Scale Says No No After Weight Training?

  • I've been noticing a bit of a trend and wondering if anyone else has...

    I'm only allowed to weigh myself twice a week (my rules) always on the same scale and in the morning.

    The day after a good weight training workout my weight goes up or stays the same (I know why - muscle holds water, etc).

    If I weigh myself after a day off or light cardio my weight has changed (loss).

    Does anyone else find this?
  • Yes, this most definitely happens to me!! I go to Weight Watchers and Saturday's are my weighins. I try to have Friday as a rest day, or cardio only so that I'm not retaining water in my muscles!
  • yup, I weigh every day and after my lazy days I will find a good loss and when I work hard I find no loss. I am so glad that I know the reasons and it isn't discouraging because I know after that day off there is a woosh.
  • I've noticed the same thing.

    I try to only weight myself once a week, monday mornings for me and look for a trend rather than week-on-week basis.
  • yup after lifting weights, the next day the scale always goes up. Thats why I try not to lift weights the day before weigh in. Sometimes even doing cardio does the same thing so I try not to work out the day before weigh in
  • Good to know these practices!!! I'm going to follow this too - thanks ladies for sharing!
  • Just to add to the chorus - it's definitely the case for me too. I lift heavy and hard, and I can retain 3-4 pounds of fluid a day after a workout. Drives me crazy!

    I slacked off going to the gym for about 4 weeks as I got overwhelmed with work for a bit - it was quite funny to see my wild weight fluctuations stabilize. That post-workout fluid retention was the single biggest contributor to my daily weight swings! As soon as I went back to the gym, the wild swings came back.
  • It's also because your muscles are swollen.
  • Yes, just to add: your muscles, after having worked out, are filled with water. Yap. More water retention!
  • I just had this happen today. I worked out like crazy yesterday, including strength stuff, stayed on food plan, and went up 1.8. My clothes felt different, though, and I knew that it wasn't that I had actually gained that weight overnight, ha.