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I just started to get really serious with my weight loss and weight training. Overall I'm trying to lose 36 pounds but build muscle as I do it. As I've been reading and everyone telling me, 1-2 pounds a week is good and average. The question I had to ask though was, at weeks end if I weigh myself and weigh two pounds lighter or so, How do I know it is strictly fat and just not water weight after a workout? Granted I would be drinking plenty and eating regularly. Also I know I shouldn't expect to see results overnight but is there any time frame in which I will start to see or visibly notice muscle definition or a more muscular look.


And one last question, I've read that it's possible to stay at the same weight but still lose inches from the waist or drop sizes in clothing, is this true if I'm weight lifting a lot?

[quote="ds4bz"And one last question, I've read that it's possible to stay at the same weight but still lose inches from the waist or drop sizes in clothing, is this true if I'm weight lifting a lot?[/quote]

Yes. This is your indicator of progress, along with visible muscle and increasing weights on your exercises. The scale is helpful, but it's the least useful tool you've got. If you drop 2 pounds of water, it'll tell you that you lost 2 pounds. Same as if you drop 2 pounds of muscle or fat. The scale only measures the downward force you exert thanks to gravity, it doesn't care where the weight comes off or what it consists of. In a way using a scale to measure fat loss vs. muscle gain is like measuring the nutritional value of your food by weighing your groceries.

On the other hand, the tape measure and the weights don't lie...if your waist was 42" and you're now 40", you've lost fat - even if the scale says you weigh the same or even more. If you used to bench press 100# for 5 reps and now you do it for 10 reps, or do 120# for 5 reps, you've gotten stronger. Use those as your measures.

I usually tell my friends who want to drop weight not to choose a number (like your 36 pound figure). It gets you too fixated on the scale, and that's not the place to look! You could easily lift weights and gain weight, but watch your waist get smaller. Compared to 3 years ago my waist is 2" narrower but my weight is almost 12# heavier.


Oh yeah, first question - it'll take a while to see progress. Maybe a month or two, if you're working hard and eating right. It's hard to see because it's gradual. Best bet is to take a set of "before" pictures now, and then periodically (one every week or two weeks) take another set, using the same stance, clothing, background, lighting, etc. Otherwise it can be hard to see.

Peter