I am tempted to stop exercising.......

  • .....because it always makes the scale go up or stick!!! I am really pushing myself these days as it's the season of eating and gaining back the weight I have lost is not an option.

    Last week I ate some salty food which caused the scale to go up by 4lbs. Since Sunday I have been drinking a minimum of 12 glasses of water to flush out the sodium but have only lost 2lbs of that water weight. I know that its the extra exercise that's causing it!!!!!

    I want to reach my original goal of 164lbs and my vanity goal of 158lbs by the end of the year but right now its looking unachievable! Usually when I work out less intensely, the scale moves - that's why I am so tempted to stop exercising until I get to goal
  • It sounds like your goal is a number on the scale rather than long term overall health. If that's the case, stop exercising, let some of your muscle waste away, and get the number you want on the scale.

    At some point maybe you'll realize that what exercise does for your body is worth the 2 pounds it causes the scale to read.
  • THIS^^

    I know exactly where your coming from as I almost THREW my scale out the window last week when it moved UP 1 lb after a week of working out my hardest and not endulging an ANY...I repeat ANY holiday fattening foods!!!

    Then I realized that THIS TIME is was going to be about health, stamina, endurance and ability...the nice curves would only be an added bonus!

    Yes, exercise may initially cause your muscles to retain more fluid (glycogen), but eventually the scale will get back to scaling down...in the interim you'll see progress in the way your clothes fit, the mirror and the "jiggly's" will start to fade away!

    DON'T GIVE UP...remember...this is the point in our journey that decides our SUCCESS or FAILURE...DON'T GIVE UPPPPPPPPPPP!!!!!
  • It took a couple of months before excercising made my weight go down instead of up in the short term. It was rather frustrating. Now though, I'll get a 1-2 pound loss after a good work out. (water I know, but still...)

    The most amazing thing was that my weight loss didn't speed up after I started to excercise, but my body reshaped AMAZINGLY!! Don't stop. It's frustrating but it's worth it.
  • I've only dropped 3 pounds so far, but my body is reshaping like crazy with my exercise. I love it.
  • Heavy exercise does seem to cause a sudden water retention. I had a doctor appt. just after I did my morning run. He claimed I had edema of the legs. ( I knew better, and just said "uh-huh"). Water is heavy, no doubt about it.
  • All right, the last time I commented on a thread like this the thread went south fast. Just saying! I hope you can keep your sense of humor about this.

    How long have you been exercising?

    Exercise DOES make the scale wonky, more for some than others. But it does a body so much good!! It plays with my head, I admit! But I just plugged my own numbers into a calculator and though I am still 12 pounds overweight, my body fat percentage is 25%, which is pretty good.

    My weight has been so slow. I attribute much of the slowness to the amount of exercise I do. Yes, I want the scale to reflect a number that puts me in the normal category. But more than that, I want to be toned and I want to fit into a small size. I've achieved the toned and small size part. Now I'm working on the number. But the world sees the toned part, not the number part.

    Here's what solidified the need to exercise for me. Meg told me once that without exercise as much as 40% of what you lose could actually be muscle loss. I don't want to lose muscle. I want to lose FAT. So with strength training I can be fairly certain that much of what I lose is fat. I exercise to retain my muscles.
  • I'm just going to follow Eliana and Rockin' Robin around and do what they say.
  • Quote: I'm just going to follow Eliana and Rockin' Robin around and do what they say.
    I thought I was the only one who did that!

    Thanks for the advice all. I loooove exercising, it makes me feel strong. It's just its impact on the scale that I hate.
  • I hear you on hating the impact on the scale. Yesterday, my sixth week of being on plan, marked a new low--220 pounds, so an average of two pounds a week. Yay!

    Today, NOT yay, 222 pounds. However, yesterday was full of exercise--a two-mile walk, a half-hour stationary bike ride, and lifting. I know where the two pounds came from, and it wasn't from making poor eating decisions.

    Sometimes we just have to take the long view and realize that a pound or so gained from exercise matters a lot more than a number on a scale and will result in a MUCH better "after" picture.
  • Quote: I'm just going to follow Eliana and Rockin' Robin around and do what they say.
    Quote: I thought I was the only one who did that!

    Thanks for the advice all. I loooove exercising, it makes me feel strong. It's just its impact on the scale that I hate.
    You guys are funny. Thanks for the compliment.

    I don't think your weight should continue to rise. Just be cautious of that. A slight rise is normal, and stalling is apparently very normal. If it's much more than that, you might want to take a look at the calories.
  • I'm glad I came back and read all the comments...very inspirational..indeed! Why must the human body be so complicated...grrrrhhh!

    Oh well....onward march!
  • I can run ten miles and the next day gain upward of 7lbs. Our bodys have a way of holding onto something if it feels like it wants it, lol. It always comes back down. I would NEVER think of quitting running Long Distances becuase of it, I just know that through time- the scale will read what it's suppose to. You ar so close to your 'number' how are you with getting so close to your 'ultimate health' ? We really dont need to preach to you all the necessity behind routine exercise!
  • don't give up. thats the WORST thing you can do for yourself. I have too been in a similar situation recently but i just keep reminding myself "The only way you can fail is if you give up."