So I have given up the watching soaps and eatting bon bons every day and have been hitting the local YMCA here and working out instead !!! No really, ok so I didn't give up ALL the bon bons but I am out there moving my big butt and working out daily !! I work 2 days a week usually Thurs + Fri so on Mon- Tuesd- Wed I hit the Y around 10 in the morning, do a 20 min walk on the tread mill which is a mile for me and then I hit the Y's version of Curves and work out there for 30 mins. So 3 times a week I get a 50 min workout both weight training and cardio and on Thurs and Fri I get out and walk so that gives me 5 days of exercise!!! That is a huge improvment over what I was doing!!!

So now, when I weigh in, is it true that I will probably gain due to the building muscle??!?!? That is going to kill me when I see that scale go up as hard as I have been working!!

Good for you, Laurie! Study after study shows that the best long-term weight loss and maintenance success comes from diet + exercise.

Yes, the scale may go up when you start exercising (though it didn't for me) and no, it probably wouldn't be muscle. It's a common misconception that we can somehow pack on several pounds of muscle the first few weeks that we're exercising. Nope, isn't gonna happen. Maybe - if we're lucky - we could add ten pounds of muscle in the first YEAR of exercise (and less after that). But none of us can add three or five pounds of muscle in a few weeks.

But don't panic! What's happening when the scale goes up after starting an exercise prgran is water retention. Sore muscles retain water - it's as simple as that. Eventually your body adjusts and you should see nice drops on the scale.

All this assumes that you don't start eating more because you're exercising.

BTW, you want to give your muscles a day off between weight workouts (cardio every day is fine) so if you go to the Y on M-T-W, you might want to alternate muscle groups, like doing upper body one day and lower body the next.

Thanks alot Meg!! That info is great! My body is aching this morning that is for sure!! LOL!

I had no idea that sore muscles retained water. Thanks so much for the info, Meg~