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How did I gain weight?

by Matt Elphick
07/11/2021

So many get hooked on stepping on the scale every day, they obsess, tear their hair out and demotivate themselves every time they do so.  Whilst the scale weight can be a valuable tool to assess progress, it can also become an obsession and a hinderance. 

Your body weight includes everything physically contained in your body, bone, muscle, water, organs, tissue, the food you ate last night etc…. Therefore, it can only offer a crude representation of what is truly happening.

Let’s clarify this a little, to have gained an additional kilo overnight, purely from body fat, you would need to eat 7,700 calories in addition to your maintenance calories.

We are sure you didn’t manage that unless you were in an eating competition hehe!!

Instead the cause is more likely to be one of the following:

🔵 Extra carbs:  your body breaks down carbs into glycogen, which it shuttles it to the muscle cells along with water, causing your weight to increase slightly.  This is a perfectly natural and necessary process and doesn’t mean you aren’t losing body fat.

🔵Dehydration:  up to 60% of the human adult body is water, so if you are dehydrated, it no wonder your body is trying to hold on to some of it.

🔵 High Sodium:  if you went out to your favourite restaurant last night, don’t panic if your scale weight is up today.  Calorie dense foods often contain high amount of sodium, which can increase your body’s fluid stores.

🔵 Stress & sleep:  chronic stress and poor sleep increase the production of cortisol, the stress hormone which can trigger water retention.

🔵 Constipation:  Digestion, inflammatory foods and constipation can often result in the temporary weight gain and water retention too.

🔵 Last but not least – Time of the month:  in the run up to your period, your weight is likely to spike due to the increased circulating levels of the hormone aldosterone, which controls sodium and fluid levels.  If you track your weight regularly and keep a journal, you will see a trend every month.  This will stop you freaking out every time you step on the scales when it’s that time of the month.

📞 If you have been yo yo dieting and feel stressed out about the whole process, let us help you out.  With years of experience and a vast array of clients we have the tools to help you achieve your goals. 

Get in touch today and book your free consultation.

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