Hey everyone....

I was curious to see everyone's experience with their weight moving on the scale once strength training was incorporated. To say the least I'm frustrated and my trainer says don't worry the inches are coming off that's all that matters. I've lost 7 inches in 3 weeks and about another 3 inches this week. So that's 10 inches in the last month and 5lbs on the scale.

I'm accustomed to a 8-10lbs monthly loss but this month it's been strength training Mon, Wed and Fri and cardio on Tues and Thurs. My body is definitely changing, and my clothes are fitting so much better, I'm loving the way I'm starting to look and everyday the fat seems to be melting off.......but the scale is not moving! It's making me crazy.

So I'd love to hear your experiences with strength training and if it slowed down the scale, or if you gained then had a big loss because of an increase in muscle. That's what I'm hoping for cause obviously the inches are coming off.

Did your weight loss pattern or momentum on the scale change once you incorporated strength training? Thanks!

ETA: The strength training I'm doing are planks, planks with overhead reach, pushups, leg extensions, renagade row with 10lbs weights, inch work etc.

I've been lifting weights since before I began losing weight and I believe it's really helped the overall weight loss process along Before I started weight lifting, when I was 200 pounds I was a size 16/18. After I starting lifting I was still 200 pounds but went down one size to a 14/16.

I think that now my weight lifting is part of the reason I'm a size 6/8 (5/7 in juniors) at 146 pounds, when I think most at this weight and height are usually a size or two larger (and it's not just one brand. I fit into all of those sizes in various brands).

I've been stuck at 146 for two weeks now, but in those two weeks I noticed that I lost inches and everyone thinks that I lost more weight. I know it's frustrating (like you I'm used to losing 8 pounds a month) but inches matter over pounds and I've been scolding myself over my frustration. We WANT to build muscle, we DON'T want to lose it.

Yeah see I'm like you in that respect. People also think I'm losing weight but I'm not, I'm getting leaner which is fine. When I was 160lbs I was a size 5, I'm 203lbs right now and wearing a size 12! It's all due to the strength training I know, but I believe I will end up where I was at 160lbs a size 5 and still an unhealthy BMI! I honestly don't know with my muscle weight if 130 is going to look good.......so I really want the scale to move you know?

I'm wondering if this is common when you strength train? That the weight goes down slowly?

Honestly if you're strength training you should look at your body fat percentage more than the scale. Muscle weighs more than fat, so while it may seem like the scale is moving slowly, it's because you're replacing that fat with muscle. Maybe your trainer can measure that for you?

When I went from that 16/18 to 14/16, everyone thought I lost about twenty pounds and nobody believed me that I actually didn't lose anything. Just like now they think I lost a bit of weight when in reality I haven't lost pounds these past two weeks, just fat. Still good! Annoying, but good because I can wear more 6s.

I think strength training is one of the reasons why I always outweighed my friend of similar size by 20-30 pounds, yet we were always wearing around the same clothing size. That, and people of the same weight can carry their weight very differently.

If you're a size 12 now, that's awesome! I was just barely squeezing into them when I was 3 pounds less than you!

The scale always stopped moving or started moving more slowly for me when I started strength training. But I actually gain muscle pretty easily for someone of my size, and I could see the difference in my body composition fairly fast. I agree that body fat % is a better measurement once you start strength training. Strength training is worth seeing the scale numbers move slower since it improves your health, strength, fitness level and body shape.

I can't really tell what strength training is doing on the scale for me because I do cardio too.
However, I can see that my body takes on a better shape with strength training (upper body can't be from running/biking).
I found this homepage: http://nerdfitness.com/blog/ and it does seem to be a great way to lose weight and gain muscle definition. (check free resources they have three before/after stories that are very inspiring)

I know exactly how you feel. I used to be so fixated on the scale numbers, but don't worry, weight training makes you lean and toned in a way that just dieting doesn't do.

Yeah my trainer is measuring my %body fat and I've lost 5lbs of fat in 3 weeks. I guess the scale does move slower.......we should have an inches group, I almost feel like changing my ticker! Cause the more I'm getting into this; weight is just a number now.....I think I can still be healthy, lean and fit but outside of my BMI. What's with the BMI anyways. I don't know how I'll look at 130lbs if at 203 I'm a 12 and I know at 160 I'm a 5....OMG I might be a zero! HAHA

Are you girls just simply going by inches and how your clothing fits? How often do you weigh in? How do you set up your goals if you aren't going by the scale?

I weigh in every Sunday and take measurements every 4 weeks.
I am still dropping weight at a good pace. I am not worrying too much about the scale though. Especially after I up the weights or reps. Because it does sometimes end up at a gain.
You can set fitness goals. Track exactly what you are doing (reps, sets, pounds, time) and make sure you progress.

BMI doesn't take into account your body fat percentage and is generally a poor indicator of health. Your body fat percentage is much better. If you pop on over to my body gallery, you can see that women of the same height and weight can look drastically different and it's probably because of exercise and weight lifting.

I know that personally I've been focusing too much on the scale. I've lost SO MANY inches overall and I think THAT should be the real measure of progress.

I weigh every day, but I'm actually pretty happy with how I'm looking in clothes. I'm not quite satisfied yet, but I'm getting there. My original goal was a size 6 and 140lbs and I'm pretty much there now. My goal is now 130, but I'm not sure if I want to go that low and I think I might focus on adding more strength training and toning exercises to my routine. I think THAT might be what I need to get where I will be happy with my body.

If I hit 130, great. My real goal is to get to a point where I'm satisfied with my body.

When you lift weights you are actually damaging the muscle. To rebuild (and get stronger) they retain lots of water. If you stopped weight training for a week you'd lose that water weight, and then gain it back again when you started again.

My trainer stated that it's tearing the muscle so that you body has to use up resources (which is why you burn after a workout) to repair the muscle. Muscle eats fat apparently? But I had no idea they retain water! The weight is coming off, the scale went down a couple pounds this morning so I guess I just have to be patient set new goals (like #or reps/sets etc. which a great idea thanks!) and keep going.

And thanks for the BMI comment. I honestly beleive it's a misconception on fitness and health. I NEVER matched the "norm" even when my % body fat was at an athlete's level (years ago) I still weighed in the 160's! I have lots of lean muscle I always have been strong even as a child people were shocked at how strong I was.....I think it's wraping your head around where you really want to be. Do I want to be skinny? No not really I want to feel STRONG, toned and lean. I've seen skinny fat and I don't want that at all, it's just not for me.

Thanks for all the info!

My initial weight loss, 75 lbs in 3 months, was with weight training only. I had hurt my knee so I barely even walked at the time. I've done weight training throughout my weight loss and maintenance. I've never gotten bigger, just smaller.

I look better at 130lbs after 8 years of weight training than I did at 110lbs without it. It is amazing. The scale, within reason, is a poor indication of body composition when you have done proper long-term training programs.

I always lose slower when I strength train, so I decided to wait until I get closer to goal. Slow losses demotivate me.