battle with the scale

lane220

Hi all (again, I was just here with another question earlier)
I hit my newest scale milestone just two days ago. 135. I still have a few more to go until i’m ready to maintain. The problem is that I’m not eating enough to gain-yet my scale is not letting me see the light of 135 again. Yesterday, it was a little higher 137. TODAY, it’s telling me 139. I don’t even think that’s possible, as it’s been weeks since I was 139. I’ve only eaten regular today, yesterday as well. And to add to it- it’s only 4 pm. I still have food left to consume, and the scale keeps going up. i’m afraid that after seeing my weight where it needed to be 2 days ago, that if I see this scale hit 140 i’m going to lose it.. How on earth is this even possible? It’s so frustrating and makes all motivation disappear to hit a new milestone and change ABSOLUTELY nothing, yet the scale just keeps going up and up and up.... what is going on?

nanastaci2020

Water weight. You can retain water for a # of reasons including stress, sodium, eating more carbs than normal (for you), TOM/hormones/ovulation, lack of sleep, muscle repair.

You don't have 1 weight. At any time when you get on the scale, your weight is impacted by the water in your body, as well as the amount of food/drink/waste not yet processed out. And also your level of dress of course.

Try not to compare 'today's' weight with 'yesterday's' weight. Compare weight over time to see the trend. There is too much volatility day to day.

4legsRbetterthan2

It also sounds like you are weighing late in the day. I suggest first thing in the morning after relieving yourself, no clothes, same scale in the same spot on the floor every day.

I can tell you my weight will increase 2-3 lbs throughout the day, then its back down in the morning.

Weight is always changing a bit, what you are looking for is a change in your average weight over time. Don't get too hung up on one measurement.

Thanks to whomever originally made this infographic!:

cgvet37

Why are you weighing everyday? If you insist on doing so, download the Libra app. It will give you a trend weight.

quiksylver296

http://physiqonomics.com/the-weird-and-highly-annoying-world-of-scale-weight-and-fluctuations

yirara

Of course your weight goes up during the course of the day as you're eating and drinking. Or has your food and fluids no weight?

nighthawk584

water weight. example from me this week. I've been overdoing on sodium and extra calories in the past week and was 194 on Monday....by simply getting back to strict calorie counting and watching the sodium along with drinking EXTRA water, I am back down to 188 as of today. a 6 lb swing! and yes, if you are going to weigh every day or few times a week, weigh at the exact same time every day..i weigh first thing when I wake up.

NovusDies

If you weigh, drink 16 oz of water, and weigh again you will gain a pound. The only reliable time to weigh is in the morning before you eat or drink anything and that is subject to how much you got rid of from the previous day's consumption. If the total of what you ate and drank is 8 pounds your body has to unload all of that before your weight is back to where it was 24 hours ago.

Read the article posted above and trust the process. The more you stress over it the more you will retain water.

Dogmom1978

First, I don’t personally see the benefit of weighing everyday, but if you must, follow the above suggestion of downloading a weight tracking app designed for that.

Second, weigh in at the same time and same (or close to it) weight in clothing.

For example:

I weigh on Saturday’s. I have a doctors office type scale (I make sure it’s balanced prior to weighing). I weigh in prior to eating in light shorts and a t shirt at around 8 am every Saturday morning.

oliverwnc

Hi Lane,

How's it going? I'm really pleased to see your post because I was in a similar situation and I think I have a bit of advice to share here, based on my experience.

I went from around 170lbs to 151lbs over the course of many months, and then totally stalled. That was it. I couldn't do more. I cut my calories further. I increased my activity. I fiddled with every last detail. But 151lbs was where I stayed.

I'm convinced that my TDEE dropped due to lower-quality workouts, a drop in NEAT, and my metabolism generally adapting to the lower calories. Starvation mode is not a thing but I was definitely more tired, cold, and I believe burning fewer calories.

Ultimately, I drove myself into the ground. I wanted to hit that neat, round 150lbs mark before I stopped cutting down and it just wasn't happening. I felt terrible. My calories were way too low. The physical and mental effects weren't pretty.

After a particularly bad day, I knew I couldn't go on. I increased my daily calorie intake by about 500kcal per day. No reverse dieting. I just went for it.

Honestly, I'd forgotten what it felt like to be eating enough to sustain yourself. I was happier, healthier and more energetic. My workouts were better, I would walk everywhere faster, I would spend more time up and about. It was genuinely amazing.

I'd decided to ignore the scale while I was on these higher calories, because I didn't want to psyche myself out and go back to old habits. About 2-3 weeks later (I'll need to check my tracker for exact timing), I finally stepped on the scale. 149lbs.

I'm not saying you can eat more and lose weight as a reliable strategy, of course. But there really is no harm in taking a little break. Even if your weight did go up a little bit in 1-2 weeks, you can easily bring it back down again.

I really, really recommend this. Take two weeks eating more freely. As intuitively as you can. Don't binge, but give your body what it needs. Don't weigh yourself. Afterwards, see where you stand.

Good luck. Drop me a note if you want to talk. I'll be happy to help.

Ollie