Diets & Weight Maintenance Support Group

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.