HELP!!! I started working out & quit losing weight.

I started exercising & weight training about 2 weeks ago and I am now at a stand still (or even slightly higher) on my weight lost. I am going to the gym 4 times a week & doing 10 minutes of warm up, either on the recumbent bike or the elliptical at level 2. Then I am doing my weight training, chest 1 day, arms next day, back next day & legs on the 4th day. I am also doing my abs 2 times a week. I am using nautilis machines for my weight training. After I do my weights I then do an additional 20-25 minutes on the elliptical at level 2.

WHAT AM I DOING WRONG???? Shouldn't I be loosing weight if I am exercising not gaining weight. Any advice would be greatly appreciated.

You aren't doing anything wrong! You are doing everything right except worrying about being at a "standstill".  Working out is only going to help you lose fat and build muscle, not to mention improve cardiovascular fitness and prevent disease.  Just be patient.  The weight is just a number and says little or nothing about your changing habits and body.

Okay mike_hunt WHAT am I doing wrong? DO I need to eat more or less.HELP!!!

Lifting weights can cause muscles to retain water, leading to slight jumps on the scale. Patience - you'll get there eventually.

If you want more help, let us know your stats (height, weight, gender, age) and how much you are eating.

Okay stats. When I started January 2008 I weighed 210 lbs I am currently jumping between 163 to 165. I DID NOT exercise until recently & lost that 45 lbs before exercise. That is why this standstill is so frustrating. I am 50 years old & 5'7" tall. Oh Yeah I eat between 1350 & 1650 calories a day.

How many calories do you normally eat per day?

Here's a possibility. You are gaining more muscle weight. So basically if you weren't weight training you would be losing muscle and fat versus just fat. Now don't get me wrong by all means don't stop exercising within a week or two you might max out on the weight training (by not increasing repititions and weights) and stop gaining muscle mass.. Which will cause more fat loss.

Now if you are trying to go for a ripped body (like me) continue the weight loss by also increase the reps and weights. Don't sweat the extra lbs. and don't forget to compensate water loss during work out.

I have joined a weight loss challenge with my daughter & 2 other (guys). Since I have already lost 45 or so pounds my goal is only to lose another 20 to  25 lbs. My main concern now is to lose that weight but also to tone up from the weight I have lost to this point. Not "ripped" but toned (not flabby in the places I lost the weight).

Original Post by oreginal58:

I have joined a weight loss challenge with my daughter & 2 other (guys). Since I have already lost 45 or so pounds my goal is only to lose another 20 to  25 lbs. My main concern now is to lose that weight but also to tone up from the weight I have lost to this point. Not "ripped" but toned (not flabby in the places I lost the weight).

Then by all means continue your program! Getting toned is just as good a reason to keep it up. Basically do not feel discouraged. You have done great and as long as you continue what you've been doing you will be fine & fit.

You are almost certainly just gaining muscle. Muscle is denser than fat so you can plausibly stay the same weight while losing fat and losing inches. This happens to me whenever I start exercising after a period of low activity. The good news is that muscle also helps raise your basic metabolic rate (in other words, you will burn more calories just by being alive). In a few weeks you will start losing weight again, but maybe you should consider doing body fat % tests and measuring yourself rather than just relying on the scales as a measure of progress.

Prior post from Melkor

 So basically what everyone is saying is stick with it and I will show pounds lost soon. I was curious if I should eat more or less but from all these answers it seems I should continue doing what I have been at least for now. When should I change my calorie intake (& up or down?) if I don't see the pounds coming off? Thank you all for your answers & help!!!!!

Original Post by oreginal58:

 So basically what everyone is saying is stick with it and I will show pounds lost soon. I was curious if I should eat more or less but from all these answers it seems I should continue doing what I have been at least for now. When should I change my calorie intake (& up or down?) if I don't see the pounds coming off? Thank you all for your answers & help!!!!!

Like I said before. If you have had no changes in your diet from start to finish then by all means continue the same ratio. Now by all means don't forget 'Athletes' like football players and etc. who are all muscle but weight as much as a mac truck eat a 5000 calorie intake. Only because they are more active and must meet the needs of their bodies so they do not go into starvation mode and start storing fat.

Thank you, that speaks to the same issue I am having.