Weight fluctuations

You get up in the morning feeling so good and lean, then you go to hop on the scale but your weight is up??? Your nutrition and fitness have been on point and your wondering what it could possibly be from. I am sure you are feeling some frustration... and I know this because I have been there... its incredibly frustrating.

I am here to tell you ALL the MANY reasons why your weight might be up and fluctuates so much.

Dehydration-Can cause your body to retain more fluids. By drinking more water your body can get rid of fluids more efficiently and flush out excess sodium.

Sodium-Your body may retain excess water for a few reasons, but most likely is related to sodium intake. If you consume more sodium, your body will retain more water. Some people are more sensitive than others.

Hormones-Right around that time of the month you might see weight increase, sometimes 5-7 days before you start your cycle, and usually goes away by day 3-4 of your cycle.

Timing of weighing-Weighing yourself at different times of the day you will see lots of weight fluctuations. Try to only weigh yourself in the mornings before you eat or drink anything.

Intense workout-Can cause temporary inflammation, which is little tears in your muscle fibers. The fluid required for inflammatory response weights something, and might show up on the scale.

Muscle Gain-You could be building muscle faster than you are shredding fat. Once that fat burns off then you will see the scale go down, and tone definition.

Medications-Some medications have side effects of weight gain. Most likely these meds are causing an increase of appetite or hormones changes.

Stress-When you are under a lot of stress, the hormone cortisol raises, which cause overeating. The increase level of cortisol can cause higher insulin levels, and your blood sugar drops and causes you to crave sugary, fatty foods.

Lack of sleep-Once again that hormone cortisol will have a affect on your weight... The more sleep-deprived you are, the higher your levels of the stress hormone cortisol, which increases your appetite.

High Carbs-Eating a modest amount if healthy carbs is good for you, but eating over that amount can cause some weight gain and extra water retention.

Bowel movements-If you are a little "backed up", this can cause bloating and some weight gain. Make sure you are getting in enough fiber to keep everything moving and regular.

The scale is a great tool to measure progress, but it isn't the only form of measurement.

Make sure you are taking measurements about once a month, this will show any inches lost.

Make sure you are taking pictures as well, do them once a month and wearing the same thing, standing the same way. Pictures are my personal favorite to showing progress.

Whatever you do, don't obsess over the scale (easier said than done, I know!) Just keep going and know that you WILL see your results come through from all your hard work and effort.