How long before muscle shows on the scale?

This may be a silly question, and I realize there are a lot of variables in there, but...

I have about 50lbs or so to lose. I have been exercising every day since January 1st. I do a variety of different workouts, cardio and strength training, plus I am working through the Couch to 5K program so I have been running/walking a lot as well.

I am very motivated and have been working hard. In the first couple weeks I lost 8 lbs. Now I am noticing the number on the scale creep back up. I weighed in this morning at 3 lbs heavier than I was at my last "official" weigh in, which was just Saturday.

I'm the type of person who likes to have an in depth understanding of how these things work. I will feel better if I understand what's going on and know that I'm still heading in the right direction. Right now I am very frustrated. I have been watching what I eat and staying within my calories also, so I don't fully understand why I am gaining. Is this muscle? I want to believe it is, but I don't want to tell myself it is when its not and unintentionally sabotage my efforts!!

Can someone explain this to me?

No, it's not all muscle...maybe some but not 3 lbs. Chances are it's water weight. Make sure you're not in starvation mode either. You have to maintain above 50% of your maintenance calories to stay out of starvation mode.
Keep up the good work. It will pay off.

Another possibility.....TOM (THAT time)? Most women on here will tell you their weight creeps up around that time. Good news is it also creeps right back down afterwards!

The weird thing is that my weight drops right before my TOM. It's usually a pound or two lower than my lowest on every other day. Then TOM starts and the weight is back to what it usually is. No clue why.

Hi Sarah,

My name is Peter and I saw your forum entry and thought I would reply.

I did a little research because this question about muscle weight vs. fat weight has bugged me, as well. The link and
article below contains some reasoned thinking about this subject. The link is for Ask the Personal Trainer.

I hope this helps.

Good luck and best regards,

Peter


http://www.weightwatchers.com/util/art/index_art.aspx?tabnum=1&art_id=8311

Are you tracking your measurements as well as weight loss? It is possible to lose inches without losing much weight. Also, are you tracking your sodium intake? Too much sodium will result in water retention. Good luck!

you cant really answer this question..... you can figure it out by getting your body fat % done..... you can buy a fat loss monitor atr GNC for around 40bucks of borrow one from your local gym. ask a personal trainer, im sure they have one in the office.

now lets say on monday you weight yourself and you're 230 and you have a 23% body fat... and next monday you do it again.... it still says you 230.. but then you test your body fat % and its a 22% instead of a 23%.... which means you did make progress after all! I recommend purchising one of these to use once a week... perfect for people who lift. besides, its your bodyfat % is what matters. not so much what the number on the scale reads;-)

Jacksonville area.....I think! lol! We've always done Myrtle Beach in the past but we wanted to try Florida this year.

I could be blind but I didn't see it mentioned, are you eating your exercise calories? If not you should be.

I could be blind but I didn't see it mentioned, are you eating your exercise calories? If not you should be.

I try to, but I don't always manage to. I exercise in the evening, and I find myself looking at that number at the end of the day sometimes wondering if I'll be able to eat them or not. But I don't want to eat more earlier in the day planning to work it off, just in case something comes up. I'm not avoiding eating them, though, that's for sure!

Do you spread your meals throughout the day? And if something comes up, it doesn't change the fact that you have to see this as a lifestyle change and you have to commit to it. I'm a dad with busy as hell kids. Things come up all the time. I know it's hard, but you have to make time.

Weight loss is not linear. In addition to whatever fat oxidation (loss) occurs, there are also ongoing fluid shifts and variations in fuel storage, among other things. This means that scale weight will often proceed in more of a zig zag pattern. My loss went more like a scallop pattern. Every time I reached a new "low", I would inevitably "arc" up 1-4 pounds and then drop back down, often to a new low.

If you have been on a program since Jan 1, you are still adapting to the routine. It is way too soon to see any increase in muscle mass. The fact that you dropped 8 lbs in the first two weeks suggests you are following a minimal calorie diet which just enhances the shifts described earlier.

Chances are any increases in muscle mass will be modest. I would not look for substantial changes in that regard, esp in the initial weeks. If you are eating 1400-1600 calories a day, I would not be overly concerned with eating back exercise calories. After longer or more intense workouts, it can be helpful to eat a "refueling" snack or small meal afterwards--at this point, that is more important than trying to "eat back" all your exercise calories.

You are not in any so-called "starvation mode". You do not need to vary your program (any more than you already are) in order to "shock your body". You should be sticking to a good, focused workout program that includes some endurance workouts, some medium tempo workouts and 1-2 harder interval workouts, along with a couple of strength training sessions per week.

Stay consistent and you should see results. Down the road as your body composition changes and fitness level improves, it will be necessary to make some adjustments, but you can deal with that when the time comes.

It would be a good idea to take some circumference measurements for future reference.