weight lifting and weight gain?

[taraferrell]

How long after I start lifting weights until the fat starts coming off? I have been working out for about a month and have gained 10lbs. I know it is mostly muscle because I was way out of shape. I have been trying to watch my diet, but have not been real strickt, just trying to keep my protein up and drink a gallon of water. I am trying not to get discouraged but now none of my pants fit! Is the diet really important to lose the weight? I have been eating greek yogurt for breakfast, almonds for a snack, a subway sandwich for lunch, more almonds, some type of protein for supper and another cup of greek yogurt. Occasionally I sneek in a cookie or candy bar, but not every day. Do I need to be more strickt to see the weight start to come off, or is there an inicial period in which my body will spend more time putting on muscle before it starts losing? Should I clean up my diet more and be strickt? I would like to see real results, if I am sabotaging myself, I would like to know. I do 45 minutes of cardio 6 times a week and lift heavy four days a week. Thanks

[chrisboudreaux]

Well, that weight if muscle should be newb gains. You won't continue experiencing gains like that for long. just monitor your progress and see whats up. If you continue to gain more weight than you think, you need to eat less. You should start to lose weight very soon though if that is your goal.

[vandalgirl59]

In my own opinion, the diet is the MOST important part!!! Are you weighing things? Measuring them? Do you know where your calories are at? It doesn't matter how healthy your food is if you're eating too much of it. It's also possible that you're not eating nearly enough (can't tell based on the given info).

I feel that a hardcore training program is USELESS if you aren't working just as hard on keeping the diet where it needs to be. That doesn't mean you CAN'T have that candy bar here and there, you just need to KNOW what is going in your mouth!

Good luck

[kimm4]

How long after I start lifting weights until the fat starts coming off? I have been working out for about a month and have gained 10lbs. I know it is mostly muscle because I was way out of shape. I have been trying to watch my diet, but have not been real strickt, just trying to keep my protein up and drink a gallon of water. I am trying not to get discouraged but now none of my pants fit! Is the diet really important to lose the weight? I have been eating greek yogurt for breakfast, almonds for a snack, a subway sandwich for lunch, more almonds, some type of protein for supper and another cup of greek yogurt. Occasionally I sneek in a cookie or candy bar, but not every day. Do I need to be more strickt to see the weight start to come off, or is there an inicial period in which my body will spend more time putting on muscle before it starts losing? Should I clean up my diet more and be strickt? I would like to see real results, if I am sabotaging myself, I would like to know. I do 45 minutes of cardio 6 times a week and lift heavy four days a week. Thanks

Sorry but your gain is not mostly muscle. If you gained 10 lbs in a month, you better take a closer look at your diet. Women are lucky if they can add 5 lbs of muscle in a year...newbie gains a little bit more...but again not much.

Your diet will be key to getting results.

[taraferrell]

Thanks, I was afraid of that. I guess I will stop trying to fool myself and stick closer to the diet. It seems a shame to have all my hardwork go down the toilet because I have a problem staying away from bad carbs!

[inbetweendays]

Thanks, I was afraid of that. I guess I will stop trying to fool myself and stick closer to the diet. It seems a shame to have all my hardwork go down the toilet because I have a problem staying away from bad carbs!

The problem isn't "bad carbs" it's calories. You're eating more calories than you burn and you're gaining weight. You need to figure out how many calories is your maintenance and then reduce from that number in order to lose weight.

This link has a wealth of information for helping you with those calculations: http://forum.bodybuilding.com/showth...hp?t=121703921

Also, consider using a site like fitday.com to plan and track what you're eating. Weight lifting is great, but without paying attention to diet, you'll never reach your goals.