Here are one of my client's last four bodyweight averages:

• 226.71
• 225.55 (-1.16)
• 223.76 (-1.79)
• 225.4 (+1.79)

Quick note before we go any further:

The ONLY scale data worth looking at is your weekly averages over 2-3+ week periods.

Anything less than that is too heavily impacted by carbs, sodium, meal timing, gut content, workouts, water, and other things that have nothing to do what we're actually trying to monitor:

Changes in fat, specifically.

When we talked about this Week 4 increase during Monday's check-in, here's what she hypothesized:

"I think the increase the end of the week was that we ate out Friday & Saturday nights - eating later than normal and also food that probably had salt, etc."

As I mentioned above, meal timing and sodium can absolutely lead to water retention—so her thought was valid.

But how do we know for sure?

Whether you're retaining water... or just not in a deficit?

Time.

Literally all we have to do is wait it out, and see where things settle:

• Water retention doesn't prevent FAT loss, so if you're actually in a deficit: your weight should still drop within another week or two
• If your weight stays up, and the next week's average is about the same: that generally means you're just consuming too many calories

I say "should," "about," and "generally" because the specifics obviously vary client-to-client, based on other data and context.

Guess what happened next?

By yesterday, this client's weight was back down to 221.9.

3.5 pounds down from last week's average.

So yes, her hypothesis was correct! Her weekend meals led to a spike in weight, but not fat (an incredibly important distinction). Yesterday's weigh-in confirmed that.

In case you missed it earlier this year, I did record an in-depth podcast episode on this very topic:

​How to STOP Letting the Scale Dictate Your Mood & Motivation (For Better Fat Loss Results)​

Had this client not understood the concepts and strategies in this episode, last week's bodyweight average increase could've really got in her head.

But they didn't, she rode the wave, and saw more results because of it.

Speaking of the podcast:

I'm wrapping up Season 2!

On Monday, I dropped episode E49:

​The End of Season 2, Getting Way More Out of Your Workouts, & The Real Value of Coaching​

Here are some of the highlights:

• What most people—even frequent gymgoers—are missing from their workouts that costs them results (08:51)
• A seven-question training intensity audit most people do NOT pass (14:45)
• Why you're not just paying for weight loss when you invest in coaching—and how that misconception makes your coaching experience less enjoyable and effective (20:35)
• Some of the many non-weight loss benefits of investing in coaching (25:54)
• The most important time to be working with a coach (24:20)

Next week, we'll wrap up the season with my good friend and NYC-based trainer and coach Josh Grimm.

More details on that then.

In the meantime, please don't hesitate to let me know if you have questions on the scale, how you're progressing, or either of these podcast episodes!

I mean it when I say my inbox is always open for whatever you need.

Sam

P.S. We're up to 32,000+ downloads of the podcast.

I know there are far bigger shows, but I sure as hell don't take this number for granted—especially with tens of thousands of fitness and nutrition-focused shows to choose from.

So please know how much I appreciate it if you've tuned into any episodes, or supported the show in any way.