Strength Training and Weight Gain

Christi6604
Christi6604 Posts: 247 Member
edited November 12 in Health and Weight Loss
I know this is probably a silly question, but I didn't see the answer anywhere.

I just started weight training this week, and I've seen lots of great information in this community. What I'm wondering is, how much do you typically gain in the short term, and when does it fall off?

I'm up two pounds. I'm pretty sure this is due to the fact that I increased my runs by 15 minutes and added some weight training, but I've got 20 pounds or so to go and I'm getting frustrated. I've been stuck in the 150's for-ever and I'm hoping upping the cardio and adding strength training will help.

Right now I'm planning on running 5x a week, and strength training 3x a week. 20 more pounds of weight loss will put me in the midpoint of healthy.

Replies

  • dlwyatt82
    dlwyatt82 Posts: 1,077 Member
    I'm not in that situation myself yet (obviously), but from what I've read, when you're that close to your goal, stop worrying about your actual weight, and just start judging progress by your appearance and measurements. Strength training (combined with eating enough calories / protein) will add weight, but you'll still look more trim and lose inches as the rest of the fat you want to lose is burned.
  • Christi6604
    Christi6604 Posts: 247 Member
    I'm not in that situation myself yet (obviously), but from what I've read, when you're that close to your goal, stop worrying about your actual weight, and just start judging progress by your appearance and measurements. Strength training (combined with eating enough calories / protein) will add weight, but you'll still look more trim and lose inches as the rest of the fat you want to lose is burned.

    Thanks. I don't worry about it too much, but it would sure be nice to actually be in a healthy weight range as an adult...someday. :D
  • dlwyatt82
    dlwyatt82 Posts: 1,077 Member
    The BMI calculations don't take your muscle : fat ratio into account. You can be well into the "overweight" category and still be perfectly healthy if you've got a lot of weight from muscle. I suppose if you want a measurement that makes sense, you could get an accurate body fat percentage taken at some point, and pick your target on that, rather than scale weight.
  • jjblogs
    jjblogs Posts: 327 Member
    I'm in the same boat, atm. About 10-15 pounds to go to hit my goal, but I'm weight lifting too (and gaining a few pounds). My clothes are feeling looser, but it's always a bit frustrating to try to let go of the scale and go by measurements and the way clothes fit. That number on the scale always seems so important....guess i need to get a new mind set on these last few pounds.
  • ArroganceInStep
    ArroganceInStep Posts: 6,239 Member
    What kind of weight lifting are you doing? Have you changed your diet any?

    It's very difficult to see the scale go up, but I'd take it with a grain of salt. There's all kinds of things that it could be. If you haven't somehow overeaten by 7000 calories in the past week, you can rest assured that the 2 lbs aren't fat.
  • steveinct
    steveinct Posts: 140 Member
    When you start weight training, your muscles hold more water, blood and glycogen for repair so two pounds of gain wouldn't be shocking. Don't worry about that too much. If you continue to see the scale increase, you should look at what you are doing different. Many people get WAY more hungry after a good weight lifting session. If MFP miscalculates the calories for your workout, you might be replacing too many calories. You won't know that until a couple weeks have passed and you are continuing to climb up slowly.

    As a previous poster said, don't worry about the scale too much. Skinny fat is nasty while athletic is beautiful. If you haven't already, take your measurements so you have another way of tracking progress.
  • almc170
    almc170 Posts: 1,093 Member
    I'm in the exact same situation, and it is kind of frustrating. I had been losing pretty consistently, and then started weight training 2 weeks ago. The last time I checked, I was 2lbs up on the scale. On the plus side, I pulled on a pair of jeans today that hadn't seen the light of day since 2009. So I'm banishing the scale for the time being.
  • tinydancer24
    tinydancer24 Posts: 98
    What kind of weight lifting are you doing? Have you changed your diet any?

    It's very difficult to see the scale go up, but I'd take it with a grain of salt. There's all kinds of things that it could be. If you haven't somehow overeaten by 7000 calories in the past week, you can rest assured that the 2 lbs aren't fat.

    ^this!!!
  • carey593
    carey593 Posts: 7 Member
    I started lifting in December, and gained 3 pounds. Since then, I've lost that 3 plus another 11, and several inches. Keep lifting, take measurements, and just be patient...it will be SO worth it!
  • agthorn
    agthorn Posts: 1,844 Member
    Right now I'm planning on running 5x a week, and strength training 3x a week.
    Given that there are only 7 days in a week, you're probably overtraining. You're not giving your body any time to repair. I would suggest aiming either for 3 runs and 3 lifts, or 4 runs and 2 lifts a week with a rest day somewhere.
  • jfcarlson713
    jfcarlson713 Posts: 108 Member
    Have you had your body fat % calibrated? This number is more important than the scale. I am at my goal weight but my body fat is still 10% over healthy. I have just started strength training. Don't expect to see the scale change but certainly do expect to see the body fat % change. :happy:
  • journalistjen
    journalistjen Posts: 265 Member
    When I introduced weight training after doing cardio for a while, I gained 6 to 10 pounds within a week and a half. After two more weeks, my overall weight went down and I started losing my usual 2 pounds a week.. Even though you gain weight--it's all muscle and it doesn't increase your waist size. My results may or may not be typical because I do the heaviest weight I can with 12 to 15 reps on circuit training and also the heaviest weight I can in Body Pump. I'm trying to build as much upper body strength that I can.
  • bcattoes
    bcattoes Posts: 17,299 Member
    The BMI calculations don't take your muscle : fat ratio into account. You can be well into the "overweight" category and still be perfectly healthy if you've got a lot of weight from muscle.

    You certainly can be overweight and healthy, but I'm not sure a woman can be overweight even by BMI standards just from muscle. Perhaps if you really tried to build that much additional muscle, but even then I'm not sure it's possible. As lifters on these forums are fond of pointing out, women just don't bulk up like men do.
  • jjblogs
    jjblogs Posts: 327 Member
    I started lifting in December, and gained 3 pounds. Since then, I've lost that 3 plus another 11, and several inches. Keep lifting, take measurements, and just be patient...it will be SO worth it!

    That's reassuring to hear...thanks for adding that! I really LOVE lifting, but have gained 3 lbs...little worried about that. It might just be other factors too....congrats on the 11 lbs.
  • badgerbadger1
    badgerbadger1 Posts: 954 Member
    I know this is probably a silly question, but I didn't see the answer anywhere.

    I just started weight training this week, and I've seen lots of great information in this community. What I'm wondering is, how much do you typically gain in the short term, and when does it fall off?

    I'm up two pounds. I'm pretty sure this is due to the fact that I increased my runs by 15 minutes and added some weight training, but I've got 20 pounds or so to go and I'm getting frustrated. I've been stuck in the 150's for-ever and I'm hoping upping the cardio and adding strength training will help.

    Right now I'm planning on running 5x a week, and strength training 3x a week. 20 more pounds of weight loss will put me in the midpoint of healthy.

    Just started lifting this week? The answer is simple, increased water retention due to glycogen stores/reparation of muscle tissue. This is temporary.
  • hjohns65
    hjohns65 Posts: 66 Member
    I'm having the same problem- witha 4lb increase since saturday which was pretty shocking to me i weight daily (there's all kinds of pros and cons to that but i do) anyways, i feel soooo can't find the words for it but- lean maybe, i'm not rocking a muffin top this week, and feel like i have this incredible power to do anyting and suck it when i walk LOL! hang in there, and give yourself a rest day for pete's sake, if you have to do something go for a 20 minute walk after your evening meal on your rest day, but take a rest from the intense stuff!
  • Christi6604
    Christi6604 Posts: 247 Member
    I started lifting in December, and gained 3 pounds. Since then, I've lost that 3 plus another 11, and several inches. Keep lifting, take measurements, and just be patient...it will be SO worth it!

    That's reassuring to hear...thanks for adding that! I really LOVE lifting, but have gained 3 lbs...little worried about that. It might just be other factors too....congrats on the 11 lbs.

    That IS reassuring. To answer the questions. I have been doing 1 rest day a week, and 1 day where I walk instead of run. After reading a bunch here this morning, I'm planning on having 2 rest days. I do my strength training and cardio on the same day,

    I've JUST started the strength training, but I'm using the machines at the gym. Doing 3 sets of 10-12 reps at the weight that I can barely finish. I plan to increase the weight as I get comfortable with each set. I'm in a pretty rural area, so I use the YMCA - the machines available are pretty limited, but I think, fine for now.

    Thanks for the feedback everyone. I will definitely measure myself when I get home. I'm a lot happier with my body now, but I definitely have the weight to lose. I still have a pretty good size gut and fat on the thighs and arms. Strength training definitely seems like the way to go regardless of whether it moves the scale. :smile:
  • Christi6604
    Christi6604 Posts: 247 Member
    Oh. On the diet question. I haven't really changed. I gave up diet soda this week too. I was drinking way too much. So, I've just been drinking water and crystal lite.
  • Kimmb0865
    Kimmb0865 Posts: 7 Member
    I was in your shoes about a month ago - started weight training in morning and was stuck for like 3 1/2 weeks at same weight. It is moving again and I am on a 1200 cal per day regime and it is working and I do see a difference in clothing and the way I feel. I only do 5 lbs weights one set right now of 10 reps and it takes about 10 minutes. When I walk-on days its not raining-I walk with 1 lb weights and do different arm exercises to keep it interesting.
  • picimadar
    picimadar Posts: 68 Member
    I'm just wondering about the diet too. I was told to eat 20% above your maintenance on lift days and eat back 50% of your workout calories, and then 20% below your maintenance on run/rest days and eat back any exercise then too.

    So this puts me at 2000 calories for lift days + exercise and 1350+ exercise on rest days. Make sense?

    (Also, I follow 1g/lb of LBM on lift days for protein as well.)
  • ArroganceInStep
    ArroganceInStep Posts: 6,239 Member
    I'm just wondering about the diet too. I was told to eat 20% above your maintenance on lift days and eat back 50% of your workout calories, and then 20% below your maintenance on run/rest days and eat back any exercise then too.

    So this puts me at 2000 calories for lift days + exercise and 1350+ exercise on rest days. Make sense?

    (Also, I follow 1g/lb of LBM on lift days for protein as well.)

    I don't like changing from day to day, it's too much to keep track of. I eat the same whether it's a lift day, cardio day, or rest day
  • Sinope82
    Sinope82 Posts: 108 Member
    Bumping as i'm in the same boat and i'm hoping this may keep me sane until the scales hopefully start moving again
  • NoelleED
    NoelleED Posts: 148
    I gained like... 4 pounds over the last week! Could that all be muscle or water retention or... something else from weight training?
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