messed up scale or messed up brain?!!

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timadotcom
timadotcom Posts: 674 Member
in Health and Weight Loss
So i have been exercising and TRYING to eat well for the past month with minimal weight change. I have noticed I am loosing inches instead of actual pounds. I only weigh myself once a week because i do not like to get disappointed everyday and loose motivation, so I figured getting disappointed once a week after my weigh in is enough!

After my weigh in today i noticed oddly enough i have lost 3.3 lbs.. of course i did a double, triple and quadruple take, because something must be wrong with the scale. I change the batteries on my scale and weigh in again and there it is again, 3.3 lbs lost, i'm thinking WTF!!!! I change the location of the scale, i clean it down with a clorox wipe incase there is any residue prohibiting proper weight tallying... and HOLY CRAP in one week i lost 3.3. lbs.

Needless to say i'm exited... is this true people??? I have been drinking at least 12 cups of water a day this past week... so could it be that this is just water weight ( not that i'm complaining)?

feedback would be helpful.

ow and I still have not updated my ticker below because i'm still in shock!! i figured i would wait for feedback before I commit this to my ticker:D

Replies

  • SueGremlin
    SueGremlin Posts: 1,066 Member
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    Happened to me this week. I go through phases where I stay the same for three or so weeks, then step on the scale and am several pounds lighter. Go with it! Congratulations!
  • kenzysmom
    kenzysmom Posts: 50
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    I weigh in weekly also. 3 weeks ago I weighed in for a 1 lb gain. I had a great week, exercised and ate well! Last week I weighed in down 1.4 lbs. Still pretty disappointed because I *really* only lost .4 lbs since I just lost the 1 lb I had gained. Yesterday I weighed in and I was down 5.2 lbs!!! I think sometimes our bodies just hold on to the weight for whatever reason and then you'll see a sudden drop. I think of it more as I've lost 5.6 lbs in 3 weeks than 5.2 in one.
  • ms_leanne
    ms_leanne Posts: 523
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    Guys,

    Muscle replaces the fat with heavy exercise. It weighs more so that's why your scales are reading what they are!

    Go by your inches as BMI doesn't work for everyone. Rugby players are seen as obese with the BMI because they build up so much muscle through training.

    Bodyfat and inches count more.
  • sjtreely
    sjtreely Posts: 1,014 Member
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    In this case, yes, you can believe what you read.

    Some of the weight might be water weight, but yes, it's possible to see the scale go down like it has for you.

    Go log. :smile: And enjoy the rewards of your efforts.
  • ljwood57
    ljwood57 Posts: 3
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    Completely normal. Nothing wrong with the scale. You have to keep in mind, muscle weighs more than fat. With the exercise and toning, you've lost inches and gained muscle. ALWAYS drink at least 8 full glasses of water a day.

    And make sure you eat your calories. To burn calories, you have to eat calories. Also, if you find you haven't lost weight in a few weeks and not losing the inches, try lowering your intake by 50 to 100 calories a day and see what happens.

    Don't get discouraged....you are doing great!
  • ber3023
    ber3023 Posts: 146 Member
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    Did you just start this journey a month ago? Could just be your body adjusting to change and it's now ready to get with the program lol I've also read that after exercise your muscles will hold onto water in order to repair itself. Maybe that's the case and the muscles are repaired enough to let go of some of that. I was at a plateau for about 3 weeks when I first starting adding exercise and I'm thinking maybe that was it.
  • Dayquasar
    Dayquasar Posts: 182 Member
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    That is so funny! Same thing happend to me today! I suddenly lost like 2.5 lbs from yesterday, weighed myself like 5 times and was like what the heck! lol I havn't really been working out but I changed my way of eating so I figure it's from that, but WTG us! lol, hope I'm losing fat not muscle.
  • 1953Judith
    1953Judith Posts: 325 Member
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    I lose in chunks every few weeks, not increments weekly. I have actually noticed that during the night before the chunk of weight disappears that I feel a weird shakiness and the next morning I see that the scale has finally moved.

    I have to laugh at myself every day when I get on the scale, because I know the typical pattern after five years of weight loss so daily weighing gives me no information.

    Most important, congrats on losing the chunk of weight!
  • hbrittingham
    hbrittingham Posts: 2,518 Member
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    Happened to me this week. I go through phases where I stay the same for three or so weeks, then step on the scale and am several pounds lighter. Go with it! Congratulations!

    That's exactly what happens with me, too. I just go with the flow and eventually I will log a loss, usually 2-3 lbs.
  • timadotcom
    timadotcom Posts: 674 Member
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    thanks people... you guys are the best!!!!!!! :flowerforyou: I will go and log this onto my ticker.... I'm so excited :happy:
  • Jessicab4e
    Jessicab4e Posts: 26 Member
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    Thanks for posting this. I haven't moved down the scale in a few weeks. I do feel like I''m losing inches though. This gives me hope that one day the scale will move down.
  • kellyb63
    kellyb63 Posts: 109 Member
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    I tend to look at what I've lost for the month total. I go back and forth with weight. I started at 175 end of September and I am bouncing back n forth between 170-172. Whatever I weigh on Halloween will be subtracted from end of September in my mind. If I lose 3-4 lbs a month, I am very okay with that. I want to lose weight and keep it off, Im not looking to lose 10 lbs a month etc.

    Good luck to you!
  • debs6
    debs6 Posts: 232 Member
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    I have to agree with all the other responses - as that has truly been my experience as well. Sometimes I get frustrated as my weight appears to be the same for about 10-15 days then suddenly I will drop 1 - 1.5 kilos out of the blue. It appears from what I have read in this thread that this seems pretty common place. Enjoy logging your loss- you have obviously deserved it.

    Debbie
  • Mom2rh
    Mom2rh Posts: 612 Member
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    My body loses weight like this too. Actually I have noticed my clothes getting looser again, and I have been recognized changes in the mirror...it just took some time for the weight on the scale to reflect what was going on with my body.

    Congrats! And keep it up.
  • missyyclaire
    missyyclaire Posts: 572 Member
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    Take your loss, celebrate it, you earned it! 3.3 pounds is really great!

    But here's a misconception I often see on MFP. A pound of muscle really does weigh exactly the same as a pound of fat. BUT, the pound of fat is lumpy and bigger than a pound of sleek, compact muscle tissue. And, the more muscle you build, the more calories your body will be burning.

    I found some great pics that represent the size difference on fat to muscle....but I don't know how to post them....sigh...you can see them here tho: http://www.google.com/search?q=pound+of+muscle+to+fat&hl=en&client=safari&rls=en&prmd=imvns&source=lnms&tbm=isch&ei=rA2sTqXfJqORsAK2tpnuDg&sa=X&oi=mode_link&ct=mode&cd=2&ved=0CAkQ_AUoAQ&biw=1326&bih=790&sei= rw2sTva_AoKPsQLX5ZiTDw

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