Lifting weights and scale has increased

[Anonymous]

I have been steadily lifting weights 2-3 times a week for a year. Started off “skinny fat” where I couldn’t lift really more than 10 pounds. Now up to 20-25 pound weights. Which is great. Definitely feel stronger.

But the scale has gone up 5 pounds! I am 5’7” and weighed 147 when I started lifting. I’m now 152! wtf. Clothes still fit the same.

Legs are more toned than ever. I walk 10,000-15,000 steps a day and when I lift I generally do a mix of full body and arms/legs separate.

[Anonymous]

Sounds like you put on muscle. Great!

[Anonymous]

Scale is meaningless. Your actual chest/waist/hip measurements are what matter.

[Anonymous]

You put on some muscle tissue along with a nominal amount of fat. Normally when people say this they’ve been lifting weights for like 4 weeks and it’s clear they couldn’t have put on muscle yet but in a year, you likely have. Your clothes still fit the same because you are denser but leaner - you likely burned fat and replaced it with muscle tissue, so you’re not bigger, you’re just heavier because you have more muscle mass now. This is good!

[Anonymous]

This is good news, OP. Go for the way you feel and the way your clothes fit, not what the scale says.

[Anonymous]

Muscle

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Scale is meaningless. Your actual chest/waist/hip measurements are what matter.

Use pictures, tape measure, and dexa scan to gauge progress.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Scale is meaningless. Your actual chest/waist/hip measurements are what matter.

Use pictures, tape measure, and dexa scan to gauge progress.

Agreed, especially the DEXA scan. Do it several times a year to track fat and muscle over time. That's the only way to really know what's going on.

[Anonymous]

Stop worrying about the number on the scale.

If measurement and clothing sizes haven't gone up I wouldn't' worry about it.

[Anonymous]

Muscle tissue holds water, which is why you can get painful cramps if you're dehydrated. It has zero negative impact on the way your body will look.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Scale is meaningless. Your actual chest/waist/hip measurements are what matter.

Use pictures, tape measure, and dexa scan to gauge progress.

Agreed, especially the DEXA scan. Do it several times a year to track fat and muscle over time. That's the only way to really know what's going on.

NP. How much does a scan cost?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Scale is meaningless. Your actual chest/waist/hip measurements are what matter.

Use pictures, tape measure, and dexa scan to gauge progress.

Agreed, especially the DEXA scan. Do it several times a year to track fat and muscle over time. That's the only way to really know what's going on.

NP. How much does a scan cost?

Probably around $200-$300

[Anonymous]

You put on muscle, which is the goal! When you gain muscle, you will also add a bit of fat and when you lose fat you will also lose some muscle. This is well documented, but there are ways to minimize fat gain and muscle loss. If you want to be leaner you can now do a cut and lose some body fat so that your muscle definition is more visible. If you do that, keep your calorie deficit modest and eat a ton of protein so you don’t lose too much muscle.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Scale is meaningless. Your actual chest/waist/hip measurements are what matter.

Use pictures, tape measure, and dexa scan to gauge progress.

Agreed, especially the DEXA scan. Do it several times a year to track fat and muscle over time. That's the only way to really know what's going on.

NP. How much does a scan cost?

Probably around $200-$300

It is much cheaper than that. I think a single scan is around 120-150 depending on the place. If you buy a package they are much cheaper than that. I think it worked up to about $60 per scan when I bought a package of 5.