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Plateauing with strength training

Masterchef2000
Masterchef2000 Posts: 127 Member
edited December 2024 in Fitness and Exercise
I'm just starting my strength training and my weight loss has come to an absolute standstill. I can only assume it's due to weight training, it would make sense. Has any one else (especially women) noticed this? When did you start to drop some weight again? I'm on my second week and the amount I can squat and bench press is already going up though so that's exciting!

Replies

  • meshashesha2012
    meshashesha2012 Posts: 8,329 Member
    yep it happens, but your body will catch up as long as you're eating at deficit. it's not a real plateau if you're losing inches.

    from what i understand, what happens is that your body like storing fat since that's what helped human beings survive crisis.

    so as you lose the fat and use it for energy, your body stores water in the fat cells as a placeholder in case you replace that fat. the body will either store the same weight in water OR store the same volume. eventually, as long as you dont start eating enough to replace that fat, your body will stop using water as a placeholder and will release it.
  • sweebum
    sweebum Posts: 1,060 Member
    Yup, what she said. I stopped losing when I started strength training. I'm 3 weeks in. 6.25" down, but not losing yet. I did up my cals a bit though, seems the bigger deficit I have, the more my body hangs onto it. :laugh:
  • solskinnzombie
    solskinnzombie Posts: 122 Member
    this always happens to me, and then i turn into a wuss and go back to cardio. should i just power through it? I also just.... really hate strength training. HATE.
  • irisheyez718
    irisheyez718 Posts: 677 Member
    When I started strength training the wellness coach told me not to step on a scale for a month.
  • Scorpiotwinkle
    Scorpiotwinkle Posts: 69
    Yep, I didn't see much weight loss for 3-4 weeks then it seems to come off in chunks. First 5 weeks = 20lb, second five weeks = 2lb (yes, 2) last 2 weeks = 10lb. Keep at it. My inches are going down and I am getting stronger every day. It's a great feeling!
  • ninerbuff
    ninerbuff Posts: 49,167 Member
    Scale weight loss shouldn't be defining success/failure when you are trying to get fit and attain a better physique. If you're just here to lose weight, don't lift since most will retain or gain weight when they start. If you want to change your physique and get rid of that bodyfat, keep lifting and staying in calorie deficit. You'll like the results better.

    A.C.E. Certified Personal & Group FitnessTrainer
    IDEA Fitness member
    Kickboxing Certified Instructor
    Been in fitness for 28+ years and have studied kinesiology and nutrition
  • tameko2
    tameko2 Posts: 31,634 Member
    seems to be 4-6 weeks for people - its not fat, its just water retention for hte muscle healing. No worries - you're picking up heavy things and putting htem down again, what's a few weeks of no weight loss to that?

    (for hte record its been about 5 weeks for me but I *don't* *care* anymore. I benched 80 lbs 19 times last night. that's awesome. )
  • cdcro
    cdcro Posts: 21 Member
    When I started strength training the wellness coach told me not to step on a scale for a month.

    This, plus you'll look like a freaking goddess instead of a stick. Strength training is essential for long term loss and body re-comp.
  • meshashesha2012
    meshashesha2012 Posts: 8,329 Member
    Yup, what she said. I stopped losing when I started strength training. I'm 3 weeks in. 6.25" down, but not losing yet. I did up my cals a bit though, seems the bigger deficit I have, the more my body hangs onto it. :laugh:
    ha! same thing happened to me. although i've been strength training since i started, i had been steadily losing 2 lbs a week. then 3 weeks ago i stalled on the scale but lost 6 inches.

    eventually the scale will catch up, so i might just switch to weighing myself once a month instead of once a week.
  • Rae6503
    Rae6503 Posts: 6,294 Member
    First, strength training makes your retain more water. Water retention could be masking fat lose.

    Second, when you lose a smaller percentage of muscle, and a bigger percentage of fat (which is what strength training helps with) the actual lose you see on the scale is slower, but the actual volume is bigger then if you lose more muscle and less fat.
  • Masterchef2000
    Masterchef2000 Posts: 127 Member
    Awesome! Thanks guys! I'm definitely keeping at it. It's just that mindset of "the scale must go down!" that I have to break through. I love everything I'm doing and the only hard part seems to let go of my need to step on a scale. Thank goodness that's the hard part now!

    Tameko2, I'm in my second week and my squats have gone up and my bench! Not by much but it's still a great feeling!
  • joejccva71
    joejccva71 Posts: 2,985 Member
    So you're weight loss is stalling since you started training. As long as you're diet hasn't changed then it could be a few things. One is that you're retaining more water now which like Rae said it can mask your weight loss. The other thing is because you are training now, you're burning more calories therefore causing your TDEE to jump which may cause a weight loss stall if you weren't eating that many calories to begin with.

    Just a few thoughts.
  • sweebum
    sweebum Posts: 1,060 Member
    Yep, I didn't see much weight loss for 3-4 weeks then it seems to come off in chunks. First 5 weeks = 20lb, second five weeks = 2lb (yes, 2) last 2 weeks = 10lb. Keep at it. My inches are going down and I am getting stronger every day. It's a great feeling!

    Thanks for this :flowerforyou: You've encouraged me to stick with it a little longer.
  • LoveActually
    LoveActually Posts: 177 Member
    Just a note, you may want to have your body fat tested so you can look forward to that going down each month. I sat at the same weight for 30 days and was frustrated but I knew I was workin' it in the gym so didn't stress too much. 30 days later, my BMI went down 3% even at the same weight. My body-fat-tester-dude estimated my fat loss in that month at 5lbs.

    Good luck!
  • FammaMel
    FammaMel Posts: 293 Member
    This is very helpful. I've been so discouraged at not losing on the scale while strength training... but I will keep at it.
  • mattack
    mattack Posts: 137 Member
    This has to be one of the most inteligent post (and responses) I have ever ready on MFP.

    Good job to all.

    Keep picking things up and putting them down.
This discussion has been closed.

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