When will it pay off on the scale?

ERHR · 10-14-2011, 06:21 PM

This is more of a vent/whine than a serious question...

I started lifting heavy according to The New Rules of Lifting for Women workout plan a couple weeks ago and not only has my my 2-month weight stall not broken, if anything I've seen the scale go up a bit. I keep reading on here about people dropping crazy weight and inches when they start lifting heavy but when is that supposed to show up? I know my muscles could be retaining a bit of water from my workouts and I am sore on the days following but I thought that would have mostly resolved itself by now. (Also, before anyone suggests it, I haven't lost any inches since I last measured about a month ago.)

I don't plan on stopping this routine but please give me some hope!

nelie · 10-14-2011, 06:52 PM

Well you are close to goal. Are you in a calorie deficit?

ERHR · 10-14-2011, 11:07 PM

Oh, definitely. I'm eating less than 1500 cals/day. I'm actually thinking I'm eating too little and may increase soon.

InsideMe · 11-04-2011, 09:53 AM

Have you tried increasing the calories a little bit and see if that gets things moving? How's your protein and water intake?

Lydia227 · 11-04-2011, 07:37 PM

EHRH: You are within the normal weight range for your height. I don't know your build or your bodyfat percentage which obviously affects how you "wear" the weight you are currently at.

I'm assuming (I apologize if I'm wrong, I haven't read previous posts to follow you) that what you would like is to see is change in the mirror or clothes more so than the scale? I'm just guessing.

That being the case, strength training will do this....but it takes TIME and CONSISTENCY. Consistency in eating correctly to support muscle growth and manage muscle/connective tissue inflammation as well as consistency in your lifting program. When I say time...I mean like look at this as a year long project. Your shape will alter in small small increments but it will happen. it's really kind of a fun process of self discovery really....so much more enjoyable when you remove the expectation of weightloss by a certain date or time frame. In addition to that...there equally important reasons to lift and well just exercise in general besides weight loss so your efforts are never wasted....well, unless your idea of exercise is lying in the grass and staring up at the clouds moving across the sky...but even there I could maybe accept the argument that you are lowering your cortisol levels there too.

Enjoy the book, enjoy the lifts, and enjoy the process. It will happen with consistency.

fromthebox · 11-17-2011, 09:40 AM

ERHR- any update on your loss? I'm dong a strength workout tailored toward doing a pullup/pushups and I've never had such trouble losing. I had been steady at 135 and always re-set to there and now I'm gaining. I haven't changed my calories (about 1,700 for maintenance) and while I love my muscles, I'm not losing any inches either.

klynnwalker4 · 11-21-2011, 12:29 PM

Muscle weighs more than fat. Important thing to remember. I heard it takes about 12 weeks to see actual changes. Are you eating enough?

Koshka · 11-21-2011, 03:39 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by klynnwalker4

Muscle weighs more than fat. Important thing to remember. I heard it takes about 12 weeks to see actual changes. Are you eating enough?

No, muscle doesn't weigh more than fat. It is just that 5 pounds of muscle is denser and takes up less space than 5 pounds of fat.

Here is a link showing a picture of the comparison:

http://www.onemorebite-weightloss.co...le-to-fat.html

TheCuriosity · 11-25-2011, 01:56 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Koshka

No, muscle doesn't weigh more than fat. It is just that 5 pounds of muscle is denser and takes up less space than 5 pounds of fat.

Here is a link showing a picture of the comparison: (link redacted because I don't have enough posts)

Generally when people say "muscle weighs more than fat" they are not actually thinking that somehow 5 pounds of muscle weighs more than 5 pounds of fat (that doesn't make sense at all, 5 lbs = 5 lbs... if someone were to say lead weighs more than feathers, no one would assume that the person was thinking 5 pounds of lead weighs more than 5 pounds of feathers, so why in this case?)

What they mean is that the same VOLUME of muscle weighs more than the same Volume of fat, which is just another way to say exactly what you said in your correction (eg 5 pounds of lead is denser and takes up less space than 5 pounds of feathers. a shoebox of lead weighs more than a shoebox of feathers, or.... you weigh the same/more but your body looks smaller because muscle weighs more than fat.)

fromthebox · 11-29-2011, 12:53 PM

Yes guys, muscle is denser than fat. Therefore if I were building muscle and losing fat, I would lose inches. I am concerned that I am building without losing any fat, and that if I were to drop calories my body would eat my new muscles before it ate the fat. I don't enjoy that my butt is getting tight in my jeans while my weight isn't changing.

How do I lose the fat?

EagleRiverDee · 11-29-2011, 01:29 PM

I ran into this same problem when I did my first round of P90X. The scale wasn't dropping at all, I wasn't losing inches. I spoke with my doctor about it and brought her a copy of my food log and she looked at it and said, "cut your carbs in half. Increase your protein." So I did that. Literally, I cut out all sugar and simple carbs 100%. Complex carbs I cut in half or more. I began drinking protein shakes morning and afternoon. And the weight started dropping very quickly after that. I'm not saying that's your solution, but sometimes just a tweak to the diet is all you need.