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  • muriah2
    muriah2 Posts: 143 Member
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    How many calories are you netting each day? My first guess would be that you're not eating enough, and your body is holding on to everything it can for energy. How often are you eating? Our metabolism needs fuel from the moment we wake up in the morning, and for twelve hours after that. Ideally you should be eating every 2.5-3 hours. That would be the first two things Id look at.
  • TheDeviation
    TheDeviation Posts: 149
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    My wife says it is from the weight lifting, so should I stop lifting weights and go back to all cardio?
    The strength training you mention seems light to me. So I wouldn't be blaming that for all of it. As has been mentioned, your muscles will retain water. Watch your sodium intake like a hawk and drink plenty of water.

    Get a body fat measurement. While you're at it, get ALL your measurements. Use this rather than relying on the scale.
  • Skolls081102
    Skolls081102 Posts: 184
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    One last one- Muscle DOES NOT weigh more than fat. However, you may put on a pound of muscle, faster than you shed the pound of fat. They weigh the same- a pound is a pound. Muscle just grows a little quicker- especially when weight training.

    Eat all of your calories (as close as you can) and eat back your exercise calories- obviously with healthy food. Watch the sodium, drink plenty of water. The weight will come off. I also reccomend measuring yourself- neck, chest, bicep, waist, hips, and thigh. And keep tracking them. You may notice no weigh loss, but a loss in inches which would indicate toning. Good luck!!!
  • JulieBoBoo
    JulieBoBoo Posts: 642
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    Muscle DOES NOT weigh more than fat. HUGE pet peeve!

    http://www.onemorebite-weightloss.com/muscle-to-fat.html

    a pound is a pound is a pound.
  • rosiedoes
    rosiedoes Posts: 84 Member
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    Well, firstly, don't forget that muscle weighs more than fat, so if you're turning the fat to muscle through the strength training, that may be part of why you're not seeing an active loss as much as you'd like.

    The other thing I would check (and I'm an amateur, so please don't assume I'm a knowledgeable professional!) is your water intake and which foods you're eating to make up those calories.

    Don't lose hope. Some people will progress at different speeds from others and if you don't have a huge amount to lose to begin with you body will want to relinquish the excess much more slowly than it would if you were say, 300lbs.

    You can totally do it.
  • rosiedoes
    rosiedoes Posts: 84 Member
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    Muscle DOES NOT weigh more than fat. HUGE pet peeve!

    http://www.onemorebite-weightloss.com/muscle-to-fat.html

    a pound is a pound is a pound.

    A pound of fat and a pound of muscle are absolutely the same, you're right.

    However, muscle is more dense than fat and so the same volume of muscle would logically weight more than the same volume of fat.
  • Dnsnyder
    Dnsnyder Posts: 263 Member
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    Muscle DOES NOT weigh more than fat. HUGE pet peeve!

    http://www.onemorebite-weightloss.com/muscle-to-fat.html

    a pound is a pound is a pound.

    Thank you! I, too, get tired of reading that muscle weighs more than fat. Muscle is more dense than fat!
  • JulieBoBoo
    JulieBoBoo Posts: 642
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    Muscle DOES NOT weigh more than fat. HUGE pet peeve!

    http://www.onemorebite-weightloss.com/muscle-to-fat.html

    a pound is a pound is a pound.

    A pound of fat and a pound of muscle are absolutely the same, you're right.

    However, muscle is more dense than fat and so the same volume of muscle would logically weight more than the same volume of fat.

    "Muscle is more dense than fat" is not the same as "muscle weighs more than fat." Neither is saying that the same volume of muscle weighs more than that of fat. Saying muscle weighs more than fat implies that one weighs more than other. If you mean that muscle is denser than fat, then say muscle is denser than fat. If you mean that muscle is heavier by volume than fat, then by all means phrase it that way as well. But saying muscle weighs more than fat is ambiguous and misleading at best.
  • hroderick
    hroderick Posts: 756 Member
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    If you've lost some weight, let MFP recalulate your goals. It will drop your suggested calories depending o your curent weight. This does not happen automatically
  • MinnieInMaine
    MinnieInMaine Posts: 6,400 Member
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    When you start strength training your muscles will retain water to protect them and to aid in recovery. Keep doing what you are doing and drink plenty of water and eventually this water will leave your muscle once you get use to the workouts.

    This ^^^ as well as the advice to track your food more consistently and watch your sodium.

    Also, muscle does NOT weigh more than fat...
  • nukebhs83
    nukebhs83 Posts: 158
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    hi joe. i know what you mean when you look on the scale and it shows an increase when you have really started eating right and exercising. i was ready to give up too. then of course, my daughter--like everyone here--told me muscle weighs more than fat. i told her that i was raised to watch the scale. i have had a hard time retraining my brain to look at the measurements not the scale. i am getting better at it. you will too just give it more time and keep up the great work. believe me--the weight will start coming off again. (dont tell my daughter but i still get on the scale at least 3 times a week---:tongue: )
  • lacroyx
    lacroyx Posts: 5,754 Member
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    with the excerise and now added in strength training I believe you need to up your calories. or at least make sure you eat back most of your excercise calories.
  • erickirb
    erickirb Posts: 12,293 Member
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    One last one- Muscle DOES NOT weigh more than fat. However, you may put on a pound of muscle, faster than you shed the pound of fat. They weigh the same- a pound is a pound. Muscle just grows a little quicker- especially when weight training.

    Eat all of your calories (as close as you can) and eat back your exercise calories- obviously with healthy food. Watch the sodium, drink plenty of water. The weight will come off. I also reccomend measuring yourself- neck, chest, bicep, waist, hips, and thigh. And keep tracking them. You may notice no weigh loss, but a loss in inches which would indicate toning. Good luck!!!

    come on man, muscle does weigh more than fat, because it is more dense. The more dense something is the earth's gravitational force makes it weigh more. The responder was not comparing 1 lb to 1lb, they were comparing muscle to fat. When comparing the weights of 2 different things, volume should be kept constant. If you are comparing volume, keep weight constant.

    If you agree with your argument then you would also say the carrots and butter have the same calorie content because 100 cals of carrots have the same calories as 100 cals of butter. But they don't have the same calorie content as butter is more calorie dense than carrots, if you are comparing them properly (volume or same size serving)
  • melcowenfitness
    melcowenfitness Posts: 221 Member
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    Hi

    I have been dieting since January 7,2011. I exerciese 4 times a week starting two weeks ago I went from doing 4 days of cardio to at the advise of another MFP member now do 2 days cardio and 2 days stregnth training do John Basedow's 45 minute fat burning weight lifting cd using 10lb dumbels. I am very accurate with my calorie counting even to the point of measuring alot of items.

    My problem is I gained two pounds this week and I am aving a hard time getting the weight off. I am following the calories based on if I want to lose two pounds a week and I am lucky if I loose a pound a week.

    Can somebody please elp me figure out what I am doing wrong? to date I have only lost 14 pounds and I am beginning to think that it is not worth all the trouble of exercising and calorie counting only to get on the scale and see that I have gained two pounds.

    My wife says it is from the weight lifting, so should I stop lifting weights and go back to all cardio?

    Someone please respond as I am totally ready to quit doing all this. My diary is open to public if you think I should do something else.

    Thanks

    Joe


    Hey Joe,

    Don't give up! Two pounds of muscle is far better than 2 pounds of fat! Keep up the weight training - it helps burn body fat, strengthens your bones, among so many other great benefits.

    Everyone else's comments are spot on - as long as your clothes are fitting better and you're seeing a change in your body composition (more muscle, less fat), you are headed in the right direction.

    Calories are a major source of confusion for many people (me included). When I started working out to P90X, I cut my calorie intake down to 1300. I lost weight for the first few weeks and then all of a sudden, my weight loss stopped. I figured out (through the help of other Beachbody members) that I wasn't eating enough. I increased my calories to 1900/day and started losing weight again.

    If you look at my food diary, you'll see that I eat a minimum of 1500 calories/day - most days I'm still closer to 1800-1900 calories and I've still maintained my 28 pound weight loss. I know it sounds counterintuitive, but it really does work. You should check out this article that explains it in more detail: www.tinyurl.com/eatmoretolosemore
  • erickirb
    erickirb Posts: 12,293 Member
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    Muscle DOES NOT weigh more than fat. HUGE pet peeve!

    http://www.onemorebite-weightloss.com/muscle-to-fat.html

    a pound is a pound is a pound.

    "Muscle is more dense than fat" is not the same as "muscle weighs more than fat." Neither is saying that the same volume of muscle weighs more than that of fat. Saying muscle weighs more than fat implies that one weighs more than other. If you mean that muscle is denser than fat, then say muscle is denser than fat. If you mean that muscle is heavier by volume than fat, then by all means phrase it that way as well. But saying muscle weighs more than fat is ambiguous and misleading at best.

    You are arguing semantics, Keep volume constant and in actuality muscle does weigh more than fat,. The more dense something is the earth's gravitational force makes it weigh more. The responder was not comparing 1 lb to 1lb, they were comparing muscle to fat. When comparing the weights of 2 different things, volume should be kept constant. If you are comparing volume, keep weight constant.

    If you agree with your argument then you would also say the carrots and butter have the same calorie content because 100 cals of carrots have the same calories as 100 cals of butter. But they don't have the same calorie content as butter is more calorie dense than carrots, if you are comparing them properly (volume or same size serving)
  • TheKitsune6
    TheKitsune6 Posts: 5,798 Member
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    Muscle DOES NOT weigh more than fat. HUGE pet peeve!

    http://www.onemorebite-weightloss.com/muscle-to-fat.html

    a pound is a pound is a pound.

    Your pet peeve is petty and inaccurate. If you are comparing like sizes of one thing to another they can weigh more let's say I have a bowling ball and I also have a sphere of styrofoam with the same measurements. Which one weighs more? Obviously they're comparable and one is more dense and heavy than another.
  • rosiedoes
    rosiedoes Posts: 84 Member
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    Muscle DOES NOT weigh more than fat. HUGE pet peeve!

    http://www.onemorebite-weightloss.com/muscle-to-fat.html

    a pound is a pound is a pound.

    A pound of fat and a pound of muscle are absolutely the same, you're right.

    However, muscle is more dense than fat and so the same volume of muscle would logically weight more than the same volume of fat.

    "Muscle is more dense than fat" is not the same as "muscle weighs more than fat." Neither is saying that the same volume of muscle weighs more than that of fat. Saying muscle weighs more than fat implies that one weighs more than other. If you mean that muscle is denser than fat, then say muscle is denser than fat. If you mean that muscle is heavier by volume than fat, then by all means phrase it that way as well. But saying muscle weighs more than fat is ambiguous and misleading at best.

    I completely disagree. You're arguing semantics inaccurately. If I take a cup of fat and a cup of muscle, the muscle weighs more. No one with common sense would truly think that a pound of fat weights more than a pound of muscle, any more than they're going to think a pound of potatoes weighs more than a pound of tomatoes.

    Muscle does weigh more than fat when compared by volume, because it is more dense. You wouldn't compare weight by weight, would you? That would be silly.
  • rosiedoes
    rosiedoes Posts: 84 Member
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    Well, Joe - if nothing else, your post has prompted a debate on the fundamental laws of physics! :)
  • joesan563
    joesan563 Posts: 18 Member
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    You know what? I really felt connected to you after reading your reply to my post. I truely feel exactly how you described. I am gonna start measuring and not consintrate on the scale.

    Thank you again.

    Joe
  • joesan563
    joesan563 Posts: 18 Member
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    Thank you to all who posted your support is appreciated and I will use all advice that was given.

    Thank you

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