Is it normal to gain weight when starting to do weights?

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hlgromit
hlgromit Posts: 7 Member
in Fitness and Exercise
I started to do regular weights around 3 weeks ago and I have put on a kg despite sticking to 1200 calories a day and doing cardio most days. I feel more toned but just felt depressed getting on the scales this morning

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  • tiptoethruthetulips
    tiptoethruthetulips Posts: 3,365 Member
    edited April 2015
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    If you are muscle sore after doing weights it may be fluid retention. When doing weights training at sufficient weights..their will be tears made in the muscles. Fluid will be retained to assist in the repair of the muscles.

    If your profile photo is recently taken..I wouldn't worry so much about weight but focus instead on recomp...
  • ajsimms2011
    ajsimms2011 Posts: 10
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    Well yes as muscle weighs more than fat. So if your loosing fat and gaining muscle ur weight on the scales may go up. But you will look a hell of a lot better with a toned body. So dont bendepressed its a good thing
  • dakotababy
    dakotababy Posts: 2,406 Member
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    I have noticed this as well! Started stronglifts over the past few weeks, and the scale is going up despite very careful tracking of my calories.

    I would have expected the weight spike if I had sore muscles...which I do not have.

    I kind of figure that I know my calories are in a deficit, and I know I am lifting weights, which means regardless of the scale - good things are happening.
  • rawstrongchick
    rawstrongchick Posts: 66 Member
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    Yes, taking everything you've said at face value then it is water retention, it will pass and you don't need to be sore to experience it. I don't know your stats, but if you are lifting to improve your body composition then you now need to make a decision. What is more important to you? The number on the scales? Or the way you look and feel? If you are invested in changing your body composition and physically getting smaller (measurement wise) you need to bin the scales and start eating. I can barely make it to lunch on 1200 calories whilst lifting and I'm 5'1 and 100lb. It's counter productive to try and lift whilst eating too little to support the process - with very few exceptions. You need to fuel your body correctly, you are clearly lovely and slim from your avatar photo, so you should at least be eating at maintenance to drop body fat and build some muscle for that 'tone' that everybody likes to have.

    I find I am much more prone to water retention when I'm not eating correctly. The better I fuel myself the less additional water I carry.
  • jibeirish
    jibeirish Posts: 244 Member
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    stay off the scales and use a measuring tape instead, track the inches coming off your body instead of the lbs :)
  • hlgromit
    hlgromit Posts: 7 Member
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    Good advice, thank you. I didn't think of water retention :)
  • hlgromit
    hlgromit Posts: 7 Member
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    And yes it's the measurements that are more important to me than the weight, just need to get used to this way of thinking :smile:
  • tennis63mfp
    tennis63mfp Posts: 3
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    Nothing feels better than when your clothes feel loose or you need to purchase something smaller. That is what makes you smile.
    Keep it up.
  • tblattler
    tblattler Posts: 2 Member
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    Why 1200 calories? That's extraordinarily low for someone who is strength training and doing cardio. Eating too few calories will work against you and your body will hold on to its weight much more than if you are eating an appropriate amount of calories.
  • branflakes1980
    branflakes1980 Posts: 2,516 Member
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    I did gain weight when I started (not much), I also gained inches(again not much) but this was temporary and I chalk it up to water / fluid retention. No worries, keep at it and it all balances out! Also, progress pictures and measurements are a much better way to go. The scale is not everything :smiley: Good luck to you!
  • nossmf
    nossmf Posts: 9,638 Member
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    When I started lifting, my weight went up while my waist size went down. Works for me!
  • Hornsby
    Hornsby Posts: 10,322 Member
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    ajsimms2011 wrote: »
    Well yes as muscle weighs more than fat. So if your loosing fat and gaining muscle ur weight on the scales may go up. But you will look a hell of a lot better with a toned body. So dont bendepressed its a good thing

    Not sure this is really valid for a 37 year old woman eating 1200 calories and only lifting for 3 weeks.

    To the OP, as stated, it is most likely water retention. I wouldn't worry and it will subside.

  • AllanMisner
    AllanMisner Posts: 4,140 Member
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    Weight is a terrible measure of health. What you should focus on is body composition (which I assume is why you’re lifting). Take measurements (neck, chest, stomach, waist, hips, upper legs, upper arms) and pictures. Also, don’t let ticks up in your measurements (or if you must, weight) bother you. You want a longterm trend down (and in some cases, up).
  • jennifershoo
    jennifershoo Posts: 3,198 Member
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    ajsimms2011 wrote: »
    Well yes as muscle weighs more than fat. So if your loosing fat and gaining muscle ur weight on the scales may go up. But you will look a hell of a lot better with a toned body. So dont bendepressed its a good thing

    *sigh* NO.
    She is not gaining muscles on 1200 cals a day.
  • Joel33mfp
    Joel33mfp Posts: 23
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    tblattler wrote: »
    Why 1200 calories? That's extraordinarily low for someone who is strength training and doing cardio. Eating too few calories will work against you and your body will hold on to its weight much more than if you are eating an appropriate amount of calories.

    I'm with you on the low cals... But it's MFP that's telling women 1200 is the #. I'm a trainer and I link up with most of my clients on MFP and their cal to lose weight is 1200 for the most part. I tell them that on workout days to eat more to balance the workout so they have more fuel to push harder.
  • musclegood_fatbad
    musclegood_fatbad Posts: 9,809 Member
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    Don't worry, just water retention at this point. Keep doing what you are doing and take measurements. If your weight and measurements continue to climb, then you will need to re-evaluate and find out why.
  • thrashscara
    thrashscara Posts: 72 Member
    edited April 2015
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    When you start to lift forget checking in with the scales for a while, use a tape measure! I have "gained" about 2lbs over past month, but lost 4 inches off back, 5 inches of waist and 4in off hips! May be worth weighing every 6-8 weeks, to allow everything to catch up! Also I aim for around 1400-1700 cals a day depending on what I'm doing!

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