Afraid to step on the scale?

heyitslexi95

Hey everyone,

For the last couple of weeks I have been off of my normal diet, as I am back home with my parents from school & no longer have consistent access to markets that sell my nutritious favorite foods. This is due to my parents living in the country, where the only food places around are fast food & the market doesn't always have the best selection like bigger cities do. My mom cooks dinner & I don't have much in the house for lunch so I typically go out. This has led to me consistently eating around 1500-1700 calories a day (daily goal is 1647), while getting a short 20 minute walk in at dusk around 4-5 times a week. At school I eat around 1300-1400 calories a day which leaves me with a 200-300 calories deficit. Due to my unhealthy diet lately I am actually a bit frightened to purchase a scale for myself at home in case I have gained weight. Is it likely I have gained much weight in the last 2.5 weeks? If I have would it likely be water weight or actual gain?

Thank you for your responses in advance :-)

Escape_Artist

What you eat doesn't matter all that much. If you go over your maintenance calories then yes you will gain weight.
Would the number on the scale really matter? Do your pants feel tighter? Do you LOOK like you gained weight?

shadow2soul

Measurements are your friend in this case (measuring tape is cheaper then a scale too). A scale won't be able to tell you if it's water retention from an increase in sodium/carbs or if it's fat (if there is any gain at all that is). I say go by measurements and how your clothes are fitting.

RoxieDawn

Oh my goodness..

If you over eat approx 3500 calories OVER your maintenance calories you will GAIN a pound.

If you stay within maintenance calories you will not gain or loose weight. What you eat during maintenance or even in a deficit does NOT matter at all.. it is the total calories at the end of the day matter.

If your clothes are tight, then you might want to worry a little bit.. And do not forget that weight fluctuates day to day... so even if you have a 2 pound gain did you eat over maintenance for real fat gain??.. recheck your calories and you will know.

edited to add, carry a measuring tape in your purse instead of a scale. it is portable..

SLLRunner

heyitslexi95 wrote: »

Hey everyone,

For the last couple of weeks I have been off of my normal diet, as I am back home with my parents from school & no longer have consistent access to markets that sell my nutritious favorite foods. This is due to my parents living in the country, where the only food places around are fast food & the market doesn't always have the best selection like bigger cities do. My mom cooks dinner & I don't have much in the house for lunch so I typically go out. This has led to me consistently eating around 1500-1700 calories a day (daily goal is 1647), while getting a short 20 minute walk in at dusk around 4-5 times a week. At school I eat around 1300-1400 calories a day which leaves me with a 200-300 calories deficit. Due to my unhealthy diet lately I am actually a bit frightened to purchase a scale for myself at home in case I have gained weight. Is it likely I have gained much weight in the last 2.5 weeks? If I have would it likely be water weight or actual gain?

Thank you for your responses in advance :-)

You only gain weight if you eat over your total daily energy expenditure on a consistent basis. Do you weigh your food and log everything you eat? You can still lose weight eating mom's food, even though it sounds like it's not quite what you like. Healthy is in the perception (in other words, mom might think she's eating healthy. ), and you can lose weight on any foods you choose, you just eat at a calorie deficit.

You don't say what your stats are, but you would have to be pretty short and small for your maintenance calories to be 1647 calories. My guess is the 1500-1700 is your calories with the deficit?

What are your stats. How much are you trying to lose?

Go buy your scale because it is a fair measurement of whether what you are doing is working. Also, how do your clothes fit?

Finally, people don't really gain and lose weight overnight. Weight naturally fluctuates, sometimes we retain water, but that often makes people freak out.

meritage4

Here's one simple step you can take. You say your mom doesn't have much in the house for lunch foods. Well get yourself shopping. Add some healthy lunch foods to the fridge. Not only will you eat helthier but you should also save money.

PhoenixWithoutAshes1

The scale can be your friend AND your enemy! I use mine, but I also go by how my clothes fit and how I feel. If I go over my calories because of a sugary snack, I feel it. If I go over because I had an extra piece of grilled chicken, well I don't feel that. Overages happen. As long as it's not every day, you'll be fine.

kgirlhart

I am your parents. I live in a small town without very good grocery stores. There are about 12 restaurants here. Six are fast food chains and 6 are locally owned mom & pop restaurants. I have lost 56 pounds by counting my calories. I also exercise. I walk about 3 miles per day and do yoga dvds 3-5 times a week. But the calorie counting is the most important thing. You can do this. It is possible to lose weight when eating out. Most fast food restaurants have their nutrition information available and for other restaurants I use the information from a similar chain if the restaurant I go to doesn't have it available. I probably eat out at least once a week sometimes more. I do always eat lunch at home. You could either buy some groceries for your lunches or ask your mom. My son is home from college for the summer, and I've been buying lots of stuff that he likes that I don't normally have in the house. I bet if you asked your mom to stock up on some things she would. I would get a scale and decide how often you want to weigh. I weigh every day. That way I can see the trend and I don't let daily fluctuations bother me. If you weigh daily get an app like Happy Scale for IOS or Libra for Android. This will even out any fluctuations. You will have water fluctuations from your menstrual cycle and also some things that you eat (higher sodium meals) will also make you retain water. New exercises can cause this too. If you weigh weekly just remember that weight loss is not linear and you might be up some weeks. If you are and you are sticking to your goal then it is probably just water fluctuations. You can also offer to help your mom cook dinner so you know what you are eating and you can enter recipes into the recipe builder on mfp to figure out the calorie content. If you eat out fast food just figure out the calorie content so you don't go over your goal. I would also recommend getting a food scale as well as a bathroom scale. Try not to be afraid of the scale.