7 Things That Trigger Weight Gain that Aren’t Fat Gain

 

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Do you ever step on a scale and feel bad about yourself because you see an increase in your weight?

Well, you are not alone. 

But it is important for us to remember that when it comes to our weight, fluctuations are a normal part of our body's day-to-day changes. And, the most important thing to understand is this: Weight gain doesn't always mean fat gain.

Let us unpack weight gain in this episode of the Embrace Your Real podcast. We are going to dive into seven things that can trigger weight gain that have nothing to do with fat gain. And my hope that by the end of the episode, you will develop more compassion for yourself, your weight, and your body.  

 

What I discuss:

  1. Weighing yourself on different scales will trigger weight gain without gaining any fat.

  2. Focusing on daily fluctuations can trigger you to gain weight without gaining fat. 

  3. Your digestion can trigger you to gain weight without gaining fat. 

  4. Water retention can trigger weight gain without fat gain.

  5. Your menstrual cycle can trigger weight gain without fat gain.

  6. High-intensity activity can lead to weight gain without leading to fat gain.

  7. Lack of sleep can trigger weight gain that isn’t fat gain.

 

If you want more from me, be sure to check out...

 

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Transcript:

[00:00:00] Hey there, beautiful human. You're listening to Embrace Your Real with me, Julie Ledbetter. A podcast where I empower you to just be you. With each episode, I issue a dose of real talk and actionable advice for building your confidence, honoring your body, and unconditionally loving your authentic self. Stay tuned if you're ready to embrace your real. Let's get hugs, girl. [00:00:21][21.1]

[00:00:27] Hello and welcome back to another episode on the Embrace Your Real podcast. [00:00:30][3.4]

[00:00:31] When it comes to our weight, it's important to understand that fluctuations are normal part of our bodies day to day changes. But the most important thing to understand within that is that weight gain doesn't always mean fat game. So when you step on the scale and you see that you gained £3, you cannot automatically assume that £3 is fracking. And so that's why in today's episode, I want to dive into the seven things that trigger weight gain that really have nothing to do with fat gain. And my hope is that by understanding these seven things, you can develop more compassion for yourself, your weight and your body. [00:01:01][30.2]

[00:01:01] Before we dive in, though, I wanted to share this review. It comes from Izzy Girl. She gave a five star review and said, This is real. Julie does not hold back in these podcasts. They are very real. These messages are ones most women need to hear at some point in their life, and I'm so excited for the rest of them. I love that so much. Thank you so much for the review. I appreciate every single one of you guys reviews. [00:01:23][21.8]

[00:01:24] If you could scooch over to Apple Podcasts and leave a rating interview over there, that would really mean the world to both me and our team. Just understanding how a specific episode helped you, or how this podcast in general helps you. Again, not only does it help out our team kind of help to create more content for you, this podcast is all about you and creating the most helpful content in terms of body image and fitness and nutrition and just creating a healthy, sustainable lifestyle. But it also helps other people stumble upon the podcast when they're browsing. So maybe they, they heard about it from a friend or they're browsing the charts. A lot of people look at the reviews and they kind of base their reviews on if they are going to tune in or not. So thank you in advance for doing that. Again, it just really helps us out. And then also, if you haven't subscribe to the podcast, it's completely free. Every phone has a podcast app. You can pull out that podcast app type and embrace your email and make sure you are subscribed. So every Monday and Thursday when new episodes release, they get automatically downloaded to your phone. Again, completely free. This podcast is 100% for you. [00:02:27][63.1]

[00:02:28] All right, let's dive into the seven things that trigger weight gain that aren't fat gain. [00:02:31][3.6]

[00:02:32] Number one, weighing yourself on different scales will trigger weight gain without gaining any fat. So in fact, weighing yourself on different scales will trigger weight gain even if you don't have any weight gain at all. Like, let's think about it. [00:02:43][11.3]

[00:02:43] If one day you weigh yourself at the scale at the gym and then the next day you're scale, weigh yourself at the scale at home and the next day you're at this year on the scale at the doctor's office. And then the next day you are at a friend's house and you're in your friend's bathroom. You're going to get a different number each time when in reality you probably weigh the exact same. Just because you gained £5 after stepping on your friend scale doesn't mean you actually gained £5. The varying results can actually be caused by many things due to the calibration manufacturing differences in scales. You need to take those differences with a grain of salt as you're scale at home, or your friend's scale could be calibrated or manufactured totally differently. And even if you prefer to measure yourself with measuring tape instead of weighing yourself, your measuring tapes could have discrepancies in their calibration. You could also, you know, measure out a different part of your body where human right we're going to have human error. So if you're if you're measuring yourself on your waist, it's not likely going to be at the exact same spot that you measured yourself the day before or the week before. [00:03:47][63.8]

[00:03:48] So just remember that to accurately track your progress, really kind of just establish your baseline and then remember that it's not important to do it, especially on a regular basis in terms of day to day. If it's affecting you, if it's affecting your mental health, like there are so many other ways to monitor your progress. I've done tons of episodes on how to monitor your progress that have nothing to do with weighing yourself, stepping on a scale, because I know that that can be a trigger for many, many people. Like I said, body measurements. But photos, photos are a great option. [00:04:18][30.8]

[00:04:19] Monitoring your energy levels, seeing how you're lifting is increasing and improving from week to week. That can be super beneficial. And there are just, again, just so many ways to monitor your progress without needing to step on a scale. [00:04:32][13.2]

[00:04:33] Number two, focus on daily fluctuations can trigger you to gain weight without gaining fat. So day to day you're going to have fluctuations in your weight. This is just the reality of life. Your weight is influenced by various factors, including your water retention, blood sugar levels, muscle mass, inflammation, bloating, digestion, sleep, lack of sleep, stress, all of these things that have nothing to do with fact. Therefore, that slight day to day fluctuation, that's going to be expected. And that's why long term trends are going to be way more beneficial to look at. [00:05:05][32.0]

[00:05:05] So the key to assessing your weight accurately is remembering that that you need to look at the bigger picture rather than the day to day. This also helps you to stop focusing on weight gain is an associated with fat gain, so it helps you to kind of zoom out and look at where you're at and what your weight actually is, not just where your weight is today. So you can either doing do. This by weighing yourself less often. Or only weighing yourself on days you don't feel bloated or inflamed or just overall, pay attention to the average number, not the daily number. And it's worth noting that changes in weight measurements can also be influenced by factors such as time of day clothing, hydration levels, what phase you're at in your menstrual cycle. So to minimize these discrepancies, weigh yourself or measure yourself or take pictures at the same time of day, preferably in the morning before you eat or drink anything after you go to the bathroom. And again, I personally like when I'm taking progress photos. [00:06:04][58.7]

[00:06:04] I wear the same thing, like I try to wear the same exact thing because your body's going to look different in something different if it's, you know, a sports bra and shorts one week and then it's a bikini the next week, and then it's a different sportswear on different shorts. The week after that, it's your body's going to look different and looks different in different clothing so just remember that. [00:06:23][18.8]

[00:06:23] Number three, your digestion can trigger you to gain weight without gaining fat. So similar to what I discussed earlier, weight can temporarily increase after a day of consuming more fluids or foods than usual. Think about Christmas. You eat a lot on Christmas or Thanksgiving the next day. Let's say, for example, you step on a scale which I wouldn't recommend anybody doing, literally anybody. There's no reason for you to do that. But you do anyway, £5 more than you did the day before. There's 3500 calories in £1, meaning you would need to eat 3500 excess calories to gain £1 of fat. This is excess calories, not calories. In total, excess calories are the calories on top of the calories that your body actually needs. [00:07:06][42.4]

[00:07:06] So if your body needs, let's say, for example, 2000 calories or 2300 calories a day, you would gain £1 of fat when you eat 3500 extra calories. On top of that, that is typically like 3500 calories spread out over time, not in one day, but kind of going back to Christmas where you think you gained £5 in one day. Did you actually eat that many extra calories? Like that would be very, very hard to do. So just keep that in mind. You're most likely weighing £5 more because you have a lot of undigested food in your stomach. And this is why if you step on the scale first thing in the morning and right before you go to bed, you're going to get two completely different numbers in the morning. Your food from the day before is likely going to be more digested again, depending on how your sleep quality was than it was in the evening. Hence why you will likely weigh more in the evening versus the morning. [00:08:01][54.4]

[00:08:01] If you're constipated, your weight is going to be more than if you're having regular digestion. If you weigh yourself and you've gained weight. So ask yourself like, have I been going regularly and also acknowledge what time of day it is. Also acknowledge kind of what your patterns have been. Has your sleeping good, has your stress high, Are you drinking enough water? Did you have extra salt like extra salty food the day before? All of those things again? [00:08:26][25.1]

[00:08:27] Which leads me to number four. Water retention can trigger weight gain without snacking. So one of the easiest ways your body retains water is just by eating a lot of salty foods. And this can make you feel like you gained weight when in reality you didn't. Sodium plays a crucial role in fluid balance. And this is why, you know, when you go out to eat and you consume a high sodium meal the next morning, if you step on the scale, it likely looks like you gained weight from that one meal. You probably didn't gain weight from that one meal. I can guarantee your metabolism is not that slow. But again, £1 of fat is 3500 calories, excess calories. So I'm guessing you didn't eat, you know, 7000 extra calories during that meal that trigger you to gain £2 of fat. This is, again, just your body trying to maintain the proper concentration of sodium both inside and outside of your cells. And to achieve this balance, your body retains water, which leads to temporary weight gain. [00:09:21][54.6]

[00:09:22] Let me repeat that temporary weight gain. This water retention is also the reason why sometimes you experience bloating or swelling, which also makes you feel like you gained weight. It's important to remember that this weight gain is not related to fat gain and it will subside as your body restores fluid balance. There's no need to stress about it. [00:09:42][19.7]

[00:09:42] Number five, your menstrual cycle can trigger weight gain without fracking, so fluctuations in your weight during your menstrual cycle, that's completely normal. It's a part of being a woman. We go through the cycle. If you have a regular cycle, we go through it every single month and it's not healthy for our mental health to convince ourselves otherwise. Hormonal changes that occur during different phases of the cycle can lead to temporary water retention. As I discuss lots of bloating which results in those unwanted weight fluctuations. So the estrogen and progesterone, those levels of those two hormones can fluctuate and do fluctuate throughout the menstrual cycle. And these hormone shifts can impact fluid balance in the body. These hormone fluctuations affect how your body regulates. Fluid, which leads to bloating and feeling of heaviness. And it's important to understand that the weight gain experienced during your menstrual cycle is primarily due to water retention, not fat gain. [00:10:38][55.9]

[00:10:38] So as hormone levels stabilize and menstruation occurs, the body gradually sheds the excess fluid and today your weight returns to baseline. So during your cycle, remind yourself, okay, I didn't gain all of this in fat and give yourself some grace. [00:10:56][17.2]

[00:10:56] Number six high intensity activity can lead to weight gain without leading to faking. So when you engage in high intensity training sessions or intense physical activities, this can cause temporary weight gain. And this is something that I think many of you guys are actually unaware of. But yes, a super intense workout can actually trigger some weight gain. And here's why. Intense exercise leads to muscle fiber, micro tears and inflammation, which actually results in temporary water retention as a part of the body's natural healing process. I bet you are starting to notice a trend between water retention and false weight gain. But on top of that, intense workouts can also increase glycogen stores in the muscle, which contribute to that temporary weight gain. [00:11:41][44.3]

[00:11:41] Again, this is not related to fat gain. Instead, it reflects your body's response to physical stress that you place on the muscles. And as your body recovers and adapts to the demands placed on your body, the temporary water retention will go away and your weight will likely return to baseline. So stop worrying about the weight gain, especially if you get a killer workout. And this is one thing I see all the time. People like, I love these workouts. I got a great workout in. I've been super consistent, but the number on the scale is going up and I'm asking them, Great, are you being consistent? And they're like, Yeah, I mean, being super consistent. And I'm telling them, okay, awesome. This is actually a part of your body's natural healing process. It's a temporary part and so just keep going, trust the process and know that this is not faking that you're seeing on the scale. [00:12:28][47.3]

[00:12:29] And lastly, number seven, lack of sleep can trigger weight gain. That is, in fact, gain. You guys, if you've been following me for any length of time, if you've been tuning in to this podcast for any length of time, I preach about sleep because it's so important. The quality of your sleep can have a significant impact on your body's daily weight fluctuations. In fact, a poor night's sleep or changes in your sleep patterns. This can and will disrupt fluid balance in the body, which means again, boom, produ. It's going to trigger water retention that causes that temporary weight gain. [00:13:01][32.5]

[00:13:02] So like I said earlier, you can see a clear correlation between false weight gain, weight fluctuations and water retention. So if we feel like we're retaining a lot of water and it's triggering us to feel bloated and more weighed down, what should we do? Well, I have a few suggestions for you. [00:13:19][16.9]

[00:13:19] Number one, stay hydrated. This is opposite of what you might think, but staying hydrated can actually help you to reduce water retention. And this is because when you're dehydrated, your body holds on to more water. So to help let some of the water go of what your body is hanging onto, aim to drink plenty of water throughout the day. Minimum 70 ounces if you can get to 100 ounces. Amazing. One of the biggest hacks and the things that I always tell people, if they struggle with water intake, set those reminders on your phone so that way you have them throughout the day because, you know, drinking water is a habit. And if it's not a habitual thing that you're doing, you're likely going to struggle with it from day to day. [00:13:58][39.3]

[00:13:59] Number two, move your body. Exercise is one of the best ways to overcome water retention. So regular exercise improves circulation. It activates the lymphatic system and promotes sweating, all of which contribute to reduce fluid buildup and water retention. And exercise actually helps to regulate your sodium levels, which we also know leads to water retention and false weight gain. So the next time that you're feeling bloated or uncomfortable moving your body, working out might feel like the last thing you want to do. But it could be the very thing that will ease your discomfort and help you feel better in your body. [00:14:31][32.5]

[00:14:32] Number three Don't hate me. Just speak in the truth about limit caffeine and alcohol just until you feel better. Why this is helpful is because both of these things can contribute to dehydration. And the more dehydrated you are, the more water your body retains. So to get technical with you, caffeine and alcohol both act as diuretics, which make you need to pee more often and leads to a lot of fluid loss. So like I said, this can prompt your body to retain more water, to compensate, making your water retention even worse to counteract these effects. Maybe just until you feel like you're back to normal. Drink caffeine and alcohol in moderation. So maybe one cup instead of three. And as always, making sure that you're hydrating, drinking plenty of water throughout the day. And if you don't limit coffee or alcohol, just make sure that you counteract by hydrating more than usual to kind of make up for it. [00:15:20][48.2]

[00:15:20] And lastly, number four, increase your potassium intake. So potassium is actually an essential. Mineral oil that plays a crucial role in maintaining proper fluid balance in the body, as well as balancing sodium levels. So foods rich in potassium such as bananas, oranges, spinach, sweet potatoes, you can blend those up in a protein smoothie. You can eat them plain. I mean, there's tons of different ways that you can eat them and incorporate them into your daily intake. But kind of helping yourself find that perfect concoction that will help you not only making sure that you're getting the vitamins and minerals, but also can help with bloating and water retention. [00:15:56][35.3]

[00:15:56] Now, some things not to do when your weight is fluctuating day to day. [00:16:00][3.5]

[00:16:00] Number one, do not crush yourself with workouts like punishing yourself with these workouts. If it looks like you gained a few pounds overnight, a super hard, intense workout to quote, work off the few pounds is not what you need. This is only going to contribute to your water retention and make it seem like you gained more weight. So what to do instead? Stick to your normal routine. Understand that the weight will balance itself out. There is no need for you to get negative with yourself because I'm telling you, like the main source of you moving your body. If it comes from a negative place, it's likely going to lead down this path that is just not going to serve you or serve your body long term. [00:16:41][40.2]

[00:16:41] And the second thing not to do when your weight is fluctuating day to day is eat less. Understand that these fluctuations in your weight does not mean that you gained fat and that you need to deprive yourself to lose the weight. I know when I would step on the scale and I would see, you know, I gained a few pounds overnight. I would want to deprive myself all day or the next few days to make up for it. This is not going to help. Eating less is not going to help with water retention. [00:17:05][23.8]

[00:17:05] So what to do instead? Carry on with your normal daily macronutrient intake, your nutrition. Realize that there's no need to overcompensate and that all you genuinely need to do is nourish your body with what it needs, just like any other day. All in all, when your weight is fluctuating, you need to remind yourself that there are so many factors at play, and it doesn't mean necessarily that you gained fat. If you are nourishing your body with what it needs through utilizing the 12 macro counting and giving your body the movement that it needs through resistance training, then tiny weight fluctuations shouldn't matter, right? If you are doing these things consistently, you are on the right path towards building the body that you want, regardless of what the scale says. [00:17:45][39.7]

[00:17:46] So step off the scale, ignore the weight fluctuations because you know that you are doing the right things to build the body that you want. I hope that this episode gives you more peace of mind and helps you understand what the heck is going on in your body. Because again, for me, for so long I used to get super frustrated and I hear this all the time. People are staying consistent with their workouts or staying consistent with their nutrition, and yet they're super discouraged because they're seeing these weight fluctuations and they're just not understanding the why behind it. So hopefully this was education to you. Hopefully it was a little bit of encouragement to you if you feel like you have been stressing about this area of your fitness journey. If you are wanting to, number one, start properly fueling your body through utilizing the 12 macro counting, I do have a program for you. You have to remember that you can workout consistently. Be very consistent in that department. But if you are not fueling your body optimally, you will struggle to build muscle and build the body that you want. [00:18:44][58.1]

[00:18:44] So in this program, we give you a step by step guide on how to start making macro accounting kind of a lifestyle, utilizing that tool of macro counting so that you can properly feel your body and navigate the ins and outs of dining out and what it looks like and how it feels to properly fuel your body in different seasons of your life. And number two, if you are looking for a plan and you are needing to stay more consistent in the working out department, maybe the nutrition is nailed down with the working out department. That has been something that you've been struggling with. You just following random workouts on Instagram or Pinterest and you need more of a structured program. I've got one for you at the moment with Julie App Fiber and workouts every single week, released straight to you via the app on Saturdays 12 p.m. on Standard Time. All you need is a few pair of dumbbells, a small space in your phone. Thousands of women use this program on a weekly basis and are seeing massive results. Have you want to learn more about that? I will link that in the show notes as well. [00:19:42][57.6]

[00:19:42] So the macro economy mean simple online academy and the moon with Julie app. Both of those things will be in the show notes below. I hope that this was helpful for you. I hope that this gave you some education, some inspiration, a little pep talk, and just reminding you that if you are doing what you know you need to be doing, you are properly fueling your body. You are moving your body consistently and regularly, and you're being effective in your workouts. You're working each muscle group from week to week know that weight fluctuations are normal. Ignore them, continue to move on in your journey. [00:20:16][34.2]

[00:20:17] If you have a friend or coworker or someone in your life that you feel like could really benefit from this specific episode or this podcast in general, I just ask that you share it out with them. You can copy the links and. To them in a text message. You can also screenshot this and post it up on your story. But that is all that I have for today's episode. I love you so much. I mean it and I'll talk to in the next one. [00:20:34][16.9]

[00:20:43] All right, sister. That's all I got for you today. But I have two things that I need you to do. First thing, if you are not already following me on the gram, be sure to do so. Julie A Ledbetter. Yes. It's with an A in the middle for that daily post workout real talk, healthy tips and tricks, and honest accountability to keep your mind and heart in check. The second thing be sure to subscribe to Apple Podcasts to never miss an episode. Thank you so much for joining me. It means the absolute world. And I'm going to leave you with one last thought. The most beautiful women that I have met in my life are the ones who are completely confident and secure in being authentically themselves. Remember that beauty goes so much deeper than the surface. So go out there and embrace your real because you're worth it. [00:20:43][0.0]

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