Muscle Cant Cause Weight Gain...Can It??? - 3 Fat Chicks on a Diet Weight Loss Community

SummerSlimmy25 · 05-24-2010, 02:16 PM

Hi!!

I have recently lost 50 pounds. I wouldl ike to lose 30 more pounds. I go to spinning classes and run about 6 days a week. I have been doingthis for several months now. I recently started weight training classes to tone up. I have been doing them for about two weeks now about 4 times a wk. I have not really seen any results. However, my weight loss has to come to a drastic hault. What the heck is going on!??!

?houghts??? Suggestions?

Trixie14 · 05-24-2010, 02:43 PM

well muscle weighs more than fat so if you are building muscle that could be why you aren't seeing as big a loss in weight, but you may still be losing inches.

Eliana · 05-24-2010, 02:50 PM

Resistance training does seem to bring the poundage on scale to a hault, or at least to a simmer.

But it DOES tone and quickly too! I would suggest measuring or using your clothing as a guide. I have been known, recently in fact, to drop an entire dress size with a one pound loss!

I worked hard for that one pound! It's frustrating, but if you know to expect it, you can start working your mind towards a new mindset of a better, more firm you than just a you that weighs a little less.

Strength training can cause you to retain up to 2 lbs of water for muscle repair at any given time as well, especially when/if you are sore.

I have read that weight lost through cardio alone or through diet alone can be as much as 40% muscle loss along with the fat. By strength training, you are actually in a fight to retain your muscle. But at least you can be sure that the majority of what you are losing is FAT and that is what you want.

So take heart...yes, the scale slows down. But that which everyone else sees gets more toned.

Tomato · 05-24-2010, 02:59 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Trixie14

well muscle weighs more than fat so if you are building muscle that could be why you aren't seeing as big a loss in weight, but you may still be losing inches.

You don't gain muscle that fast ... during the two week period the OP mentioned, there could not have been any significant muscle gain.
Most likely she doesn't see any weight loss because she is retaining water (depending on how heavy she trains).

nitenurse · 05-24-2010, 03:01 PM

gaining weight from muscle is quite different than gaining weight from fat. the scales dont know the difference so i wouldnt worry about the number on the scale

SummerSlimmy25 · 05-24-2010, 03:50 PM

Thank you everyone! You have made me feel a whole lot better. Lol. Whew! It is just really frustrating. But i am sure I am preaching to the chior. Lol. I am working really hard on getting my arms toned as well. I swear no matter how small I get, these suckers seem to not go anywhere. Lol. Well, they have gotten smaller but they are flabby and lack definition.
I am graduating from a Masters program this Saturday and I got the cutest white linen sleeveless dress to wear to it. With the hopes that I would feel confident with the appearnce of my arms. My mistake. Lol. I will continue to plug away...and keep up the good fight. Lol.

SummerSlimmy25 · 05-24-2010, 04:01 PM

Oh and one more thing. I did not know that a person can retain water when they are training. Hmmm. Well let's see. If I do not want to be in "water retenton mode" on Saturday do you all suggest I not train the day before. I trained on Saturday and Sunday. So, my orginal plan was to take the day off today. Train Tuesday, Thursday and a little on friday because I know on Saturday and Sunday I will not be able to work out at all.

Thoughts?? Again, thank you all so much!!!

Eliana · 05-24-2010, 06:59 PM

I don't think you can plan your water retention.

I could be wrong...but I think the body does what it needs.

SummerSlimmy25 · 05-24-2010, 07:22 PM

Lol @ Eliana. Yes, I know that. I suppose I was wondering if there is an average or typical time that it takes for the body to adjust to the weight training and no longer retain water.

Eliana · 05-24-2010, 07:50 PM

I don't think so. If you have "adjusted to it" then you need to kick it up.

I mean there are times I work out when I do not make myself sore, but often I really push myself and end up sore. I like to constantly keep my muscles guessing, making them work really hard, therefore building them or at least keeping them. Muscles adapt to what we make them do amazingly well.

slimmingsi · 05-25-2010, 07:03 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Trixie14

well muscle weighs more than fat so if you are building muscle that could be why you aren't seeing as big a loss in weight, but you may still be losing inches.

Muscle does NOT weigh more than fat! A pound
in muscle and a pound in fat weigh funnily enough a pound! Will people stop putting this on these boards as it confuses people. Muscle is much more dense than fat meaning a pound of muscle is many times smaller than fat. Density and volume are not the same as weight!

As for building muscle any muscle made during a diet is minimal. It's very very hard to build muscle while restricitng calories why do you think body builders eat like horses off season and get flabby then they diet hard for 3 months for a show. You need calories to build muscle.

Weight training retains water the amount varies depending on the muscle group. If your losing 2lb a week this can very easily masked as a no loss by water retention. After a heavy legs day I can hold 3-4lb but it's only temporary. As your training 4 days a week you never really get the chance to remove the water.

The good news! Its only a limited amount of water. 3-4lb next week isn't added to this weeks etc, in the very near future this week or next your scales will continue downward. Just remember if you stop your training g for a week you'll drop the water losing the lb's but will regain it as soon as you start training again.

jumphigh · 05-25-2010, 09:29 AM

Thanks for that info about muscle and fat .

greenfishgirl · 05-25-2010, 09:36 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Tomato

You don't gain muscle that fast ... during the two week period the OP mentioned, there could not have been any significant muscle gain.
Most likely she doesn't see any weight loss because she is retaining water (depending on how heavy she trains).

I don't agree with this. You actually can gain muscle very quickly. And because muscle is more dense than fat, you will lose inches and not necessarily see a drop on the scale.

The biggest bonus of weight training and gaining muscle, is that the muscle needs more fuel - so it burns more calories than fat does. This means the more muscle you have, the more calories your body will burn every day, even when you aren't actively exercising.

Stick with the weight training and I am sure you will see results really, really soon! Good job on the awesome wieght loss!

slimmingsi · 05-25-2010, 09:52 AM

Agreed some people can put on muscle very quickly but only with enough caloires if you eating an amount that is less than you expel through exercise your body breaks down fat for fuel. If it's breaking itself down to feed it's own energy needs how on earth is it going to be able to build more tissue?

SummerSlimmy25 · 05-25-2010, 12:37 PM

Thank you all for your feedback! I think I began to feel rushed because I had a deadline (this Saturday, my graduation) that I was trying to meet. I have been working on my weight since February and have lost 50 pounds so far. I feel really good about my accomplishment but still feel as though I have so far to go. Especially, with these flabby arms. Lol. I suppose I have to remember that I did not get up to the whopping 230 lbs I weighed in at in February over night. So, it will take time.... Patience is key in this situation.

But man, did I want my arms to be a little more "together" by Saturday. OK. I am letting that go!!! Lol.

I'll keep trucking along! Lol.