I'm freaking out...

I've gained 3 lbs in the past 2 days.  I want to assume that this is water weight, since it's almost time for my period - but according to my scale, which measures fat %, my body fat % has gone up 1%.  If there's a water weight gain, does it show in the body fat percentage, or did I actually gain 3lbs of fat?  I hope not! 

I'm freaking out because I have been really sticking to 1300-1500 calories and working out regularly (F, 5'4", 135lbs).  This was my weekly weigh in and had been plateaued for over a month, until today.  I'm so upset that I might actually be gaining with all this hard work..

Don't stress!  It could be water especially this close to your period...and if you have had anything salty that only adds to water retention.  The 1% of fat, I'm not sure on honestly.  But I really wouldn't stress out right now.  I really don't think you gained 3# of fat in 2 days though since you'd have had to go significantly over maintenance for that and if you've stuck to your calories then you know that didn't happen.  

Hang in there!

Those body fat scales are pretty inaccurate.  I have one, and I weigh myself every day, and no matter what, the more I weigh, the higher the body fat percentage.  I can literally drink a pint of water, get back on the scale, and it will tell me my body fat percentage went up, despite the fact that I know it should have gone down slightly.  I'm beginning to wonder if the scale was worth the money.

dolphinclick, I think you are right about the scale - I just tried it again and the percentage dropped 2%.  I feel better now - except that the scale may just well be a waste of $.  I think this may just be water weight after all.  :-)

If you're going to stand on scales daily you have to take the rough with the smooth and be able to shrug your shoulders either way. If you're going to freak out at a 1 or 2lbs gain then put the scales away between weekly weigh-ins.

I have no idea how a humble bathroom scale with limited technology can possibly distinguish between fluid or fat (or muscle for that matter). Getting your weight in hand is enough to worry about... why make it more stressful?

The basic idea behind body fat scales is that the water in our bodies conducts electricity better than the fat (actually, fresh water is a terrible conductor, but fortunately the water in our bodies is saline, which is a reasonably good conductor).  So when we step on the scale, it sends a small current through our bodies and measures the resistance.  The higher the resistance, the more fat the current had to go through.  But that's only part of the equation.  You have to program in your age and height, and the scale uses an algorithm that uses your weight, height, age, and resistance to come up with a number for body fat percentage.  It's a crude tool, slightly better than those online body fat calculators, but not by much.

If you're weighing daily, stop. Stop now and never weigh daily again. It will drive you insane. In a single week I could shoot up a grand total of 10 lbs and still be lower than I was by the end of the week. It's all variable.

As for the bodyfat thing, while it's totally possible that you gained fat, I'm still going to vote Negatron on that one Batman. It could be water weight, it could be the beginning of a muscle formation (muscle weighs more than fat, you know), it could just be that you haven't had a bowel movement yet... like... I'm serious there are so many things.

Don't freak. Relax and keep to it. If you're not cheating horrifically then you're probably just having a fluctuation day.

Seriously though. DO NOT weigh daily.

Thanks everyone.  I'll stop weighing in daily and I've already calmed down.  I appreciate the responses!  C.

Some people weigh daily, some weekly, some monthly.  It's an individual thing.  I started out weighing weekly, but it was driving me a little batty, so now I weigh daily.  If you're working hard, you tend to expect to lose weight each week.  That's just not how my body works.  So I weigh daily and take the daily fluctuations in stride.  A 2 pound gain from one day to the next doesn't bother me.  Logically, I know I didn't gain 2 pounds of fat in a day.  A 2 pound gain from one week to the next does concern me because I could very well gain 2 pounds in a week.

But yeah, if the daily fluctuations bother you, don't weigh daily.

If you are doing some heavy workouts, you may be gaining muscle weight. Which of course weighs more than fat or water.

I posted this elsewhere, but if your workouts are "hard" as you say, you may be actually messing up your plans to lose weight.

Losing weight can be done without hard work. You just have to monitor the food you eat. Exercise is great if you plan on running a marathon or enjoy competitive sports, but it really isn't the best way to lose weight.

Time magazine's 

Why Exercise Won't Make You Thin

http://www.time.com/time/health/article/0,8599,1914857,00.html