The Truth Behind Weight Gain

I hear it all the time, "I need to do a cleanse, I just gained 3 pounds!" or "oh my god, another pound?! You've got to be kidding me!", or even, “the scale is up again, I just don’t know what to do”.

Chances are, you’ve found yourself saying something along those lines before.

Or maybe you’ve noticed that your weight is constantly changing, and often times, not in the direction we tend to want it to?

I mean, I know I have! I used to struggle a lot with my weight. I used to think that if I could just weigh X lbs, I'd be happy/pretty/accepted/etc.

And after doing everything in my power to “drop the weight”, I'd hit said number and then boom! that number would disappear. Not to mention, I never felt the way I thought I would.

But weighing X number of pounds doesn't "make you good" & it doesn't make all your problems disappear.

All it does is give you a goal to shoot for (which, by no means, is a bad thing).

But here's the funny thing with weight goals, they need to be flexible. Because, guess what? Your weight is flexible with you.

And here's what I mean... We, as human beings, can gain an average of 3 to 5 pounds every. single. day. EVERY DAY! Crazy, right?

Our weight fluctuates all day, every day.

Our weight depends on a multitude of factors - your hydration status, what you recently ate, when you last went to the bathroom, your stress levels, where you’re at during your cycle

Now, it’s taken me years but I’ve learned to dis-attach my value from the number of the scale. The scale is just a tool for me now.

But no matter how you view the scale, it’s important to know that your weight is constantly changes throughout the day!

So if you’re going to use the scale as a measurement tool, there’s some things to know..

The more consistent the better - it’s about the average, not that exact moment in time.

& to prove so, I did a little experiment on myself. I decided I would weigh myself multiple times throughout the day in a 24 hour period.

Here are my results:

*a total of 13 different measurements were taken throughout the day*

130.2 @ 9:13a *woke up*
129.4 @ 9:16a *post bathroom*
133.0 @ 11:10a *pre-bathroom*
131.8 @ 11:15a *post bathroom*
130.2 @ 11:59a *pre-workout*
131.8 @ 2:46p *post workout & post lunch*
131.2 @ 5:40p *pre-dinner*
132.2 @ 6:31p *post dinner*
131.8 @ 6:33p *post bathroom*
130.8 @ 7:24p *pre-hot soak*
130.8 @ 8:18p, *post hot soak*
132.4 @ 10:56p *bed*
131.0 @ 9:20a *upon waking*

If you look at those numbers, you can see that there’s about a 4 pound range.

That’s quite a big range!

But did I really gain & lose all that weight?

No! If fact, my muscle & fat composition didn’t change at all - it can’t possible change in one day - it’s a slow & steady process that results from consistent changes to nutrition intake & exercise output.

Here’s a few other take aways I got from this little experiment.

The Take Aways..

the difference between my "lowest" weight and my "heaviest" weight was almost 4 pounds - right on cue with the average daily weight gain
with the exception of one time, my weight was constantly changing
at most I "gained" 3.1 lbs, at one time
at most I "lost" 1.6 lbs, at one time
weighing myself throughout the day was a challenge (I was planning when and where I could eat, giving me just a glimpse of what people who are tied down to the scale deal with on a daily basis)
I did this in the name of ~science~
weight does NOT define who you are, YOU define who you are
I am happy just the way I am!!

Now you don’t have to use a scale if it messes with your mind. But if you do choose to use the scale, use some of the tips below to help you receive the most accurate reading as you can!

Tips for weighing yourself:

Use the same scale
Wear little to no clothing, and if you do wear clothing, wear the same clothes each time you weigh yourself
Weigh yourself at the same time, on the same day

And in case you are looking for other methods, or are looking to supplement the scale, I added some alternative methods below.

Methods for tracking your progress, without using the scale:

Take progress pictures
Take body measurements
Notice how your clothes feel
Are your favorite pair of jeans fitting a little looser? Does your favorite shirt fit you a little better?
Notice how you feel!
Is walking becoming easier?! Are you off certain medications?! Do you feel better in general?!

I hope you found this post a little interesting or maybe you learned something new!

At the very least, I hope it gave you some perspective to not be so hard on yourself - especially when you know you are putting in the work.

So don't beat yourself up if your weight fluctuates up (or down) a couple pounds.

Those pounds don't define who you are anyways.

Rooting for you,