One pound = 3500 calories. This means that in order to show a true 4lb gain, you need to have eaten 3500 x 4 = 14 000 in excess calories. That means on top of what your body needs to function. For an 8lb gain it would be 28 000 excess calories. Clearly, you haven't done that. If you have, then fine, you are allowed to throw a fit. But if you've eaten moderately more than usual, you have no reason to freak out.
So why does the scale have big bumps? Who the hell knows! There are so many different reasons why. Water retention is possible, from exercise, salty foods, etc. The amount of food in your stomach and bowels will have an impact. The simple truth is this: without a surplus of calories, you haven't gained fat. That's not meant to work as an excuse, it's not always water weight or bloating, but no one gains 4lb in two days. Simple solution:
Track your food.
Weigh yourself once a week tops.
The tracking ensures you that you won't gain weight. This is simple math. If you stick to your plan (and don't eat too little!), you will not gain weight. Then, if you find a gain of +.4 lb, you can calmly move on to next week, knowing that your scale could might as well have showed a -.4lb. These minor fluctuations happen from day to day. If you haven't had a weekly surplus of at least 3500 calories, you haven't gained 1lb of fat. As simple as that.
Find a way to look at the bigger picture.
Trust your diet.
Track.
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| http://fitnessachievement.com/3500-calories-1-pound-of-fat |
My weight can easily fluctuate 3-4 pounds daily. This is why I don't weigh myself everyday. My doctor says that if there is a high gain or loss in the space of a day, it's water. If you are tracking your diet, like you said, there's no way that you can gain pounds of fat in the space of a day:) Drink lots and sudden gains will disappear!
ReplyDeleteI am guilty of an addiction to the scale:(
ReplyDeleteLove the explanation. Thank you.
ReplyDeleteI so agree with you and Leigh C but I cannot get out of weighing myself daily! It's something I started a long time ago and it keeps me on the straight and narrow. I KNEW I was going to gain this week as I ate late and ate out on Sunday at my In Laws. So I didn't worry about the gain at all and knew it was my body retaining more than it normally does that time of day. I didn't realised it worked quite like this but the body does have its peaks and lows, for example, if weigh in day is Monday - Friday will be my heaviest day of the week for some reason. It's all down to the body adjusting to your lifestyle at certain times of the week.
ReplyDeleteI see your point with this, but the way I look at it is this: it may not be an 8 pound gain of FAT, but it is still an excess of 8 pounds that your body has to carry around. It makes it harder to workout and harder in general to do certain things. When I got home from Christmas I had gained 10 pounds, and my body was aching. All I had to do was eat sesibly and I lost 9.4 pounds the next week, but it was still hard carrying around that excess "weight". Luckily, if it is water or salt it is easy to lose, but it is still pounds on your joints and body. I try to weigh once a week, but i also like to know how certain foods effect my body, I don't get frustrated by weighing myself daily, its just something I'm in the habit of. But it also keeps me on track. Like if I see I haven't lost any ounces by the time I hit Thursday, I know that I need to push myself a little harder. The only number I get frustrated with is the weekly number and whether or not is is going down.
ReplyDeleteThere is definitely an added weight on your joints, but if it's not a "fat gain" it will let go quickly - as yours did. I'm just trying to explain how the body works to people who literally want to give up because they get a +1. :)
DeleteThat made perfect sense. I showed a gain last night but I know I had some salty food yesterday. I felt bloated so I didn't stress it.
ReplyDeleteAnother Fantastic post. People can definitely lose their heads when it comes to the scales :D
ReplyDeleteMy weight fluctuates about 4 pounds a day. I totally agree that you need to look at the bigger picture.
ReplyDeleteI get it, Maren. The math. But for me the reality is that the math often doesn't add up. And I really can seemingly gain several pounds in a couple of days and then find it takes weeks for them to come off. Sad but true. I do, however, agree that our daily weight is going to fluctuate.
ReplyDeleteYour wrong.. I only have to sniff a cheesecake and I gain 3 lbs.. seriously :)
ReplyDeleteI only have to see a cheesecake box for that affect. :)
DeleteI like your math. Now I need to explain it to the scale, it doesn't understand math very well :).
ReplyDeleteI always said I could bite my fingernails and gain 5 lb. but then we do tend to exaggerate don't we? I don't weigh but once a month for this very reason.
ReplyDeleteIntellectually you are soooo right but today nothing feels okay about weight gain. But I will try to do as you suggest. Breathe. Today will be about breathing.
ReplyDeleteLet's see... I stumbled and tweeted, but I wish this post had a photo so I could pin it. This is the best advice ever. I used to be on this weight loss forum and people would go one or two weeks with a less than one pound loss or hovering right around the same weight and be all "I'm in a plateau!" No, not really. Give yourself at least a month, and ask if you are really doing everything you are supposed to do and then worry about a plateau.
ReplyDeleteNever thought of fat math before. I always like reading your post.
ReplyDeleteI remember the exact moment I figured this out for myself. I think I'd lost about 30 pounds at that point and had everything on track. When I stepped on the scale and had a 3-pound gain, my mind went frantic. What could I have done wrong? While I was reviewing my tracker for the week, the little light bulb of reason pointed out that I hadn't had 10,000 extra calories so the gain must be related to normal body weight fluctuations. And so I breathed and relaxed and the next week, I showed a 5-lb. loss. It all works out if you're doing the right things! :)
ReplyDeleteExcellent! Thanks for pointing this out. I know these things but somehow logic goes out the window when it comes to the scale!
ReplyDeleteI have to remember at times that bag of corn I carry in for the chickens is 50 lbs and that is what I loss and have kept off. It's good to put things into prespective.
ReplyDeleteThis is a great post. And all so true. When I'm watching the scale and not being stupid my weight can flux 4-5 lbs a day, I just weigh in now every Friday morning and keep what it is. Tomorrow will e a terrible weigh in but I'm back doing what I'm suppose to do but ... a bit late but better then never.
Take care and keep up the great work. Blessings!!
This reminded me... your scale needs to be on an even floor. My bathroom floor is wavy and my scale can vary as much as two pounds just because I reached over and dragged it to where I was. Incidentally, I weigh the least when I am right up next to the vanity;)
ReplyDeleteThanks for this calming voice.
Great post, and absolutely, don't weigh yourself more than once a week...and even then, don't take everything the scale says as an absolute if you know you've been eating right and working out. Sometimes it just takes a while for the scale to catch up.
ReplyDeleteI never knew how it really all broke down. Very interesting! I feel like I am getting a lot out of your blog about eating habits and how to have better ones. I focus on them for the girls but forget about them when it comes to my husband and myself.
ReplyDeleteLove this post :) your right :)
ReplyDeleteGreat info Maren!
ReplyDeleteSo glad you figured this out earlier in your journey rather than later like me! The scale has caused me many a break down. *sigh*
ReplyDeleteGreat post. Many great comments. One other thing: as we age and depending on our medications, too, our metabolism slows down. That slow down impacts how much we gain and or lose. So, the math is there, yes, but, lots of variables.
ReplyDeleteThat is true. Metabolism matters. But if the body needs 1500 calories a day or 2500 - it still needs an excess of 3500 on top of that to gain a pound of that. :)
DeleteSo true!! I can usually predict when I'm going to see a "false positive" on the scale - Chinese food does it to me every time (all the sodium) as does most restaurant food. When I got back from my vacation, I was up 7 pounds! Two days later, I was back down 5. And a 2 pounds gain over 2 weeks? Definitely possible, so now I'm content my weight is accurate.
ReplyDeleteI still prefer to weigh myself daily; it's an ingrained habit and I find it helps me stay on track. But it is different for everyone!
Those pictures of what fat looks like totally gross me out!! I've gotten into the habit of weighing myself too often, and I need to SNAP out of it!
ReplyDeleteSalty foods for sure add up in water retention for me. Of coarse for me, 1 pound of pasta consumed equals 10 pounds of new fat or so it seems! LOL!
ReplyDeleteThat happens when I eat rice. I can gain 3 pounds in a day. lol!
DeleteSmart, smart girl. You're a total pro at this stuff now.
ReplyDeleteYep, agree with this 100%. Sudden weight gains like that are almost never attributed to actually exceeding the calories required for such a gain!!! Best you can hope for is to guzzle water like crazy until things adjust. As far as weighing yourself everyday vs once a week I think people need to find a balance that works for them. I weigh myself everyday morning because I like to generally know that I'm on track for a loss, but I expect fluctuations and don't beat myself up if it's higher one day - I just know to adjust my salt intake and drink more water. For others, it's really demotivating to see that fluctuation in which case they should definitely stick to the less frequent weigh ins
ReplyDeleteI used to weigh myself daily before it started to stress me out. Weighing myself once a week was the best thing I ever did.
ReplyDeleteHi Maren! If you are exercising a lot, you could be gaining muscle. I would advise to measure your body at the some time to see if the inches are going down even as the weight goes up. Muscle is *much* smaller than fat. I am two sizes smaller than I used to be at this weight. Also, sometimes a body just holds water.
ReplyDelete:-) Marion