I've been hitting the gym like a fucking hamster on a wheel 4x a week 1 hr at a time.
no sodas, cookies, hell I even turned down olive garden the other night. (Yes I ate steak last monday)
SO WHY THE HELL DOES THE SCALE SAY I GAINED 3 LLBS![]()





I've been hitting the gym like a fucking hamster on a wheel 4x a week 1 hr at a time.
no sodas, cookies, hell I even turned down olive garden the other night. (Yes I ate steak last monday)
SO WHY THE HELL DOES THE SCALE SAY I GAINED 3 LLBS![]()
"Fake tits are like Kevlar. They don't guarantee your chances of survival but they sure as hell improve it."
Tempest




More muscle?
im guessing muscle. You wont see true results for 4 weeks or so. Keep it up and GL!




I'd say water. It takes a long time to gain three pounds of muscle. I love it when people start working out and think they can then eat like a cow...and when the scale shows they gained five pounds in two weeks, it *must* be muscle. I don't think even the most aggressive steroids would put on that much muscle in that time frame.
That said, are you eating a lot of sodium? Do you track your caloric intake? Are you constipated? Where are you in your cycle (I always retain a couple pounds of water before my period...its lovely)? There are soooo many variables, especially for women.
How are your clothes fitting? That is really the best judge - a pair of jeans, specifically. I know it can be disheartening, but keep up the work. Your body will follow suit![]()
agreed. its probably water weight, it takes a long time to put on poundage in muscle form, especially for women. i would also say that you should track your calories and fat and carbs because you may have cut the cookies and stuff out of your diet but you may be making up fo rthat with osmething else
"I need a Win Dixie grocery bag full of money right now to the vip section...."
Why does it matter? What did you gain? Water? Muscle? Fat? If you don't actually check your bodyfat vs using the scale as your only measure of success, you are wasting your time, per prior comments. Vid on bodyfat testing:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2Rl96FILR9o
A cunning linguist...
Tempest, I posted a thread similar to this a while back.... I was busting my ass at the gym and dieting like a mofo and seeing no results, and I was pissed! Then like overnight almost my whole body changed.... So just keep at it and stay off the damn scale for at least 2-3 weeks, you are only going to drive yourself crazy!
Will's right... you should be checking body fat, not numbers on the scale.
For example... in the last three weeks I've gained 3 pounds... but lost body fat AND inches.
What are you doing while you're at the gym for that hour? Are you making the most of that hour... or are you dicking around wasting time on the eliptical? That can make a big difference.
Idk. Typically... when I first start working out hard... I retain water like a mofo... then I'll suddenly lose it all and it's like "Oh! THERE are my results!" ;P
Check your body fat whenever you get a chance (most decent gyms will have someone who can do that FOR YOU)... and start tracking that instead. <333





For breakfast I'll have a scrambled egg and a piece of turkey sausage. Depending on how busy work is I may take some brown rice and some grilled chicken breast with me. To snack on I eat baby carrots, apples, grapes, etc. I'm not one of those fatties chowing down on wings and burgers in the dressing room then complaining when I'm not making money.
I do 45 mins on the elip, high intensity, then about a 1/2 hour freeweight or ab work
"Fake tits are like Kevlar. They don't guarantee your chances of survival but they sure as hell improve it."
Tempest
elliptical is AWESOME cardio!





i weigh more than i used to but i lost a dress size and people are commenting on how skinny i been looking lately. beats me
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FUCK YEAH finally retired after 6 years dancing!!
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Killer at Large: Why Obesity is America's Greatest Threat: Good documentary. There is a 12 year old having liposuction!!!!!
"Fake tits are like Kevlar. They don't guarantee your chances of survival but they sure as hell improve it."
Tempest
I went through exactly the same thing trying to lose baby weight. Scales stayed exactly the same for a month and a half = but then I started losing inches, body fat and weight steadily.
Just keep at it - make sure you're really pushing yourself with weights and not doing too much cardio as otherwise you will "run away" all your muscle.
Hoping you start to see results soon : )





Right!
That's what 45 minutes on an elliptical will do (she says she does elliptical for 45 minutes).
Cardio is best for warming up and cooling down; for about 15 minutes each time.
Circuit workout is another good idea too; switching between cardio and weights every other section (eg. 15 minutes cardio, then 20 minutes weights, and then five more cardio followed by 10 minutes weights and 10 minutes of cardio for cooling down).
I did this for about ten weeks and I lost about twelve pounds.




i read somewhere a long time ago that to lose weight you should do weights first (but of course warm up before) and cardio after... a "mix" is also good.. 10 min weights, 10 min high intensity cardio, repeat..


I used to spend a lot of time on the elliptical and never noticed a thing. What finally worked for me was weights and turning to a more active lifestyle. When you lift weights and gain muscle. You burn more calories when you're just sitting on your ass. I also really enjoy how you can notice improvements quickly .
Keep mixing up your routine, don't get burnt out. Do cardio one day, on the elliptical if you must. Lift weights the next, play a highly active sport like tennis or try dance, go to yoga.. getting into a repetitive / lame schedule is setting yourself up for failure. Nobody can actually enjoy acting like a hamster for an hour every day. I wouldn't starve yourself.. but, be cautious as to how much you actually eat... the more you work out.. the more your body is going to want the proper nutrients.
Don't weigh yourself!!! It's about how you feel, how do your clothes fit, how your body looks. Scales are a tool of the devil.. they need to die!!!!
I like to party.. So I like my Jesus to party too.
^The comment I was questioning said NOTHING about diet being a factor.
So your answer isn't really answering my question... since eating a shitty diet and doing a ton of cardio is completely different than a scenario in which cardio "runs away" all your muscle PERIOD.
Thank you, though.




Desuvs - I think that people often assume that cardio will keep you from building muscle. As a long distance cyclist and runner, I am definitely far more muscular than the average person. In fact, I'm more muscular than most cyclists...and that is just due to genetics. I naturally have a muscular frame. I almost never do any bi/tri exercises because I have incredibly strong arms already, just from holding myself statically in a tucked, aero position on the bike for hours on end. I have to be very careful when lifting weights to make sure I stick with very high reps and low weights, because I do (despite people who say it's "impossible") build bulky looking muscles very easily. And that is WITH a massive amount of cardio training each week (we're talking about 300 miles on the bike, and 20-30 miles of running).
Look at any serious triathlete, runner, swimmer, or cyclist - the majority of their training is sport-specific and cardio based...and those folks generally have bodies to die for.
Someone who has a very thin build and who has a difficult time putting on muscle would likely be hurt from too much cardio, IF they were trying to put on muscle. And OF COURSE if you aren't eating enough calories, your body will start eating muscle for energy - but that will happen regardless of whether or not you do cardio. I really think the "cardio will chase away muscle" statement is more geared towards people who spend hours on the eliptical each day and eat a leaf of lettuce. Of course they will not have the nutrients to build a healthy, fit body.
Desuvs,
I don't know what it is about runners, but they are so physically different than other athletes. Like if you compare the body of a chick who just bounces around on the elliptical for an hour a day reading magazines, versus the body of someone who runs 6 miles a day outdoors, yeah, the runner looks a million times better! Long, lean, defined and cut, no body fat. The elliptical girl might be tiny, but there is no muscle definition. This is just an observation I have noticed..... I don't know what it is about runners and why their bodies look so amazing!





I agree with this because this has been my experience too. I am a runner (lettered in cross country in high school)and have (or rather have when I'm not lazy) that type of body. Even when I gain weight I never gain it in my arms or legs ever.
The best thing is to talk to a trainer about one's bodytype. When I started working out I gained weight and the trainer told me it was because I have a muscular bodytype. Too many people think that because a certain workout routine works for a friend it will work for them and this isn't true. I've always had to be careful with weight lifting because I will put on bulky muscles easily.




The intensity of running - real running, not wanna-be-running - is totally unmatched by the eliptical. I always tell people if they want to get and stay lean, to start running! The eliptical can be a decent workout, but you have to pump up the resistance and push yourself...most people that I see on the elipticals at the gym aren't even breaking a sweat. I use the eliptical and stairmaster periodically to shake things up, but I always end up with a puddle of sweat under the machine because I focus on the intensity. I try to make the most of my time.
On a side note, I am especially tickled when I see people reading while on the eliptical...if you can focus on reading, you're not working hard enough. Drives me nuts (one of my quirky pet peeves).





I can't read or do any of that shit... I take my headphones to listen to the TV but that's it.
"Fake tits are like Kevlar. They don't guarantee your chances of survival but they sure as hell improve it."
Tempest




It takes muscle to burn fat. They say you can't gain muscle without gaining some fat and you can't lose fat without losing some muscle. Just keep at it, get strong, and the fat will start to melt off. Be patient...I was so frustrated after doing hardcore hot yoga and running 5x a week for a month and a half with weight gain but then once I hit the two month mark it melted off so fast. Now I'm super strong and lean and matinence is easy because I have so much muscle and my metabolism is adjusted.
I also agree that when you work out at first the body can retain water. Try those Emergen-C packets, they have electrolytes to keep you more balanced and less bloated. Plenty of sleep, make sure you spread your food out throughout the day and eat enough (but not too much) so you don't binge!




i agree with stuff about the elliptical... i blast up the resistance and change the incline every 3 minutes to work different muscles and bust a major sweat, and i do that for about 30-45 minutes.
BUT, i can't run for longer than 5 minutes without losing my breath...
so what does that say?
if i can go full blast on the elliptical for 45 minutes, but can't run for just 5 minutes, maybe running is a better workout...
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