I don't weigh my food. I can't imagine having to do so. Could it be water weight? I'm 45 and its sooo easy to gain now and I fluctuate more. Getting weight off practically takes an act of god! Give it some time and it might level out!

First, don't get discouraged. Remember the scale is only PART of this journey. It is how we feel, how our clothes feel, the new found energy we have, etc. How long have you been at this and was this 4 lb gain a weekly gain, a gain in a month? Our scales can up and down like a freaking yo-yo just in a day! It could be water retention, too much sodium, TOM, food hasn't digested yet in the body.

Everyone is different in terms of how they choose to change their eating habits, how much they eat and how they record it. No matter what, you do what is best for you and what works for you. The following things are what work for me:

1. When I weigh myself I do it on the same day, same time. Best for me is first thing in the morning after I have been to the little girl's room and in the buff. I record weekly but I do weigh everyday and track the trend...as long as the line is going down (and sometimes stays the same) then I am doing something right. That being said, do not weigh yourself everyday if it will stress you out...not a good thing
2. I do weigh everything, the food scale is my best friend and it has become second nature to me. It has really helped my portion control. I find there is a lot of "junk" on the food database with totally wrong NI values, but if you look you will find the right ones, etc. If I can't find it then I add it to make sure I am recording correctly. When I go out, I guesstimate my calories. I also drink at least 8 cups a water a day.
3. I do take a day off from recording (usually Saturdays) and while I don't go nuts with food/drink, I just enjoy myself without worrying about recording (and yes, the scale is always higher on Sundays..ha ha). It has worked for me. Like I said, what works for one person, doesn't always work for someone else. It is trial and error for all of us.
4. Don't cut out any food group, don't deny yourself. Just portion control it. I am a firm believer in the 80/20 rule for eating. 80% all healthy and 20% my treats.

Hope these tidbits help. Feel free to add me as a friend and see my diary etc. Like I said at the beginning, don't let this gain get you down as it could be so many things. Just try to find out what it was and change things up a little. Good luck and have a great day!

I do have a scale, but I don't use it for everything. I just started using it again to help me confirm portion sizes while logging. I had a long layoff from my healthy habits and recently started paying attention to this type of thing again. Once I get comfortable "eye-balling" things again, I'll use the scale for spot checks or when I want to be sure of how much I'm eating. I refused to get a scale for years, but when I last got serious about eating better, I found it was just easier to get a scale for a reasonable price than to try and guess all the time.

Regarding weighing myself, I try to avoid doing it everyday, but usually can't help myself. But, I only weight myself in the morning, before I eat anything. Find a consistent time of day and/or week to weigh yourself. I am now at the back end of my 40's and am finding my body is way more confused (thanks menopause) than before. Water weight can play a big difference when you look at the scale, so don't stress over the alleged weight gain. Just log it and move on. My weight fluctuates quite a bit and I just log it an move on. I've found that it is more important to pay attention to how my clothes fit and/or how my body actually looks, than the physical number.

ugh me to , now I have cut out all carbs and poof I start dropping right away, its always been that way for me, and increased my water intake , I despise the rat bast&&$*&$ scale :drinker: