It depends on your body.
if you are really worried about if your weight is fat or muscle.. then start checking your Body Fat %. That should give you a better idea and help to not lose motivation.

You know you can strength train without weights. You can use resistance instead.

Won't they both put on muscle therefore put on weight??? I'm talking just the basic pushups, lunges, squats...won't those exercises put on muscle just as much as lifting weights will???

When you add more weight, you make larger muscles. It depends on if you want dtrength or muscles. Yes... weights add strength, but you can use the "weight" of resistance.

The scale is not the best judge of health. There are so many factors that contribute to this.
Is there a reason you are strictly going by weight? Is it for a job or a sport event? or do you have the traditional thinking that the scale will give you the right answers.

I am not trying to offend you by any means! I completely understand what you are saying. I am just saying to keep an open mind and not get discouraged by the scale.. especially if you are getting healthier by losing fat and gaining strength (that is not a bad thing).

Lifting weights creates more tearing in the actual fibers which results in a thicker "scar" called the muscle. There is hard weight training and light training.

i think the basics you are talking about are great!! Just don't get discouraged by the scale. It doesn't take into consideration the percentage of weight that is fat or muscle or water.

they have scales that will tell you all that info and let you program your specific age, gender, body type, etc... to get more clear results.

Well i think with anyone who is trying to loose weight the last thing they want is to see that they've lost 16 lbs (which i have) and then see 5 or more of it come back on. That's discouraging to anyone...so i just wanted to know if i start strength training will the scale go up and then go back down eventually or will it stay up as long as i continue to build muscle??

It should go up a little, then back down as long as your aren't building large muscles like a body builder.

I have seen my own frustrations with the scale. it does suck to see it go up... but it should go back down as you lose more fat.

I've been doing the same thing. I used to only do cardio but for New Years I decided to start working on my abs and toning my muscles. The scale hasn't gone up at all. My weight loss has been a little slower than I like but I'm pretty sure thats because of not always eating the right things. I do feel like my stomach is flatter, and I'm definitly feeling more toned muscles. I think you'll be fine with a little bit of weight lifting. Just remember to only do it 3 times a week because thats all your body needs.

I would say weight doesnt really matter. It is just a number. It doesnt tell you if it is muscle or fat. I would concentrate on measurements. Lets say you gain 5 lbs but loose an inch or two in your waist and hips. YOu will look better and noone with know you weigh the 5 lbs more. try not to get obsessed with the number. ( I know it is hard not to I have been obsessed many times.)

I doubt you would gain weight though. YOur weight loss my just slow down a little but you should see more measurement results.

i started lifting heavier weights and my weight actually dropped. i was very sore at first and definitely can tell ive put on muscle (because i look more toned) but the extra calories the muscle helped me burn during my cardio more than made up for the weight the muscle may hav added to my body. i can tell im less fatty than before and im even fitting into some of my smaller sizes again. and...one pound of muscle takes up way less space on the bod than a pound of fat. also dont worry about gaining too much muscle even if you work super hard with heavy weights because it's very very hard for women to bulk up. in my opinion youd have to be taking creatine or some kind of steroid to physically look bigger from weight lifting.

The number on the scale does infact go up when you strength train, but the benefits of doing so should (no pun intended) outweigh the scale's number. Your clothes will be fitting better, you'll probably even go down a size. Who cares about the number on the scale anyway. You can't let that control you. I used to and now I just go by how my clothes fit and how I think I look and that's all that matters.

i hear ya all loud and clear...my inital question just was "is the scale gonna go up a crazy amount??" i'm not worried about a few pounds but if all of a sudden i start to lift weights and it goes up almost 10 lbs i'll freak out!! also i'm not wanting to bulk up either...i'm doing it more so to help me burn calories while doing cardio..that's all.

My scale went down when I started to strength train. Muscle burns fat. Another great benefit to strength training is you will burn calories while you sleep. That is what sets it apart from cardio. Do light weights with a lot of weights

I very seriously doubt you would gain ten pounds!!! Just make sure you watch your eating and you should be fine. (Its not like your going to put on ten lbs in a week)lol. I think the only way you could gain that much is if you ate too much. I've been doing weights on my legs for a while (i have chest problems so I avoid weights on that) and I havent gained anything! Some weeks I stay the same but havent gained.

Hi Tauruslady1,
Strength training is great. If you strength train then you will gain muscles and the muscle will raise your metabolism and burn fat even when you are not exercising. Strength training doesnt mean you will get muscles like a body builder, it will make you leaner and your metabolism will burn longer. You need to eat more though when you strength train or your weight loss will stop. You have to eat to lose when exercising and strength training. If you want to get healthy and fit and looked toned and wonderful then strength train and get the added benefit of the firey furnace of metabolism.

ladykwak

tauruslady1, What exactly is your goal?
A number on a scale does not mean much if you huge in size and covered in layers of fat.

if you get rid of the fat and you a great deal smaller, with lost inches all over your body, would you really be that concerned with the number on a scale?

You can go from a size 16 to a 6 and still not be that much lighter; all because you have replaced fat with muscle.

I am not sure who told you that you will bulk up if you workout with weights because it just does not happen to all that many females. It just doesn't.

do the weights because you need to do the strength training - as you age, you lose your bone density and that increases your chances of more health troubles than gaining back a few lbs.

If you gain 10lbs, but lose a pant size, would you still freak out???