The Scale Can Lie To You

Yesterday was my birthday, which is pretty close to Thanksgiving and Christmas. That means between the holidays and my birthday, I eat a lot of delicious food that is too good to resist.

On my birthday, my parents went all out and bought all these sweet treats. Having a sweet tooth, I couldn’t help but eat everything.

The Big Shock

The next day, I step on the scale, not thinking much. I was shocked and extremely hurt to see that I had gained 3 pounds overnight.

Did I really eat 3 pounds worth of food? Why am I gaining so much weight all of a sudden and at such a fast rate?

Why you may have put on weight

If you are feeling the same way as I am, don’t panic. Despite what the scale is telling us, you did not eat enough food to gain that much weight.

The reason you see such a drastic change in your weight is due to weight fluctuation. Your weight can fluctuate from 2 to 6 pounds a day. There are multiple reasons your weight can fluctuate.

1. Water retention

  • This is the number one reason for “weight gain”. It occurs when there are excess fluids that build up in your body. This can happen when you eat a lot of sodium and carbohydrates.
    • The sodium or carbs absorbs and retains the water in your body, causing the weight gain you see.
    • Water retention can cause bloating and weight gain. Water retention is easily removable and within a couple of days, your weight should become normal.
    • Ways to reduce or prevent water retention is sweating it out during a workout, eating foods that are not processed and don’t contain high amounts of salts, and drinking water.

2. Menstrual cycle

  • For us ladies out there, your period can cause hormonal changes that can lead to weight gain. When I was on my period, I remember gaining 5 pounds in a day. However, when you’re at the end of your cycle, your weight returns to its normal state.

3. Medication and Illnesses

  • If you have been taking a new medication or recently gotten sick, you could be experiencing side effects that cause weight fluctuations. But don’t panic, it’s part of the process and the weight will eventually normalize.

4. Exercise

  • Sometimes you can gain weight from working out. Lifting weights and building muscle usually leads to weight gain.
    • Muscle weighs more than the fat in your body. As you keep building your muscle, you are replacing the fat in your body with muscle.
    • This causes weight gain, but you are getting stronger and healthier. Building muscle is beneficial since having more muscle in your body helps burn more calories.

Final Thoughts

Everything does come down to diet. An unhealthy diet does lead to permanent weight gain, but if you eat a lot of treats one day, it is usually water retention.

Especially during the holidays, I know it’s hard to eat healthily and stay active every day. So don’t beat yourself up when you see that number because 9/10 times, it’s not accurate or permanent.

Sources:

https://www.healthline.com/health/weight-fluctuation

Sachi Kataria

Hi! I'm the main blogger/founder of One of A Kind. I hope that reading these experiences from other people will help others realize that they are perfect the way they are and encourage others to engage with our community and talk about their stories. Thanks for reading!

This Post Has 11 Comments

  1. Avatar

    I would like to thank you for the efforts youve put in writing this blog. I really hope to see the same high-grade blog posts from you in the future as well. In fact, your creative writing abilities has encouraged me to get my own website now 😉

  2. Avatar

    You must participate in a contest for one of the best blogs on the web. I’ll suggest this web site!

  3. Avatar

    Thanks for another informative site. Where else could I get that type of information written in such a perfect way? I’ve a project that I’m just now working on, and I have been on the look out for such info.

  4. Avatar
    neurotonix

    Heya i?m for the first time here. I came across this board and I in finding It truly helpful & it helped me out much. I am hoping to offer one thing back and aid others such as you helped me.

  5. Avatar
    Sell gift cards

    you are really a good webmaster. The site loading speed is amazing. It seems that you’re doing any unique trick. Moreover, The contents are masterpiece. you’ve done a wonderful job on this topic!

  6. Avatar
    FangWallet

    I was just seeking this information for a while. After six hours of continuous Googleing, at last I got it in your web site. I wonder what is the lack of Google strategy that don’t rank this type of informative web sites in top of the list. Generally the top websites are full of garbage.

  7. Avatar

    Hi there, You’ve done a great job. I?ll certainly digg it and personally recommend to my friends. I’m sure they will be benefited from this site.

  8. Avatar
    Dumbbell Workout

    My brother suggested I might like this website. He was totally right. This post truly made my day. You can not imagine simply how much time I had spent for this info! Thanks!

  9. Avatar

    I?m impressed, I have to say. Really not often do I encounter a blog that?s both educative and entertaining, and let me let you know, you will have hit the nail on the head. Your concept is outstanding; the problem is something that not sufficient persons are talking intelligently about. I am very pleased that I stumbled throughout this in my seek for something referring to this.

Leave a Reply