Muscle vs. Fat vs. Exercise, Water, Stress = Scale
[dt_sc_hr_invisible_small]So you’ve been exercising and continually eating on program only to step on the scale and find out that you’ve gained a few pounds. It’s okay. I know your immediate thoughts: “why am I gaining weight?” and “How am I gaining weight for that matter?” Then you think “let me text Josephine” 🙂 While it can be easy to let a higher number on the scale screw with your head (especially if you feel you’ve been doing all the “right” things), it isn’t cause for panic. [dt_sc_hr_invisible_small]
[dt_sc_hr_invisible_small]It’s been such a topic of discussion on weight, exercise, water intake, stress, muscle vs. fat. So what I have decided to do is explain how each affect your body and I will follow it up with a video and podcast for further clarification. [dt_sc_hr_invisible_small]
[dt_sc_hr_invisible_small]HERE ARE FEW REASONS WHY EVEN WHEN YOU ARE SHRINKING YOUR NUMBER CAN BE HIGHER. [dt_sc_hr_invisible_small]
[dt_sc_hr_invisible_small]WEIGHT TRAINING: Weight training can cause weight gain due to an increase in muscle mass. If you strength train regularly and improve your fitness level, your weight on the scale may increase while your body fat percentage decreases. Muscle is denser than fat and takes up more space. So even though a pound is a pound – meaning whether it’s a pound of fat, feathers, sand or muscle a pound is always going to weigh a pound. HOWEVER, when you lose body fat and you replace it with 2x as much muscle you can actually be smaller and weigh more because fat takes up more room then muscle. So while I never discourage weight training I always tell clients you have to be okay with the number going up if you are weight training. [dt_sc_hr_invisible_small]
[dt_sc_hr_invisible_small]MUSCLE VS. FAT: Muscle is smaller and denser than fat. A great example is to take your leg (thigh) or stomach. . Fat is mushy and spreads and is loose and takes up more room. So if you have flabby thighs or a flabby belly with muffin tops you have lots of fat cells stored there. Now you are eating on program, you are exercising and building muscle. While you are building muscle you are decreasing your body fat and your cells are closing (fat cells never go away they just close and make more space either to just be thinner or they are making more space for muscle). Just like you can keep growing fat cells and get heavier and heavier you can do the same with muscle and build muscle in that area. But because muscle is smaller and denser your weight will be the same but you will look totally different – smaller and leaner. You can fit 2x more muscle in the same space as fat and it will still look smaller because it’s dense.[dt_sc_hr_invisible_small]
[dt_sc_hr_invisible_small]FOOD AND EXERCISE: Important to remember when you exercise and you are trying to lose weight you don’t eat more. It’s a very hard concept especially when you are hungrier from exercising more. Your reward is how you look it’s not to eat more because you exercised. One of the most common things I see when when a client uses a workout as a green light to eat whatever they want. Sometimes when you have an intense sweat session or you push yourself in a new way, you can look to food as a reward for a hard workout completed. I have had clients come to me and say I did double workouts or I worked out for hours. I always say “why?” Of course you want to work out and stay healthy and look and feel good but unless you are a professional athlete you don’t need to be working out for hours. What you need is your hour of exercise everyday and to eat on program and you will get the best results. In fact most of the clients who complain that they are doing double workouts or are in the gym for hours are those who are also complaining they are not losing weight – and that is mostly because they are eating more than they should as a reward for working out. Your body needs fuel, but an intense workout is not a license to eat whatever or as much as you want. The best results is when you are eating on program and exercising – that combination is all it takes to look and feel your best.[dt_sc_hr_invisible_small]
[dt_sc_hr_invisible_small]WATER WEIGHT: Water makes up approximately 65 to 90 percent of a person’s weight, and variation in water content of the human body can move the scale by ten pounds or more from day to day. That’s right water can alter your weight by as much as 10 pounds. Sounds like a lot? It’s not. Great example my boys who weight train heavy regularly – they never care what the scale says, in fact the higher the better because to them they are gaining muscle and that’s what they want. Along with that they walk around with a gallon jug of water, and they continually fill it as soon as it’s empty. So of course you can be up to 10 pounds higher when you are drinking large amounts of water constantly throughout the day. *You should be drinking at least half of your body weight in water each day and even more if you are having serious workouts or running long distance. [dt_sc_hr_invisible_small]
[dt_sc_hr_invisible_small]However for most of us it’s about 3-4lb water weight, so if you think you just lost a few pounds from that serious spin class? Don’t get too excited — it’s likely just water loss due to sweat. And if you’re seeing a higher number on the scale, that could be due to water retention from drinking the water throughout the day. The amount of H20 in your system has a heavy influence on your weight and could be the answer to the question, “why do I gain weight so easily?” Your body will always fluctuate do to water. So no matter what, stay hydrated all day. At the end of the day it’s good for you body, weight loss, skin, and over all health.[dt_sc_hr_invisible_small]
[dt_sc_hr_invisible_small]Water Fluctuation: If you are not weight training generally your weight will always fluctuate at least 3 lbs from water. However you will also notice that if you are not weight training and only doing cardio then each week you have a new low number even with the water weight (so even with the water weight you should be lower than the week before depending on how much water you are holding). So while mid-week it might seem higher by the time you weigh in you should see a new low number even if you are still holding a little water. Depending on how much water you are holding can determine the 1-3 lb loss. Example: you started at 200 but lost 5 lbs and now 195. Mid week you will see anywhere between 195-197 (that is the 3lb fluctuation) but you won’t see the 200 because your new low is 195. And that will continue as you lose weight. So when you get to 180 from the 200. You new low will be 180 but it can fluctuate up to 183. My point is you should always give yourself 3lbs higher for the weight to fluctuate with water. Some will be higher than 3lbs but as a rule I always tell clients give yourself at least 3lbs. With that said understand that if last week your new low was 175 and you lost another 3lbs this week you may only see 1lb loss on the scale because you are holding 3lbs of water which would means you will see 174 but you are really 172. [dt_sc_hr_invisible_small]
[dt_sc_hr_invisible_small]Water & No Exercise: For those of you that are not exercising at all then it’s a whole different story and it could take you longer to see results. As we age our bodies run slower so we need exercise to help it run properly. When you have no exercise and sitting all day is like a slow death. You are not burning anything your body is existing and it will take twice as long to see the weight loss. So while you may have lost 1lb this week you may be the same or even higher with no exercise (depending on your age) because if you are 150 but lost 2lbs but are holding 3lbs of water weight you are going to read 1lb higher when you are actually 1lb lower. If you stick to it you will eventually see the weight go down even when holding the 3lbs of water but it will take longer. That’s why I always tell you at the very least go for a long walk. Do something to get your body moving. [dt_sc_hr_invisible_small]
[dt_sc_hr_invisible_small]Water & Weight Training: If you are weight training then you won’t see a new low but you will be smaller in size. When you are building muscle and holding water it could take weeks to see the number go down even though your body is shrinking. If you are weight training you can actually see a 5lb or more weight gain (not in a week but over time). Because you are replacing muscle with fat so that could be 1- 2 lbs and then you have the water weight and that is 1-3 lbs addition to the muscle. But at the end of the day if you can handle the number on the scale you always look better overall and will be smaller overall if you weight train. Unless of course you are body building then you will be bigger but it will be all muscle and you will still be happy. If you are struggling with understanding this – I plan to follow it up with a video and podcast for clarification.[dt_sc_hr_invisible_small]
[dt_sc_hr_invisible_small]STRESS: Stress can cause weight gain. When you are under stress from tough workouts or a tough day, or lack of sleep, your body produces the stress hormone cortisol. More cortisol released in the body can cause fluid retention and inflammation. Make sure you plan some downtime to do the things that recharge you mentally and physically. Be sure to take a recovery day during your workout week, so you are not over-exerting your body. Rest days and cheat days are just as important as clean on program eating and exercise days.[dt_sc_hr_invisible_small]
[dt_sc_hr_invisible_small]WEIGHING: While weighing yourself can be one way to track your progress, it shouldn’t be the only way. And it certainly isn’t worth obsessing over with daily weigh-ins. Remember losing pounds on the scale does not mean that you are more fit — it just means you are lighter at that moment, which doesn’t mean much at all especially if it’s water weight. And keep in mind that if you’re exercising but gaining weight, it could be that your workouts are effective and you are just gaining more muscle then you had in fat. One of the best ways to track your progress is your clothes. I ask clients all the time how are your clothes fitting you. That is the key to seeing your results because it’s not just that they fit you but that you look and feel good in them. Because you can be in tight pants at 125lbs and be made up of mostly loose fat but when you are working out everyday and you are muscle you can weigh 135lbs and those same pants are loose on you or fitting you perfect. So it’s not always about the scale it’s the combination of what you are doing weight training, cardio, water, eating on program and stress. [dt_sc_hr_invisible_small]
[dt_sc_hr_invisible_small]NUMBERS: So if you are a numbers person and need to see the number drop on the scale each week then you should wait to weight train until you reach your goal. Keep your stress in check and do a cardio session before you weigh in to release any water you are holding in your body. [dt_sc_hr_invisible_small]
[dt_sc_hr_invisible_small]CLOTHES: If you are okay with the number fluctuating and are okay with tracking your progress with your clothes and how you look and feel, then eat clean on program, incorporate the weight training sessions, drink your water -but always continue to keep your stress in check. Progress: once a month put on a piece of clothing (pants, shorts, bathing suit) and at the same time weigh yourself. See how the difference in the scale matches up with how your clothes are fitting you from the month before. You will be pleasantly surprised with the results. [dt_sc_hr_invisible_small]
[dt_sc_hr_invisible_small]Final Thoughts: Keep your motivation up, stay positive and continue on your path and do the right things. This will always keep you in the right direction. Whether you are looking for muscle, fit, thin and/or lean — when you are happy, healthy and confident you can have success and look amazing in any healthy body. [dt_sc_hr_invisible_small]
~Love to Live Healthy with Josephine Fitzpatrick
