The FastDay Forum

Hi there, I have not written for almost 3 weeks now as every time I get on the scale (once a week) my weight just keeps going up! Ugh not sure what is going on. I am not eating any differently, low carbs, and the same amount of activity. I clean for a living so get a lot of exercise. I walk almost everywhere and I also walk my dogs many times a day. What the hell is going on? Has anybody else experienced this. My digital scale has always been a bit unreliable but I am really beginning to wonder. I was 200 grams away from my goal of 57 KG about 3/4 weeks ago. Now my weight is close to 61 KG. I am completely baffled. The scales when I move them around just keep changing and generally go up. My clothes still fit the same and my measurements are the same. I have not been able to put my weight in the tracker as it pisses me off so much! Okay I would love to hear from anyone who has experienced a similar thing. Oh I have added 100 sit ups every night, so maybe I am building muscle! Ha, don't think so.

[Debs]

Would changing your name help?
Seriously, your body obviously doesn't like what you are doing, have you considered a bit of a break or change in your diet just to confuse your body a bit?

One of the science nerds may have an idea or two.
Debs

When I first started dieting my scales put me a stone under my real weight because I was using them on a carpeted wooden floor. My husband pointed out that they were only accurate when they were used on a solid hard floor, so now I always use them on a solid ceramic tiled floor.

Would changing your name help?
Seriously, your body obviously doesn't like what you are doing, have you considered a bit of a break or change in your diet just to confuse your body a bit?

One of the science nerds may have an idea or two.
Debs

that made me smile lol! I second that!
seriously though, I would stay/step away from the scales for a while hun, I only use them once a month, if that... not sure what to advise here so i'll let the other's expertise stir you in the right direction, but I bet its just a temporary fluke and you'll get there soon, you haven't much to loose now anyway so hang in there!!

all the best

I'm stuck right now too, but I'm sticking with it in the hope that my body will eventually get the message. I'm exercising alot though at the moment, so this might have something to do with it. I have also over eaten a couple of times on feast days but not in a big way, but enough to probably make a difference.

[carorees]

First, check your scales...fill a suitcase/bag with books/other heavy items until it weighs about 60kg. Weigh the suitcase daily and see how much variation in weight the scales give.

Second, weigh yourself daily and see if you don't have downs as well as ups (compare your weight changes to the suitcase). By weighing weekly you don't know what your natural range in weight is, so daily weighing will establish whether a 4kg range is normal for you.

If the suitcase always weighs the same but your weight is going up, track your calories for a week. You may think you are eating the same but our bodies are very sneaky and cause us to misjudge how much we are actually eating in an attempt tip get us to put the weight back on.

Fingers crossed it's the scales!

Instead of doing sit-ups, have you thought about trying yoga? It's great for flat tums without bulking. Do you feel you are shrinking? I'm just wondering if maybe you need a new set of scales. What are your measurements telling you? I'm sorry for you because it must be so frustrating...but don't despair

Instead of doing sit-ups, have you thought about trying yoga? It's great for flat tums without bulking. Do you feel you are shrinking? I'm just wondering if maybe you need a new set of scales. What are your measurements telling you? I'm sorry for you because it must be so frustrating...but don't despair

I agree nursebean. Planks are better than sit ups as you can get blocky if you do too many.

Yes.

Check first that you are not going to hit anyone standing below .

It seems to me that your body loves what you are doing for it. Healthy eating, plenty of activity. Your clothes fit, so you are the same size. Either the scales are faulty or you are getting denser. All that exercise you do builds bones as well as muscle, both as I understand it weigh more for a given volume than fat.

If you like the way you look and feel, I'd take that as a guide, not a number on a set of scales. Enjoy your fabulous body. Well done you!

kl

Muscle weighs more than fat, and youve started doing an exercise regime. So what may be happening is:

Your exercises are making your body add muscle to cope with the situps. So a bit of a gain in weight from the extra muscle. The exercise is burning off some body fat, which will reduce a bit of your weight.

The net result is that your weight hasnt changed. Leaving you puzzled, after all youre doing the right thing, and not getting the benefits. Not fair is it? The big problem is this will leave you fixated on a number that can end up being meaningless. A lot of weight lifters end up classed as overweight, even thought they have very little body fat. Sooner or later your body will bulid up the muscle you need to cope with your exercise regime, and then you will start losing weight again, and yes it may take a while.

So lets look at what you probably actually want: To be thinner, maybe down a dres size or two? or however youre quantifying your actual goal. The problem with scales in relation to weight loss is they force people to assign a number to what they want.

May I make a suggestion: Buy a belt.

Not just any belt, but one where you move a slider to set the length. In the past I have been working away from home in crappy surroundings in Afghanistan. We had no scales on which we could weigh ourselves, yet I knew I was losing weight slowly, yet steadily. I knew this by the fact that my belt was getting loose. After 4 months away I'd lost nearly 8" from my waist, looked thinner, and came back to the headache of having no clothes in my wardrobe that fit properly.

It occurs to me that with a BMI of 20 point something, why would you be trying to lose weight? It wouldn't be easy. The fatter you are, the easier it is to lose weight, because your body wants to be a healthier weight.

Hi there, thanks for all the responses and ideas! I promise I will look out our Bungalow window before I throw the scales so as not to hit any small critters or midgets that might be lurking below! I guess I meant to say "crunches" not sit ups and I do think that yoga is a good way to go as well. I am definitely not on a new exercise regime and doing the same amount of walking/working that I have always done. I will try the suitcase idea to see if the scales are faulty. I will also take on board that perhaps I am needing to be content with where I am at and not get stuck on a number. It is difficult though when you think you are doing everything right! And maybe I need to change my nickname! Thanks for the giggles!

Think SallyO's got a really good point there.

Youre in a position many people, including people on this forum and myself would love to be at. only 1.8 kg's off the target weight you wanted to be, with a BMI of slightly over 20 which is a really healthy position to be in. If your BMI dips by less than 2 points, you'll be 'underweight'.

So....

Relax, and congratulate yourself on the immense progress youve made. Had you thought about giving yourself a break and moving over to maintenance fasting for a week or two?

I have several sets of scales and thinking to throw all of them out because they show completely different weight - like plus or minus 1-5 lb every time. LOL

I'm a bit worried my scales are giving funny numbers in different weather. It's very humid where I live, and I tend to keep the dehumidifier on in the summer. About a month ago or so, I opened up the house for some fresh air, but it was still a bit humid. About that time, I was suddenly gaining, not a lot but enough to alarm and annoy me. Today was almost chilly and quite dry, and suddenly I lost 1.4kg. Hmm.