So...Why is the scale going up?

THISisTARRAN
THISisTARRAN Posts: 487 Member
edited September 25 in Health and Weight Loss
Hello! I am wondering if anyone can shed some light on my situation or possibly make me understand it. So I have been sticking to my calories everyday, I DID go WAY over on sodium a couple days back, but as far as calories go- I'm good. BTW I weigh myself twice a day, I like it, I'm not obsessing, I just enjoy it. Last night before I went to bed I was at my highest before bed weight and this morning I have gained weight!! :( I am not sure what is happening...I am just hoping it goes away with in the next few days!! Thanks for any input.

P.s. I have always liked to weigh myself everyday & I weigh myself before bed. I know that some people don't agree with this, but I just always have. And today the scale jumped randomly.

Replies

  • drog2323
    drog2323 Posts: 1,343 Member
    prob the sodium - see what happens in a couple days.
  • ladyhawk00
    ladyhawk00 Posts: 2,457 Member
    Recommend reading this - it will change your opinion of the scale. :wink:

    http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/160943-why-the-scale-lies
  • david081
    david081 Posts: 489 Member
    You are obsessing with the scales, read your own words. Weigh in once a week max...
  • NoAdditives
    NoAdditives Posts: 4,251 Member
    I'd recommend only weighing a couple times a week, and watch your sodium.
  • My weight varies a lot during a day. I can find myself 1-4 pounds heaver in the afternoon than in the morning. A lot of things can factor into it, like water. Try only looking at the progress over a week's time, and make sure to weigh at the same time of day.
  • SCC88
    SCC88 Posts: 215 Member
    I dont understand why you weigh yourself twice a day :indifferent: I got obsessed with weighing myself every morning at one point because i would weigh myself naked, with dry hair, on an empty stomach and make sure i had an empty bladder / bowels, but to then weigh yourself a second time - it can only go up as you drink and eat!?
    But i had to kick the habit of weighing myself every morning, sometimes it would go up for no reason. Then by the end of the week it turns out i had lost compared to last week. I think weighing once a week is a more productive way of going about it, then you're in the dark about the natural fluctuations.
    If you went over on your salt then it could be possible that your body retained water but im sure it changes, just like your height changes from the morning to evening xx
  • reese66
    reese66 Posts: 2,920 Member
    You are only asking about the sodium and your weight gain right, not opinions on weighing yourself twice everyday, right? Sodium is the enemy here most likely, drink water it helps...
  • THISisTARRAN
    THISisTARRAN Posts: 487 Member
    LOL @Reese I was thinking the same thing.
  • Weighing yourself daily will not provide you with the correct results as your water intake will change from day to day and throughout the day. Weigh yourself once a month for a more accurate result. In addition to measuring yourself.

    It also may depend on your workout. Are you doing weight training, interval training, weight bearing? If it is anything other than cardio you may be losing fat and at the same time gaining muscle. Which would equal out to be the same! Which is the way you want to lose weight. 1lb of fat = 1lb of mucsle. Muscle is leaner therefore you are leaner, thinner and feeling better!

    If I knew more about your workout I could provide a better ans.

    Hope this helps.
  • SCC88
    SCC88 Posts: 215 Member
    Well weighing yourself twice a day factors into your weightgain, so that was your answer ... unless i misunderstood your question and you want to know why you weigh more today than last monday? :noway:
  • janemartin02
    janemartin02 Posts: 2,653 Member
    love the article about wt and the scale.thanks!
  • koosdel
    koosdel Posts: 3,317 Member
    Maybe you got the batteries in backwards.

    It isn't set on metric pounds, is it?
  • 1csdancer
    1csdancer Posts: 27 Member
    It's probably the sodium so drink lots and lots of water . i try to drink a gallon a day and it helps a lot .

    P.S I weigh myself 10 times a day :) lol jk i really weigh myself 3 times a day because i like to see how my weight fluctuates.
  • namrettik
    namrettik Posts: 127
    Hello! I am wondering if anyone can shed some light on my situation or possibly make me understand it. So I have been sticking to my calories everyday, I DID go WAY over on sodium a couple days back, but as far as calories go- I'm good. BTW I weigh myself twice a day, I like it, I'm not obsessing, I just enjoy it. Last night before I went to bed I was at my highest before bed weight and this morning I have gained weight!! :( I am not sure what is happening...I am just hoping it goes away with in the next few days!! Thanks for any input.

    P.s. I have always liked to weigh myself everyday & I weigh myself before bed. I know that some people don't agree with this, but I just always have. And today the scale jumped randomly.

    I weigh myself twice a day, also, once before bed and once when I wake up. I'm not obsessed with my weight, I just like to see what my body's up to (I annoy my doctors all the time with this same mindset; "Can I see my X-rays?!?" "What does that mean?!?" "What kind of tool is that?!?" are met with "No"s and eyerolls). The scale doesn't mean a whole lot to me; measurements are much more important. But still, "what's going on in there?" persists.

    I would make sure you're eating your exercise calories, if you have any. Your body needs to know there's plenty of food to fuel itself AND lose fat at the same time. Also, drink at least eight 8 oz. glasses of water every day. Watch the sodium. If you just worked out in the last day or two, you'll have some water weight as your body is repairing muscles, as well.
  • namrettik
    namrettik Posts: 127
    It also may depend on your workout. Are you doing weight training, interval training, weight bearing? If it is anything other than cardio you may be losing fat and at the same time gaining muscle. Which would equal out to be the same! Which is the way you want to lose weight. 1lb of fat = 1lb of mucsle. Muscle is leaner therefore you are leaner, thinner and feeling better!

    No one gains muscle weight that quickly. Even for people focusing solely on muscles, 10 lbs in a year is a huge gain.
  • kmunis
    kmunis Posts: 48 Member
    I weigh myself every morning and like the above poster - not obessing, just curious. Some days I gain a pound for no apparent reason, not TOM, sodium was low, etc. It just happens. It doesn't bother me becasue I look at my weight chart and overall its always moving in the right direction. I don't look at a day's abnormal weight gain (or loss for that matter) as a reason to change anything as long as I'm showing steady improvement long term.
  • THISisTARRAN
    THISisTARRAN Posts: 487 Member
    Thanks a lot for the posts!! I think it could be due to my sore muscles...if it is true that the body retains more water when muscles are sore.
  • THISisTARRAN
    THISisTARRAN Posts: 487 Member
    I found this article on swelling of muscles/retaining water when you have just worked out or are sore. I think this is my problem, seems like MANY people have this problem. This is a good reason to not worry about my gain after my CRAZY sore thighs (thanks Bob Harper Kettle Bell work out).


    http://www.3fatchicks.com/forum/weight-resistance-training/133831-do-sore-muscles-really-retain-water.html
  • callipygianchronicle
    callipygianchronicle Posts: 811 Member
    Yep. I was going to ask if you’d recently started strength training or increased your exercise. Depending on what you were doing before, the change n workout can cause your muscles to hold extra water for a few weeks. But it will shed when your muscles acclimate. And you will see another drop. Watching sodium and staying hydrated will help.
    I found this article on swelling of muscles/retaining water when you have just worked out or are sore. I think this is my problem, seems like MANY people have this problem. This is a good reason to not worry about my gain after my CRAZY sore thighs (thanks Bob Harper Kettle Bell work out).
  • taletreader
    taletreader Posts: 377 Member
    If you weigh yourself so often -- and I completely understand wanting to know what your body's up to! Myself, I weight every morning and calculate 4-day moving averages :) -- you must be aware that fluctuations of up to several pounds are completely normal. Weight / fat loss occurs on a slower time scale. Even if you record your weight twice a day, the actual effect you're after occurs when you compare values a week or so apart (less if you have a lot to lose -- 100 lbs, say, more if you're already in or close to what's considered normal weight).

    What kind of "gain" are we talking about anyway? 3 lbs or 0.1 lbs?

    Now it's a little odd to weigh more in the morning than in the evening, because you sweat and exhale water, and most people pee a few times between the two points in time. Did you drink water during the night? If not, check with a different scale! (What does yours do when you weight yourself repeatedly? Mine tends to jump around these days. We may buy a more accurate and repeatable one (no, it's not the batteries in my case, but check yours).

    ETA: Yes, sore muscles retain a lot of water. I went up 3 lbs the day after a strenuous new routine! Lay about lazily for a few days if you want to see a drop :grin::.
  • I had a seven pound gain in 5 days. It was all sodium. We had splurged and eaten a terrific Chinese dinner (loaded with salt) then I didn't have time for breakfast the next day and had a V-8....bad idea, swelled up like a balloon. It came off but lots of water and green tea was necessary. Don't wory, I weigh in every morning only because it keeps me motivated! Good luck!
  • THISisTARRAN
    THISisTARRAN Posts: 487 Member
    If you weigh yourself so often -- and I completely understand wanting to know what your body's up to! Myself, I weight every morning and calculate 4-day moving averages :) -- you must be aware that fluctuations of up to several pounds are completely normal. Weight / fat loss occurs on a slower time scale. Even if you record your weight twice a day, the actual effect you're after occurs when you compare values a week or so apart (less if you have a lot to lose -- 100 lbs, say, more if you're already in or close to what's considered normal weight).

    What kind of "gain" are we talking about anyway? 3 lbs or 0.1 lbs?

    Now it's a little odd to weigh more in the morning than in the evening, because you sweat and exhale water, and most people pee a few times between the two points in time. Did you drink water during the night? If not, check with a different scale! (What does yours do when you weight yourself repeatedly? Mine tends to jump around these days. We may buy a more accurate and repeatable one (no, it's not the batteries in my case, but check yours).

    ETA: Yes, sore muscles retain a lot of water. I went up 3 lbs the day after a strenuous new routine! Lay about lazily for a few days if you want to see a drop :grin::.

    It was a couple pounds higher...like 2. BOO
  • MEMoggridge
    MEMoggridge Posts: 151 Member
    I weigh myself every day too!!! But I then start to know and understand that every now and again the scales go in the wrong direction on one weigh-in but I know the next day will be better again!! Would worry if I weighed in once a week and it happened to be one of those days that I would be really demotivated by it and not knowing that the following day would be better again!!!!
    Not very clear explanation but I hope you get my meaning!!!:smile::smile: :smile:
  • lyla29
    lyla29 Posts: 3,549 Member
    Yep. I was going to ask if you’d recently started strength training or increased your exercise. Depending on what you were doing before, the change n workout can cause your muscles to hold extra water for a few weeks. But it will shed when your muscles acclimate. And you will see another drop. Watching sodium and staying hydrated will help.
    I found this article on swelling of muscles/retaining water when you have just worked out or are sore. I think this is my problem, seems like MANY people have this problem. This is a good reason to not worry about my gain after my CRAZY sore thighs (thanks Bob Harper Kettle Bell work out).

    This is nice to know. I started strength training again and working my leg muscles more and I gained a few pounds. Also my jeans are fitting tighter in the thigh area too. I had read that your muscles hold extra water but didn't know it was for a few weeks. I'll keep it up and see how it goes. Thanks for the info :smile:
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