Here it is again. (Reposted)

It actually seems as though I've put two pounds back on in the past couple of days. I know I shouldn't pay that much attention to the scale, but why is it going up??? I haven't eaten anything remotely "bad" in over a month. I've been working out more than I used to (mainly cardio, but some stength training). I just don't get it.

The only things I can come up with to explain it are a) I'm gaining muscle, b) I'm retaining water, or c) I've eaten too little and my body is storing everything.

But how I am to know which one it is??? All I can do is keep doing what I'm doing, right? And I'll get through it? How long until this passes and the numbers start going down again???
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If its reason a):
Are your clothes fitting differently?? If you are gaining muscle, yeah you might see the scale go up, but you should notice a difference in your body.

If its reason b):
Have you been eating a lot of sodium lately? That could be a culprit in water retention. Just about the only way I know to alleviate this: watch the sodium intake and drink lots of water.

If its reason c):
Figure out your caloric needs and compare that to what you are taking in.

Yeah all you can do is just think about the three things that you suspect could be causing it, and look closer to see if that's really it.

This is just a little personal message from me--Don't let two little pounds throw you off. It sounds like you've been doing well, and a little 2 pound backpedal is nothing to throw away the whole plan over!! Maybe it will help you see something you need to change, or it could just be gaining muscle, which isn't bad.
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Thanks, rosebud. I'm not sure about the clothes fitting. Sizes I couldn't get into before (my old size 30 jeans), I still can't get into. And I haven't been in them in so long that I can't remember if they're getting slowly better or not. I think I'll try that once every couple of weeks to see how my progress is.

About the sodium intake--I suck at that. I looooove salt. Soy sauce, salt, garlic salt, anything high in sodium I love. So I don't know how I could possibly eliminate it. I can try, I guess. I've been trying to use spices over salt on some of my foods. Perhaps I'll get some of that Mrs. Dash stuff, and give that a try, too. I've been trying to keep up on my water.

And the gaining muslce thing is what I hope is happening. I haven't seen real results yet, and like I said, I've been doing mostly cardio. Although yesterday I did lunges all around my office, and now my legs ache horribly.

I just don't want to get stuck. I have at least 15 more pounds to go before I'm satisfied.

Thanks again. Anymore advice would be so appreciated!!!
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I have a friend at school who <b>loves</b> salt. She'd even eat it right out of her hand (yuck!). We finally got her to stop when she found out from the nurse that eating too much salt *is* bad for you. And I wouldn't be too worried about 2lbs--it looks like a lot on the scale to you, but I think body fluctuations are constant. I go up and down all the time (I bounce between 170 and 165 constantly), and I hardly see a difference in the way my body looks or feels.
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Good point Dallandra--little fluctuations like that are normal! That's why its advised to not weigh yourself everyday, because your weight will flutter up or down a little, and it doesn't make a difference in how we look or feel.

As for the sodium, just drink lots of water. The water will help get the sodium (and the nasty water it retains!) out of your system.
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Okay, well, day to day fluctuations in your weight are totally normal. That's why I don't have scales - because I'm obsessive about my weight and I know it would be dangerous for me to have scales and see my weight go up and down like a yo-yo.

There are so many things that go on in our body every day.. and the weight you are depends on more than just your own figure: it also depends on the time of day, what you ate that day, how long it's been since you ate, how much you have drunk that day, how much sodium you took in that day, what exercises you've been doing recently, etc. And when you take all these into account, you realise that the scales won't always be tipped in your favour. ;)

Just wait a while. Continue with your cardio (and I really recommend some anaerobic exercises too since although cardio burns fat, muscle burns so much more in the long run), and simply weigh yourself once every two weeks, or once a month, to get a good idea of how much you've lost. Even then, the scales probably won't be entirely accurate, but at least you'll get a vague idea.

Rather than using scales, it's actually better to use body fat callipers, that test your body fat percentage rather than your weight. Body fat will remain a constant, but as you know, weight goes up and down. So invest in some of those (they're cheapy) and then you'll get a good idea of how far you have to go with your weight loss. :)

Jordie
xxxx
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Thanks to everybody. I have to remind myself that the scale doesn't go down on a daily basis, and that it does wobble a bit.

Perhaps I'll hide the scale and invest in the callipers. Where can I find those?
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Yo,
I bite my thumb at my scale! Har har, I've gained a bit of weight too (I didn't have gym access fer over a month and I ate lotsa junky schtuff), but at least sum of it is sum nice bulky muscle. GRRR!
Water weight makes a hella difference! I detoxed a few dayz ago on watah and watermelon (peed like a racehorse I did!) and thar wuz a 7 pound discrepancy frem what I weighed frem da dey before.
Doezn't it suck tho'? Ya lose all dis weight and ya git super fit and all it takes is a few pounds gained back to totallee shoot yer dey down. Ahem, pardon I am PMSin'. :e
Me, the Flea
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