Why you should end your relationship with the scale

This time of year it’s tough to maintain a schedule and eat right. A big holiday dinner can cause a temporary weight gain on the scale. In addition to a big dinner, there are several other factors that can cause fluctuations in your weight. It’s a better idea to use pictures, measurements, how your clothes fit, and/or calipers to chart your progress. This will give you tangible information that can be used over time, and not a number that doesn’t take body composition into consideration. For many of us, the scale can either make or break our day and we shouldn’t let this happen. Here are just a few that will make the scale inch upward temporarily:

1. Hormonal fluctuations

This can account for a few pounds on any given day, depending on your cycle. Temporary water weight gain can last from 2-5 days. By becoming aware of this and knowing it’s a temporary situation, it’s easier to work through.

2. Lack of sleep

This can hinder recovery and can cause stress levels (cortisol) to become raised. One or two nights with inadequate sleep will cause the body to hold water. Ongoing sleep deprivation could lead to fat gain, so try to get 6-8 hours of sleep every night, or however much your body needs.

3. Hard training sessions and soreness

Training breaks down muscle fibers, and creates micro tears. This is a natural part of the process. The body repairs these micro tears into stronger muscle fibers. This is how we’re able to get stronger and gain more muscle. The process causes temporary water retention. If you do weigh in on a regular basis, you might notice that you’ll be heavier after a big leg or back day. Larger muscle groups have a tendency to make you hold more water, while the body recovers. Soreness is part of this process, as the previously trained muscles will be slightly inflamed. Inflammation equals water retention. Make sure you’re taking an adequate recovery, as this will help speed the process along. MyHMB has also been shown to limit soreness and help with recovery!!

4. Increased carbohydrate intake

For every gram of carbs ingested, the body will hold up to 3 grams of water! This is normal and temporary. Muscle glycogen stores fill up, as does liver glycogen stores. Muscles can look “fuller” after a high-carb meal. Keep in mind that once the liver stores are filled, the body will store any excess carbs as fat. Try to plan big training sessions before or after large meals. This can help prevent fat gain.

5. Increased sodium intake

That package of beef jerky will make you gain weight. Again, it’s temporary water weight. Sodium will cause water retention. This can be counteracted by drinking more water, and by sweating it out.

6. Stress

Worried about that job interview or deadline? Chronic stress can cause the scale to creep upward. Stress, lack of sleep, and overtraining can all make cortisol levels rise. Temporary spikes in cortisol levels can be managed, but chronic stress should be managed to prevent weight gain. Meditate, talk it out, journal, hit the gym, or enlist some help on that project.

7. Overtraining

As mentioned above, overtraining can cause cortisol levels to rise. This causes weight gain, or fat gain, if it goes on long enough. Train hard, but rest well. Progress happens outside of the gym.

8. Inflammatory foods

If you’re sensitive to one or more of these food groups, you will hold water after eating them. Inflammation, in general, causes water retention. So, you could hold water based on your inability to process dairy or based on a hard training session. Dairy, wheat, processed foods, alcohol, soy, and certain farm-raised meats are the most common categories of foods that induce water retention. Allergy testing or eliminating these foods from your diet can help you determine if you have sensitivity to any of these. If eliminating from your diet, reintroduce only one food at a time to see how your body reacts to it.

9. Weight will be higher later in the day

This one is obvious, but is worth mentioning. I had a friend who’d weigh in every morning and every night. She would always complain that she was heavier at night. Well, we can eat and drink pounds in a day, so it makes sense that weight will be higher at the end of the day!

10. Weight will change with body composition

And of course, you’ll weigh more if you add lean muscle mass to your frame! Gaining muscle and losing fat will look like no progress on the scale, even though you’ve improved your body composition. This is another reason to not stress about the scale!

 

 

Scroll down to learn how myHMB can aid in reaching your fitness goals.

 

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  • Erin Stern
    2x Ms. Figure Olympia

  • Carissa Johnson
    WBFF Pro & Fit Mom

  • Health & Wellness Coach and Fit Mom Jada Kelly
    Jada Kelly
    Fit Mom & Wellness Coach

    “With work and kids, I try to be as efficient as possible. When I train, myHMB helps me do this! Every minute I have is NOT going to waste because myHMB is helping with muscle retention and recovery. I’ve found myHMB helps me be the strong, vibrant, mom and woman I want to be.”

Decreases Body Fat

Studies have shown that supplementing with myHMB, combined with exercise such as resistance training, can help active adults lose body fat and gain lean muscle. In a 12-week study, participants supplementing with myHMB during strength training lost 210% more body fat compared to placebo-supplemented participants. They not only lost more body fat, but they also saw lean muscle gains 250% greater than lean mass gains for those on placebo.

Wilson et al., 2014

Improves Endurance Capacity

Studies show that myHMB improves aerobic performance in average, everyday athletes. MyHMB is shown to increase maximal oxygen consumption (VO2max) and improve the respiratory compensation point (RCP). It appears that myHMB may reduce metabolic acidosis, and the research also shows that it helps athletes tolerate high-intensity activity over a long period of time. Additional research shows that myHMB lengthens the time to the onset of blood lactate accumulation (OBLA), resulting in positive effects on endurance performance.

Lamboley et al., 2007; Vukovich and Dreifort, 2001

Improves Body Composition During and After Calorie-Restricted Diets

Calorie restriction to reduce overall body weight can result in an unwanted loss of muscle mass. But supplementing with myHMB has been shown to prevent the loss of muscle mass during a calorie-restricted diet. Using an animal model to simulate the effects of caloric restriction, a study compared caloric restriction alone in combination with training or training plus myHMB. MyHMB prevented the loss of muscle mass and lessened the loss of grip strength with caloric restriction.

Park et al., 2013

Increases Strength When Combined with Exercise

Strength gains are maximized with the use of myHMB. A meta-analysis of resistance-exercise training studies shows that myHMB supplementation results in increased strength gain. The studies showed increases for trained and untrained, young and elderly, and men and women. While the magnitude of the effect varies with training intensity and population studied, the overall effect was clear — myHMB significantly increases strength gains when supplemented during resistance-exercise training.

Nissen & Sharp, 2003

Shortens Muscle Recovery Time Following a Marathon Run

MyHMB is shown to benefit anyone involved in strenuous activity by minimizing muscle damage, which improves recovery after a workout.

Studies have shown that myHMB minimizes muscle damage during hard exercise by minimizing protein breakdown. Less protein breakdown means improved muscle cell stability and less membrane damage. This reduction in muscle cell damage (leakage) has been measured by a reduction of muscle damage markers such as creatine phosphokinase (CPK) in the blood stream. From the serious athlete to the conscientious fitness enthusiast, myHMB can help preserve healthy muscle and shorten recovery time between rigorous activity.

Nissen et al., 1996; Knitter et al., 2000

How It Works

MyHMB helps those leading active lifestyles to:

Female and male athletes performing deadlifts at a CrossFit gym

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