Scales - Do I need a new one?

NYPhotographer2021

So on Wednesday morning, I weighed 163 lbs. On Thursday morning I weighed 167 lbs. That's a 4-pound gain. This morning, I weighed 167.6. My calorie deficit is usually the same. I've been eating more carbs but have not gone over 100 grams.

I took 2 - 5 pound dumbbells, and weighed them. They came out as 13 lbs. I changed the batteries just in case. Weighed the db again, and this time came out as 13.3 lbs. I'm not sure how accurate dumbbells are. I had moved the scale from my bedroom to my bathroom and have been gaining every since! LOL! Am I going crazy?

My clothes still fit the same. Not sure what else could be causing a gain that big. I'm 58 and way past having menses every month. In any case, I've had a pound or 2 gain, which I lost fairly quick. I just started doing some stuff with the weights, and doing 1 minute elevated planks, but none of that could cause me to gain 4 lbs of muscle! Any thoughts?

ccrdragon

If these are new exercise routines (for you), you could easily gain 4 lbs of water weight as a result. New exercises work different muscles and the body retains water to help heal any damage (micro-tears occur as part of stressing/developing/working muscles - it's normal and nothing to worry about) and a 4 pound gain for a new workout regime is nothing unusual. As you get more into the fitness workouts, your body will drop the water weight.

NYPhotographer2021

Thanks @ccrdragon They are new to me. I will keep with those, and see if the water weight comes off.

melmerritt33

Firstly, in my experience both dumbbells and home scales aren’t 100% accurate, so the small difference when weighing the dumbbells is just a normal variation in the scales plus the dumbbells not weighing exactly what they say they do. I know this because I became obsessed with scale weight and I’ve weighed things to test the scales, even getting new scales and getting a slightly different result!

Secondly, this is why I stopped weighing myself every day, someone suggested to me I should stop, the fluctuations of several pounds were affecting my mental health and I was obsessed. I was elated when it went down and depressed when it went up, wondering how on earth I could have gained that much weight overnight. I hadn’t really gained anything, it’s just water weight fluctuations.

What helped me was to put the scales away for a month and not allow myself to use them. During that time I measured myself instead and could see my measurements weren’t changing so I knew I wasn’t gaining weight. After a month I brought the scales back out but now I have a weekly weigh in day and I’m absolutely not allowed to weigh myself on any other day for any reason and only once that day.

Since doing that my weight seems to be much more consistent! It’s not of course, I guarantee I’m still whooshing up and down through the week but I don’t see it. I also focus more on my clothes as a guide of whether I’m doing well, if they’re not getting tight then I’m fine. I’m so much happier with this now.

NYPhotographer2021

Thanks @melmerritt33 I tried the monthly weigh in, as well as the weekly weigh in before. Daily weigh in helps me stay motivated. I was just shocked at such a large gain. I've had smaller gains and didn't think much of them. But the 4 pound gain kind of rocked me. But it's back down again. So it could just be as @ccrdragon says...water retention weight from exercising. I've gone 6-7 months without really exercising and have started doing more these past couple of weeks. Planks, core, dumbbell workouts. I didn't think all that I've been doing is making much of an impact on my body, but I do feel definition in my biceps now. It's small, but it's there!

So I'm keeping my scale and trusting my body to do what it has to do to keep me alive! LOL!

Namaste'!

taylok23

I agree with all the above- the exercise is causing some water retention. I see 4 pound swings all the time when I change things up with weights or videos. I think the first time you went line dancing you also noticed a jump but the scales moved back down right away. Hang in there- you will see some changes.

melmerritt33

@NYPhotographer2021 So glad it went down again so quickly, that will help you remember it’s only temporary next time it happens!