Weightloss VENT!!

[Lisa loves Pooh]

Did you gain the weight in a week ro did you weigh yourself after mowing?

In any case--it is normal for weight loss to fluctate including weeks of a gain. Initial loss can be excess water, the gain you had this week could be toning muscle.

I woudl focus on trending down and maybe not weighing in as often.

 

[IDoDis]

You may be developing muscles. Muscles weigh more than fat.

That is a myth. A pound is a pound no matter what it is compromised of. A pound of fat weighs the same as a pound of muscle.

I am there too, though. I usually hover at a certain weight which is good for me. Keeps me in my size 4 and 6 jeans without them getting too tight. Then last week out of nowhere I was gaining one or two pounds a day. It was really frustrating because when the scale starts to move out of my favorite zone, I cut back to get it back to where it was. So all week I was eating fruit, fat free cottage cheese, just a small hunk of chicken and brown rice for dinner, but then the next day I'd be two pounds heavier! It's been another week and I'm down two of those pounds now, but have 3 more to go. After 2 years at the same weight, these pounds are being very stubborn.

What I have to remind myself of, is that my clothes are not feeling any tighter, so maybe the weight is all going to my head (figuratively speaking).

 

[redlight]

That is a myth. A pound is a pound no matter what it is compromised of. A pound of fat weighs the same as a pound of muscle.

A given volume of muscle weighs more than that same volume of fat. A pound of fat takes up more space than a pound of muscle.

 

[mking624]

A given volume of muscle weighs more than that same volume of fat. A pound of fat takes up more space than a pound of muscle.

You're describing density and mass. That is not the same as weight. A pound is a pound is a pound, no matter what is being weighed.

 

[redlight]

A pound is a pound is a pound, no matter what is being weighed.

True, so a pound of feathers weighs the same as a pound of bricks, but if they the same volume, the bricks weigh more than the feathers.

 

[mking624]

True, so a pound of feathers weighs the same as a pound of bricks, but if they the same volume, the bricks weigh more than the feathers.

Yes. And I've already discussed this....

The only time something weighs more is if there's more weight to it. So yeah, if you have a two pound bag of gold, it's going to weigh more than a 1 pound bag of feathers. Same with fat and muscle. If you have ten pounds of muscle but only 8 of fat, the muscle will obviously weigh more. The same can be said for the exact opposite. But pound for pound and ounce for ounce, it weighs exactly the same. I think the problem is that people are confusing density and mass for weight...they're very different things.

When comparing mass & density, there WILL be a difference. But to say muscle weighs more than fat is just a myth all due to the confusion of density & mass. Weight itself does not change. Sixteen ounces will always be sixteen ounces regardless of what is being weighed.

 

[Sarah_Rose]

Ok, we're all arguing middle school math here, however the simple fact is that if you're gaining muscle mass, the scale can stay the same, but your clothes will get looser.

I ran The Goofy at WDW in January. This means that I ran a half marathon and a full marathon (39.3 miles in total) in two days. Training for this was the most physically intensive thing I've ever done, and it really took me a year to get from the point where I decided I would do it, to the point where I COULD do it. I gained 12 lbs during that year. I also dropped from a size 6 to a size 4. This is because I replaced my less dense fat with more dense muscle. And I gained weight, despite becoming smaller.

Ok, so I was 11 weeks pregnant when I ran the Goofy. I am now 24 weeks pregnant. I have only gained 4 lbs total since I got pregnant - my OB was worried until she saw my ultrasound results. My baby is actually above average (by about 2 weeks) in size, despite the fact that I have gained minimal weight during my pregnancy. How? I am no longer running 50 miles a week so my more dense muscle mass is now being converted to less dense fat/water/baby. I have gained a deceptively small amount of weight, because I am simply losing muscle mass at the same time that I am gaining baby weight. Makes sense?

This is why the scale can be a good tool for weight loss, but it is not the be all, end all. You will have fluctuations and you will have drops and you will have gains... but I think that your clothing size and how you feel is a better gauge of how you're doing.