I don't get it?

Question

I've been working out most days for about 8 months now, following a decent diet and what not. i'd get off track sometimes during the 8th months but got right back on. My mom told me my stomach is a lot smaller and that you can barely pinch it anymore and i've noticed my legs getting thinner. But why isnt the scale weight going down? I weigh MORE than i did before i started exercising. Is it muscle gain? How long will this last before i start losing weight according to the scale? I've gained about 5 pounds in what i think is muscle, because i know i haven't gotten fatter, i've gotten slimmer. I'd really like the weight on the scale to go down some..

Answer 1

From the amount of working out you are stating AND the sticking to your basic diet, weight gain is totally expected.

It probably IS muscle gain! Muscle fibers are dense unlike fat tissue which is porous, so ounce for ounce it's a lot heavier than fat. As a personal trainer I usually tell people to throw their scales in the garage and go by 'realistic' measurments of fitness. Pick a pair of pants that you couldn't fit in before, or shirt, etc. People are noticing that you "can't pinch an inch" take that as your scale of training.

Weight gain is expected if you are building muscle, which it sounds like you are. It's a good thing! HOWEVER...

if you really want to lose some pounds, change up your workouts. Maybe you run a lot? Cardio is the key ingridient. But stay away from ounding the pavement hard, or sprinting up hills, this will just develop your legs and make them bigger. Instead go for a steady pace and longer periods of time.

Weights- the common equation is
Heavy weights+ short # reps= bigger muscles
Light weight + many # reps= leaner muscles (tone)

Pulling heavy weights tears your muscle tissue and then those areas are filled with acids (when your arms get tired) and then the muscle fibers regenerate in those torn area creating size. If you edge your workouts toward cardio (light weight but a lot of reps) you are not tearing the fibers, you are developing what's already there (toning).

Change up your workouts to where you are not building size, but building strength, that MIGHT shed you some pounds.

But if you are simply leaner and you otice you have a lot more energy, then you aren't doing anything wrong.... the scale is!

note- give your bopdy time to rest as well, too much working out can plateau your progress and your body will react accordingly (like hanging onto unwanted fat because it knows it needs it for the next 6 days of constant working out ;-)
Good luck and keep up the great work!

Answer 2

You are stuck between the devil and the deep blue sea. You want to lose weight and you did this by exercise and diet.

By exercising you removed fat and added muscle....therefore no change to the scale. To be honest, not knowing you or your background it is hard to advise you, but over exercising can put on too much muscle definition also.

I would suggest as long as you are happy with the fat removal and the waistline and leg measurements then I would not even worry about what the scales say. Feeling healthy is more important than looking like a model.

Answer 3

You're doing great! You're body has more muscle tissue, and more dense muscle tissue. You're body fat has decreased, as you've notice on your tummy and legs. But muscle weighs more than fat, so you're not seeing a difference on the scale.

Don't worry - you are doing the healthy thing to lose weight, which is building muscle. Muscle burns calories 24-7, so if you do have a day where you pig out on pizza, you won't see it on your hips the next day.

You've lost fat, which is what weight loss is all about. Enjoy - you are probably more energetic, and in a smaller size, too!

Answer 4

I cannot stress enough how non-important your weight/lbs. number is in relationship to being in good physical shape. Have your BMI and Body Fat ratio calculated and I would bet that you are in better shape and have more muscle than you think.

Don't cave to the Nicole Ritchies and Keira Knightlys of the world. To make yourself feel good, check out the Tyra Banks reality show website America's Next Top Model. Most of those modes have very well proportioned height to weight. Miss USA website can also give you a comparison. You wouldn't believe some of the young women that are in great shape and weigh between 125 and 145 lbs.

Answer 5

the scale is probably not going down because you not giving it a chance to. You can't just do 10 jumping jacks and think you going to lose weight and you also can't eat 24 hours a day and workout for 5 minutes and expect to lose to weight, it don't work like that you must be consistant.

Answer 6

you know i have the same problem i can tell that my clothes are fitting differently,but when i weigh in the scales keep going up instead of down,but i heard that muscle weigh more that fat and that is the reason for the scale going up,i hope somebody is right because this could really get depressing........GOOD LUCK!

Answer 7

Muscle weighs 3x's the amount of Fat, you should go by inches and fat percentage not by a scale, increase your cardio and decrease weight training if you want the scale to drop. Swimming is a great cardio.

Answer 8

I would say you have gained muscle weight but if you are thinner and look better why do you care what the scale says

Answer 9

That's easy muscle weighs more than fat. You get skinny but build muscle mass. So the more you build muscle the more you will weigh. Since you are losing inches you will stay about the same weight till your body is use to it. Give it time... Every one is different.

Answer 10

You're gaining muscle, which is great. However, it's important for many people to have a number they can look at to measure their progress. I suggest you forget about weight, and instead check your body fat percentage. You can do this cheaply with calipers, or more quickly and accurately with a BF% scale like those made by Tanita.