If you are on MFP you can check out this
write up about the scale readings... very informative relative to what the number on the scale is trying to tell you...
Why Aren't I Losing Weight on My Low-carb Diet?
We have been conditioned most of our lives to put our hopes and worth into one single number: how much gravity acts on our bodies, which is more commonly known as “the number the bathroom scale spits out at us.” For some reason it's been given godly-status. But for many reasons it isn't always accurate.
How Much Weight Should I Expect to Lose and How Quickly?
You are going to lose weight at different rates at different times and how fast is going to depend on the individual: their starting weight, how much they have left to lose, and their own personal metabolic rate. People often get frustrated because they aren't dropping a ton of weight quickly on low-carb diets. You aren't guaranteed to. Some people lose faster, and these usually have a high starting weight. Some people lose more slowly, and these people generally have less weight to lose. As the body gets closer to goal, that dreaded H-word “homeostasis” comes into play and the rate of weight loss will slow. There are still others that will always lose slowly, regardless of how much they have to lose.
People often see low-carbers crowing about how they lost 7lbs or 10lbs in the first week. Low-carb diets do often give a large whoosh of weight loss the first week. This happens because the body is burning through its remaining glycogen stores (which the body has because it is sugar-fueled). Once this store is gone, and we are burning fat for fuel instead, the water is released. This accounts for those fast pounds. However, the size of the glycogen store varies among individuals. Some just have less to burn to begin with, so their water weight to shed is less. Most people continue to lose at a much slower rate. Some even experience a "pause" just after while their bodies adjust to the new fuel source. Staying on plan and waiting it out is the best strategy. Two pounds per week, one pound per week, or even only half a pound every 2 weeks, a minus is a minus. This extra fluff didn't get on our bodies in a week, and unfortunately, it isn't going to leave us that soon either. But if you are consistent and persistent, it will go.
Am I in a Stall?
You aren't stalling, or hitting a plateau, until your weight hasn't dropped any in 4 to 6 weeks. If you don't lose for a week or 2, your body is pulling a fast one on you to the tune of one (or more) of the issues you will find below.
So, How Do You Tell If You Have a Fibbing Scale?
First, make sure you know what you're eating. Check your macros, making sure you aren't eating too much protein and that you are eating enough fat. Check that you haven't accidentally engaged in that insidious devil: carb creep, where you get lax about how many carbs you are consuming. And finally, make sure you aren’t eating too many or too little calories. Remember that, as you lose, your body will need fewer calories, so you will periodically have to adjust your calorie goal downward. Accurately measure your food to make sure you aren't cheating yourself with either too much or too little.
So, you've checked your macros and calories, and you've been eating what you should, but the scale is still giving you nonsense. It has gone up, or it still isn't going down! Don't fret too much. The scale is a lying liarpants sometimes.
How Your Scale Lies:
Water weight. Did you know that a cup of water weighs half a pound (kg)? Water the body refuses to give up can add up to scale lies. There are several ways your body likes to trick the scale by holding onto water.
Hormones. Unbalanced hormone levels in the body caused by diet snafus, stress (elevated cortisol), or natural gender fluctuations (ovulation or the evil TOM) can cause the body to hold onto water.
Fat loss. Believe it or not, when we lose fat, the body sometimes fills the empty fat cells with water before letting it go. The fat cells are freaking out because they are now Empty-Nesters, and they aren't happy about it.
DOMS. Delayed Onset Muscle Soreness. Or other injuries. When you strain your muscles, they become stronger by tearing and then healing. This tearing of the muscle fibers causes inflammation in the form of water retention. When your muscles heal, the water will be shed by the body.
Too much sodium. If you've eaten a lot more sodium than usual, this can cause your body to hold onto water.
Other Issues Affecting Weight:
Water weight isn't the only way your scale can be tricked.
Here are some other common reasons your scale gives you grief.
Homeostasis. A big word to say that your body wants to keep the status quo. It want things to stay the same. When we change things up too much for its liking, it will defensively hold onto weight until it is sure it can handle what we've done. For example, it is not uncommon for people to experience a mini-stall after dropping 10, 20 or 30 pounds. The body “pauses” to evaluate, before showing progress on the scale again.
Medications. Some medications are known to cause stalls or even weight gain. Talk to your doctor if you suspect this is the case. You may be able to adjust dosage or change to a different drug if it is too severe a side effect. Or it may just be something you'll have to battle with if the drug can't be changed.
What Can I Do About a Lying Scale?
The number on the scale isn't the only character in our weight loss story. The scale lies. So how do we see the truth? The scale is going to bounce all around like a kangaroo on crack. It will go up, down, up, down. Weight loss is not going to be linear. Your chart will at times look like the line on an EKG. And that's perfectly okay, as long as the overall trend is downward. What you need to do, for your own sanity, is read a different character's story.
Our Other Characters:
Measurements. Regularly keep your measurements. Grab a measuring tape and every week or two and keep track of what your body is physically doing. When your body is holding onto water for the above reasons, or you have gained muscle, often you will have lost inches, even if the scale has bounced up or showed no change.
Pictures. Take progress pics of yourself every few weeks. Using this in tandem with your measurements will show you in a tangible way how far you have come, even if the scale hasn't changed much. Some people can finally see in pictures what they can't see in the mirror.
Clothing Fit. Use how your clothes feel on you as a guide. Often, if you are tracking well and keeping your calories in check, but the scale is being a twit, chances are your clothes will start to get loose in places or even just look better on your body.
Health. How do you feel? So what if the scale isn't moving like gangbusters? You are getting healthier and feeling better. That is a NSV in itself.
Should I Stop Weighing Every Day?
If your numbers bouncing around bother you to the point that they affect your happiness, even though you know what a liar your scale is, then it might be wise to stop weighing daily. Weigh every other day, twice a week, or even just once weekly. However, if you can't resist the daily torture (you masochist, you :wink
, look into websites and apps that track your daily weigh-ins and give you an average, like Libra or Happy Scale. Or just look at your EKG-like weight chart here on MFP and look for trends that may reassure you or give you clues as to when you might see another dip on the scale.
A Word about Patience
Patience has got to be one of the hardest things for someone wanting to see a positive change. Especially for those of us who want the weight off us YESTERDAY! But patience is exactly what we need during this time. Time is going to pass anyway, regardless of what we do. But change will happen if we take the necessary steps. Patience isn't a virtue; it is a skill. And one sorely tested while we are making healthy sacrifices. Exercise your patience, and it WILL get stronger. The scale will dither and lie, but you can defeat that Liar. Be gritty. Be doggedly determined. Be consistent. Time will take care of the rest.
