In This ArticleView AllIn This ArticleYou Just Worked OutIt’s That Time of the MonthYou Eat Lots of Salty FoodYou’ve Been Trying to Drink More WaterYou Ate a Big Meal RecentlyYou’ve Been Putting on MuscleYour Digestion Is OffThe Bottom Line
In This ArticleView All
View All
In This Article
You Just Worked Out
It’s That Time of the Month
You Eat Lots of Salty Food
You’ve Been Trying to Drink More Water
You Ate a Big Meal Recently
You’ve Been Putting on Muscle
Your Digestion Is Off
The Bottom Line
The scale can be a helpful tool for tracking your progress on a weight loss journey, but it’s certainly not perfect. Depending on a variety of factors, the scale can look completely different within the same day—something you may know all too well.
Below, you will find seven reasons why the scale could seem like it’s creeping up—some are out of your control and some are not—which may help to find the right time of day or week to step on the scale for the most accurate number.
8 Foods to Help You Debloat
Think weighing yourself after a sweat session will give you a more ideal number? Think again. Weighing in after a workout can actually make the scale go up.
If you’re just starting an exercise regimen or are just getting back into the swing of things, you’re putting extra stress on your muscles, which causes short-term inflammation, according to a 2020 study published inFrontiers in Physiology. Don’t panic! Exercise inflammation is fleeting but even short-term inflammation can cause temporary fluid retention, according to research published in 2020 inSports Medicine and Health Science. That fluid retention may be reflected in a higher number on the scale.
Your period will often lead you feeling bloated, and that water retention can cause the scale to temporarily shoot up. Add hormonal fluctuations and food cravings on top of that, and you have a recipe for a short-term scale increase.
It might be best to avoid the scale during this time and focus on taking care of your body instead. Load up on fiber and electrolytes to keep yourself regular, and allow yourself time to rest. Plus, you do not need any more extra stress than you already may be feeling this week!
Whether you’ve had a night of overindulging or you regularly consume lots of sodium, this can have a fleeting impact on your scale. Eating salty food causes water retention, and if this is an occasional thing for you, don’t sweat it. However, if you routinely consume more salt than you need—the daily limit is 2,300 mg, according to theDietary Guidelines for Americans—your weight may actually be creeping up. This can cause puffiness and constipation as well, so it’s best to hydrate and wait a day or two to let your body process.
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So you’ve bought a reusable water bottle, and you’ve set a goal of filling it up several times a day. That’s a great goal! However, if this is a big step for you, it may take some temporary adjustments on the scale (and your bladder) until your body can handle a big influx of water throughout the day. Drinking water can actually help reduce bloating and even lose weight if you’re using it to replace soft drinks or alcoholic beverages, so just hang tight while your body adjusts.
10 Ways Your Workouts Could Actually Be Causing Weight Gain
It’s just downright mean to weigh yourself after you just ate a big meal. According to the Mayo Clinic, food can takeup to eight hoursto pass through your stomach and small intestine, which can cause you to retain a little extra weight until the process has ended.
Regular exercise is a scientific-backed method for weight loss, but that doesn’t exactly mean the scale will follow. Depending on the types of workouts you do, you could still be losing weight while putting on muscle.
For example, fitness influencerAnna Victoriaonly lost a total of 5 pounds during her major body transformation because she was losing fat and gaining muscle. Don’t get us wrong—1 pound of muscle is equivalent to 1 pound of fat—muscle just takes up less room than fat. This can be the cause of a smaller waistline but the same (or a higher) number on the scale.
While setting goals is an important part of your weight loss journey, it’s important to be realistic when setting them. Talk to your doctor and a registered dietitian nutritionist about a healthy weight range rather than trying to identify a specific number for yourself. Additionally, focusing on adopting healthy lifestyle practices—like getting enough sleep, eating more veggies and moving daily—instead of what’s currently flashing on the scale will keep you happier and healthier along the way.
“It’s important to remember that weight is just a number,” Valente says. “There are plenty of other ways to assess your health. How do you feel at the end of the day? How much energy do you have? Are you strong enough to do the things you love? Are you nourishing your body with healthy foods and also foods you love to eat? Taking care of yourself and your health is important, and it is not reflected in the number you see on the scale.”
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