In every weight loss program there will be those days when that darn scale simply refuses to move in the right direction. Today was an initial weigh in for a DietBet Kickstarter and the scale decided I weighed more than I did 4 short days ago.
Am I worried?
No!
Why not, am I crazy?
First, worry causes stress and stress increases a hormone called cortisol, which can actually promote weight gain. Since I don't want anymore of that we'll stop the worrying.
Second, weight fluctuates every day, depending on the time of day. Which is why so many give the advice of weighing yourself only once a week at roughly the same time of day on the same day of the week. Since this weigh in was forced due to the game rules, I have nothing to compare it to. That is I didn't weigh myself 7 days ago at the same time, so for all I know I could've lost weight relative to that point in time.
Third, I made a change to my workout program and as such also had to realign my meal plans to accomodate the extra activity. Changes like that will always have side effects as your body tries to figure out what just happened.
Finally, I don't just use "pounds off the scale" as my only indicators. I use other metrics such as, percentage of body fat, hydration, and actual body measurements such as hips, thighs, waist, chest, etc. So if my body is shrinking in size and I'm weighing more it might be due to replacing fat with something else like muscle. Dietbet doesn't take this into account, because it would add a lot of complexity. But I'd be fine loosing my bet if I miss my goal weight because I lost enough fat, but added a pound or two of muscle during the game.
Good luck to all the players out there.