Sorry if this seems like a crazy question. I just have a few more pounds to go to get to my goal of 138-140. I've been exercising since August and in the last couple of months really stepped up my routine weight machines, the medicine ball (doing lunges and turning from side to side while I hold and 8 lb. ball is my favorite) and resistance ball. I do about 35-45 minutes of cardio 5-6 days a week and then do about 20 minutes on the other exercises, alternating muscle groups, i.e., legs and abs one day, arms and back the next, etc. I haven't lost any pounds lately and am staying right around 141-141, but I HAVE lost inches and my pants are getting baggier around my waist, hips and butt. So if weight training builds muscles, why do people tend to get smaller when they do it? Meg: Didn't you say that weights made you shrink? Don't get me wrong, I am NOT complaining. I am just curious about the science behind what's going on.
Pam

There's a great picture somewhere on this site of 5 pounds of muscle and 5 pounds of fat. The fat takes up much more space, pound for pound than the muscle does. So, the short answer is we are smaller when we add muscle (and lose fat), because the same weight in muscle takes up less space than the same weight of fat!

I hope that made sense when I typed it out!


Oh! Here's the link to the picture!
http://www.3fatchicks.com/forum/atta...chmentid=17582

Here is the picture: http://www.3fatchicks.com/forum/atta...chmentid=17582

If you are getting smaller, but haven't lost any weight on the scale, what you've lost is FAT. You have been building some muscle, while losing fat at the same time. Congratulations! That's really an ideal situation for someone close to goal who is either new to lifting or really increasing the amount of weightlifting.

Keep it up! If you keep up the cardio and keep your eating at the level at which you were losing, you'll keep losing bodyfat. When the scale starts going down again, chances are that you've stopped building muscle at such a fast rate, or have built enough muscle that your metabolism is higher at rest than it previously was. Yay!

I was the one who lost 2 jeans sizes after I started HEAVY lifting on a split workout (like you are doing) rather than daily light circuit training. That was at my goal weight.

Mel

Thanks for the explanation, and for the kudos, Mel. And sorry about mixing your experience up with Meg's. I was under the impression that it took A LOT of lifting to build even just one pound of muscle which is why I have been confused about why I've lost a few inches but the scale hasn't budged. But it sounds to me like you're saying there really isn't another explanation, so that's super cool! I started working with a trainer (5 sessions for $50) and he showed me a bunch of exercises to do a few months ago so since my sessions I ended I've just been doing what he showed me. I really hope the scale starts going down again because I so want to be just below 140. Once I start maintenance mode, 140 is going to be my panic button that makes me go back to my program eating. You are such an inspiration. That must have been great to go down another 2 sizes in your jeans. So did you have to go buy new clothes all over again?
Thanks again,
Pam