Just a pre-Thanksgiving Day reality check for all of us. Unless you eat more than 3500 calories, you will not gain weight on Thanksgiving, but you probably WILL see the numbers on the scale go up – maybe even a lot.
The number on the scale reflects all sorts of things other than weight:
- The weight of the food you put into your body (most of which will eventually leave as, er, waste)
- The weight of the liquid you put into your body (ditto)
- Extra water you retain because of your salt intake, monthly cycle (if female, obviously)
- Any muscle you’ve been putting on via exercise
- Your muscles often retain extra water for a day or two after a strenuous workout – making it appear as though you’ve gained weight when you haven’t.
Just one more reason to go more by your measurements than by your weight. Don’t get me wrong, when I’m trying to lose weight, I have to get on the scale every day so that I have at least a sorta kinda idea of what’s going on, but I try not to get upset by temporary gains/losses.
Just thought I’d put that out there, in case anyone is freaking out a bit…
9 responses so far ↓
kymburlee // November 22, 2007 at 5:18 am |
Really needed to read that today. I ate responsibly yesterday, and worked out for the first time in over a year. And I was up a pound this morning. Thanks for the pep talk!
Caroline // November 22, 2007 at 5:37 am |
Good gracious! I didn’t know all that. Thanks! I try to weigh in every other day and somedays, I’m sorely disappointed…
keetha // November 22, 2007 at 12:55 pm |
Yes, good point!
I read an article in Prevention magazine last month about all these people who had done their workout with those exercise band things and had lost many, many inches. Some of them lost little, or no, weight, but all of them in the “after” picture looked incredible!
That was pretty interesting. Then again, I’m still some 10 or so pounds above what my healthy weight for my height is. So I’d like to get those pounds off and be within the healthy range, even if it is at the upper end.
Weird. According to one site I just googled for healthy weight range, I could also weigh 114 pounds (5′ 6″) and be within the healthy range. 114 pounds! That’s a very, very long way from where I am. I can’t even imagine what I’d look like. I guess that’d be what? A size 2? I hope this doesn’t sound like sour grapes, but I can’t help but think that’d be too skinny. 114 pounds/size 2 are not my goal!
STILL. I should take measurements and compare them weekly.
Thanks!
jenontheedge // November 22, 2007 at 1:15 pm |
This is all very interesting. Thanks for sharing.
sweetnt // November 22, 2007 at 3:32 pm |
My plan today is to eat everything I like but not go back for seconds and exercise portion control. I will have a piece of pie but that’s it, one piece instead of 2 or 3.
Thanks for the info.
bonthemama // November 22, 2007 at 4:19 pm |
Portion control is KING for me… I am kind of interested to see how the eating goes.
Karen Vogel // November 23, 2007 at 4:25 pm |
Are you telling us not to exercise?
iwright // November 24, 2007 at 5:35 pm |
Thanks for the info – it’ll help with the guilt!
Amy // November 26, 2007 at 5:56 am |
I love measurements! I tend to carry a large portion of my weight in my upper arms and I have way too much *ahem* … junk in my trunk, if ya know what I mean. Seeing proof that those hated parts are smaller than before is seriously motivating to me!