Why am I going to the gym again??

This is just me being curious rather than actually concerned but I just thought it was odd enough to post about.

Ive been dieting for just over 2 weeks now, and weigh every day. I have been losing steadily, as I am wont to do when I start a new eating program UNTIL I started going to the gym. All of a sudden the scales havent budged in days!

What the heck? shouldnt working out be making me lose weight? And I know its not 'building muscle' because that doesnt happen in days, it takes weeks and the 'gain' is negligable.

I'm not retaining fluid and it isnt 'starvation mode' because a) that doesnt happen overnight and b) I eat plenty.

I'm shaping up not to have a loss this week and its frustrating because I'm being more dedicated than ever and its coming back and biting my not insiginificantly sized butt!

Opinions?

Sometimes the scale doesn't move down but the tape measure will - so take your measurements keep working out and see if those inches slip away faster than the weight.

I weigh now what I weighed before the first time I lost a lot of weight, however I'm 3 sizes smaller because I do weights. 

Actually, you probably are retaining fluid.  Whenever you start a new workout, it tends to make your muscles hang onto some extra water and glycogen to repair themselves.  Unless you're starting a hardcore weight training program at the gym, it'll likely only last a week or two at most.

Because physical fitness is part of a balanced lifestyle.

Because if you're just dieting without exercise, the weight you're losing is mostly water & muscle, not always pure fat.

Because the number on the scale doesn't determine overall health.

lol thanks, it was actually a rhetorical question. I'm well aware of the benefits of working out and have no intention of stopping.

susiecue - possibly I am. I'm not doing hardcore weight training, just alot of cardio with a little weight for toning, so ill persevere and see if things improve.

dbackerfan - I shall buy a tape measure, thanks! Still think its odd that I'm burning more than I'm consuming and not losing... ah well.

Original Post by misselyn:

lol thanks, it was actually a rhetorical question. I'm well aware of the benefits of working out and have no intention of stopping.

I was being a little cheeky but I notice this question on CC a lot. I'm a huge believer in diet + exercise = long term weight loss/fitness. It's so easy to get wrapped up in the number on the scale... I'm sometimes guilty of it too!

Yeah i definately agree with the needing exercise, i dont want to be skinny but flabby haha. But a budging scale is a good thing too!

I would bet that it is water retention regardless of if you aren't doing weights. When you're body is physically stress by doing something new - even if it's biking or running or elliptical - a hormone is released that causes your muscles to hang on to more water. This happens to everyone, even trained atheletes. When I run a half marathon I actually usually weigh 1 or 2 lbs more the next day. My bf runs ultramarathons and he can complete a 24 hour race and weigh more at the end that when he started even though he's burned up thousands of calories and not consumed much actual food/calories.

Keep with it - you're body will get used to the exercise and the water will go away revealing some awesome muscles!

I'm in the same boat as you, except that I went from running+diet to "gym" workouts which includes lifting weights and the stationary cycle. My weight has been very stubborn to budge the last few weeks, so I decided to buy a body tape measure and AccuMeasure self fat caliper. Now, I'll have my body measurements, body fat % AND scale weight to track my progress. If all three aren't budging, I can conclude that I need to make a change. If only one or two are budging, I can conclude that I'm making progress. Ideally I'll be able to see weekly decreases in my waist measurement. I care more about that than the scale weight. 

I think having an arsenal of measurement tools is really key. I REALLY wish I had started my weight loss regimen with different tools. It's not like we're dieting to see a lower number on the scale, we want to lose the fat! Which is best measured with the tape and caliper, not a scale. 

You're new to going to the gym [again].  You're body is more than likely retaining fluid in the muscle. That is...if you aren't eating more bc of being more hungry due to working out. Don't fall into the trap that working out = eating more/indulging, etc. 

Also, you've been dieting for ''two weeks'' ...how long have you been back at the gym? Certainly, it must be days....can't blame the gym on anything except for water loss after just days.

Keep up the work....and soon..your body will be 'working it'!

It's true about losing inches. I've never actually used a tape measure, but there have been times when I've gone a couple weeks without losing a pound but yet my pants are a lot less snug.

I asked my mom, who's got her master's in kinesiology, and she says the first few weeks of strength/resistance training, the body will actually increase your blood plasma volume, and frequently people will stop losing or even gain a little. It's a temporary effect. Continue the regular workouts and the sensible eating and it should wear off in a couple weeks or even less, as you acclimate.

Thanks for all the replies guys, I havent stopped going even though I've agiuned a pound argh! LOL