bad scale...bad!

[figg]

i am a bit confused and could use some insight.  i have been tracking my food intake (healthy and on target) and increased my steps, yet the scale has been inching up lately instead of down.  needless to say, this is not the direction i would like the scale to go....thoughts?

[Caramammal]

so it boils down to whether your calories are at a deficit. Not sure what you mean by 'on target' but if you're definitely eating less calories that you need, then you'll lose. Are you measuring/weighing everything? I find that my plans go askew when i eyeball food instead of weigh them.

[figg]

I am plugging everything into my fitness pal and measuring/scanning everything. My daily calories are set and I am not going over. According to the Fitbit charts, I am consistently burning more than I am taking in.

[Dominique]

What weight increase have you seen, and over what period of time? By how much have you increased your step count? When making changes to your activity level and to your food intake, you should allow enough time before you start seeing meaningful results on the scale.

[josephz2va]

Two things can offset your loss:

 - You're eating too many calories and not burning enough to make (-500 to -2000 deficit)

 - You're eating bad food (ultra-carbohydrates, starch foods, sat fats)

Make sure you're checking the nutritional label online before a consumption. Just because Dunkin Donuts has a Spinach Artichoke Supreme Bagel with spinach and artichoke, doesn't mean 67 carbohydrates is good for you. Nor is a Non-Fat Mocha (non-fat milk with mocha syrup) with 73 carbohydrates.

[Jodi6682]

I've noted the same lately, but my body measurements are going down. I attribute this to the building of muscle mass. Muscle is more dense than fat. It takes up less space but the same size body (or even a smaller body) can actually weigh more. Hang in there, keep tracking, take measurements. If things don't start going the other direction or levelling out, then change something. You may have also overindulged over the holidays and may now be paying the price. Those few cookies really can cost a lot sometimes, which is unfortunate. Are you weighing yourself at the same time every day? I always reccommend right after you get up after you use the bathroom, it's when most people weigh the least. Using inconsistent measurements to judge a weight gain is not wise. Weighing immediately after a meal is ill advised.

Lastly, are you getting enough water? Water is the lifeblood of the body. It's used in 90% of all processes (including calorie-burning processes!). 80% of the body is made of water. 50% of all headaches and more than 50% of all hunger pains are caused by dehydration. The body also uses water as a way to flush out germs, toxins and other insidious things. Be sure you're drinking 1/2 your body weight in ounces every day. (So for a 200lb person, you'd want to drink at least 100oz every day.) This is even more important if you are working out and losing water via sweat.

Hope this helps! Best of luck!

[PaleoCrossfit]

Agree with Jodi.

I am 15 pounds heavier than I was 18 months ago (I'm now at 145lbs), but I wear 2 sizes smaller. I've gained a significant amount of muscle, so my body looks different, even though the scale says I weigh a ton more.

[figg]

thanks for taking the time to reply.  i must be building muscle and losing fat, at least that is what my fancy scale is telling me.  i think i just panicked a little when i saw the scale moving in the opposite direction...somewhat chicken little-like.  i will continue eating whole, healthy foods and being active.  and try, try, try not to worry about that stupid number on the scale.  

[smhermione]

@figg Just remember that if you are lowering you body fat % you are getting smaller as well. Muscle is denser than fat so the same weight will take up less space, help your clothes fit better, all good things! Don't get discouraged, it sounds like you are on the right path!