Please tell me it's just a fluke happening...

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I've been really good for about a month and a half now, and I'm down from 161 to low 154s. I got on the scale this morning, Sunday here, and I was at 157.8. Last time I weighed myself was Thursday and I was 154.2 I have not eaten that bad in the last three days and had a great workout yesterday. Same scale and same time weighing myself... I don't understand how I could gain back almost 4lbs in 3 days of eating well. I'm going to workout again today as planned and try again Tuesday morning, but this just doesn't make sense and is really discouraging.

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  • UmmaOfThree
    UmmaOfThree Posts: 31 Member
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    It could be time of the month coming up? My weight fluctuates about 4 lbs and it's very discouraging, but the end results are not the scale but the measurements. If your measurements are about the same even with the weight change, it will come back down again if you're eating as you should and exercising. Don't give up!
  • pateric64
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    Remember you are building muscle when you workout. Muscle weighs more than fat! Don't be discouraged. Scales can sometimes be the enemy. How do you look and feel? That's what is important.
  • prettigirl01
    prettigirl01 Posts: 548 Member
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    im in the same boat would like to know this as well
  • Jim_Barteck
    Jim_Barteck Posts: 274 Member
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    Water retention, differences in bowel contents, sodium intake, etc. can all change your weight from day to day by 5 pounds or more each day. If the pattern continues then it's something to be concerned about; however, a single scale reading should never be cause for panic :)
  • sabified
    sabified Posts: 1,051 Member
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    There are always ups and downs, regardless of how good or bad you're being... it's the general trend you should care about. If you're being good and it's mostly down, then awesome.

    It's usually water weight fluctuations- maybe you ate a lot of salty/sweet foods the day before, maybe your workout was more intense than usual and your muscles held some water, maybe you had more food in your system from whatever you ate before... whatever the reason might be, don't sweat it!

    Keep doing what you're doing, it'll go back down soon enough.
  • kessler4130
    kessler4130 Posts: 150 Member
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    Most likely just water retention, regarding the it being muscle comment ... you can't build 4 pounds of muscle in 3 days on all the anabolic steroids on the planet, let alone at a caloric deficit. If estrogen levels increase, so will your water retention, coupled with sodium, low potassium, food density in bowels etc. It is most likely nothing at all. I would not sweat it and simply just keep on doing what you are doing.
  • zyxst
    zyxst Posts: 9,134 Member
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    There are always ups and downs, regardless of how good or bad you're being... it's the general trend you should care about. If you're being good and it's mostly down, then awesome.

    It's usually water weight fluctuations- maybe you ate a lot of salty/sweet foods the day before, maybe your workout was more intense than usual and your muscles held some water, maybe you had more food in your system from whatever you ate before... whatever the reason might be, don't sweat it!

    Keep doing what you're doing, it'll go back down soon enough.

    +1

    I also attribute it to magic.
    shia-labeouf-magic-gif.gif
  • matthawthorneisamyth
    matthawthorneisamyth Posts: 196 Member
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    Weight loss isn't a linear process and should not be treated as such. It is the absolute WORST of the metrics involved in body composition change, and yet it is the one most people judge themselves by.

    Here are some questions:

    1. Do you feel different?
    2. Do your clothes feel different?
    3. Are you stronger now then you were a few weeks ago?
    4. Have you measured your body with a measuring tape and have you lost any considerable inches overall?
    5. Why does the number matter so much to you? You don't have to tell people what you weight. Most people don't really care what someone weighs unless they're a professional athlete.
    6. Have you remembered to 'respect the menses?" (I know that sounds hokey as fuark, but water weight is real, homie)

    It sounds to me like staying the course and adding a new metric will allow you to feel better about yourself.
  • doctorregenerated
    doctorregenerated Posts: 188 Member
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    After a workout, there is often water retention around the muscles as they repair.
    The increase on the scale is not fat increase unless you ate an extra 3500 calories
  • sunnyside1213
    sunnyside1213 Posts: 1,205 Member
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    I went out for pizza and gained 4 lbs overnight. :(
  • brianpperkins
    brianpperkins Posts: 6,124 Member
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    I went out for pizza and gained 4 lbs overnight. :(

    Water retention from the sodium.

    Maybe it's residual yumminess from the pizza.
  • loveiscloser
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    Weight loss isn't a linear process and should not be treated as such. It is the absolute WORST of the metrics involved in body composition change, and yet it is the one most people judge themselves by.

    Here are some questions:

    1. Do you feel different?
    2. Do your clothes feel different?
    3. Are you stronger now then you were a few weeks ago?
    4. Have you measured your body with a measuring tape and have you lost any considerable inches overall?
    5. Why does the number matter so much to you? You don't have to tell people what you weight. Most people don't really care what someone weighs unless they're a professional athlete.
    6. Have you remembered to 'respect the menses?" (I know that sounds hokey as fuark, but water weight is real, homie)

    It sounds to me like staying the course and adding a new metric will allow you to feel better about yourself.

    This is all very true. I do feel different and better, clothes are more comfortable, definitely stronger both strength and cardio wise. I'll check measurements at the end of the week, I do that once a month. It's not that the number matters so much to me as it is that sort of motivation that I am indeed doing as well as I think I am in my head. Thanks for the reassurance!