Won't lose weight... Muscle gain?

caspersr19 wrote: »

How much weight do you commonly gain when you start lifting? I have stayed under my 1700 calorie limit every day and I work out (cardio/lift) 4 days a week. It's been 3+ weeks and I haven't lost any weight. Idk if I'm doing something wrong or I'm gaining a lot of muscle weight. I'm getting discouraged

You are not gaining a lot of muscle.

Its very unlikely that you are gaining muscle while eating at a deficit.

It's more likely that your retaining water. This is common when one begins a new program.

Are you using a food scale to weigh everything you eat ? Are you accurately weighing and logging things like peanut butter, oils, butter, dressings, milk, cream ? Those things add up quickly and are often not accurately accounted for .
Are you measuring all your liquids with a measuring cup?
For this to work you must be as accurate as possible. If you are not losing over an extended period of time ( months not weeks or days ) then its likely you are eating more then you think . this is extremely common. Its easy to underestimate our intake and over estimate our workouts.

caspersr19 wrote: »

How much weight do you commonly gain when you start lifting? I have stayed under my 1700 calorie limit every day and I work out (cardio/lift) 4 days a week. It's been 3+ weeks and I haven't lost any weight. Idk if I'm doing something wrong or I'm gaining a lot of muscle weight. I'm getting discouraged

You must weigh ALL food accurately to ensure caloric deficit. That is no doubt the cause.

I'm two weeks in to my new adventures in lifting. I haven't lost any weight (and have actually weighed more on some days), but thanks to all of the knowledgeable people here on MFP, I expected that. However, I am already seeing lots of positive changes in the shape and size of my body, which is really surprising and motivating.

caspersr19 wrote: »

I try to measure most things but that may be part of it. Some of the things I add may be less accurate.

In the past 3 weeks I've definitely had to add more weight to what I'm lifting. For example I've gone from struggling to bench press 20lbs to lifting 45 this week. That's why I thought it might be muscle gain. I just don't understand how I wouldn't lose ANY weight - I've changed my diet A LOT. (In a good way)

You will get stronger as you lift but that's not the same as gaining muscle mass. It's difficult for women to gain muscle mass period. It's especially difficult for a woman eating at a deficit. I don't want to see it's impossible, but at best it would be only about a 1/2 lb over a month and that's for someone eating more than they maintain and lifting very heavy. However, as your muscles get stronger they retain more water in order to repair themselves (and they will puff up and be more visible as well). So you very likely could be retaining water. Make sure you are drinking enough water, it will help in keeping your water levels more even day to day.

All you can do is focus on your logging. Weigh everything on a food scale. Be honest with yourself. Make sure you are choosing accurate entries in the database. 3 weeks after starting a new exercise program is not always enough to see progress. Give it another 2 weeks. If you still aren't seeing a loss, that probably means you are eating at maintenance. Which might mean you are overestimating exercise calories, or need to hone in on your logging. Good luck and stick with it, I bet despite the scale being stuck you feel much better. It's important to set non-scale goals. Also, take measurements. Often we will lose inches when we aren't losing pounds.

Take some measurements too; chest, waist, hips, arms, thighs for comparison