I have been on Atkins for about 5 months and have lost 37 pounds. So far I hadn't done any exersise at all, but I have started lifting weights and cycling 4 km's every day for the last week.

I have gained about 4-5 pounds this week and I assume its because of the extra muscle & water retention... does this sound right?

What sort of weight will i gain if I keep doing this sort of exersise or will I start losing again?

I am eating the following:

Breakfast : Atkins shake / Peice of cheese
Lunch : Chicken ceasar salad with no croutons
Dinner : Couple of slices cheese / salad or lean chicken
Snacks : 2 extra atkins shakes after weights
Drinks : water / Coke zero 4 cans daily

Same here.
I've lost about 43lbs with little to no exercise and this week I started working out and I gained 4lbs!

Everything I've read on here so far said it's just your body isn't used to the exercise but eventually it will adjust and you'll continue to lose weight.

Haved you been eating 3 shakes a day all along, or only since you started exercising?
How much percentage of your menu is protein? The shakes have I think about 15 grams of protein each, and chicken has a lot of protein too.
On Atkins our protein percent is supposed to stay at around 30% throughout the 4 stages.

I read in DANDR and on these boards that if we eat too much protein our body will convert excess into glucose which it will use instead of burning all that fat we eat!!

I don't think gained that much muscle in a week! Maybe a few ounces, but not pounds!

I gained weight the first week I started resistance training, the next week lost it plus some and losing ever since.

It could be water retention, body adjustment or something else. There's no way that exercising alone could cause you to gain an appreciable amount of real weight in the space of a week.

Stick with it because it's a GOOD thing and the weight will go a lot faster than without exercise, no doubt. Hang in there!

I lost about 20 lb before starting serious weight lifting. Gained much of it back, then lost about 10 pounds. Fat from 31-14 I think, hydro, mirror. Over a few years a man can pack on 30 pounds of muscle, women a fair amount less. My weight lifting forum joins this forum in recommending clothing size and mirror generally as best measure of fat loss, muscle gain.

Why would you not want to gain muscle from lifting weight? You need pecs and biceps/triceps and quad and hamstring muscles to have nice body shape especially a MAN shape.
You also eat alot of sodium in your diet. That will make you retain water.

speaking of which, shouldn't a gal generally not go below 15% BF? You might want to check out Cassandra Forsythe.

I know I am in an unhealthy body fat range. Thats why I am cold all the time. I like it that way. But I don't look skinny because I have alot of muscle weight.

I think Cassandra is a blond lady, I am looking at something with a dark haired lady working out but the article is about Cassandra.Thanks. I look like the dark haired lady in the upper body and my middle is thinner than hers. But her legs are awesome, thats what I want. I don't know who it is, the lady who wrote the article and interviewed cassandra, I have to keep checking the other articles. If I am at 14% and my legs aren't like hers I need to do more weights on them and not so much running. I like a part I read where cassandra says for women doing lots of cardio won't make you "tight" . I read lots about bodybuilding and fitness. I know what a normal, healthy body fat percent is but I am obsessed and want below that.

Hi Obsessive - here's a link to Cassandra's blog. She is coming out with a book for women on weight lifting along with a couple of guys. It looks to be a pretty good book. I will get a copy for my wife (and me!)

http://www.cassandraforsythe.com/

Who cares about weight loss? I personally want to lose fat. Do your clothes fit? If so then keep on exercising.

I think some of you have confused weight loss and fat loss.

Google and read about LBM (lean body mass). In the fitness and bodybuilding world, we have a term called 'Skinny Fat'. It refers to someone who has lost all their weight, and muscle too. While they appear skinny, they are generally unhealthy in terms of fitness and strength. Wouldn't you want a physique?

RobLL - Where did you get the impression that a girl shouldn't be under 15% BF???? BF is relative to LBM. A healthy range for a female is 10%-18%, but its relative to a lot: LBM, Bone density, age, etc.

As Norag said - STICK WITH IT. When you start including weights and great exercise to your routine, the scale almost becomes worthless. You use the mirror to guage your progress. If you are gaining a few lbs because you are working out, then you're doing a good thing. Do not confuse the lbs you added on for FAT.