My scale went up after weight lifting weights.. HELP!

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  • shelbelw
    shelbelw Posts: 48 Member
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    What the others have said about the tape measure: USE IT instead of the scale for a while. Lifting may cause weight gain, but you are building muscle and losing fat. Monitor your progress in inches instead of pounds and you'll be happier.
  • DesiRocks
    DesiRocks Posts: 3
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    :sad: OK here is my question for the day.. i started on Monday to lift weights now i see that i have gained 4lb i know that is impossible i have gained 4lb of fat or muscle is 2 soon.. i spoke to my trainer and he told me the reason is because as i am working my muscles i have water and glycogen(what ever that mean) and that is why i see the scale up! to no give up and after my swelling goes away i should be back in track... now the question i have for you guys is... has anyone else that started lifting weights has gain water weigh for a little while and if you have how long for this to be back to normal.. My trainer said not to give up as lifting weights is part of weight loss. What do you guys think? Thanks

    Thank you for asking this question, I'm struggling with the weight gain thing even though my clothes are getting smaller. This helps me understand what is going on!
  • rnkalyan
    rnkalyan Posts: 1 Member
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    Thanks for posting this question and all for the replies. Hoping to get continuing in my weight loss regime...
  • pietro7050
    pietro7050 Posts: 1
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    I've been tracking my weight religiously for about 4 months and I see a spike in my weight after every visit to the gym. Eventually it goes back down if you stick to your plan so do not worry. I am convinced the human body (as a means of survival) does not want to lose weight, must go back to our caveman days. So what they say is true DO NOT try to starve the weight off your body will fight you and win.
  • sportysmurf
    sportysmurf Posts: 16
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    Yep - try not to stress out about it. You're doing great, keep going :)
  • bettersusan
    bettersusan Posts: 240 Member
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    I am SO relieved to read this post!! I have been working harder than ever to stay on track. I have been doing GREAT on my eating, and working out HARD. I've been doing mostly weight lifting/muscle building training with a trainer three times a week, but doing loads of cardio on the other days. I have been doing this for 3 weeks and have been incredibly sore. My body is starting to feel more fit, but the scale!! :"( I lost almost two pounds the first week, and was happy with progress. THEN, I weighed the 2nd week and I was UP 2 pounds! I thought it HAD to be a fluke! There was just NO WAY! I waited over a week and now I am up ANOTHER 1.2 pounds this morning!! I could CRY. I haven't weighed this much in years, and I KNOW I'm doing the right things!! I even thought of giving up the muscle building. Maybe I should give it another week or two. It's just really freaking me out!
  • nicolemaguire1
    nicolemaguire1 Posts: 3 Member
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    I'm so glad to have found this thread. Over the past 9 months I've lost almost 30 pounds. Everything I tried would not budge the scale - until I went low carb. 3 weeks ago I started lifting weights. I got on the scale 20min ago and have gained 4lb. I wanted to cry also. I ran to google what I was doing wrong. It seems from what I gather it is water retention. I eat very well, as well as a protein shake for breakfast and whey isolate for pre-lunch and protein through out the day - and minimum 12 glasses of water most days. After reading the previous comments I think I need to stay off the scale(which I look at 2-3 times a week - argh) - and continue to 'measure' and keep lifting - which I'm really loving.

    How long should it take for my body to feel like I'm actually loosing - or seeing change?
  • nkovacs1954
    nkovacs1954 Posts: 64 Member
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    Throw your scale away….it doesn't measure anything except you and your pull on gravity. Enjoy your workouts, enjoy getting bigger and toned arms, enjoy that you look better in clothes….
  • TheKoreanVegan
    TheKoreanVegan Posts: 9 Member
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    Seriously, cannot echo enough the gratitude and relief already expressed by other posters. I started adding much more intense strength training in the past week and was dumbfounded/deflated upon finding that I'd not only NOT lost weight, but GAINED .6 lbs in the past two weeks. Will continue eating and exercising as I am, and happily drink a gallon of water.
  • Danny_Boy13
    Danny_Boy13 Posts: 2,094 Member
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    I say just throw out the scale and just use the mirror. What does it matter if one would weigh 130 or 140lbs if they like what they see in the mirror.
  • Fitness_Dharma
    Fitness_Dharma Posts: 2
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    Great input! Thanks for sharing!
  • Kiloloser
    Kiloloser Posts: 6 Member
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    "I am SO relieved to read this post!! I have been working harder than ever to stay on track. I have been doing GREAT on my eating, and working out HARD. I've been doing mostly weight lifting/muscle building training with a trainer three times a week, but doing loads of cardio on the other days. I have been doing this for 3 weeks and have been incredibly sore. My body is starting to feel more fit, but the scale!! :"( I lost almost two pounds the first week, and was happy with progress. THEN, I weighed the 2nd week and I was UP 2 pounds! I thought it HAD to be a fluke! There was just NO WAY! I waited over a week and now I am up ANOTHER 1.2 pounds this morning!! I could CRY. I haven't weighed this much in years, and I KNOW I'm doing the right things!! I even thought of giving up the muscle building. Maybe I should give it another week or two. It's just really freaking me out!"


    I hear you ...same concern here. I have been using hand weights for strength training for 8 months now, as well as cardio (beach walking 4-5 times a week). A week ago I decided to up my weights to a 4 kg (almost 9 lb) after having enjoyed the 2.5 kg ( 5.5 lb) up till then. I have a circuit of 10 routines and do 10 reps per set. I have no idea if this is enough, as I'm self taught (with some hints from DVD's).
    Unfortunately I'm guilty of "scale addiction" (I also have a set of body analyser scales) so to see a 2 kg (4.5) gain after my session 2 days ago freaked me out. I look dreadful - carrying a watermelon in my tummy and orange peel extraordinaire on my thighs. I truly wanted to give up all cardio for a month and return to my low carb plan (South Beach Phase 1). My goal is to maintain at 56 kg (125 lb) and I'm currently 58.1 kg, but it feels so uncomfortable. I have been maintaining 55-57 kg since 2005 with sensible eating and cardio mainly, but at age 62, I felt it was important to get into strength training to ward off 'ageing concerns'.
  • flab777
    flab777 Posts: 3 Member
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    I know this post is years old, but it obviously still applies to lots of people, so Im chiming in with my sitch! Someone will read it...

    I'm male, 38, 5'6", 50+ pounds overweight my entire adult life. I cut calories and did a lil cardio and went from 206 to 168. I lost 38 pounds from Sept. 2014 to July 2015. Then I started lifting weights and eating a lil more. Now Im at 185! ahhh! All my lost weight is coming back? Im averaging like more than 2000 cals a day, working all day, working out 5 days a week. Maybe I should be at 1600 cals a day like mfp says to lose 1.5 pounds a week? Well , after reading posts like this on every fitness website, Im not gonna change anything yet,....because here's the thing....at 206, I wore extra large and large clothes, my jeans were 38 inch waist and getting tight. At 168, I bought 32 inch jeans, and medium and small sized shirts. Now at 185, my small sized clothes fit the SAME. My waist is the same or a little smaller. So that 17 pounds I gained back doesnt show at all. I got muscles and veins popping out that I did not know I had, and every week Im lifting a little more weight than the week before. I guess that's called gains. I guess things are going awesome. But doubt can creep in after you been relying on the scale to see progress, so when it starts going up , not down, after starting a new routine, its easy to question what you are doing, even when you look and feel great! Im just gonna keep lifting weights and see where it leads.
  • CalorieCountChocula
    CalorieCountChocula Posts: 239 Member
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    Danny_Boy13 wrote: »
    I say just throw out the scale and just use the mirror. What does it matter if one would weigh 130 or 140lbs if they like what they see in the mirror.

    This is good advice for people who are already relatively fit already but it's bad advice for someone who has more than a few pounds to lose. I'm 229lbs. Should I throw out my scale? Probably not. I look almost the same now as I did at 239. Hell, I even wear the same pants I did when I was 249. Only my face looks smaller. The story is similar for a lot of people. You simply don't see big changes in the mirror when you have any significant amount of weight to lose.
  • adub119
    adub119 Posts: 27 Member
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    You do if you lift and cut calories.
  • iammantistobbogan
    iammantistobbogan Posts: 40 Member
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    Perfectly normal - for instance I always hit my legs super hard and as a result the scale always will be higher in the days after. Just work ur schedule so ur weighing in at the right time or if ur serious about weight lifting ditch the scale
  • ninerbuff
    ninerbuff Posts: 48,523 Member
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    nirsky wrote: »
    4lb. difference can be seen even when you weight yourself in the morning and in the evening. All the water and we food we take in.

    Lifting weight will increase your metabolism and will make your body burn calories up to 48 hours after you finish working out even if you sit and do nothing.

    The combination of weight lifting and cardio is the best combo you can get.
    If you only do cardio, you will burn fat and muscles.
    Body is always burning calories even without weight lifting. EPOC has been over exaggerated for decades by the fitness industry.
    And no you don't only burn fat and muscles doing cardio. That's another myth.

    One lifts weights to do a couple of main things: to get stronger or to improve current shape (hypertrophy or conditioning).

    A.C.E. Certified Personal and Group Fitness Trainer
    IDEA Fitness member
    Kickboxing Certified Instructor
    Been in fitness for 30 years and have studied kinesiology and nutrition
    9285851.png

  • debrakgoogins
    debrakgoogins Posts: 2,034 Member
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    Many others have said it but if you have started a weight training program, don't worry about the scale. Take measurements instead. You can track your progress in the same part of MFP that you track weight. Your measurements will give the most accurate record of your success. And...take pictures of yourself ASAP. Take a front, back and side shot. Wear the least amount you are comfortable with then take pictures of yourself once a month. You'll see the changes in your body even if you don't see a change in the scale.
  • Angellaree
    Angellaree Posts: 71 Member
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    Don't stop lifting. As said previously, it will pay off. There are plenty of examples on MFP, among other places, if you need to remind or encourage yourself. Don't. Stop. Lifting. :smile:
  • Warchortle
    Warchortle Posts: 2,197 Member
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    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Wg6hlKYQujc

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