just so demoralising to show a gain.

Actually, you ARE gaining muscle, and it's probably much, much more than you think you're building. What's happening is your body is losing fat and building muscle simultaneously. You might be building muscle faster than you are losing fat, thus the weight gain. Your clothes may feel tighter because you haven't had enough fat loss to offset the muscle gain yet, but you need to realize that this is temporary. As you continue to lose fat and gain muscle, you will become much smaller since muscle is higher density than fat. This will be true even if you remain the same weight as you go, assuming you continue to exercise and eat well.

The scale is not going to show you any compelling results. Measure yourself - upper arms, thighs, waist, neck and wrists, and so on. This is what you should set your goals on. Of course, do your best to get to a healthy weight, but weight alone should not be your main focus, especially since it must always be taken into consideration with height, build, and muscle mass, among other things.

Ask yourself this: Would you rather look slimmer and more toned, or would you rather weigh less? You seem to think it's the latter, but I think you're confused, because I guarantee you that you'd be perfectly happy weighing 90kg if you looked like you weighed 55kg (Extreme example there, but I hope you understand the point I'm trying to make.)

Mitchlou84 · June 2014

Sorry that was a typo, I meant so say I am feeling smaller/my clothes are feeling looser.

Everyone always talks on here about the fact that women can't gain any decent amount of muscle whilst eating at a defecit though? Hence my confusion.

I was shown my back/bicep workout first, and my upper back especially feels really firm to the touch, definitely more definition than before.

I do care most about how I look, but I find it difficult to take measurements myself, there is no full length mirroe in my apartment, and so my Friday lunchtime weigh in at the gym is my benchmark.

It looks like I need to change that, and concentrate on my monthly measurementys instead.

Thanks all

ninerbuff · June 2014

I know that I am not going to be gainimg muscle with my lifting, and that my fat isn't turning into muscle or anything, but does lifting have an effect on the weight itself? Some part of me aches every day at the moment, and I weigh in on a Friday lunchtime, but do my chest/triceps/abs workout on a Friday morning.

I can't see how I would have gained weight this week, and my clothes feel smaller, and people have told me I look slimmer, but its just so demoralising to show a gain.

Actually, you ARE gaining muscle, and it's probably much, much more than you think you're building. What's happening is your body is losing fat and building muscle simultaneously. You might be building muscle faster than you are losing fat, thus the weight gain. Your clothes may feel tighter because you haven't had enough fat loss to offset the muscle gain yet, but you need to realize that this is temporary. As you continue to lose fat and gain muscle, you will become much smaller since muscle is higher density than fat. This will be true even if you remain the same weight as you go, assuming you continue to exercise and eat well.

The scale is not going to show you any compelling results. Measure yourself - upper arms, thighs, waist, neck and wrists, and so on. This is what you should set your goals on. Of course, do your best to get to a healthy weight, but weight alone should not be your main focus, especially since it must always be taken into consideration with height, build, and muscle mass, among other things.

Ask yourself this: Would you rather look slimmer and more toned, or would you rather weigh less? You seem to think it's the latter, but I think you're confused, because I guarantee you that you'd be perfectly happy weighing 90kg if you looked like you weighed 55kg (Extreme example there, but I hope you understand the point I'm trying to make.)

It's improbable to build muscle on a calorie deficit. Even for a newbie, the gain would be quite modest and not as noticeable as some may think.
The gain in weight is usually due to water/glycogen retention in the cells. Normal and will eventually balance out.

A.C.E. Certified Personal and Group Fitness Trainer
IDEA Fitness member
Kickboxing Certified Instructor
Been in fitness for 30 years and have studied kinesiology and nutrition

ninerbuff · June 2014

Sorry that was a typo, I meant so say I am feeling smaller/my clothes are feeling looser.

Everyone always talks on here about the fact that women can't gain any decent amount of muscle whilst eating at a defecit though? Hence my confusion.

I was shown my back/bicep workout first, and my upper back especially feels really firm to the touch, definitely more definition than before.

I do care most about how I look, but I find it difficult to take measurements myself, there is no full length mirroe in my apartment, and so my Friday lunchtime weigh in at the gym is my benchmark.

It looks like I need to change that, and concentrate on my monthly measurementys instead.

Thanks all

Question I pose to all my female clients is:

If you look like you want, fit the clothes you want, and feel strong and fit, then does what the scale say really matter?

Just train hard and make the muscle you currently have more efficient in how it uses energy. The more efficient it uses energy, the higher your metabolic rate. And the higher the rate, the more fat you burn at rest.

A.C.E. Certified Personal and Group Fitness Trainer
IDEA Fitness member
Kickboxing Certified Instructor
Been in fitness for 30 years and have studied kinesiology and nutrition

jimmmer · June 2014

Thanks everyone, my PT did take measurements before my first lifting session, and she is going to take them every 4-6 weeks, so I get them done again in 10 days. That will hopefully make me feel a bit better.

I must say that I didn't consider gaining 0.4 kilo in a week that my numbers should hsave had me losing 0.5 kilo, as a small fluctuation, but maybe I am not being realistic.

However I did weight train both yesterday and today (different areas) and do ache, so hopefully my measurements will be kind to me

I fluctuate by a couple of lbs a day over the course of a week. I can be up to 3-4 lbs heavier later in the day when compared to earlier in the day.

Starting a new exercise programme will lead to water retention. This will initially mask any actual weight loss and is quite natural/normal.

If your diet is on point (and only you can know that) and you are consistent with your workouts, then you'll get a whoosh where you'll dump a load of water weight and suddenly be lighter. When you chart these whooshes and stalls on a graph over a an extended period, you'll actually find that you lose more or less your targeted weight overall as if you were losing it at your desired lb/week values (that is if you are accurately weighing/measuring and logging all food and drinks). It's a very common experience for many people. You may find factors such as your TOM and sodium-rich foods lead to extra water retention too in the short term. Keeping a critical eye over these factors can help you understand what's going on. For example, fish sauce is a high sodium food - I bet you packed on a bit of water weight in Thailand from that alone. I guess what I'm trying to say is don't be short-term about it. All body-comp goals are long-term. Understanding this is important if you want to succeed.

Just hang on in there and keep showing up and putting in quality workouts. Keep your diet on point. Results are guaranteed.

Mitchlou84 · June 2014

Thanks again everyone and sorry for the slow reply.

I will concentrate on my clothes and meaurements for now. I think that weighing every week at the moment may not be ideal either, so I might drop this down.

Thanks again

Veryme · June 2014

You might gain muscles and also have some water in your muscles- when stressed they tend to accumulate water. I made mistake in past by building a lot of muscles but eating a lot too- so I was still fat. Check calories- dont over eat after training. Good luck!

How does weight training affect your weight?

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