In your quest to lose fat and get toned arms, you may get discouraged if you constantly look at the scale. Why? Because scale readings can fluctuate a lot, irrespective of fat loss.
In fact, you might be losing fat while gaining weight. How can this happen? Well, usually water is to blame.
The issue most women have is identifying what is causing the excess water gain. So in this article I’ll show you 5 things that could be causing you to gain weight instantly:
1. Food. If you started exercising a lot, you may be eating more. This is normal. And food has weight. So if you eat a big meal, expect an immediate increase in weight. Now if the food is loaded with sodium, you could easily gain a couple pounds very quickly.
2. The hydrate in carbohydrate. Carbohydrates hydrate you because they pull lots of water into your body. How much? Each gram of carbohydrate that goes into your muscle must bring 3 grams of water along with it for the ride. So don’t be discouraged if you gain a lot of weight after a high carb meal!
3. Table salt. It’s everywhere, even in the places you least suspect. And you are most likely underestimating the effect it’s having on you just like most women. In my experience, most women are aware of the dangers of salt, but few actually have an accurate estimate of just how much extra water they are carrying.
4. Water. I’m not talking about drinking water, I’m talking about water hitting your skin. Believe it or not, you will absorb water when you shower or take a bath or enter any body of water. Many athletes have failed their weigh ins because of this skin-absorbing effect.
5. Lifting weights. Lifting weights will cause you to gain weight unless you are on an aggressive diet. But don’t freak out, the weight gain will eventually plateau and in the long run you’ll be much better off than the cardio bunnies. Where does the weight come from? And increased storage capacity for carbohydrates and water.
The take home point here is to NOT obsess over the weight scale readings. I see far too many women get discouraged because they are gaining weight. Only if they knew that they were also losing fat!