Can lifting weight cause a stop to your weight loss?
ksaadallah95
Posts: 1 Member
I m currently trying to loss weight so I have been also weight lifting , unfortunately the scale seems to not budge , I'm on a calorie deficit also , so I'm not sure If lifting weight does that , like retaining water , h9nestly it's discouraging 
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Answers
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Yeah, lifting can cause water retention. Your muscles need this for repair and for getting stronger.2
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Weight lifting can definitely cause water retention. It's not fat though, so just keep doing what you're doing for at least a month.4
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If there is no weight loss a month after your current diet, then you’re most likely not in a weekly calorie deficit4
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It can slow it down, but weight lifting doesn't STOP weight loss or else how else could bodybuilders lose fat for competitions?
A.C.E. Certified Personal and Group Fitness Trainer
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Been in fitness for 35+ years and have studied kinesiology and nutrition
6 -
As someone who has been lifting while in a calorie deficit it took a while to see result on the scale, although many people including myself noticed I was replacing fat with muscle. Keep staying in a deficit and weight lifting. If you still don’t see results then your calorie deficit might still be too many calories. And focus on PROTEINS while weight lifting.0
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You weren't in a calorie deficit if you weren't losing weight.As someone who has been lifting while in a calorie deficit it took a while to see result on the scale, although many people including myself noticed I was replacing fat with muscle. Keep staying in a deficit and weight lifting. If you still don’t see results then your calorie deficit might still be too many calories. And focus on PROTEINS while weight lifting.
1 -
As others have noted, resistance training will cause water retention during tissue healing, so scales won't always reflect what your body is doing. Fat is stubborn, long-term storage energy, and takes time for your body to burn and utilise.
Resistance training is performed primarily to retain muscle tissue while in a caloric defecit. Weight loss can be comprised of a loss of both fat and lean mass - you want to minimise the loss of lean mass.
Take note of your weight after two weeks.
After two weeks:
If there has been a trend down, then fantastic - your calorie target is working. Keep going and log result again in two weeks.
If the scale has remained the same, then drop your calories by 200-400*. Check results in 2 weeks. Adjust downward if necessary.
If the scale has increased by more than 1-2kg^, then drop your calories by 400-600*. Check results in 1 week and adjust down a further 200-400 calories if required.
*Calorie reductions are estimates based on my personal experience. Experiment with values as every body is different and BMR will vary.
^This value range can vary by a large margin depending on sodium intake and hydration. Be mindful of salt intake a few days before weighing in.0 -
It depends on what your goal is.
Do you want the scales to say a lower number or do you want to burn fat and have a better body definition?
Since August last year to now, in pictures you can see a HUGE difference to how I look, I have lost alot of fat, have tonned, got alot stronger and really starting to show some definition in my waist, back and arms now. I look and feel great BUT if I was to just focus on what the scales say I would be really depressed as they have only dropped 4-6lbs.
This is why I ask what your goals are?
The best thing I don't to track my progress was to take photos once a month and visually see the difference.
Of course eating right and exercise is the HOW you do it but maybe just change how you will review your results and see the difference your making
3 -
As others have noted, resistance training will cause water retention during tissue healing, so scales won't always reflect what your body is doing. Fat is stubborn, long-term storage energy, and takes time for your body to burn and utilise.
Resistance training is performed primarily to retain muscle tissue while in a caloric defecit. Weight loss can be comprised of a loss of both fat and lean mass - you want to minimise the loss of lean mass.
Take note of your weight after two weeks.
After two weeks:
If there has been a trend down, then fantastic - your calorie target is working. Keep going and log result again in two weeks.
If the scale has remained the same, then drop your calories by 200-400*. Check results in 2 weeks. Adjust downward if necessary.
If the scale has increased by more than 1-2kg^, then drop your calories by 400-600*. Check results in 1 week and adjust down a further 200-400 calories if required.
*Calorie reductions are estimates based on my personal experience. Experiment with values as every body is different and BMR will vary.
^This value range can vary by a large margin depending on sodium intake and hydration. Be mindful of salt intake a few days before weighing in.
Two weeks isn't long enough trial period for women who have menstrual cycles.
While it isn't the most common pattern, some women only see a new low weight once a month at a particular point in their cycle, when losing. Yes, hormonal water retention can be that weird.
A woman who doesn't know her monthly water retention patterns well should compare body weight at the same relative point in at least 2 different cycles to assess effectiveness of a new eating/activity regimen. That's a better basis for adjusting.
Cutting calories deeper too soon can increase health risks and limit exercise performance/results.8 -
As others have noted, resistance training will cause water retention during tissue healing, so scales won't always reflect what your body is doing. Fat is stubborn, long-term storage energy, and takes time for your body to burn and utilise.
Resistance training is performed primarily to retain muscle tissue while in a caloric defecit. Weight loss can be comprised of a loss of both fat and lean mass - you want to minimise the loss of lean mass.
Take note of your weight after two weeks.
After two weeks:
If there has been a trend down, then fantastic - your calorie target is working. Keep going and log result again in two weeks.
If the scale has remained the same, then drop your calories by 200-400*. Check results in 2 weeks. Adjust downward if necessary.
If the scale has increased by more than 1-2kg^, then drop your calories by 400-600*. Check results in 1 week and adjust down a further 200-400 calories if required.
*Calorie reductions are estimates based on my personal experience. Experiment with values as every body is different and BMR will vary.
^This value range can vary by a large margin depending on sodium intake and hydration. Be mindful of salt intake a few days before weighing in.
Two weeks isn't long enough trial period for women who have menstrual cycles.
While it isn't the most common pattern, some women only see a new low weight once a month at a particular point in their cycle, when losing. Yes, hormonal water retention can be that weird.
A woman who doesn't know her monthly water retention patterns well should compare body weight at the same relative point in at least 2 different cycles to assess effectiveness of a new eating/activity regimen. That's a better basis for adjusting.
Cutting calories deeper too soon can increase health risks and limit exercise performance/results.
Did not realise OP was female. These are good points. My input was based on personal experience and trends I have noted assisting friends and family with nutrition (admittedly mostly men).
2 -
As others have noted, resistance training will cause water retention during tissue healing, so scales won't always reflect what your body is doing. Fat is stubborn, long-term storage energy, and takes time for your body to burn and utilise.
Resistance training is performed primarily to retain muscle tissue while in a caloric defecit. Weight loss can be comprised of a loss of both fat and lean mass - you want to minimise the loss of lean mass.
Take note of your weight after two weeks.
After two weeks:
If there has been a trend down, then fantastic - your calorie target is working. Keep going and log result again in two weeks.
If the scale has remained the same, then drop your calories by 200-400*. Check results in 2 weeks. Adjust downward if necessary.
If the scale has increased by more than 1-2kg^, then drop your calories by 400-600*. Check results in 1 week and adjust down a further 200-400 calories if required.
*Calorie reductions are estimates based on my personal experience. Experiment with values as every body is different and BMR will vary.
^This value range can vary by a large margin depending on sodium intake and hydration. Be mindful of salt intake a few days before weighing in.
Two weeks isn't long enough trial period for women who have menstrual cycles.
While it isn't the most common pattern, some women only see a new low weight once a month at a particular point in their cycle, when losing. Yes, hormonal water retention can be that weird.
A woman who doesn't know her monthly water retention patterns well should compare body weight at the same relative point in at least 2 different cycles to assess effectiveness of a new eating/activity regimen. That's a better basis for adjusting.
Cutting calories deeper too soon can increase health risks and limit exercise performance/results.
Did not realise OP was female. These are good points. My input was based on personal experience and trends I have noted assisting friends and family with nutrition (admittedly mostly men).
No worries: You gave good, nuanced advice, and took the time to type out a complete answer (that latter a great thing, and also rare IRL). It just maybe needs a little timing tweak for us females. I'm completely understanding that most of us humans may not be as attuned to situations very different from our own. I for sure don't know much about how men's biochemistry affects their body weight, fat loss, muscle gain, body composition - you name it.
P.S. I might have said that even if OP weren't female, as her profile says she is. It seems like some people other than the OP read this threads, and assume generic advice may apply to them. Often, it can . . . but sometimes male vs. female biochemistry or physiology does create variations, as you know.2 -
As others have noted, resistance training will cause water retention during tissue healing, so scales won't always reflect what your body is doing. Fat is stubborn, long-term storage energy, and takes time for your body to burn and utilise.
Resistance training is performed primarily to retain muscle tissue while in a caloric defecit. Weight loss can be comprised of a loss of both fat and lean mass - you want to minimise the loss of lean mass.
Take note of your weight after two weeks.
After two weeks:
If there has been a trend down, then fantastic - your calorie target is working. Keep going and log result again in two weeks.
If the scale has remained the same, then drop your calories by 200-400*. Check results in 2 weeks. Adjust downward if necessary.
If the scale has increased by more than 1-2kg^, then drop your calories by 400-600*. Check results in 1 week and adjust down a further 200-400 calories if required.
*Calorie reductions are estimates based on my personal experience. Experiment with values as every body is different and BMR will vary.
^This value range can vary by a large margin depending on sodium intake and hydration. Be mindful of salt intake a few days before weighing in.
Two weeks isn't long enough trial period for women who have menstrual cycles.
While it isn't the most common pattern, some women only see a new low weight once a month at a particular point in their cycle, when losing. Yes, hormonal water retention can be that weird.
A woman who doesn't know her monthly water retention patterns well should compare body weight at the same relative point in at least 2 different cycles to assess effectiveness of a new eating/activity regimen. That's a better basis for adjusting.
Cutting calories deeper too soon can increase health risks and limit exercise performance/results.
Did not realise OP was female. These are good points. My input was based on personal experience and trends I have noted assisting friends and family with nutrition (admittedly mostly men).
No worries: You gave good, nuanced advice, and took the time to type out a complete answer (that latter a great thing, and also rare IRL). It just maybe needs a little timing tweak for us females. I'm completely understanding that most of us humans may not be as attuned to situations very different from our own. I for sure don't know much about how men's biochemistry affects their body weight, fat loss, muscle gain, body composition - you name it.
P.S. I might have said that even if OP weren't female, as her profile says she is. It seems like some people other than the OP read this threads, and assume generic advice may apply to them. Often, it can . . . but sometimes male vs. female biochemistry or physiology does create variations, as you know.
All good. And thanks; likewise.
Always great to get more information and have healthy discussion, especially in areas that I am happy to concede to having blind spots for. I will admit was also on my phone when I put together my initial response, so didn't have ready access to OPs profile, which is my bad. But yes, gender aside, everyone's body is different, changes and rates thereof will be variable between every individual, and some personal experimentation within safe bounds is always necessary - I'll always advocate that people spend time to get to know their body and treat it like their best friend (it's with you for life, after all).
2 -
Listen to your pants belt. If its down a notch in a month or so keep trucking along!
2 -
I am a female in my 40s. When I first started a lifting program when I was obese, I did not see any discernable changes on the scale until about about 4 weeks. It was rather discouraging, but then scale started to move. What kept me going was the the inches I was losing. Focus on the inches and not the scale. The scale will come around.3
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I started l lifting just before Christmas. It's been a very slow process. But I feel really good and strong. This week is the first week I'm starting to see a drop in my weight.1
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I'm in the same boat. Started working out a little over 2 weeks ago. I'm on a 1200 cal diet, I log everything (so no guesstimating here) and I steadily gain. Little by little. Very frustrating to say the least. Oh, I should mention I'm 60y old. I'm still proud of myself and will keep at it. Hopefully this is just a phase.1
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floridaorange110 wrote: »I'm in the same boat. Started working out a little over 2 weeks ago. I'm on a 1200 cal diet, I log everything (so no guesstimating here) and I steadily gain. Little by little. Very frustrating to say the least. Oh, I should mention I'm 60y old. I'm still proud of myself and will keep at it. Hopefully this is just a phase.
Just keep sticking to it and observing results. Two weeks is a short time. Make sure your logging is spot on. Use a food scale. Make sure you find the right entries in the database. Stick to it. That's the trick.1
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