[k5wTvu9f]

Hi! Those following my earlier posts will know that I have been a bit anxious of late because my weight seems to have stalled (more-or-less) despite my still losing fat. I work out 4 x week in the gym doing high-intensity cardio and weights. Recently I have increased the intensity of both and this has corresponded with a weight stall. I've read the wise words (as usual) of Teuthis who says that muscle is seven times as heavy as fat per volume and that weight gain/stall is usual. But there will be period of exchange and after this we will experience weight loss again.

Has this happened to anyone: that they increased their gym work, their weight stalled for a while, and then they started losing again (remember, I'm talking weight, not fat)?

Any stories to keep me going are most welcome!

Marissa.

[cookiemonster]

Muscle weighs more than fat, but it's also smaller. If you're really losing fat and gaining muscle, you should be losing inches and firming up. Most women cannot build "big" muscles, and even then, only after very heavy weights for a long time.

Muscles also burn fat. Every pound of muscle burns 40 calories a day - without you doing anything. If you gain 5 pounds of muscle, you'll automatically burn an extra 200 calories per day.

[budumol]

Aah, Hammerlane, so the trick for you was to reduce the weight of the weights but increase the repetitions, and increase cardio. I don't lift particularly heavy weights but do so for 30-40 minutes, and my cardio is already 40-45 minutes at 80% heart rate. But maybe I could still reduce the weights a notch and add a couple more reps (from 3 to 5).

Or maybe I should just be patient!!!!

[DP5Ups8o]

unc, I wasn't contradicting you. Actually, sometimes, I just read the first post and comment, before reading the responses. I totally agree with you regarding the weights and reps.

[Abedgebeefs]

I wouldn't stop going to the gym... Exercize is good for you on so many levels! (I wish I were going to the gym more often.)

Since you only have 7 lbs to lose (1/2 stone), have you considered that your exercizes might be building muscle? We learned on the forum recently that muscle weighs 7 times as much as fat. So maybe you really are very close to your ideal "size" but just have the equivalent, in terms of extra volume of 1 lb worth of fat, only its in the form of 7 lbs of healthy, good looking muscle.

It's not the number on the scale as much as how you feel about how you look and feel.

Keep up the healthy work!

[ketNavatutt]

PattyC...

Hey, no problem! 8) Hopefully lots of people will benefit from the info we all put under this topic!

[Turbo-ip]

Well you've probably read mine, but I'll tell it again

This summer I reached a point where I could really start walking again. I gained in that period about 20 pounds of muscle. My net loss for two months was zero. In fact, I went up five pounds for a brief time. But for the past two months I've again been experiencing good net losses. If you are losing the fat, and not denting the scales for a while, I wouldn't be concerned about it. Eventually those scales will fall again, especially when you reach a point of exercise stability and you're not rapdily building muscle.

Good Luck!

[Nubtoubrem]

Hi

I go to the gym three times a week, and I usually jog for about 20-25 min then lift some weights but not heavy ones. The next morning after the gym I feel sooooo hungry, it feels like I can eat anything. I can't lose any weight either because I haven't got much to lose but I really want to lose half a stone. Should I just stop going to the gym? so then I won't eat as much....

[Repwailia]

I am not seeing any difference in my clothes either. Nothing is changing for me. Everyone says that I don't need to lose weight but I really want to lose half a stone. I used to be slimmer and I was happier than.
Do I need to eat less food to lose weight as I haven't got much to lose.

[Phighicle]

marissa, i was stalled for 3 weeks on weight drop. i was doing 30 min treadmill at 4mph level 6and 45 minutes on the recumbant bike at level 10, plus i was lifting pretty heavy 3 sets of 8 to 10. i increased cardio by 20 minutes, and switched my weights to 4 to 5 sets of 12 to 16 reps at a much lighter weight. and this helped alot now i am loosing inch's plus weight.

[hexniks]

marissa, something else i realized by re reading the book was i needed to switch up the types of cardio i do to keep my muscles from getting used to a routine i didnt add all in that last post,its just the treadmill and the bike are my favorites, i just started mixing in the eliptical trainer, and the stair stepper these all hit your muscles from a different angle. i read in a post by teuthis, or stevekc, that you burn less calories as your weight drops, so your cardio needs to be increased, for example; a 250lb person burns about 200 to 300 cal per hour more than a 150lb person, as was explained to me by a trainer. i hope this helps. 8)

[vdw4Epsi]

When I was in weightlifting, the best lifters I saw did stamina exercises to build a base of solid muscle. They didn't do the body building exercises that people are so enamored of today. They would work out at very high reps at moderate weights, and then on alternate days, do their lifting techniques with heavier weights. I think repetition is the key to long term success with weights. For people not trying to compete like that, light weights and increasing reps should develop a sustainable regimen.

Good Luck!

[911_993_911]

Since you pretty much have to lift weights until exhaustion (until you can't complete the motion properly anymore from fatigue) to gain strength from them (which I'm assuming you're doing)... and you're lifting enough weight to get tired after only 3 reps, you are probably building muscle mass. As I understand it, 3-5 reps to exhaustion is good for building muscle mass (gettin' big, as it were...though if you're female you won't get as big as males do). 8-12 reps is a good median for a combination of *some* muscle size and muscle tone/endurance. 15-20 reps are excellent for building tone and endurance (firming up more than gaining mass). When you can do your desired number of reps without tiring, obviously you increase the weight.

Increasing the number of sets adds intensity to the workout. (And you should be getting exhausted at the end of your final set.)

(Yes, doing large numbers of reps with low weights without muscle exhaustion has some benefits too, but in order to build new muscle you have to stress it to the point of exhaustion...in essence you "injure" your muscle so that your body "repairs" it and makes it stronger. Fortunately, after a week or so of weight training in this manner, you stop being sore from it.)

Hope this helps,
unc_horse (who took a class in weight training...now just needs to actually go do it again) :wink:

[medio]

Muscle weighs more than fat, but it's also smaller. If you're really losing fat and gaining muscle, you should be losing inches and firming up. Most women cannot build "big" muscles, and even then, only after very heavy weights for a long time.

Muscles also burn fat. Every pound of muscle burns 40 calories a day - without you doing anything. If you gain 5 pounds of muscle, you'll automatically burn an extra 200 calories per day.

True indeed. I was addressing Marissa's question about absolute weight, not fat. Nonetheless, while women can't get "big" we do gain more muscle mass doing fewer, heavier reps than we do with more, lighter reps. So, essentially, it's important to tailor your weight routine to the level that will give you your own desired balance between strength, endurance, muscle mass (and calories burned), and size.