We could talk all day about why weight fluctuations are perfectly normal and how there are plenty of reasons to rethink the scales as your primary measure of fitness progress, but we get it.
For many people, weight loss is an important personal goal, and even if it’s not something you’re trying to achieve, seeing that number go up when you feel like you’re doing everything right can be downright confusing, no matter how much inner work you’ve done to care less about the scales.
First of all, this is a super common experience and usually it’s not something worth getting hung up about. Seriously. Your body isn’t broken. You’re not broken.
But if you feel like you’re on the brink of biffing your scales out the window or having a menty B because of a number, here are five things that could be at play.
Muscle gain
When you’re trying to get stronger and build muscle mass, putting on weight isn’t necessarily something to be alarmed by as muscle is more dense than fat tissue, meaning a kilogram of muscle takes up less space than a kilogram of fat. Your body could be much healthier and stronger, your clothes could be getting looser and your body could look very different in the mirror, but the scales might not necessarily reflect that change.
If you’re trying to achieve body recomposition (increase your muscle mass and decrease fat mass), it can help to focus more on measuring progress through photos, physical measurements or tracking the weights you’re lifting.
After something a little more high tech? Why not book yourself in for a body composition scan to get a more detailed analysis of your body’s makeup.
Water retention
Your body can hold more water when you’re working out more, and this is a normal and healthy response. Cleveland Clinic explains that when you challenge your muscles with strength training and cause tiny micro-tears in your muscle fibres, your body then retains fluid around the tear to repair it.
Chugged a whole bottle of water post-workout and then weighed yourself? This is another explanation for post-workout weight gain. For every 500 mL of water that goes down the hatch you’ve immediately become 500 grams heavier and that’s obviously nothing to worry about.
Your body also stores glycogen to fuel your workouts, and for every gram of glycogen stored, your body holds around 3-4 grams of water. This is generally a short-lived side effect though, and should dissipate after a few weeks of regular training.
If you’re doing high intensity training, it’s likely you’re experiencing spikes in your cortisol levels. Although this is an unexpected part of HIIT, it can have an impact on water retention. To reap the benefits of HIIT, remember that 2-3 times a week is plenty for most people and it’s not recommended as a daily training style due to the stress it puts your body under. Don’t enjoy HIIT at all? Don’t feel like you have to do it. There’s plenty of other training styles waiting for you in the YogaFokus app.
Hormone fluctuations
As a woman, your body undergoes a range of hormonal fluctuations each month as you move through the different phases of your menstrual cycle, which can have an impact on your appetite, fluid retention or even just how heavy or bloated you feel in your own skin.
If you’re noticing changes each month, it can help to keep a diary of your symptoms or weight fluctuations alongside your menstrual cycle to identify (and begin to predict) any patterns.
Increased appetite
You’re working out and burning more energy, so it’s only natural that you might be feeling more hungry to match your increased energy output. Fuelling your body, brain and workouts is non-negotiable and we’ll never tell you to ignore your body’s hunger signals, but if weight loss is a goal of yours, there is a science to it.
You need to be in a calorie deficit at the end of each week, meaning the energy you’ve put into your tank is slightly less than the energy you’ve burned. We like to say week here to give you a more realistic approach where you’re averaging a deficit over seven days, giving yourself some freedom to socialise and treat yourself in the same way you would with a weekly spending budget. If your weight is consistently increasing and you can’t make sense of it, it’s worth seeing a trusted healthcare professional for advice.
Carbs are essential for energy, but if you feel like a bottomless pit, make sure you’re also eating plenty of protein and some healthy fats too, as these macronutrients are essential for satiation after meals.
Too little sleep or too much stress
Research has shown that a lack of sleep can have an impact on your weight by affecting your hunger hormones, decreasing your sense of fullness after eating or increasing your food cravings and snacking habits, so make sure you’re placing as much importance on your bedtime as you are your workouts.
If you need to reduce your number of workouts to feel well-rested or skip the occasional session to prioritise sleep – you’ve got the green light from us. We want you to be building habits you can sustain for life, not just a season.
Stress and increased cortisol levels can have similar effects on the body, increasing your appetite and cravings, negatively impacting your sleep (a viscous cycle) and promoting fat storage. Exercise is so important for your health and wellbeing, but your best workout routine shouldn’t hurt your sleep or stress levels.
YogaFokus is about so much more than your workouts
Feel your best – inside AND out
Know what numbers matter
Hitting a goal weight or seeing the numbers on the scales shift can be a significant milestone moment. Is it the only way to measure your progress if you’re trying to lose weight? Definitely not. So if the scales aren’t doing it for you, don’t be afraid to change things up. Take photos, get a body composition test, track your strength gains in the gym, and try to never let a number have power over your mental health.