Ok Fitness experts.. 'splain this..

QuickSilver

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Midwest
So yesterday, was my "weigh in" day at Weight Watchers. My home scale pretty well matches up with the WW scale.. so I weighed myself before I left. THEN... I went and worked out for over an hour. THEN I went to WW to weigh.. and lo and behold I was up 1.2 pounds!? What gives? My WW leader says that many people are heavier right after a work out.. I was careful to not drink a lot of water and I was sweating like a pig.. SOOO HOW in the world did I gain a pound? Where did it come from?
 

Not an expert here, but the same thing was happening to me when I used to go to the gym on a regular basis. They had a digital scale there, and I'd weigh myself right before my workout or exercise class, and then right after. Usually a couple of pounds heavier. I read that the body holds onto water even if you're sweating, your clothes may be slightly heavier if they're now wet, your muscles may be temporarily stressed and swollen or you might be building muscle, causing more weight, and you may experience more weight if your bladder is full after the workout. I always sweated like a pig too, but I also drank water, so I figured in my case it might have been the water I drank at the gym.
 
Fluid accounts for variations in what the scale says. Also gaining/losing muscle will change the scale.

I only weigh myself first thing in the morning - before breakfast. Naked.
 

I emptied my bladder right before I got on the scale at ww.. didn't go much because of the sweating I guess. I can understand that the muscles would be engourged with blood right after exercise... but that blood was there before the exercise. I wonder why this happens.. It was depressing.. I was expecting to have a loss not a gain.
 
I emptied my bladder right before I got on the scale at ww.. didn't go much because of the sweating I guess. I can understand that the muscles would be engourged with blood right after exercise... but that blood was there before the exercise. I wonder why this happens.. It was depressing.. I was expecting to have a loss not a gain.

But you weighed yourself before you worked out, so maybe that was the inaccurate weight? I know it's tough but don't be a slave to the scale - I fight it was well. The most accurate way is to measure your waist. Or simply how your clothes fit.
 
But you weighed yourself before you worked out, so maybe that was the inaccurate weight? I know it's tough but don't be a slave to the scale - I fight it was well. The most accurate way is to measure your waist. Or simply how your clothes fit.

It's hard to NOT worry about the scale when you are in a weight loss program.. WW tries to teach you to not obsess with the scale... but then they assign you a goal weight.. so how can you not? Especially if you are a goal oriented person like me.
 
It's hard to NOT worry about the scale when you are in a weight loss program.. WW tries to teach you to not obsess with the scale... but then they assign you a goal weight.. so how can you not? Especially if you are a goal oriented person like me.

Yea, I know. I try not to weigh myself too often but it's tough. I was in WW years ago and they do contradict themselves.
 
Like Annie said, it's got to be that one of the scale measurements was inaccurate.

My WW leader says that many people are heavier right after a work out..

You can't manufacture weight out of thin air. This comment doesn't make sense to me unless someone is drinking water while working out.
 
Like Annie said, it's got to be that one of the scale measurements was inaccurate.



You can't manufacture weight out of thin air. This comment doesn't make sense to me unless someone is drinking water while working out.


Made no sense to me either... I've learned to stay away from "science" at WW meetings..... It is what they say it is and that's that.
 
Could be metabolism along with adding some muscle. If mineral/electrolyte intake was high with drink, vitamins or food that would help retain some water. And if weather or environment changes so there is less sweating outside the gym that could affect water retention. The same exact workout causes stagnation. Body gets so efficient the number of calories burned drops. These are temporary but expected anomalies or fluctuations.
 


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