Just thought I'd point out...

it is a know fact that you CAN NOT "gain" muscle unless you are eating a surplus - i.e. calories OVER what you burn. 

for everyone on this board who answers with "you've gained muscle weight" when responding to someone complaining about the scale not moving is giving incorrect information. I see this all the time on the weight loss boards . Yes, muscle weighs more than fat but when cutting calories, you can gain definition and strength but NOT muscle mass or "muscle weight". 

So, if someone says they go to the gym all the time and cut calories but the scale is not moving, it is incorrect to respond with "you've gained muscle and it weighs more than fat".

so what is "definition and strength" if not new muscle?

Hrmmm, what's your source for that information?  I've never heard that before, and actually, have had a trainer tell me I could build muscle on 1700 cals/day, which is right around my BMR.  Also on the Biggest Loser, several contestants gained muscle during the show, while on very restricted diets.  That doesn't seem to fit with your statement...

People who are new to activity can get "newbie gains" but it is no where near as significant as people think, nor does it happen at the same rate people often think.

PG - definition comes from losing some fat that is covering the muscle that's already there. Strength is related to muscle size, but you can increase strength without increasing muscle.

Typically, the stall in weight loss when you start working out has more to do with your muscles retaining water (which can also make them seem a little bigger than normal), but people like to say it's "increasing muscle."

Thank you OP and Amethystgirl! Seeing replies that would state things such as "the two pounds you gained this week was muscle...because it weighs more than fat" has been making me twitch. 

Sooooo.... just to clarify....

If you're working with a 500kcal deficit each day. Go to cardio gym classes twice a week and do weight training classes twice a week - what's likely to happen with your muscles/fat/weight - if you can't build muscle on a deficit and sometimes it looks like the scales aren't moving?

Is it a conundrum?

nutella - to quote myself, "Typically, the stall in weight loss when you start working out has more to do with your muscles retaining water (which can also make them seem a little bigger than normal)."

Ah, thanks amethystgirl. I see. Do they retain water in order to heal or something?

Nutella85 - you will lose body fat % which will increase your definition. Your muscle fibers will gain strength, but not "weight" when eating a deficit.

As Amethyst said, if the scale is not moving, the weight stall can be fluid retention, or perhaps your body is on a plateau and needs you to change things up. The easy answer of "you've gained muscle weight" is incorrect and can be misleading to people.

I think so - here's a post by the fitness mod that sums up what's happening, although he doesn't go into the reasons for it - but I believe "healing" is a reasonable answer.

Thanks lovefood1 - that clears it up. I know what to expect from my routine now. I've got one of those body fat/muscle/composition scales so I'll be able to monitor my fat %.

Thanks amethystgirl - that makes alot of sense. It gives a good reason why my biceps are all 'puffy' right now. Quite sore from yesterday's class - OW! I'll just keep at the weight training. It can only do me good. As I remember it served me very well a few years ago... before boyfriend, before over eating, before sitting on one's bum all the time.

Yeah - my arms look awesome after I do pushups and pullups... then they get less awesome a couple days later... just gotta keep plugging.

Oh thank you so much for saying this. I'm so sick of posters complaining about working out so hard (cardio mostly) and eating well and yet still putting on weight, and then you have all these posts o dont worry its muscle you're gaining, from that one hour running?? I wish it was that easy gain muscle!! :) However, its unlikely a gain for real.. its water retention most likely, especially when you're a novice exerciser!! Im sorry for butting in but Its like my pet hate!

Carolally - it's my pet peeve too! 

I would like to also say, it is still important to lift weights when cutting calories. Even though you will not "gain" muscle, it will help you preserve the muscle you do have, which ultimately helps you burn calories more efficiently. 

A question a long the same line...

While encorporating strength training into your workouts, while you may not being 'gaining' muscle, is it still possible to be losing more inches than if you were just doing cardio on it's own?

Or hypothetically could someone who loses 20 pounds with strength training lose more inches or be leaner, than someone who loses 20 pounds without?

When people diet and just do cardio, they tend to lose some muscle along with the fat. When weight training is encorporated, they lose less muscle (i.e. maintain muscle) and so the end product is a much leaner and thinner person, rather than just thin.  This post gives more info about that.

How long does water weight usually last? I tried going to a gym for a few months and I was doing about an hour of cardio and 30 mins of weights 4x a week. I just seemed to get bigger... I can understand it being water weight, but 3 months??

what was your diet like?

I would suggest a all natural food cleanse,(no pills or kits) because waste in the colon has weight...doing a natural cleanse...eat what the body needs to do the cleanse...takes 2 to 5 days..

I do this whenever I hit a plateau and I am losing wt, sleeping well, feeling great and have energy and stamins.

FYI: the colon can hold up to 40 pounds of waste in chronic cases..so those pounds you have gained or have not lose could be hiding right there in the tummy...cleanse it naturally and see if that is the problem.

I feel everyone should be having two good bowel movements a day when on a weight loss program.

ok, can an expert please weigh in (sic) here?  Or can somene quote a source that says you cannot gain muscle if you are at a calorie deficit?  Because it seems to me that you should be able to build muscle and burn fat at the same time.  Maybe you are burning muscle+fat abut also building muscle?  I have been at a calorie deficit for 6 months and have lost 35 pounds, but I can lift a lot more weight in all categories due to lifting 4x a week.  I mean if I have not "built muscle" then how the hell am I stronger?  Seriously, I am almost 50 percent stronger than when I started.  Or are you specifically talking about "muscle bulk", which I guess is not the same as "strength". 

David, if you have doubts about what is being said I suggest you educate yourself by reading what the web and fitness magazines have to offer, as well as personal trainers. It would help you tremendously.

Strength and building muscle are two completely different things.