What do you do when the scale reads that you gained weight?

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  • PixelPuff
    PixelPuff Posts: 901 Member
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    mimigotay wrote: »
    I check how my clothes feel because muscle weights more than fat.

    A pound is a pound. I believe you mean muscle is denser/smaller than fat for the same weight.
  • amusedmonkey
    amusedmonkey Posts: 10,330 Member
    edited March 2018
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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:
    f3d0ea5t5hdh.png

    The summery is also assuring me that I'm losing at my desired pace:
    r9387vsi42sy.png

    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).

  • Machka9
    Machka9 Posts: 24,863 Member
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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."
  • RecognitionT
    RecognitionT Posts: 120 Member
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    Cry for 30 seconds then get over it.
  • LivingtheLeanDream
    LivingtheLeanDream Posts: 13,345 Member
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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.

  • rianneonamission
    rianneonamission Posts: 854 Member
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    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.
    finnick4 wrote: »
    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.
  • claireswin4
    claireswin4 Posts: 18 Member
    edited March 2018
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    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!
  • LivingtheLeanDream
    LivingtheLeanDream Posts: 13,345 Member
    edited March 2018
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    This is a great thread : http://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/discussion/10634529/why-did-the-number-on-the-scale-go-up-this-week-heres-why#latest
  • jasondjulian
    jasondjulian Posts: 182 Member
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    These are some of my monthly graphs of weight... I am losing on a downward trend which is great, but notice all the little up-ticks on the line? Those are where my weight increased temporarily. It happens, it's normal, it's usually retained water, waste in the digestive tract, or consumed meals in the stomach. Trust that you did not spontaneously gain 1-3lbs (or whatever it said you gained) of fat in the matter of a few days or overnight.

    1b7o7shzat1c.jpg
    b1ava9e7c5n6.jpg
  • Lounmoun
    Lounmoun Posts: 8,426 Member
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    I note the weight, think about what is going on. I would look at the trend over time rather than 1 weigh in.
    Questions I would ask myself:
    Did I eat a lot of sodium, carb heavy foods recently?
    Did I stick to my calorie goal? Did I log everything as accurately as I could?
    Did I exercise more than normal recently?
    What time of the month is it?
    Has it been several weeks since the scale changed or has it been going up steadily?
    Have my measurements changed?
    Did I use the toilet?
    Is my scale wonky?

    If you just started 1 day ago you need to be patient and cut out the judgement of yourself based on the scale reading. It takes time to change and see results.
    You might want to use a weight trend app or site like trend weight, happy scale, weight grapher.

    Do some reading:
    http://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/discussion/10300319/most-helpful-posts-general-diet-and-weight-loss-help-must-reads#latest
    http://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/discussion/10084670/it-is-unlikely-that-you-will-lose-weight-consistently-i-e-weight-loss-is-not-linear/p1
    http://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/discussion/10359984/women-menstrual-cycle-weight-and-fitness-matters/p1
    http://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/discussion/10575000/water-weight-gain-stop-panicking#latest
    http://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/discussion/1234699/logging-accurately-step-by-step-guide/p1
  • donnapal79
    donnapal79 Posts: 30 Member
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    PixelPuff wrote: »
    mimigotay wrote: »
    I check how my clothes feel because muscle weights more than fat.

    A pound is a pound. I believe you mean muscle is denser/smaller than fat for the same weight.

    No, she means muscle weighs more than fat by volume. And, yes, that's because it is more dense. The "by volume" is implied. No one thinks one pound of one thing weighs more than one pound of another. That makes no sense. Why anyone would ever think that's what someone means by that sentence is beyond me.
  • WinoGelato
    WinoGelato Posts: 13,454 Member
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    donnapal79 wrote: »
    PixelPuff wrote: »
    mimigotay wrote: »
    I check how my clothes feel because muscle weights more than fat.

    A pound is a pound. I believe you mean muscle is denser/smaller than fat for the same weight.

    No, she means muscle weighs more than fat by volume. And, yes, that's because it is more dense. The "by volume" is implied. No one thinks one pound of one thing weighs more than one pound of another. That makes no sense. Why anyone would ever think that's what someone means by that sentence is beyond me.

    Actually, you’d be surprised... between “muscle weighs more than fat ” and “a calorie is a calorie” I’m not sure which seemingly obvious and straightforward statement gets people more confused and worked up on these boards...

  • MelanieCN77
    MelanieCN77 Posts: 4,047 Member
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    When I was new to losing it would bug me but also because I weighed every day I was very quickly able to see the pattern in the overall loss. Even after only a few weeks I knew that an up on the scale, if I knew I had been eating properly, was just part of the pattern and it would rectify itself.

    These days I know before I step on if it's going to be up or down or about the same. I have started doing a little mental check in before I step on, check out the visuals, quick thoughts over what I ate yesterday and such, so I can keep a better overall understanding of what goes on.
  • endermako
    endermako Posts: 787 Member
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    I try to determine the cause. For example, I'm up 1.8 pounds because of water bloat even though i've only eaten at maintenance 1 day in the past month, and every other day was at 1350 or less. I just try an be patient and understand that weight loss isn't linear. It's frustrating to see, but I'm more calm about it if I know what it's from.
  • AnvilHead
    AnvilHead Posts: 18,344 Member
    edited March 2018
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    What do you do when the scale reads that you gained weight?
    I regard it as a data point and move on.

    I weigh daily and enter my weight into a trending app. I understand that fluctuations are perfectly normal and I know that there are numerous causes for them, so it's not disturbing to me at all.

    If I see an upward trend over time, that tells me I need to be more vigilant toward my calorie intake because I'm getting too loose with things and eating more than I think.
  • RickSuk
    RickSuk Posts: 8 Member
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    Have a glass of water.
  • gamesandgains
    gamesandgains Posts: 640 Member
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    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...

    As everyone's already said -

    Weight loss isn't linear. You will likely run into the same situation again in the future, don't get discouraged, this is generally normal. If you know you're not sticking to your plan like you know you should, try to anticipate what the weigh in is going to be; we know there's a cause to every effect. Take ownership, it's a part of the journey.

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