What do you do when the scale reads that you gained weight?
amandawhatup62
Posts: 116 Member
Today was the first day that on my weight loss journey, the scale stated I gained weight... I feel totally discouraged. Granted, I haven’t been making the best of choices this past week... I know this next week I’ll see better results, but as of today, I feel horrible... how do you get back on track from feeling so bad?!? I literally feel disgusted with myself...
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Replies
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Just figure out where you went wrong, learn from it and move on.21
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I feel the same way sometimes when I step on the scale and my weight went up. The important thing is remembering that weight fluctuates
It will go up and down always, but on the track of weight loss it will steadily go down! I only step on the scale once a week to see my current status. Be sure to weight yourself right after you wake up and wear the same type of clothes. When I do feel slightly discouraged, i just keep on logging for the day and know I'm doing everything I can for my journey!!:) 4 -
Last week when I weighed in I had gained 3 pounds. I didn't let it get to me. I knew that my sodium count was pretty high that week, even though I had eaten right at my calorie allotment for all of the week before. It was probably one of my best weeks. Another, thing, I did eat out at 11:00 pm the night before (which I never do before weighing the next day) and weighed in as usual on Sunday morning. I figured that it was a combination of eating late the night before and also too much sodium (water weight) during the week. Today I weighed in, and was down 3.8 lbs. So that extra weight (water weight) went away this past week, and .8 lbs. were lost in the last 2 weeks. This past week my sodium was less than before and I did eat over my allotted calories (about 200-300) a few days--but still 200-250 under maintenance, so I wasn't expecting to really lose much, except for the water weight.
Weight loss is not linear, but since I've been on MFP since July, this is only the second or third time I've gained--the other was just 1 lb. so it was new for me. I always log it.
So look at your diary and see if there was anything unusual or if you could have possibly eaten that many extra calories over maintenance to really gain weight.7 -
amandawhatup62 wrote: »Today was the first day that on my weight loss journey, the scale stated I gained weight... I feel totally discouraged. Granted, I haven’t been making the best of choices this past week... I know this next week I’ll see better results, but as of today, I feel horrible... how do you get back on track from feeling so bad?!? I literally feel disgusted with myself...
Accept it, learn from it (figure out what you over ate, need to avoid maybe for boating ect..) and move on. Every day is a new day and new chance to make it right! It's hard not to feel down on yourself but this is a long term journey for most of us, and no one is perfect!1 -
Put the data in my spreadsheet and move on.
As long as the overall trend is still moving in the right direction it doesn't matter. If I find that trend starting to move in the wrong direction then I'll take a closer look at my logging to see where the extra calories might be creeping in.8 -
Check the batteries...?7
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Just don't give up and try and plan out your meals and snacks.You know you are making poor food choices. So that means you can correct them. Stay positive we all slip up sometimes. Good luck. 9
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Put the data in my spreadsheet and move on.
As long as the overall trend is still moving in the right direction it doesn't matter. If I find that trend starting to move in the wrong direction then I'll take a closer look at my logging to see where the extra calories might be creeping in.
^^^This, except I use a weight trending website instead of a spreadsheet.4 -
Freak out13
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Do what you've been doing. Weight loss isn't linear. If you go another 2-3 weeks without seeing a loss, then you'll want to take a look at your logging to see what you can tighten up.8
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Weight loss isn't linear. You have lots of stuff in your body other than fat. That stuff contributes to your weight and can fluctuate up and down as your body does all the things it needs to do. Most dramatically water weight, which can go up or down as much as 5 lbs in a day.
If you are going to feel discouraged over just 1 days weigh in, maybe you shouldn't weigh daily or should be using a weight trending app. It's going to happen again, many many times, that's real life.6 -
Keep going, you won't go straight down in weightloss. For example, I gain 5lbs in water weight right before I start my period. I hold onto it until the day before my period ends... Then it disappears overnight again. Sometimes with a extra pound. When I was losing (currently maintaining), it would stay the same for a full month, gain 5lbs overnight before my period, and then drop about 8-10lbs right before my period officially ended.
It seems discouraging at first due to all of it. Bodies are confusing af. Go with the overall trend of weight loss, not the day-to-day number. You can do it! Don't let it get you down!4 -
It's usually a combination of sodium, extra exercise, and/or hormonal fluctuations. I just use it as motivation to do a little better in the next few days, maybe it will cause me to drink more water or turn down the cookie someone offers...nothing major.
Just try to stay on track & don't let it affect the "big picture" and you will be golden!4 -
I cycle calories, meaning I usually have a day or two a week that I eat at maintenance, so my loss is a little less linear than some, but everyone has days they’re up more than expected. I always gain a couple of pounds when I eat pizza, even when my calories are low, for example. I track my trend on a spreadsheet and the up days are (usually) balances out by the down days. You’re in this for the long haul. The only way an up day can ruin your progress is if you let it turn into an excuse to give up.4
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Every morning when I weigh, I psych up for a gain. Really. Most of the time I have a loss and feel elated. Those too-frequent days I have a gain, it's usually less than I was mentally prepared to face. On those days, I'm relieved. On those rare days when I, in full knowledge of what I done went and did the day before, am prepared for a substantial gain and the fact of the scale blows my preparation to smithereens, I say, "Oh, well".5
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When the scale goes down, I log it. When the scale goes up I log it.
Then I look at the rolling 4-6 week trend only. If it's going the way I want it to I change nothing. If it's going the wrong direction I make a small tweak and continue eating and living to plan.
I don't have a "learn" anything from one or a few upward fluctuations on the scale. If you don't understand how fluctuations work, learn that. There is virtually nothing to learn from a single day or even week spike in the scale.
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I don't have anything to add, but I just wanted to thank you all for the honesty, encouragement, and pragmatism of these posts. Much appreciated.8
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Put it in the past, where it exists, and put my best foot forward for the day ahead.5
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"Oh. Must be Monday."8
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I use it as motivation to eat clean and keep working out. It’s important to be honest with yourself on WHY the scale indicates you’ve gained weight so you can learn where you need to improve.6
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I check how my clothes feel because muscle weights more than fat.13
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Nothing. I go like "interesting, wonder if it's hormones or sodium" and move on.
I use this website to log my weight daily (there are phone apps that do this):
https://trendweight.com/dashboard/
I "gained" twice last week, but the trend is still going down - notice how my end weight is higher than my starting weight for the week but it doesn't tell the whole story:
The summery is also assuring me that I'm losing at my desired pace:
If you weigh yourself weekly, maybe this is just a blip where your weight happened to be higher on that particular day. You also said you haven't been sticking to your calories as well lately, so an increase in water weight is more likely to mask a smaller weight loss (or no weight loss).
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What do you do when the scale reads that you gained weight?
Say to myself, "Yep, I expected that. I always gain weight after a long bicycle ride."2 -
Cry for 30 seconds then get over it.4
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I log my weight every day, the ups and the downs - because they are par for the course whether you are aiming to lose or like me maintain. The main thing is the overall trend and it going in the right direction.
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I jump up and down with joy and immediately plug it into Libra with fingers crossed. But my goals might be different than yours
Even when I'm losing, I don't give it much thought to be honest... I think... hmm, water weight due to food, sodium, increased workout volume and move on. 5-7 days of increasing weights, I start to reevaluate my intake.6 -
What @amusedmonkey said. I gained a good 2lbs overnight Friday on to Saturday as it's my ToM. I didn't log food on Friday & Saturday but did on Sunday. This morning the 2lbs has dropped off again, knowing full well I ate too much on Fri and Sat. Hormones and water weight can be a *kitten*. So yes, get a trend app and weigh in daily. HappyScale or Libra. You'll start noticing weight fluctuations after dinner in a restaurant (sodium), at certain times during your cycle, be it ToM or around ovulation.I use it as motivation to eat clean and keep working out. It’s important to be honest with yourself on WHY the scale indicates you’ve gained weight so you can learn where you need to improve.
That's utterly pointless based on a single day of a higher weigh in. If it was several weeks of steady weight gain then yes. But one weigh in? "Oh, I went to a restaurant yesterday and am up in weight despite having the 'healthy' sodium laden option. I had better not go to restaurants again". Not to mention the nonsense that is eating clean because it doesn't cause weight loss UNLESS it creates a calorie deficit. Nowt wrong with treats in an overall balanced diet.
Just accept weight fluctuates and move on.4 -
I gained today. Mine is due to what I ate yesterday also my cycle is around the corner. I weigh daily and use a trending app, it takes care of those pesky fluctuations so I don't fret.
OP when you know you have done everything right, stayed on point with your calorie deficit and exercise (if you exercise) those gains cannot possibly be fat gains, so take the scale at face value and remember especially for us women why we fluctuate up and down daily.5 -
I'd recommend using the Libra app for your phone. I log my weight daily, though it's not for everyone, but I use this app which shows me the individual values over the last months for what my weight was, but then graphs it to show me the trend of my weight loss. What usually happens is when I have a loss, I'll log it and the trend will go down. But when I weigh in the next day and see a gain, the gain will still be below the trend weight value, which shows me that I'm still losing weight over all.
I would highly recommend Libra if you like to weigh yourself every day!4
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