Calories vs Weight Gain - Here is the Skinny!

My dearest daughter Nichole was sad and discouraged when we returned from Chicago.  The nasty bitch of a scale told her she had gained 6 pounds in two and half days!  WTF?


It got me to thinking about calories and weight gain.  I found something very interesting when I began looking at the subject.  It has helped me to put into perspective these "so called" gains that everyone is talking about daily.  I thought I would share it with you all!


Remember we are highly encouraged to weigh once a week at the very most!!  Some doctors and nutritionists advise only twice a month.  Wow, I know that would be nearly impossible for this scale whore!  I admit that I am one, I weigh each and every morning.


Any how back to my point.  The scale told Nichole that she had gained 6 pounds and this is how that equates.  She would have had to of eaten 3500 calories over her daily calorie requirement x 6!!!!!! A pound is approximately 3500 calories.  Since this was over a 2.5 day period of time that means that she would have had to of eaten approximately 10,500 calories over that requirement each day for a whopping 21,000 calories over her required calorie limit for those two days. Well ladies and gentleman, that did not happen, I was there, I saw what she was eating, and it was very similar to me.  She also logs every bite she takes.


If you eat over your calorie requirement one day and then do not even eat your calorie requirement the next and so on you must look at the BIG picture over time.  One hot fudge sundae will not cause you to gain a pound over night, or one snickers, or a beer!  It is the cumulative total of this equation over days that adds up to our gains and losses.  It finally clicked with me.  Since I refuse to follow Dr's advice and only weigh once a week, I see the scale fluctuations each and every day.  These are just that fluctuations, NOT true gains or losses.  


What matters is what we are doing over the long haul, this is how we gain and lose weight.  I think this is why we are instructed to not weigh each and every day.  There are so many variables in a 24 hour period that effect our weight, that it can make us go crazy.  Especially women, who tend to retain water because of the monthly cycle.  The amount of salt we eat, the amount of water we drink, the time of day we weigh, the placement of the scale, if we are constipated or not!


I hope this helps those who think the scale is their enemy.  Lighten up on her, she is just another tool in this journey.  She is not our enemy, WE can be our own worst enemies.  Allowing the negativity to creep in and crush an otherwise healthful journey, where we are whooping ass with this FAT monster!


The most important thing for everyone out there busting there butts at the gym or in daily exercise, you are building muscle and muscle weighs more than fat!