Scale Goes UP Morning After Workout

karirenae

So Ive noticed that my scale seems to go UP the morning after my workout. I do 30 minutes cardio, 30 minutes cable machine weights. I also use a pre workout that has a little bit of creatine... could this cause the scale to show more? I know it's not muscle, Ive already been told that 30 minutes of cable weights isnt enough workout to show muscle gain on a scale

karirenae

By the way, I am not an expert on exercising, so I honestly dont know if the creatine causes weight gain or not, Ive heard both ways.

SueInAz

Muscles are stressed during workouts. To repair, they hold onto water. Extra water in your body equals more weight and a higher number on the scale.

Weight loss is not linear. Some days the scale goes down, some it goes up. Our bodies retain and shed water on a continual basis so the scale is always fluctuating.

karirenae

Thanks, that makes me feel better. I am currently doing the Low Carb diet, trying to stay in ketosis and eat 20g or less a day so seeing the number go up or stay the same is frustrating because I work my butt off on my gym days which is usually 3-4 days a week.

Pandapotato

yeah, normal! Doesn't mean you gained weight from your workout. I can lose weight on diet alone for weeks and the week I add any kind of workout, it bumps up briefly.

karirenae

Is it possible to still lose "fat" or inches if youre gaining water weight?

maxit

Is it possible to still lose "fat" or inches if youre gaining water weight?

Yes for fat, and yes for inches over the long term.

SueInAz

karirenae wrote: »

Is it possible to still lose "fat" or inches if youre gaining water weight?

Definitely. Even the water weight is usually temporary. Retaining water has nothing to do with fat loss.

Here's an extreme story, I'll try to keep it short.

I went into the hospital for an emergency appendectomy in 2013. They weighed me in the ER at 130 pounds. I was in the hospital for 4 days. During those 4 days I ate, at most, 1200 calories total, probably less. No food the first 24 hours then a soft diet and I wasn't very hungry and was sleeping all the time. When I was released I went home and weighed myself because I was puffy. I weighed 148 pounds! I had gained 18 pounds while eating next to nothing. It took about a week for the water weight to drop and when it did I was down to 125 pounds. Net loss for the 11 day period was 5 pounds most of that due to the extreme calorie deficit during my hospital stay.

arwFTW

@SueInAz‌ That's amazing! Really puts it in perspective. I have the same trouble not focusing on the daily fluxuations in water weight. it always goes down eventually!

karirenae

I know! I am a daily weigher, I know its bad, but Im obsessed, and when it goes up I get frustrated and want to give up, then it goes down, and it's exciting, its just a mind game. I am working so hard at this low carb thing. I have lost almost 2 pants sizes on it, but only 10 lbs, which was water weight the first week.

HeySwoleSister

Try weighing at night before bed and then again first thing in the morning after a pit stop in the bathroom. It was eye-opening to me to see my weight drop by as much as 3 pounds overnight. (And mind-boggling the time it went UP by half a pound in my sleep, LOL. I think my digital scale was punking me that day)

lizfiz50

It's the water- keep at it for a while and you will see a difference. I always weigh more the morning after an intense workout.

sjaplo

Try this - weigh yourself before your workout and then after. I had a 2lb difference after a 3 mile run this am - and because I've tracked it I know this is normal for me. In my head I think of my weight as +/- 2lbs.