Why why why

[Seekingadvice123]

Completed my 11th gym session tonight...... popped on scales. I not lost a single pound and have actually GAINED weight. Feeling so fucking down about it. I am really trying with diet and exercise the last month and feel now it is pointless and I am destined to be a middle aged blob. Have been doing interval and resistance. I can feel my legs are firmer but...............

You're gaining muscle mass if you're doing interval and resistance. This is a good thing! Honest! Keep it up!

Step away from the scales.. Joe Wicks calls them the sad step which I think is quite amusing but also quite apt.

Muscle weighs more than fat, so if you are exercising regularly and eating well like you say you are, you might just be gaining muscle.

When I introduced weights into my gym routine I dropped from a size 10/12 to a size 6/8 but only lost about 2lbs on the scales. Stop weighing yourself and monitor body measurements instead. Good luck!

At first you gain (muscle heavier than fat!) but then it melts off. Better ditching scales and using a tape measure to monitor progress. Well done, keep it up and you will notice the shape change etc before the scales budge

There's good and bad news. It's unlikely to be a lot of muscle- from 11 gym sessions unless you're doing heavy lifting - maybe 1lb max, but it could well be water retention in the muscles if you haven't exercised much before- when I started doing Crossfit I gained 5lbs and then it just sort of went once I got used to it.

Also make sure that you;re not "eating back" your exercise as studies have shown that people generally overestimate exercise cals and underestimate cals they eat by about 25% do net 50% error rate.

resistance exercise upregulates muscle glycogen storage capacity, that will make your muscles feel fuller and firmer
the weight that you have gained is not body fat, dont pay too much attention to the scales, the thing to focus on is increasing muscle mass and dropping body fat

Thanks for the responses. Much appreciated. Went again tonight and am trying to stay motivated and not think about scales..... I have had major issues around my weight most of my life. I have never been huge but could definitely do with shifting at least two stone. I suppose, because I have obsessed about the scales for so many years it is a hard habit to break