WEIRD scale readings!

[Manticone]

So I got my Fitbit One on the last day of May, of this year. I haven't had it quite a month yet.

I don't own a scale, but I tested out one at GNC and was around 104 lbs (I am short; only 5 ft 2).

My normal range is anywhere between about 99/100 and 104/105 lbs, so I accepted that as pretty standard.

In the last three weeks, my weight has been steadily climbing by about 1.5 lbs a week. My calories have not increased, and I have been very consistent with monitoring them. (I would like to get fitter, but not necessarily lose weight, so I was expecting to stay about the same).

The next week I was up to 107 lbs, and this week I am 109 lbs, which is the highest I've ever been!

My exercise has increased a lot. I probably averaged about 10,000 steps normally a day before, and now I'm probably closer to 20,000 steps a day, and sometimes closer to 30,000 steps.

I don't know what to link the weight gain to, except for the fact that since I got the Fitbit, my muscles have felt tighter/ swollen (too much activity at once?), and my craving for salty foods has increased (so I've increased my sodium). I also have gastritis and am getting over a duodenal ulcer, and the last week has been bad for pain/ stomach attacks in general.

Has anyone had their weight surge upwards? Oh yes, I've been drinking much more water since I got my Fitbit. Before, coffee, tea, water...everything...I probably rarely got 1 litre a day. In the last few weeks I've been probably getting 2 to 3 litres a day, depending on how active I have been.

I feel like cutting back down on salt, exercise etc. for a few days. Has anyone else experienced anything like this? I know some weight flutuations are normal, especially with gastritis, but the trend is sort of bizarre, isn't it? I can't understand it.

Overall I don't feel puffy as you would expect with severe water retention, and I highly doubt I've gained that much muscle, right?

[Manticone]

The other thing is for the first time on the GNC scales, I chose ''normal'' activity for the first weigh in, and in the last few weeks I have chosen ''active.'' Is it an issue with their scales? Does anyone know how they rate compared to other scales/ doctors scales?

Also, my clothes fit more or less the same, maybe a little looser overall. Most of my stuff is fairly tailored, so usually any change in weight is something I can sense even by a modest change of 2 lbs up or down in either direction.

Ok. Thanks 🙂

[Manticone]

Ok, I've been reading on the internet, and apparently many people are saying their readings are 5 to 10 lbs off (heavier) on the GNC scales. One woman weighed something like 8 or 9 lbs heavier on a GNC scale and then had a doctor's scale give her quite a different number the next day!

I can't afford the Aria right now, but I have found reviews for a couple scales under $100, so I think I will pick one up tonight and weigh in tomorrow. I'll let you guys know if the GNC seems to be off for me between 5 and 10 lbs (and given my previous weight and increased exercise, it would at least make more sense).

[slysam]

It sounds like a good idea to get your own scale if you are going to monitor your weight. Weight will vary throughout the day by 5 or more pounds depending on what you are wearing, fluid retention at that moment, how recently you ate and how much digesting food is inside you, how much fluids you drank, etc. Ideally you would want to weigh at the same time (more or less), under the same conditions, wearing or not wearing something similar. I find it most consistent if I weigh first thing in the morning, after using the restroom, undressed, before my shower (though before the shower isn't important--just that it is similar conditions). Even then, there will be ups and downs depending what you ate the previous day, how much digesting foods are in you, exercise from the day before, hormone cycles, etc. But my weight variation in the morning tends to be about 3 pounds up or down vs 5 of more throughout the same day.

Vigorous exercise can increase fluid weight. I find I have it with weight lifting, vigorous bodyweight calisthenics and vigorous cardio. But this fluid retention looks a little different to me. It isn't a general puffiness like sometimes happens from hormones or too much salt. It seems more located to the muscles worked. I read it is increased fluid retention in the muscles--this isn't necessarily a bad thing as it is part of the body's process. I sometimes think I look a little more toned when this is happening. I am not a fan of Jillian Micheals, but I have had a couple of her workout dvds and she acknowledges this in one--she mentions that you might not want to shop for "skinny jeans" the following day after this workout. I kind of think it isn't a bad idea to buy skinny jeans that accomodate your body after a workout though (for comfort but also so you don't doubt yourself the day after a good workout). LOL! But anyway, with your own scale it may be easier to control some of the variables and get a good idea how the scale weight is actually trending. I don't think it needs to be a fancy scale--just one that is reliable and easy for you to access. 

[slysam]

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@Manticone wrote:

The other thing is for the first time on the GNC scales, I chose ''normal'' activity for the first weigh in, and in the last few weeks I have chosen ''active.'' Is it an issue with their scales? Does anyone know how they rate compared to other scales/ doctors scales?

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Do these scales estimate body fat percentage? I don't shop at GNC so don't know. If so, yes whether you choose "active" (sometimes called athlete) or "regular" makes a difference in what bodyfat percent the scale will estimate. I think they usually use a slightly different formula for each option. I don't have my scale's manual anymore, but I believe it said to use "athlete" if you have been consistently training 5 or more times a week for over a year or if you do weight training a few times a year for a year. I think the guidelines vary by the scale since it is a little subjective. I use to use athlete mode, but then didn't trust it so I switched to regular. The moment I switched the body fat percent estimate went up about 2%. I am not sure it matters which you use, but you would want to use the same one consistently for comparison.

[Manticone]

Hi 🙂 Thank you.

I did get my own digital scale (not the Aria...something a tad less expensive).

My weight was 2 lbs less than on the GNC scale, but still 3 lbs up from when I saw the doctor. I will try reducing sodium and lay off the running for a few days, then re-weigh in again. 0.o Who'd think you'd gain that much fluid retention weight working out more vigorously!?

And yes, I agree with you...if you are shopping for skinny jeans, it's probably not the best idea to get something skin tight, anyway 😉

[Manticone]

The GNC scale I use in Winnipeg doesn't seem to estimate body fat, but I have heard the ones in the states do?

[Ukase]

Well, nothing for me to add except that I've never seen a scale in my local GNC. Except....

this may come off as a little abrasive, but be very careful with anything from GNC. They're very expensive, and absolutely nothing there, except maybe Creatine has been proven to do what they say it does. The protein powders do work, I believe, but nutrition is best from food and powders are just a nifty supplement. Aside from those items, I can't fathom any reason to go into a GNC - except to use their scale, lol - something I've never seen at my local store.

Mind you, that's just my opinion, I could very well be wrong.