what gives?

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repete11
repete11 Posts: 53
in Health and Weight Loss
I started lifting weights (pretty intensely) a couple weeks ago and now this week I have gained two pounds! I haven't cheated on my diet and have been doing cardio on opposite days. I just don't get it. Anyone have thoughts on why this might be? I am just so frustrated.

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  • chgudnitz
    chgudnitz Posts: 4,079
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    I'm not going to say it's probably muscle weight... That seems to be the all to common answer. More than likely it is water weight. When you start a new strength training routine, your body (muscles) retain water (that's why you see them seem to get so much bigger right away) until you get more acclimated to doing weight training.

    Hope this helps. In the long run you will see the benefits for sure.
  • vwise
    vwise Posts: 12
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    Stop paying attention the number on the scale and more attention to the inches lost. Have someone do a circumference check. Neck, Shoulders, Chest, Abdomen, Waist, Biceps, Thighs, Calves. If you havent weight lifted for a while your going to gain muscle and yes it does retain more water. Its pretty common that people gain weight. Goodluck
  • msarro
    msarro Posts: 2,748 Member
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    First, its important to note that strength training/weight lifting does next to nothing for weight loss in the way of burning calories - the movements are short, and anaerobic. Burning fat is best accomplished with long sessions of aerobic exercise. Outside of a circuit training environment I wouldn't count on lifting to be a major source of burning calories. That doesn't mean it's pointless though - the benefit it does offer though is that muscle mass means more calories are burnt more efficiently when performing an exercise.

    Everyone says muscle weight for a reason - it IS muscle weight - ESPECIALLY if you've been lifting intensively. When you first start a new exercise regimen you literally damage the muscles the first few sessions - that's what causes the soreness. This means you also see the fastest results when you first start, but it also means additional muscle weight.

    Don't worry so much about the scale. Worry more about body measurements - I bet you're going to notice inches before you notice pounds if you're lifting regularly. I know I did.
  • chgudnitz
    chgudnitz Posts: 4,079
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    To clarify - I did not mean you won't gain muscle, but 2 pounds of muscle in 2 weeks is A LOT. That's why I said it's probably water. It takes a while to add pounds of muscle.

    ***But, if you did add that much muscle, I NEED to know your routine ASAP***
  • msarro
    msarro Posts: 2,748 Member
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    To clarify - I did not mean you won't gain muscle, but 2 pounds of muscle in 2 weeks is A LOT. That's why I said it's probably water. It takes a while to add pounds of muscle.

    ***But, if you did add that much muscle, I NEED to know your routine ASAP***

    Say hello to my friend, creatine monohydrate :laugh:

    Honestly I don't see 2lbs in 2 weeks being that crazy impossible, especially if you're supplementing with protein, are entirely new to lifting, and are lifting intensively.
  • chgudnitz
    chgudnitz Posts: 4,079
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    To clarify - I did not mean you won't gain muscle, but 2 pounds of muscle in 2 weeks is A LOT. That's why I said it's probably water. It takes a while to add pounds of muscle.

    ***But, if you did add that much muscle, I NEED to know your routine ASAP***

    Say hello to my friend, creatine monohydrate :laugh:

    Honestly I don't see 2lbs in 2 weeks being that crazy impossible, especially if you're supplementing with protein, are entirely new to lifting, and are lifting intensively.

    Ah Creatine... I'm not going to go into what that did to my best friend's (redacted). I think I will stick to the whey protein, it hasn't um, umm... affected anything as of yet. :noway:
  • vanessa915
    vanessa915 Posts: 68 Member
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    When I started a 10 week small group personal training class the people at the gym told me that my weight would likely fluctuate for that entire time until my body got used to the new activity and routine. They said that I probably wouldn't even out and really start seeing losses till after a couple of months. They were absolutely right! My weight initially went down, then back up, then flattened out, and then I finally started seeing more even losses (slower ones, about a pound a week or less). Had they not told me to expect that when I started, I probably would have gotten really frustrated, but it worked out for me. Maybe your body just needs to adjust to the new fitness regimen. It will even out on its own.

    Vanessa
  • SHBoss1673
    SHBoss1673 Posts: 7,161 Member
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    Doubt you would gain 2 lbs of actual muscle in 2 weeks without some chemical help. BUT, that doesn't mean weight gain can't happen in that time period.

    If we start a weight training program after a long time of not weight training, we activate muscles that have been out of serious use for a long time, even though we may use these muscles for day to day, we don't fully encorporate them, inactive (or infrequently active) muscles go into a "dormant" state, when we activate them, they again begin storing a water glucose mix (glycogen), this stuff is actually quite heavy, and can, indeed, increase our weight.

    Add the gain from muscle growth (maybe 1/2 to 1 lb over 2 weeks in the beginning) with the extra glycogen storage and yeah, I can see 2 lbs easy.

    Add to that that some bones increase in density during hard anaerobic weight training sessions, and you have a system that has increased it's weight, but also increased it's metabolic rate, and overall well being.

    If you are staying withing a reasonable caloric deficit, and eating the right types of foods during this time, one thing you DIDN'T gain is fat (or no noticeable amount at least), which is exactly what we are trying to accomplish.
  • chgudnitz
    chgudnitz Posts: 4,079
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    Doubt you would gain 2 lbs of actual muscle in 2 weeks without some chemical help. BUT, that doesn't mean weight gain can't happen in that time period.

    If we start a weight training program after a long time of not weight training, we activate muscles that have been out of serious use for a long time, even though we may use these muscles for day to day, we don't fully encorporate them, inactive (or infrequently active) muscles go into a "dormant" state, when we activate them, they again begin storing a water glucose mix (glycogen), this stuff is actually quite heavy, and can, indeed, increase our weight.

    Add the gain from muscle growth (maybe 1/2 to 1 lb over 2 weeks in the beginning) with the extra glycogen storage and yeah, I can see 2 lbs easy.

    Add to that that some bones increase in density during hard anaerobic weight training sessions, and you have a system that has increased it's weight, but also increased it's metabolic rate, and overall well being.

    If you are staying withing a reasonable caloric deficit, and eating the right types of foods during this time, one thing you DIDN'T gain is fat (or no noticeable amount at least), which is exactly what we are trying to accomplish.

    Right, see, what he said. I mean that's close to what I said, just slightly different wording!!! :glasses:

    Whatever the case, you're doing a good thing for yourself. The bottom line is the weight gain is not bad weight gain, so don't get discouraged and give up.
  • kerrilucko
    kerrilucko Posts: 3,852 Member
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    she also never said she gained the lbs over 2 weeks, she said she gained it THIS week, meaning last week she hadn't gained anything. This leads me to think it's very likely water weight. Make sure you keep incorporating cardio exercise into your routine, cause Matt is right, weights do very little in the way of burning.
  • imjeni
    imjeni Posts: 13 Member
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    I started boot camp at the gym 2 days a week with 5 days of cardio. I've been at it for 6 weeks and have gained 5 lbs and lost an inche inmy waist and my arms are more ripped than ever. I do drink a protein shake every night after workouts. It is possible.
  • Doitforbaby120808
    Doitforbaby120808 Posts: 51
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    What weights are good for is how many calories you burn when you do cardio. The more muscle you have the more cals you burn during exersize!

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