scale

Inflammation vs. Scale

The scale and inflammation are a tough combo.  It’s week two of our current challenge group and I posted this here as well as in the group to encourage. We want results so fast and our bodies don’t work that way!!! I also wanted to give you a sneak peek of what it looks like to be in one of our groups. We share confessions, struggles, successes, recipes and everything in between. Here goes:

{HELP! WHY ISN’T THE SCALE MOVING?!}

I feel like this post was important for us today.
The most likely reason your number on the scale crept up is inflammation. When you work out, it causes little tears in your muscle fibers. This is called microtrauma and it’s why you feel sore after a workout. On the upside, your body heals these little tears, making the fibers tougher than they originally were. That’s how you become stronger and more fit. It’s part of a process called adaptation. It’s a GOOD thing!

To make these repairs, your body uses its standard healing process, including the inflammation phase. When you incur injury, including microtrauma, your body releases various substances generally known as inflammatory mediators that swarm the area and perform triage, bringing in healing white blood cells and opening up blood vessels to flush out debris and toxins. There’s so much going on that the area swells up, or inflames.
The fluid required for inflammatory response obviously weighs something ***and that might show up on the scale.*** When inflammation is allowed to occur in a healthy way, it’s temporary.
There are a couple situations in which you might actually be putting on fat. The first one would be that you’re not following a proper diet. Yes, exercise burns calories, but it also increases release of ghrelin, a hormone that promotes hunger. So if you’re not paying attention, you’ll probably eat more.
Even if you are eating at a deficit, poor food choices can cause all kinds of issues, usually centered on hormonal imbalances that cause your body to hold onto fat. This is why we love adding Shakeology into the mix, it really helps with cravings and keeps one meal a day in perfect balance.  Also, think about the containers from the 21 Day Fix.  They are super easy to use and the nutrition guide really does balance your daily diet.  So, do NOT be afraid to open that nutrition guide that came with your package. It is KEY!!!!!!