When you’re trying to lose weight, sudden spikes on the scale can leave you feeling like your time and effort have been wasted. All too often, this leads to a feeling of discouragement—or worse, negative self-talk that makes it even harder to persist on your weight loss journey. By being beholden to the scale, we lose sight of what matters most: practicing healthy habits that will both shift the scale in our favor and improve our wellness in the process.
Kate Gugerli, an expert on fat loss over 40, says that if you suddenly "gain weight" overnight, it’s important to keep things in perspective to avoid this cycle of disappointment, discouragement, and derailment.
"So you went out to dinner over the weekend, and now you’re two pounds heavier on the scale. Let’s talk about what’s really going on because—spoiler alert—it’s not fat," she says in a recent TikTok post.
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Gugerli explains that to gain one pound of fat, you would need to eat 3,500 calories above your maintenance calories and to gain two pounds, you would require 7,000 excess calories.
"Did you eat a dump truck full of burgers over the weekend? Most likely not!" she says. "By understanding what causes the changes on the scale, you can stop letting those sudden fluctuations sway you off course from your weight loss goals."
The weight loss coach shares several sneaky reasons why you might notice the numbers on your scale suddenly surging.
"The number one reason that the scale went up is because you ate more carbs than normal. Carbs are like sponges—they absorb water. Water retention is absolutely why the scale jumps up overnight," she says in her post, adding that eating more salt than usual can have a similar effect.
If exercise is part of your routine, there may be another surprising reason that you’ve suddenly "gained weight," she says—and no, it doesn’t mean you should discontinue your workout plan.
"If you lifted weights over the weekend, chances are your muscles are inflamed and also retaining water. Water is not the same as fat," she notes.
This is a normal part of muscle recovery as your body heals the micro-tears in muscle fibers created by exercise, and builds new muscle tissue, Cleveland Clinic notes.
Sudden weight gain in women may also result from hormonal fluctuation—especially as you start your cycle. Bloating, changes in appetite, and other symptoms of premenstrual syndrome (PMS) can further contribute to the feeling that your diet plan just isn’t working.
Finally, Gugerli says that if you’re suddenly carrying extra weight, you may simply have undigested food that you haven’t gotten rid of yet.
RELATED: 11 "Healthy" Habits That Are Making You Gain Weight.
Rather than focusing on these temporary deviations from your weight loss plan, the fat loss expert says the key is to believe in your long-term progress and stay faithful to your strategy.
"You can’t control the scale, but you can control your consistency," Gugerli notes. "If you are consistently eating in a calorie deficit six out of seven days of the week, you will consistently lose fat."
