Weight lifting = 0 pounds lost

Auterrific · January 2011

So, I'm nearing the end of week 3 of a 12 week fitness challenge and I have not lost one single pound. One of the goals for women in this challenge is to lift 100,000 pounds. I had actually begun preparing to do this prior to the challenge so by the time I entered the challenge I was lifting that much. Now I will likely get to about 170,000 pounds this week and I weighed myself this morning and I have not lost an ounce. My clothes are fitting better so I know I'm doing something right, but I'm incredibly discouraged that after 3 weeks...nothing! I had a bodpod done at the beginning of the challenge which revealed I should take in about 2000 - 2500 per day to lose one pound per week. MyFitnessPal suggests around 1770. I am taking in about 1500 calories per day, though. I do cardio at least 4 times per week for 60 minutes. I don't know...I'm at a loss. I know at some point the weight lifting will kick the crap out of the fat on my body and that muscle weighs more than fat and takes up less space. It's just the preconception that losing weight=good that I'm having a hard time getting past. Anyone else out there like me? Or, does anyone have an idea of what I could do to change my regimen to lose a little weight?

ajbeans · January 2011

If you're putting on muscle, it's heavier than fat. For you doing this particular challenge, you should be relying more on your measurements than the scale. Your clothes fitting better tells you that you're making the right kind of progress and shedding fat, but when you're weight training, that muscle is heavy so the scale is kind of unreliable as to your progress.

InMyJeans · January 2011

What are you eating? If MFP suggest 1700 and your other source suggest 2500 you may not be getting enough calories in, so your body maybe storing them. Im not a personal trainer or nutritionist but I really would look at what I was consuming again because if youre working out as much as you posted and taking in less calories in 3 weeks the scale should go down some even if it is 1 pound. Maybe someone else will post something more helpful, just hang in there, and the scale will move!

seemichellerun · January 2011

Body recompositioning (gaining lean body mass while losing fat) is a slow process but usually grants lasting results over just dieting alone. I've been doing weight training for about 4 months now and I can say that my weight loss is moving at a snail's pace. However my clothes are getting loose on me as I'm losing body fat while gaining muscle.

The number that you should be paying attention to is % body fat and pay more attention to how your clothes fit to measure your progress/success. Ditch the scale.

seemichellerun · January 2011

Wow, I should not type with a 3 year old on my lap! Please excuse my craptastic sentence structure.

kaymckinley · January 2011

You may want to do less cardio but more intense. Example: walk on the treadmill for 5 mins as fast as you can, then run for 15 mins as fast as you can to the point where you feel like you have to stop; but dont. Then walk again for 5 min, then run again as fast as you can for 3 mins then walk for 2. That is called Interval Training. It should rev up your metabolism and you will probably burn about 300-400 calories but it will increase the metabolism. Don't weigh yourself. Take before/after pictures every 3-4 weeks or so. Judge your weight loss by the pictures. It will make you feel much better. Make me your friend if you need some support. I have only been doing MFP for 3 weeks and I have only lost 3 pounds.

One other thing. My dietitian told me if you rapidly lose weight you are probably losing muscle and not fat. She said that it takes 3500 calories to lose one pound of fat but 600 to lose one pound of lean muscle. The cardio may be your enemy at this point. If I find some info I will share it with you. Don't give up. You have all of us counting on you. A success for you is a success for everyone.

edorice · January 2011

Here is a good illustration of body recomposition. Losing scale weight is often times desired, but losing fat is optimal.

http://www.sparkpeople.com/mypage_public_journal_individual.asp?blog_id=3926473&SPShared=TRUE

aliciaconte · January 2011

The same exact thing happens to me, when I start lifting I feel better and usually gain a pound or two for the first month. Don't lose hope, you're getting slimmer and more heart healthy. Keep going!

Zabarilla · January 2011

I personally would watch inches over weight. When I was in the best shape of my life I was 160lbs and a size 6. For the first time in my life I had a flat tummy and everything was tight. I looked like 120lbs (I'm five foot). When I started that journey I was 145lbs and in a size 12. I was in horrible shape and spilling over in those jeans. (I now want to repeat that result) After that I looked at myself as a whole and not just one area. If you would like to see a weight change maybe play with the calories. Like Clearasdae said your body could be storing if you aren't taking enough in. That was my biggest issue to start off with. Not enough in for the amount of work I was doing (according to a personal trainer. I was starving my body) Might be different for you?

dubmav · January 2011

Body recompositioning (gaining lean body mass while losing fat) is a slow process but usually grants lasting results over just dieting alone. I've been doing weight training for about 4 months now and I can say that my weight loss is moving at a snail's pace. However my clothes are getting loose on me as I'm losing body fat while gaining muscle.

The number that you should be paying attention to is % body fat and pay more attention to how your clothes fit to measure your progress/success. Ditch the scale.

Totally agree. When I started focusing on heavy lifting, my weight pretty much remained constant. However, I was seeing very nice results and I was able to fit snug into my 32s!

Pinoy_Pal · January 2011

Scales shouldn't be relied on as the "be all, end all" fitness tool. It can't distinguish between fat, water storage, and lean body mass.

Auterrific · January 2011

Boy, that was a lot of responses in less than an hour. Thank you all. It's funny, but when I began this challenge I swore not to weigh myself. I just couldn't help myself. I feel great with the work I'm doing and that should really be my guide. I can't find my tape measure, but that would be a great way to judge success. Personally, my goal is to reach lifting 200,000 per week, which is the men's minimum, by the end of the challenge. I am close to doing that now and it's just the end of week 3. I spend no less than 3 hours at the gym doing this, so it's a real commitment on my part. Scheduling that around two small children and a husband is no small feat. LOL

For those who recommended more calorie intake, I'm thinking that may be it. Counter-intuitive as it may seem, I may just have to add some more calories. It certainly can't hurt as I know I'm burning off a lot of what I take in.

Again, thanks!

cmriverside · January 2011

Absolutely you need to eat more.

Auterrific · February 2011

Just wanted to let you all know that I applied some of the ideas you gave & some from what I read. First, I began eating more. Second, I took a week off from lifting to let my body grow the muscle I had worked hard to build. Third, I began lifting more weights with less reps. Fourth, I added more cardio. So, in the last 3 weeks, that equals 7 pounds lost and, seemingly, no muscle loss. I'm thrilled that the scale is reflecting my work, but know that it could halt again because I'm building so much. But, my measurements are consistently going down pretty rapidly. Yay! So, I really am using them as a better basis for success.

Thanks for all your help with this. Obviously, you had some great ideas.

backinthenines · February 2011

When I went back to strength train it took about 5-6 weeks before I noticied evidence of recompositioning, but then it made a big difference in terms of fat loss. Have recently shifted 3.5" of flab off my waist. I'm pretty convinced a lot of is due to the heavy weights sessions I've been doing.

Weight lifting = 0 pounds lost

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