Alright, now I'm angry.

[Droopy]

I've walked 32 miles since last Saturday. I've put on 3 pounds since then. I haven't changed my diet. I eat about 2000 calories a day. I don't drink alcohol. I was losing weight steadily until now. The only thing that changed is that I worked out MORE. What's the deal?

[MissMillie]

1. Droopy.... stay off the scale

If you MUST weigh yourself... do it once every other week, or once a month.

The scale is a miserable indicator of anything. There are too many variables that go into what you weigh on any given day (water weight, time of day that you weigh yourself, what you are wearing, etc).

I promise you, as long as you keep doing what you are doing, you're going to lose weight. There is no need to verify it every 4 days with a trip to the scale--which, as I've noted above, involves too many variables anyway. Don't set yourself up to be disappointed. The longer you wait in between weigh-ins, the more likelihood you'll see the results you want.

[Droopy]

3. Nothing has changed but my workout

I wear the same thing every day to the gym. I drink the same thing. I always workout first thing when I get up. I never eat before I workout. I always eat at the same time every day. You can bet I'm going to want to know if this weight gaining thing is the start of a trend. I'll give it a week and if I've put on more weight I'm going to consult with someone. I don't want to give it a month and find myself back where I started.

[MissMillie]

5. even if you are drinking the same thing

your body may not be retaining fluids at the same rate... for whatever reason (cooler temperatures, for example).

I promise.. in a month's time, doing what you're doing, the scale will go in the direction you want it to go.

[Rising Phoenix]

2. Miss Millie is right...

and if you have worked out more, it is more than likely muscle weight, which is a good thing, though it looks bad on a scale, it will help you lose more weight in the long run... chin up

[Droopy]

4. I don't think it's muscle although I guess it's a possibility

I think it's damn near impossible to put 3 pounds of muscle in 4 days by walking.

[Longhorn]

8. It's also damn near impossible to put on three pounds of fat in 4 days.

Each pound of fat is approximately 3500 calories. Times three, that's 10,500 calories IN ADDITION to the calories you need just to maintain your weight. So where would the fat come from?

However, a gallon of water weighs 8 pounds. It's amazing how much fluid is sometimes retained, especially when you're exercising, since water is needed to repair muscle, which is what ultimately builds it.

The folks on this board are right -- you're better off not weighing yourself if the occasional gains or lack of loss frustrates you. The most important key to weight loss is PATIENCE! You didn't gain it overnight and you're not going to lose it overnight.

Hang in there! :hi:

[Droopy]

9. This is not the first time I've hopped on the scale

and seen a gain or no progress. It's just that I was thinking I should have burned 5000-6000 calories in the 32 miles I walked. I've never walked that intensly before. Now throw in my weight training which I burned 560 calories at over the same period, plus a deficit of 1000 calories a day to maintain my body weight and I should have lost about 3 pounds. That's the way I was thinking of it. But to see a gain of 3 pounds really threw me off. I wouldn't have flipped out if I had seen a 1 pound loss or even the same weight.

So if my numbers are right then I gained 6 pounds of water weight.

I weighed in at 261 today, btw.

[MemphisTiger]

6. It's likely water weight

it happens. Like the others said, the scale is the worst indicator of success. If you want real results, buy a set of fat calipers to test your bodyfat. They aren't that hard to lose and it keeps you from focusing on the scale. Stick with it, sometimes these things happen.

[AlCzervik]

7. maybe you should give yourself a break and stay away from the scale

your body is going through changes. Give yourself a full week then weight yourself if you must.

[NMMNG]

10. You would be amazed at how a little water retention can mess you up

Just ask any woman who has her "monthly visitor". A little extra sodium or some other culprit can cause you to keep extra fluid, even from one day to the next, and that can mean extra pounds. One gallon = 8.8lbs, so just one quart is 2.2lbs, and a pint is about a pound. Avoid weighing yourself too often--routine fluctuations will only cause frustration and make you more likely to give up.

Best wishes!

[flvegan]

11. Unless you can verify that:

1. The scale is medical grade and infallible;
2. You were wearing the same exact thing as you did on the scale 3 days ago;
3. You did so same time of day as last time;
4. Balanced top dead center of the scale each time;
and
5. The scale rested on the same exact place on the floor each time,
then
you should ignore the scale.

As a matter of fact, don't just ignore it, take an 8-pound sledge, and bash the hell out of it. Kidding. Don't break the scale, but don't use it so often.

[swimboy]

12. Stay level, Bud! You're doing everything right and it will all

come around right!