I h ave started to go to the gym to do weight training and pilates and after 3 days I gained 3 pounds.#$$%$%^& (that's what I think about it)
Is it possible that my muscles retain water or something that makes me weigh more?

yes, your muscles retain water. I have been weight training for a year and a half. For the first year, my weight steadily got higher. I was building muscle, yet eating too much and not on any diet. So, i started Atkins. What was most discouraging about all the exercise, was that I thought it wasn't helping , because i had gotten so much bigger. Actually, there was muscle underneath a lot of extra fat. For a long time i wanted to stop the exercise, cuz i thought it made the fat stand out more. Thank god i didn't stop, because now i've lost weight, and the lovely shape of muscle is finally starting to show.
So, the moral is, don't stop, it's just water, you'll be way happier in the long run.

Also muscle weighs more than fat, so you can lose muscle while gaining fat and stay the same weight. If you think you're building muscle, start checking how your clothing fits. If you are losing fat while building muscle, things will start feeling looser.

if you have a lot of fat to burn, atkins works you can add muscle anytime but burn that fat off first, work on toning and diet.... diet most important of all. drink tons of water and stay away from lc junk foods ( keep it clean) carbs from vegs only. i do pushups, pullups, abs
lt weights and walking.... nothing to bad. i have lost 45 pounds of fat since dec 03.... believe me after carying
all that extra weight for years theres enough muscle hiding under the fat that you dont have to worry about putting on more muscle ya prob got enough ha ha.
for me never been in a gym since high school. i got abs and muscle mass. gym overrated/ diet underrated.
atkins works! you ll get there

If you're like me, exercise = massive water retention. But don't let the scales deter you from doing something very beneficial. Switch to using a measuring tape.

Thank you!!!
I haven't been loosing very much weight, only 7 pounds in 40 days and I am still in Induction.
I thought that the gym was going to help and I get the surprise of the 3 extra pounds. I knew it couldn't be the food since I haven't been cheating at all.
All my weight loss so far has been 2 steps forward and 1 backwards, does that happen to any of you, to loose slowly and gain weight ?

hey youll get there, if its from the gym it will be allright
do you drink a lot of water? if your going to the gym and working out hard i would think you would need over agallon of water a day intake to keep from holding water.
myself the more water i drank, the more weight i would lose. also i have not used any lc foods such as lc bars ,shakes , breads. get all my carbs from vegs during induction. the times that i have stalled was from eating macadama nuts love em and cheese.... i ve stayed on induction most of the time no prob... good luck youll get there!

Your Muscles retain water to "heal" when you first start out. After that you will no longer get sore muscles and the water will release. This can take a month to happen. Hang in there and remember 1lb of Muscle is smaller then 1lb of fat

I think you are better off continuing the excersize - even though the pounds may take a wee bit longer, when you lose the fat, the muscle will be there, and there will be far less "loose" skin! At least, that is what I am telling myself. A girl at work, who has lost a TON (147 pounds) on Atkins is finding now that she has a lot of extra skin becuase she didn't do a lot of working out, walking or any excersize really. I would rather go slow and really look good and tight in the end...and you will as well with your workout schedule! Good luck

Be sure and drink water while you exercise. I don't know if you sweat alot or not, but I find that here in Houston it's so humid that almost all exercise makes me sweat, and if I don't drink my water while I'm exercising, I gain.

Thank you guys!!!!
Yesterday I asked my trainer about the weight and he forbid me to get on the scale, I am addicted, I weight myself 3 or 4 times a day !!!!
I think that I feel more frustated because I have not lost too much yet and I am cheat free since Feb 24.
When you talk about drinking water, how do you get 4 galons? I am drinking the 8 glasses and it is already difficult...

Don't try drinking it by the glass. I don't think I could chug down a glass all at once. Instead get a water bottle and carry it every where with you. Get in the habit of sipping and you'll be amazed at how much you drink.

As for the weight. LEan weight is good. Building more lean weight means a higher metabolism, being able to handle more carbs, better circulation which means rediced cellulite, and a leaner toned look. It also has benifits in the way of bone density, especially strength training.

Instead of being a slave to the scale, go by how your clothes fit, or by body fat. www.mybodycomp.com is a really good site to help with that.

What is more important to you, losing fat and looking good in certain clothes, or a number on the scale only you see?

You got a point, Ladybelle!!!!!!!