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Why are we weighing ourselves so much?  ... Karen O'Meara

Many people have come up to me and asked why they seem to be smaller in size from lifting weights, but they cannot lose weight on the scale? What I have learned is that muscle weighs more than fat and in order to lose weight we actually have to gain muscle mass. It seems like a catch 22. However what we all must do is train ourselves to measure success in overall health, wellness, and dress size. Do not get discouraged when the scale has not budged. It is normal for you to gain some muscle weight when you start lifting, even low weights. It will take some time before you see that the muscle you gained will actually start burning away fat. Every pound of muscle you gain burns 50 calories sitting on your butt doing nothing. If you gain 10 pounds of muscle don’t be upset because you will burn an extra 500 calories a day. Think about how awesome and easy that is for you to sit and burn extra calories on top of whatever workout you did at the gym. Keep lifting weights and gaining muscle.

Eventually you will see results, whether it is a lower body fat percentage, smaller dress size or dropping a notch on your belt. I do not bother weighing myself because I am seeing results in dress size although I have not lost a lot of weight due to the increased muscle mass. Recently I dropped a full dress size and I have not even budged on the scale. It’s strange how it works but that is why I don’t bother with the scale anymore. It is a mental block for me. Don’t be discouraged, because when you are working hard the results will follow!