Lifting & gaining

edubb81
edubb81 Posts: 1 Member
in Health and Weight Loss
So I know that as you start to do more strength training, you can't expect the numbers on the scale to go down very quickly....however, I'm getting discouraged. I go to the gym 5 days a week-- Monday: Zumba for 60 min, Tuesdays/Thurs I spin in the morning for an hr and then at night I do body pump, Wednesday night I go to a high cardio Step class, and Fridays I try to run. I'm getting really discouraged that my weight has went up a little even when I want to lose 25-35 pounds.

Anyone else?

Replies

  • gmathewbass
    gmathewbass Posts: 3 Member
    Have you just started tracking your food with My Fitness Pal? I noticed that my weight has gone up as well, but I also know I have been eating far too many grains, far too many fats, and too much sugar. I started weight lifting about 3 months ago and I know some of my weight gain has been muscle, so I am not overly concerned. It sounds like you are doing a lot of cardiovascular exercise, which should help with slimming down. Just my two cents...hope it helps. :) Have you ever tried green smoothies? I went from 206 lbs. to 136 lbs. on a vegetarian diet. When I started lifting, I went back to eating dairy and fish and now I am thinking about going back to a vegetarian diet again. I currently weigh 151 lbs. One other thing...are you drinking enough water? You should be drinking at least 64 ounces (8 cups daily), more if you are doing that much exercise. Water is a great diuretic!
  • ksy1969
    ksy1969 Posts: 700 Member
    First, you only have 25 to 35lbs to lose, that is going to come off way slower than say if you have 70+ pounds to lose.

    Second, read all or most of the links in the link below. Everything you need to know.

    http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/833026-important-posts-to-read
  • Murph1908
    Murph1908 Posts: 125 Member
    If you are trying to build muscle, you might be gaining weight back in muscle that you are losing in fat. Therefore, you might weigh the same but be smaller and leaner.

    If this is your strategy, perhaps get a scale that calculates body fat. I have been more interested in that number recently since I reached my first goal and am striving for a stretch goal. At this point, I am more interested in seeing that body fat percentage drop, and am less concerned with weight.
  • ksy1969
    ksy1969 Posts: 700 Member
    Have you just started tracking your food with My Fitness Pal? I noticed that my weight has gone up as well, but I also know I have been eating far too many grains, far too many fats, and too much sugar. I started weight lifting about 3 months ago and I know some of my weight gain has been muscle, so I am not overly concerned. It sounds like you are doing a lot of cardiovascular exercise, which should help with slimming down. Just my two cents...hope it helps. :) Have you ever tried green smoothies? I went from 206 lbs. to 136 lbs. on a vegetarian diet. When I started lifting, I went back to eating dairy and fish and now I am thinking about going back to a vegetarian diet again. I currently weigh 151 lbs. One other thing...are you drinking enough water? You should be drinking at least 64 ounces (8 cups daily), more if you are doing that much exercise. Water is a great diuretic!

    /insert obligatory popcorn gif here :-)

    There is so much wrong with your post that I wish I had a red marker.

    Whole grains good, fats good, and sugar doesn't hurt you in moderation.

    You can't gain enough muscle to make a noticeable difference in your scale weight in that amount of time. Especially if you are eating at a deficit.

    Dairy and fish has nothing to do with you gaining weight. You have been eating at a surplus. That is how you gain weight.

    The only thing accurate about your post is the benefit of drinking water :drinker:
  • Mr_Knight
    Mr_Knight Posts: 9,532 Member
    Open your diary. 99.9% of the time, the problem is on the eating side.
  • aliakynes
    aliakynes Posts: 352 Member
    My question would be, how long have you been tracking your eating and working out? It's common to gain the first week or two of starting a new workout, even on a deficit.
  • diannethegeek
    diannethegeek Posts: 14,776 Member
    You don't mention how long you've been at this. If the weight training is new, you might be retaining some fluid to help cushion and repair your muscles. It's very common when you start a new exercise routine or increase an old one. A lot of people mistake it for new muscle growth, but it's temporary and should go away as your body gets used to the new routine.

    Other than that, the problems are more likely to be on the eating side. If you aren't already logging you foods, that's a really good place to start just to get an idea of what's going on. Get as accurate as you can when measuring your portion sizes (a food scale is ideal, but anything would be better than eyeballing portion sizes). Once you have a week or three of good data you'll be able to see the trends and fix whatever it is that's going on.
  • RGv2
    RGv2 Posts: 5,789 Member
    If you are trying to build muscle, you might be gaining weight back in muscle that you are losing in fat. Therefore, you might weigh the same but be smaller and leaner.

    If this is your strategy, perhaps get a scale that calculates body fat. I have been more interested in that number recently since I reached my first goal and am striving for a stretch goal. At this point, I am more interested in seeing that body fat percentage drop, and am less concerned with weight.

    That's not happening. Did you read the part where the OP does virtually all cardio?

    And This
    Open your diary. 99.9% of the time, the problem is on the eating side.

    You also don't state how long you have followed this particular regimen, so some of the stall/gain could be from water retention.

Categories