Weight going up for no apparent reason?

Lori0534

I have been on weight watchers a week and was down 3.5 lbs. I weighed today and was up 2.5 from yesterday! I didn't go over my points and I ran 3.56 miles. So, why in the world did the scale go up today?!? Does anyone have any insight?

thesophierose

Food and water fluctuates.

Beertroll

Water weight, scale inaccuracy, a full bladder, etc. If you weigh yourself daily, you'll see that sort of thing quite a bit. I usually assume a margin of error of plus or minus 3 pounds when weighing that often. Learn to ignore the noise in the individual measurements and just monitor the overall trendline, as daily weight fluctuations are really common.

mpyon621

If I eat foods high in sodium, I retain more water and cause a "weight gain," but it's only temporary.

SoLongAndThanksForAllTheFish

You upped your coefficient of gravity. Either that or you added more glycogen and water to your muscles, and your weight fluctuates sometimes as much as +/- 5lbs/day.

rlmblm21

Your weight will fluctutate by several pounds from day to day (sometimes). Mine does. For that reason I only count the weight loss once a week. My weigh in day is Wednesday. So if I weigh myself any other time and see an up tick, I don't panic, because I know on Wednesday it will balance out. Yours will too. When you weigh in one week from the last official count, you will be down. Keep up the good work!

Lori0534

Thanks! I don't really know what was that high in sodium, but I guess I could have missed it somewhere!

Lori0534

Thanks! Makes me feel better! I did WW once before and had great success! I only have 10 - 15 I want to lose, and I am hoping it works well again!

mandyneedtolose

If you don't track sodium try doing that for a week. Sodium makes the body retain water. Thus the weight goes up. Add in a little bit more water and see if that helps flush it out. Like everyone said weight changes from day to day. No worries!

kapoorpk

I think many of the posts state the possible reasons correctly. If the gain is temporary, i.e. you see it go down over the next week or so, it was likely due to water weight gain related to sodium. If you change your setting on MFP and track sodium for a week, you can validate this hypothesis that way as well. A healthy level, as recommended by the CDC for sodium is around 1,500 mgs a day, but no more than 2,400 mgs a day. If you don't track it, it is very possible, especially with processed foods, that you may have even gone over the 2,400 mark for more than a day in a row and retained more water.

Consuming the daily RDA of potassium is one of remedies of high sodium diets as potassium negates the ill effects of sodium.

If its not sodium related water weight gain, and the weight gain stays, it could also be muscle gain. You should invest in a BIA weight scale that measures your body fat, muscle and bone density percentages. You can find one at Target for less than $50. They not precise but reasonably accurate especially if you measure yourself at the same time every day or every so often.

Muscle is more dense than fat, so if you gain some of it, you will weigh heavier without looking heavier.

Hope that helps. Feel free to connect as a friend as well, as we discuss many of such topics at length daily based on validated science. Thanks.

gigglesinthesun

did you have a lot of free points stuff (or don't they do that anymore?)

servilia

Hard exercise will cause temporary damage to your tissues. Fluid accumulates there for repair, so it's probably water weight. Chill

Stage14

I think many of the posts state the possible reasons correctly. If the gain is temporary, i.e. you see it go down over the next week or so, it was likely due to water weight gain related to sodium. If you change your setting on MFP and track sodium for a week, you can validate this hypothesis that way as well. A healthy level, as recommended by the CDC for sodium is around 1,500 mgs a day, but no more than 2,400 mgs a day. If you don't track it, it is very possible, especially with processed foods, that you may have even gone over the 2,400 mark for more than a day in a row and retained more water.

Consuming the daily RDA of potassium is one of remedies of high sodium diets as potassium negates the ill effects of sodium.

If its not sodium related water weight gain, and the weight gain stays, it could also be muscle gain. You should invest in a BIA weight scale that measures your body fat, muscle and bone density percentages. You can find one at Target for less than $50. They not precise but reasonably accurate especially if you measure yourself at the same time every day or every so often.

Muscle is more dense than fat, so if you gain some of it, you will weigh heavier without looking heavier.

Hope that helps. Feel free to connect as a friend as well, as we discuss many of such topics at length daily based on validated science. Thanks.

Exactly what validated science tells you that she gained 2lbs of muscle literally overnight? I'm sorry, but that is just ludicrous to even suggest.

fivethreeone

I think many of the posts state the possible reasons correctly. If the gain is temporary, i.e. you see it go down over the next week or so, it was likely due to water weight gain related to sodium. If you change your setting on MFP and track sodium for a week, you can validate this hypothesis that way as well. A healthy level, as recommended by the CDC for sodium is around 1,500 mgs a day, but no more than 2,400 mgs a day. If you don't track it, it is very possible, especially with processed foods, that you may have even gone over the 2,400 mark for more than a day in a row and retained more water.

Consuming the daily RDA of potassium is one of remedies of high sodium diets as potassium negates the ill effects of sodium.

If its not sodium related water weight gain, and the weight gain stays, it could also be muscle gain. You should invest in a BIA weight scale that measures your body fat, muscle and bone density percentages. You can find one at Target for less than $50. They not precise but reasonably accurate especially if you measure yourself at the same time every day or every so often.

Muscle is more dense than fat, so if you gain some of it, you will weigh heavier without looking heavier.

Hope that helps. Feel free to connect as a friend as well, as we discuss many of such topics at length daily based on validated science. Thanks.

Exactly what validated science tells you that she gained 2lbs of muscle literally overnight? I'm sorry, but that is just ludicrous to even suggest.

Agreed. Lots of misinformation and very little validated science here. Overnight is absurd, let alone the fact that she is eating at a caloric deficit. Muscle cannot be gained in a deficit (except in very few specific cases). Period. If that's not enough, women training very hard can gain at MOST a pound of muscle in a month. That's eating at a caloric surplus AND weight training intensely, neither of which is happening here. Muscle doesn't just appear overnight without effort.

The scales mentioned that measure body fat are not "reasonably accurate," they are notoriously inaccurate.

Combating sodium-produced water retention is not about potassium (usually), it is about drinking more water.

OP, possible causes are water retention from sore muscles, sodium, TOM, carbs (they retain water at a 3g to 1g ratio), and all of these are totally normal fluctuations that you shouldn't go out of your way to avoid. As long as the overall monthly trend is downward, you'll be fine. But gaining muscle? Not a chance.

DavPul

Consider not weighing yourself so often if you're going to fret about the normal weight fluctuations that occur throughout the week.

MstngSammy

If you don't track sodium try doing that for a week. Sodium makes the body retain water. Thus the weight goes up. Add in a little bit more water and see if that helps flush it out. Like everyone said weight changes from day to day. No worries!

Weight will also change all throughout the day.....usually weighing heaviest at night (because of said water). If I'm not mistaken (I'm still learning myself) your muscles also hold water for repairs after working out.

MstngSammy

I think many of the posts state the possible reasons correctly. If the gain is temporary, i.e. you see it go down over the next week or so, it was likely due to water weight gain related to sodium. If you change your setting on MFP and track sodium for a week, you can validate this hypothesis that way as well. A healthy level, as recommended by the CDC for sodium is around 1,500 mgs a day, but no more than 2,400 mgs a day. If you don't track it, it is very possible, especially with processed foods, that you may have even gone over the 2,400 mark for more than a day in a row and retained more water.

Consuming the daily RDA of potassium is one of remedies of high sodium diets as potassium negates the ill effects of sodium.

If its not sodium related water weight gain, and the weight gain stays, it could also be muscle gain. You should invest in a BIA weight scale that measures your body fat, muscle and bone density percentages. You can find one at Target for less than $50. They not precise but reasonably accurate especially if you measure yourself at the same time every day or every so often.

Muscle is more dense than fat, so if you gain some of it, you will weigh heavier without looking heavier.

Hope that helps. Feel free to connect as a friend as well, as we discuss many of such topics at length daily based on validated science. Thanks.

Exactly what validated science tells you that she gained 2lbs of muscle literally overnight? I'm sorry, but that is just ludicrous to even suggest.

Agreed. Lots of misinformation and very little validated science here. Overnight is absurd, let alone the fact that she is eating at a caloric deficit. Muscle cannot be gained in a deficit (except in very few specific cases). Period. If that's not enough, women training very hard can gain at MOST a pound of muscle in a month. That's eating at a caloric surplus AND weight training intensely, neither of which is happening here. Muscle doesn't just appear overnight without effort.

The scales mentioned that measure body fat are not "reasonably accurate," they are notoriously inaccurate.

Combating sodium-produced water retention is not about potassium (usually), it is about drinking more water.

OP, possible causes are water retention from sore muscles, sodium, TOM, carbs (they retain water at a 3g to 1g ratio), and all of these are totally normal fluctuations that you shouldn't go out of your way to avoid. As long as the overall monthly trend is downward, you'll be fine. But gaining muscle? Not a chance.

".... carbs (they retain water at a 3g to 1g ratio),..."

I learned something new today....Thanks! :happy:

kapoorpk

I think many of the posts state the possible reasons correctly. If the gain is temporary, i.e. you see it go down over the next week or so, it was likely due to water weight gain related to sodium. If you change your setting on MFP and track sodium for a week, you can validate this hypothesis that way as well. A healthy level, as recommended by the CDC for sodium is around 1,500 mgs a day, but no more than 2,400 mgs a day. If you don't track it, it is very possible, especially with processed foods, that you may have even gone over the 2,400 mark for more than a day in a row and retained more water.

Consuming the daily RDA of potassium is one of remedies of high sodium diets as potassium negates the ill effects of sodium.

If its not sodium related water weight gain, and the weight gain stays, it could also be muscle gain. You should invest in a BIA weight scale that measures your body fat, muscle and bone density percentages. You can find one at Target for less than $50. They not precise but reasonably accurate especially if you measure yourself at the same time every day or every so often.

Muscle is more dense than fat, so if you gain some of it, you will weigh heavier without looking heavier.

Hope that helps. Feel free to connect as a friend as well, as we discuss many of such topics at length daily based on validated science. Thanks.

Exactly what validated science tells you that she gained 2lbs of muscle literally overnight? I'm sorry, but that is just ludicrous to even suggest.

Agreed. Lots of misinformation and very little validated science here. Overnight is absurd, let alone the fact that she is eating at a caloric deficit. Muscle cannot be gained in a deficit (except in very few specific cases). Period. If that's not enough, women training very hard can gain at MOST a pound of muscle in a month. That's eating at a caloric surplus AND weight training intensely, neither of which is happening here. Muscle doesn't just appear overnight without effort.

The scales mentioned that measure body fat are not "reasonably accurate," they are notoriously inaccurate.

Combating sodium-produced water retention is not about potassium (usually), it is about drinking more water.

OP, possible causes are water retention from sore muscles, sodium, TOM, carbs (they retain water at a 3g to 1g ratio), and all of these are totally normal fluctuations that you shouldn't go out of your way to avoid. As long as the overall monthly trend is downward, you'll be fine. But gaining muscle? Not a chance.

".... carbs (they retain water at a 3g to 1g ratio),..."

I learned something new today....Thanks! :happy:

This is not bull crap or mis-information. When writing the possible explanations and analysis, I forgot for a second that this happened overnight. You will not gain muscle overnight. It takes a lot longer to gain muscle, certainly not overnight.

It would help if people first resort to giving a benefit of doubt on why someone wrote something, especially when they have been successful being fit losing 82 pounds of weight, reducing BF% from 32 to 17%, etc. etc., before calling it bull crap or mis-information.

Thanks.