Weight gain

This morning I had a temporary panic attack when I stepped on the scale and had gained a pound over night. When you are trying so hard to lose weight, especially the healthy way, an increase in weight can be devastating.

I checked my calorie counter yesterday first. I knew I hadn't eaten 3,500 extra calories in one day (approximately 3,500 calories = 1 lb.) but I had to really look at it for that to sink in. I had consumed less than 1,100 yesterday. My average is 1,200 although I calculate in for 1,800.

Next I checked my carb intake. Yesterday was actually less than the several days previous.

The final "food" culprit I checked was my sodium intake. Sure enough, I had consumed more sodium than I had in the last week. Although I had used "less sodium" brand of sauce, it was still more than my body was use to. Sodium is important to keep in a diet, our bodies need sodium, but a large increase can cause temporary increases in water weight.

Other possible reasons for the number on the scale going up include not drinking enough water and in increase in physical activity.

Yesterday I played croquet with my family outside and went for a brief walk. Although this was not strenuous activity, it's likely I didn't drink enough water to balance even the slight increase in movement.

So although it's true that the scale number went up this morning, I know that I didn't gain any fat. My increase is probably due to a temporary increase in water retention.

To combat this gain, I am drinking plenty of fluids, especially since I started doing cardio today.