Anyone who has listened to da best podcast evah has heard me say this before.
When it comes to diet, ya gotta concentrate on one goal at a time.
What does this mean? It means that when you're being intentional with your diet, ya gotta pick one goal at a time. Are you fueling weight loss? Fueling athletic performance? Eating to prevent chronic disease? And while some people may be able to focus on one goal while inadvertantly also losing weight... I wanted to focus on the sclae today...because, LAWDY KNOWS, its definitely something all the peeps be worried about.
So, what the heck might be happening if the scale is creeping up while shaking yo' sugar habit?
1. Are you paying attention to your weight a little bit more than usual?
Weight fluctuations are super common! I cannot tell you how many times I have a client weigh-in on consecutive days with daily fluctuations greater than two pounds. Food choices, bowel movements, hydration status, and hormonal influences all change the scale.
When you start to mess around with your diet, you may be a bit more apt to pop on the scale, and thus you may be more likely to see a bigger number than if you were tracking once a month like usual.
2. Are you weighing within 2-3 days after an intense workout?
Often when ya start eating a bit better, you're more motivated to workout. Intense workouts (let's say HIIT or heavy lifting or a super hard race) can lend to muscle soreness (even when you don't feel the "post workout pain/soreness"). This muscle soreness contributes to inflammation... inflammation causes something called "capillary leak" where your blood vessels literally become leaky and allow for fluid accumulation!! Thus, sometimes when you start working out super hardcore you actually have 2-3 days of fluid build up due to the capillary leak. Yikessss-- don't lose hope. Fluid disappears and metabolically active muscle helps you burn more calories!
3. All the fats?
I cringe writing this one because I don't want to cause a low fat mindset.
First of all, I want to remind you that a pound of fat is equivalent to 3500 calories. This means, if the scale suggests you've gained 3 pounds in a week, its also suggesting you've somehow managed to eat an extra 10,500 calories more than usual in the last week. So here's the thing-- the easiest way to overeat calories is via SUGAR and FAT. And while fat can be an amazing tool to feel fuller longer and banish sugar cravings by decreasing inflammation in the bod... the serving size for yummy, healthy fats is prettyyyy dinky (like 2 tablespoons!).
If you really are nervous that you're taking in too many calories from fat, then just make some swaps. Here are some great strategies:
Keep measuring cups and spoons handy. Don't keep them stashed away but on the counter where they're easily accessible.
Remember - a little fat goes a long way! A tablespoon of grass-fed butter is all you need to balance your meal with some awesome healthy fat!
Swap out some high fat snacks for some high protein ones! Try steaming some frozen edamame and sprinkling with salt, keep deli slices of turkey or chicken in the fridge, dip crudite in nonfat Greek yogurt spiced up with a spice blend:
Sea Salt, Organic Garlic, Organic Onion, Organic Parsley, Organic Bell Pepper, Organic Black Pepper, Organic Basil, Organic Marjoram, Organic Oregano, Organic Rosemary
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