Weight loss question

Mamer4

Sorry probably an annoying question from a newbie...I joined a gym 6 weeks ago, attend a general fitness class once a week and go 2 other times myself. Mainly weight lifting exercises which is new to me and I love! And some cardio as well - treadmill, rowing. Each time 45-60mins in total.

Mainly want to tone up, and repair my body after 4 babies and difficult pregnancies plus some small weight loss.

Quick (silly) question - I weighed 10st 3lbs last Tues morning, ate healthy, waaaaay less bread crackers etc, had roast veg with rice or cous cous every lunch and normal dinner, porridge for breakfast no processed food at all etc, Friday morning I was 10st 0lbs

Had our usual friday night treats, dark choc, pretzel sticks, 2 bulmers, then Sat had pizza and garlic bread for dinner, some biscuits and buns that day and a packet of crisps (family outing don't normally have them) and 1 bulmers. Plus the hour long fitness class that morning.

Sunday morning I'm back at 10st 3lbs... and same this morning after eating healthy again all sunday...

So I know! I shouldn't be weighing myself so much maybe! But I'm wondering did I actually lose the 3pounds Tues-Fri and then put it all back on Fri and Sat?!

And I know I will have to look at my friday and sat treats!!

Up until very recently I would always have been between 9stone 12/13lbs and 10 stone. (the odd time lower)
It's crept up a few pounds now and actually seems harder to keep off since I started the gym!! But I presume that must just be my diet and can't possibly be muscle or anything like that yet!!!?

I know I've very little to lose but prefer to keep fairly low on the scales so I'm probably just over thinking it, just curious how the scales and the gym fit together and weight loss in general.

I'm female, 6ft tall, weigh 10stone 3lbs

Sorry for the long message and silly question, was just confused and a bit disheartened by the disappearing 3lbs!! ??

wakka12

Scales mean nothing. Observe your body not the scales..you may well look better now than you did before starting to exercise due to putting on muscle weight which weighs more than the fat you might have lost.
Even just hydration levels will have your weight on the scales fluctuate pretty drastically from day to day the scales are a bad way of measuring fitness and health resultd

Thoie

Where you are in your cycle can affect things too - I fluctuate regularly by a kilo or so, and it often seems to tie in with my period.

I know BMI is not a great measure, but at 10 stone 3, and 6ft tall, you're at the lower end of the "healthy" range, so try not to get too hung up on the odd pound. Try weighing yourself once a week, at roughly the same time of day to build up a better picture, and note where you are in your cycle.

As Wakka said, even if your weight stays the same, as the composition of muscle/fat changes you'll start seeing differences in your body. Here's a click-baity article showing some women in and around the same weight "before and after", but with different amounts of muscle vs fat.

http://www.health.com/mind-body/before-and-after-weight-loss-social-media

Mamer4

Thanks so much to you both for your replies, good to hear the scales are not the way to go, I definitely will try to just weigh once a week and concentrate on how I'm feeling/looking.

I'm on the combined pill but actually was having breakthrough bleeding at the weekend! So very interesting. Plus I finished breastfeeding after 15 months 6 weeks go and up until then had been either pregnant or breastfeeding for the last 4 years so maybe that's a part of it too.

Very interesting looking at those pics, thanks :-)