We’ve all been there, you’re working flat out for months on this super restrictive, supposed to be the answer to everything diet, then you eat one meal out and BOOM, all your hard work is undone.
Why does that happen?
If we look at it scientifically, by eating in a 500 calorie deficit, you'll lose around 1lb of fat per week.
If Cal In > Cal Out = energy is stored and weight increases
If Cal In = Cal Out = energy balance is maintained and weight stays level
If Cal In < Cal Out = daily energy consumption is lower than what is needed by the body so it uses stored sources to make up for the deficit and weight decreases
Whilst you're in that deficit, you're going to aim to maximise protein, as this is going to keep you feeling full and not like you've been starved to your goals, it's also going to preserve the muscle mass you have, and have worked damn hard for.
A good rule of thumb for protein? 1g of protein per lb of body weight (or 1.8-2.2g per kg). Or in even easier terms, aim for 1-2 palm sized portions of protein 3-4 times a day. By aiming for this, and eating it first in your meal (followed by your veg), this is going to guarantee that you feel full enough that you really don’t need much else to eat.
As a client said to me the other day, "eat the expensive stuff first!" - honestly, he's not wrong!
This means that calories are going to be cut predominantly from carbohydrates and fats. The thing that is higher when you head out for that delicious meal with friends.
So when you go out for that lovely meal, why does the scale go up? A big part is that when we eat carbohydrates, they absorb the water in our body (carbo-hydrate - the carbs are being hydrated). This can make the muscles look plumper, potentially stomach a little bloated if we go more processed, and can lead to weighing a little more because of the higher amount of water retention - purely because the carbs have soaked it up.
Before you panic, the thing to remember with water retention and the scale going up - is that it's temporary, and as soon as carbs reduce a little, you top up your water, move a little and those carbs pass through your system, the weight will be gone too. You've not suddenly put on fat overnight.
So there's no reason to panic and suddenly starve yourself, or overtrain. This is what can lead to our yo-yo, all or nothing behaviours, unsustainable lifestyles and bad relationships with food and exercise. Just keep doing what you do. Get back into a regular veg and protein routine.
What’s the best approach you can take when you feel the panic and see the number go up?
Absolutely nothing - relax, take a breath and review the last couple of days
Eat your regular breakfast - 1-2 palms of protein, 1 handful of fruit or veg, 1 fistful of carbs/starch
Drink a big glass of water
Go for a walk
Continue about your regular day
Eat your regular lunch - 1-2 palms of protein, 2 handfuls of veg, 1-2 fistfuls of carbs/starch
Drink a big glass of water
Go for a walk
Eat your regular dinner - 1-2 palms of protein, 2 handfuls of veg, 1-2 fistfuls of carbs/starch
Drink a big glass of water
Go for a walk
Chuck in a high protein and fruit snack as and when you need it if you feel hungry
What if you’ve been doing all of that and there’s nothing out of the ordinary in your routine, but suddenly the scale changed?
Now we can get into some interesting things that make subtle differences. How have each of these lifestyle factors been looking?
Sleep - have you been getting 7-9 hours per night?
Stress - has your workload and stress increased, have you been working longer hours, have you taken time each day to decompress?
Hormones - ladies especially, this will make a difference depending on where you are in your cycle (compare to four weeks ago, rather than last week)
Water/caffeine/alcohol - have you been drinking at least 2 litres of water each day? How much alcohol have you had? Are you drinking more than two cups of coffee?
Conditions - are you keeping the same conditions every time you weigh in? Same time, same day, no food/drink, post poop, no exercise, scale in the same place?
Much like carbohydrates cause water retention, so can a poor night or sleep or high stress from work/life/over training. Your body is holding onto water (and sometimes fat) as a safety mechanism because it feels danger coming as something has changed and it wants to keep hold of energy stores in case of emergency. Similar to carb water retention, this is only temporary, and the best thing you can do is give your body some certainty by resting, breathing, and eating at regular intervals.
From a hormones perspective, this is a big one for females especially, as it can be a minefield trying to work out what’s going on week to week, or every fourth week you have big changes. As your oestrogen and progesterone fluctuate, you may notice that your weight fluctuates, mostly notably that there is a big SPIKE right before your period starts. These fluctuations are connected to your cycle and you’re likely to notice some variation, so don’t panic.
One of the best ways to track your progress here, is to compare the same week of your cycle over the months. This will give you the most accurate indication of whether your efforts are having the impact you want. Similarly, week one and two of your cycle will be similar and comparable, then weeks three and four will give you a good representation. So if you notice that it’s not going quite as you like, you can make changes there.
You are also likely to notice that you feel less hungry, stronger and have better recovery in week one and two, but may be hungrier and have less energy in week three and four. If this is the case, allow yourself to push hard in the first weeks and increase your food intake to meet your hunger (from protein and whole foods) in those later weeks.
Hopefully this helps to give you a steer on what’s happening when you hop of the scales and can help to identify where you can make changes, or understand what’s happening.
Need more help?
Book a free 20 minute call - amy@empowerfitnessnutrition.co.uk
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